Click here to download an order form

Check your student’s backpack! The Parents’ Association has kicked off its annual Berkshire Grown fundraiser today to help raise money for the PA to support school events. A catalogue, information sheet, and order forms have been sent home with your youngest student in their backpack. PLEASE make sure you pull it out!  All forms are due back to your child’s homeroom teacher by November 20 so that goods can be delivered in time for the winter holidays.

Berkshire Grown is a local goods and gifts program that features natural and gourmet foods from your neighbors and favorite businesses. BCD students are encouraged to participate in this fundraiser by presenting these quality goods for sale to friends and family members.

This will be the PA’s ONLY fundraiser for the entire year so please participate and encourage others you know to join you.

Note: the correct Butternut signup form has now been posted. Sorry for any confusion!

For 45 years BCD has closed school early on winter Friday afternoons during January and February so that students could learn to ski or take part in the alpine ski program.  Last year, the overwhelming majority of the student body took part in the Friday ski program at Bousquet or Butternut.  Students in Preschool (age 4) through Grade 9 can take part in a ski/board instruction program either at Bousquet or at Butternut Basin. This program also incorporates a pre-race development component at Bousquet. Both areas will offer snowboarding classes – beginner and intermediate only. The racing program, open only to students in Grade 4 and up, offers two hours of intensive instruction (see Racing Class Memo for details). Please download and complete the forms below, and return them to the Main Office by November 20.

Download the Ski Friday signup form

Download the Butternut signup form

Download the Winter Sports Form

While rainy weather prevented our scheduled Community Campus Day on Saturday. October 24^th from taking place, the work still got done thanks to the commitment of so many parents, faculty, trustees and students. Over twenty community members turned out on Sunday, October 25 with crew leaders Sue and Phil Knoll to rake and clean up the entire campus.  Thank you to our leaf rakers:

Phil, Sue and Lanna Knoll                                                                                          

Tom, Catherine, and Michael Wessel and Margaret McTeigue                 

Elise, Arup, Diba, and Jaidev De

Cynthia Wick and Jack Gibson                                                                               

Karen Cellini 

Brian, Nicole, and Max Shepardson                                                                          

Larry Bingham

Paul Frantz

Paul, Margaret, and Julian Lindenmaier

Later that week, Mike Seward brought a crew member and chipper to campus and donated his services in support of efforts to remove invasive species by clearing overgrown debris.   

This past Saturday, over 40 community members turned out to complete the rest of the projects on the Community Campus Day list. Eric Wilska led a team and installed a new fence above the pond below Cole Field; Larry Bingham and Dan Lee worked with others to build a new swing set on the upper school playground; Joe Sonsini coordinated the efforts of many parents and students and the kiosk project was completed; Jon Piasecki led a small group that repaired stone walls; and more raking and campus cleanup happened.  Thanks to the childcare and activities provided by Lara Brown, we were able to get much done.  Our appreciation to our workers (and we apologize if we left anyone’s name off this list):

Joe, Theresa, Tyler, and Ryan Sonsini

Bryce Schuler

Lara Brown

Wendy Hauck

Betsy and David Capeless

Sue and David Grygier

Courtney Hunt and Don Harwood

Phil Knoll

Nigel Hinds

Eric Wilska

Glenn Novak

Nick Raposo

Gregg Petricca

Pier Boutin

Mary Harman

Brian and Nicole Shepardson

Claire Pollart

Paul and Susan Frantz

Larry Bingham

Margaret and Paul Lindenmaier

Dan Lee

Fiona Lally and Joe Ogilvie

Ace Brantly-Boutin

Barbara and Samantha Slate

Peyton Schiff

Jon Piasecki and Laura Gratz

Chris and Charles Weld

Steve Bell

Merlin Wissweasser 

Special thanks go out to Margaret Lindenmaier for her leadership and coordination. Margaret’s planning, vision, and energy helped to make this event successful and fun.  And, thank you to Trustees Claire Pollart and Eric Wilska for contributing their time and talent.  In addition to accomplishing many important campus projects, new friendships were forged and the culture of community at the school was nurtured.

Photos courtesy of Nick Raposo

Heather Fishman is proud to announce two new instructors for BCD’s After-School Music Program.

Mary Douglas – Piano: Mary Douglas received her Suzuki Piano Teaching Certificate from the School for Strings in New York City and a Master of Music from Florida State University. She maintains private piano studios in Manhattan and in Hudson, New York. Several of her students have been accepted into the piano program at the LaGuardia High School for the Performing Arts in Manhattan. Mary has taught piano at the Community Music Center at Teachers College, Columbia University, Early Childhood Music at the Lucy Moses School and at the West Side Montessori School in Manhattan. In addition to private piano teaching, she is on the Early Childhood Music faculty of the Diller-Quaile School of Music.

Luke Massery – Piano: In August of 2006, pianist Luke Massery was given the honor of performing the first recital in the Colonial Theater in his home town of Pittsfield, Massachusetts after its 25 Million Dollar restoration. Ivan Chan, first violinist for the renowned Miami String Quartet, has called him “One of the most sensitive pianists I’ve ever heard.” Luke was the second recipient of the Daniel Pearl Scholarship for musicians or journalists founded by the wife of the NYC Journalist who was killed in Afghanistan. He has studied at the Boston University Tanglewood Institute and privately with Jonathan Bass, Elizabeth Hagenah, and Edna Golandsky. Luke is a graduate of the Eastman School of Music where he studied under Dr. Douglas Humpherys, chairman of the piano department. An accomplished organist as well, Luke enjoys liturgical music ministry and continues to study organ.

BCD’s After-School Music Program offers students private, after-school music lessons on the BCD campus. Currently, the program offers private instructors for piano, violin, viola, cello, guitar, flute, clarinet, and saxophone. The fine faculty of musicians assembled for this program specialize on their instrument and are experienced teachers.

More information about the program and instructors can be found on Heather Fishman’s MyBCD blog under After-School Music. If you are interested in lessons for your child, please contact the instructor directly (contact information for instructors is also located on the blog site) to discuss scheduling, fees, and any questions you have about lessons.

Dear BCD Families,

Influenza-like illness is now widespread in the Berkshires. The absentee
rates at local schools for flu-like illness are quickly rising with some
diagnosed cases of H1N1 flu (also known as Swine flu or novel influenza A).  BCD is grateful that our parents have been vigilant in keeping sick children at home even when flu is not suspected. We have had very few flu cases thus far but exposure being unavoidable, we too will be affected.

Extensive news coverage has been helpful to alert families, but has also
caused a worried response that has overwhelmed our local hospitals and
physicians. Please be aware that the vaccines for H1N1 and seasonal
influenza will not be administered through our school. I must refer you to your primary care physician for your family’s vaccination needs and vaccine availability. If you suspect flu, call your physician’s office for guidance particularly if you or your child has a health condition such as asthma, diabetes, auto immune disease or a bronchial condition. Be assured that most individuals with flu-like illness will improve with adequate rest at home, good hydration, and fever control. The majority of people with flu-like illness improve without antiviral medications such as Tamiflu or Relenza but calling your physician at the first sign of flu-like illness will determine whether these medications would be right for you or your child.

A few helpful points:
 - Prevent spread by careful respiratory hygiene which includes hand washing with soap for 20 seconds or use hand sanitizer. Cough into the elbow area and use tissues followed by hand cleaning. Do not share drinks or food using the same cups or utensils.

-The incubation period for H1N1 flu is most likely 1-4 days.

-Have a thermometer (children can learn to take their own temperatures), tissues, sport drinks such as Gatorade. Foods such as broth based soups, rice, oatmeal, applesauce, rice crackers are best. Avoid wheat, dairy, spices, fried food and any fast food even as the appetite returns.

-Stay home as soon as signs of sickness appear. This will give you time to
assess whether or not it is a flu and it will also give your child the rest
needed to fight off illness even if it is simply a mild cold or brief
stomach virus. Your child may avoid flu if his resistance is supported
rather than worn down.

-Keep in mind that you need not have all of the symptoms for it to be flu.  
Thus far the sudden onset of a combination of these symptoms most likely indicates flu: fever above 100, chills, cough, sore throat, shortness of
breath, runny nose, body aches, sore throat, headache, fatigue, weakness, vomiting or diarrhea. Fever presents in most cases but not all.

-Watch carefully for signs of dehydration to help prevent serious
complications. Some of the signs and symptoms of dehydration include:
decrease in urination, increased concentration of urine, dry mucous
membranes, diminished tears when crying, dry cracked lips, increased fever, and increase in lethargy. For any concern regarding dehydration consult your primary care MD immediately.

I have been in communication with the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH) on a weekly and often daily basis via e-mail since the spring. For your convenience I am offering two documents from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health pertaining to influenza that may be helpful.  “Flu – What You Can Do- Caring for People at Home” and “Frequently asked Questions”.  To access these, please click the links below:

http://www.mass.gov/Eeohhs2/docs/dph/cdc/flu/flu_care_booklet.pdf

http://www.mass.gov/Eeohhs2/docs/dph/cdc/flu/swine_factsheet_parents.pdf

I will keep you informed this flu season with new developments. PLEASE call or send a note briefly explaining any absence so we can better track illness within our BCD community. As always, I am available by email or phone to help address any concerns.

Michelle T. Alexander, BS, RN

Community Campus Day Update:

The weather looks great for this weekend!  Please join your fellow BCD community members in completing our Community Campus Day Projects on the morning of Saturday, November 7th from 9:30 to 12:30!

Come rub elbows with old friends and new while we repair our stone walls, construct a new swing set, install new split-rail fencing, and put the finishing touches of paint on exterior woodwork.

While we will not be able to provide a community lunch on Saturday, come early (9 am) for coffee and goodies. Find your work gloves and bundle up the kids. Childcare will be available.

See you Saturday,
Margaret Lindenmaier