The BCD PA is holding a Sports Equipment Swap today and tomorrow (Thursday, May 19th and Friday, May 20th). Please bring any used, but clean and in good condition spring / summer sports equipment (including footwear but not clothing: please no bicycles or ski equipment).  Great examples include items such as cleats, helmets, baseball bats, tennis rackets and more!

There will be tables set up outside the Gym, under the overhang starting at drop off on Thursday. Please drop off and select items for your child/children anytime over the 2 day period. Please note any items left over at the end of the day Friday will go to both charity and a second hand store for possible resale for the school.

It’s finally here! The much anticipated, Grade 7 theater production entitled, “3×3″ will be this Thursday and Friday at 7:00 p.m. in the Winthrop Theater located at 45 West Street, Lenox.

Three great performers in three short plays!

The performances, directed by Meg Agnew, will feature the talent of students: Alania G., Sam K., and Rebecca V.

The young actors will be performing: Waiting by Ethan Cohen; No Dogs Allowed by Shel Silverstein; and Words, Words, Words by David Ives.

Recommended for all ages. Donations accepted at the door.

Please come and show your support!

Spring is in the Air!

As we renew ourselves with the warmth of spring air and the promise of budding gardens and harvests to follow, this is an excellent time to review our parent participation in the BCD Annual Fund. Many of you understand that your giving helps close the gap (approximately $1000 per student) between tuition and the actual cost of educating our children. Your donations provide much-needed salary increases to faculty, fund new course offerings, like Spanish, and support beloved programs like Theater.

If you’ve already given to the Annual Fund, thank you! If you have not yet given, please consider a gift in whatever amount is possible for your family – our goal is 100% parent participation.

Last week, our Annual Fund co-chairs, Hilary Ferrone and Marianna Poutasse, were delighted when a parent approached them to ask if she could increase her gift; her family had already donated, but they now realized they could be even more generous this year. Of course, the answer was an emphatic “Yes!”, and an even more enthusiastic, “Thank you!”

At BCD, we are proud to be a gift-supported school. Thank you for planting the seeds of our BCD garden! (To make a donation to the Annual Fund, please write your check to: Berkshire Country Day School, write “Annual Fund donation” on the memo line, and either drop off your check in the main office, or mail to BCD at P.O. Box 867, Lenox, MA 01240. You may also donate online via credit card by clicking here. THANK YOU!!!)

Art Omi The Fourth Graders traveled to Art Omi, an outdoor sculpture park in Ghent. They toured the grounds, including getting to see a sculpture being installed, and made a sculpture of their own, before stopping briefly at the Spencertown Academy to see a show of photographs by Sasha Sicurella, Head of the Education Dept. at Art Omi, and a BCD afterschool program teacher.

For Patriots Day, the 5th grade lead Morning Meeting last week with a reading of “The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere”, complete with tri-corner hats!

Focus on Photography Many thanks to Adrienne Cosel for the donation of an enlarger which has replaced one in our darkroom. Many thanks also to the Hamptons for their donation of a 35mm camera to the Photography program.Both of these pieces of equipment have enhanced and improved our spring Arts Block offering of Basic Black and White Photography.

The 2nd grade had the opportunity to be inspired by modern art during their recent visit to MASS MoCA

Upcoming at BCD

Friday, May 6 BCD Music and Me

Saturday, May 7 ArtSoirée is almost here! The highly anticipated event will be this Saturday, May 7 at 6:30 p.m. at the beautiful Stonover Farm, 169 Under Mountain Road Lenox. Tickets are available at the door. Your friends are going and you should too!

Tuesday, May 10 Buildings and Grounds Committee meeting

Thursday, May 12 Board of Trustees Annual Meeting, Fitzpatrick Hall

Thursday, May 12 and Friday, May 13, 7 p.m., Winthrop Theater 3 x 3 – Three Short Plays with Three Great Performers, Grade 7 Theater Production

Friday, May 13 BCD Music & Me; Pizza Friday

BCD Sports Spring/Summer Equipment Swap May 19th and 20th The BCD PA will be holding a Sports Equipment Swap Thursday, May 19th and Friday, May 20th. Please bring any used, but clean and in good condition spring/summer sports equipment (including footwear but not clothing: please no bicycles or ski equipment). Great examples include items such as cleats, helmets, baseball bats, tennis rackets and more! There will be tables set up outside the Gym, under the overhang starting at drop off on Thursday. Please drop off and select items for your child/children anytime over the 2 day period. Please note any items left over at the end of the day Friday will go to both charity and a second hand store for possible resale for the school.

Week in Review

Earth Day This week brought with it Earth Day and there was no shortage of creativity from the students and teachers alike! The B3 students created a class rainbow out of recycled newspaper, finger paint, and tissue paper (shown above). This was to end their unit on weather and to celebrate Earth Day. They did a beautiful job and are all excited about their contribution. First Graders also put their minds to work as they made created machine sculptures out of recycling that helps the earth in some way.  Their inventions included: a seed planter and a garbage picker upper!

Seen Around Campus

9th Grade Science Class: fetal pig dissection was the topic today!

Upcoming & News to Use

Artists Abound! The Berkshires has been a haven for artists for over 150 years. Hawthorne, Melville, and Wharton led the steady flow of artists drawn to the Berkshires. BCD has its own population of such inspired artists, some of whom will be offering pieces at ARTSOIREE, the upcoming Financial Aid fundraising event. Our own Cynthia Wick, a BCD parent, is one such featured artist in the evening’s auction. Cynthia, who worked for two decades in the movie business, has returned to her roots as a painter and now lives here in the Berkshires. Have you bought your tickets for May 7th ArtSoiree yet? ArtSoiree is only 15 days away! RSVP ASAP… Your friends are going, and you should too!

Friday, April 22 No School. Good Friday

Wednesday, April 27 Head’s Chat – Preschool parents

Thursday, April 28 Committee on Trustees and Governance meeting; Board of Trustees Meeting – date change from April 14

Friday, April 29 BCD Music & Me

Week in Review

Arts Night A wonderful time was had by all during the annual Arts Night. The evening began in Fitzpatrick Hall where parents, students, friends and family were able to view art work, sculpture, film, and creations of all kinds hand-crafted by the students at BCD. The event continued with vocal, musical, and theatrical presentations in Furey.

Dancing Days The students at BCD had the opportunity this past week during Arts Week to dance!  From West African dance to Jazz Tap, Salsa, and Brazilian Capoeira, the students were able to dance their way around Fitzpatrick to various and sundry beats and tempos.

Students work with clay as they enjoy Art class in the Sun!

News to Use & Upcoming

ARE YOU IN the running to bid on these colorful red clay platters crafted by Lauren Mundy?  Lauren works in a converted barn studio in the Hudson Valley, using traditional slip designs on red clay pottery, and also happens to be a part of the BCD community, just like you!  Pieces of her work will be offered in the silent auction at ARTSOIREE, May 7th, at Stonover Farm in Lenox, an evening to celebrate art and raise funds for the BCD Financial Aid Fund. Your friends are going and you should too!

BCD Music & Me This 45-minute long Friday morning program for 2- to 4- year-olds begins with circle time and sing-along period, followed by a themed project and story time. Younger siblings welcome!

City Dog, Country Frog come explore friendship and make a new friend yourself—April 15, 9:00 a.m. Harry the Dirty Dog comes to visit—April 29, 9:00 a.m. Leo the Late Bloomer flowers bloom, plants bloom, and we bloom too!—May 6, 9:00 a.m. In My Garden everything grows!!  Let’s make some crazy flowers—May 13, 9:00 a.m. It’s Summer . . . let’s play!—May 20, 9:00 a.m. Come look through The Hello Goodbye Window as we think of friends we made—June 3, 9:00 a.m. Call Director of Admission & Financial Aid Amy Freeman to register.

The Spring Advisor conferences will be held from 3-8pm on Thursday, April 21st. This is a time for Lower School parents to meet with their child’s homeroom teacher and for Middle and Upper School parents to meet with their child’s advisor. The advisors and homeroom teachers will be able to discuss information gathered from our students’ second trimester grades and/or comments as well as the third trimester’s Midterm Review; a meeting when all faculty discuss each student’s educational and socio-emotional growth. While you will not meet with your child’s individual subject teachers during these conferences, follow-up meetings with specific faculty members may be scheduled if you or the advisor determine a need. Click here to go to the Advisor Conference page then click on the name of your student’s advisor to access their sign-up form.

Week in Review

Happy Memories of the 7th grade trip to Washington D.C. are now on flickr! Take a moment to see some of the sights and sounds from the trip by viewing the following slideshow:

Greetings from the Admission Office! We have had a busy enrollment season thus far, but still have a ways to go to make our goal for enrollment this fall. The majority of you learned about BCD through word of mouth from friends and family as you began your educational journey.  We appreciate and will always value your help in “spreading the word” in the Berkshires, Litchfield and Columbia Counties.  From speaking to a prospective family for the first time when you are at the coffee shop, to inviting a prospective family to your home for a play date; your interaction and authentic story means so much to our prospective families. Thank you for all of your referrals over the past year(s), and I continue to welcome conversations about your friends and colleagues who may be interested in BCD as we move through this admission season to welcoming our new families to BCD this fall.Thank you for your support of BCD Admission and welcome back! ~Amy

Seen Around Campus

1st Graders honing their skills in Art class

News to Use & Upcoming at BCD

Sports started for grades 4-9.  Please make sure that your student has a stick and that boys have gloves.  Please be prepared for all practice scenarios.  If we are inside, they would need indoor sneakers. If we are outside it may still be very cold, everyone should have warm-ups and gloves, perhaps a hat.  The games schedule is on the calender and the coaches will be handing out schedules.  A few teams are still being contacted so there may be some changes.  Think warm weather.

Music Concert for B3′s-3rd Grade. Furey Hall; May 6th 2:15 P.M. Parents are invited!

Music Concert for MS and US Music Groups Fitzpatrick Hall; May 20th 1:30  P.M.; (MS Chorus, MS Band, US Vocal Ensemble, Carribbean Music, Guitar Class) Parents are invited!

At BCD, we are all in the IN crowd.  We pride ourselves as a school and community on our INCLUSIVITY and the sense of BELONGING that each child, in turn, grows up with.  So, have you purchased your tickets yet for the most IN evening of the year?  ARTSOIREE promises to be an elegant night of premiere fine art, haute food, cocktails and desserts in the famously divine fieldstone post-and-beam barn of STONOVER FARM in Lenox.  ARTSOIREE is our annual benefit for the BCD Financial Aid Fund, one of the many great things about our school that enables us to have the strong, healthy, diverse, brilliant, luminous student body that we do.  And if you TWEET or follow FACEBOOK, you’re in luck!  You can find more information and updates about ARTSOIREE on Twitter and Facebook.  RSVP by April 15th!  Your friends are going, and you should too!

Tuesday, April 12 Arts Night

Wednesday, April 13 Grade K Lunch Bunch. Assembly Gr 4-9 hold #2 – US trip presentations

Thursday, April 14 Parents’ Association meeting. Grade 5 Lunch Bunch. Vocal Ensemble perform at Kimball Farms.St Stephen’s Table – gr 7-9 volunteers. Committee on Trustees and Governance meeting.

Friday, April 15 ArtSoiree Committee Meeting  8am – 9am. BCD Music & Me. Pizza Friday. Berkshire Theatre Festival assembly Performance of Histories Mysteries Revealed.

Monday, April 18 No School – Patriots’ Day.

Week in Review

The campus was alive with activity this week as all the students began classes after returning from their highly anticipated spring break. Many new stories and memories were shared as were many photos of vacations, travel, and adventures of every kind.

Take a moment to view some highlights from the 8th grade trip to the Everglades in the following slideshow:

The following pictures are from the 9th grade trip to Spain and France:

Seen Around Campus

Seen Around Campus: 1st grade theater class

News to Use & Upcoming at BCD

In 36 Days… you will find yourself in a beautiful barn, surrounded by beautiful art, sipping a deluxe cocktail, eating delectable hors d’oeuvres and desserts among friends you’d been hoping to catch up with for months…  You will find yourself bidding on unique, local art by extraordinarily talented members of your community…  All to support the Financial Aid fund at BCD…  All this will befall you at ArtSoiree, Saturday evening, May 7, at Stonover Farm in Lenox… Your friends are going, and you should too!

Adult Fitness Classes at BCD Fitness Express Inc. will  offer classes two days weekly right after drop-off! When; Starting Monday  March 28th – May12th 8:00-9:00 am mondays and thursdays in Fitzpatrick Hall. These classes are for everyone  seeking a well balanced program Learn proper warm-ups,  toning, strengthening, for the body, mind and soul in a fun and invigorating setting. $12 per class/ 1 class wkly- $100 or 2x wkly-$200 for 10 wks All classes taught by Claire Naylor-Pollart, Exercise Therapist and Myotherapist with over thirty years experience! e-mail cpollart@me.com with any question or call 917-971-9829 Just come and check out the first class or two, if your not sure and want to see what it’s all about!  Wear comfortable clothing, yoga or fitness clothing. I prefer no shoes, but if you have a preference and have favorite foot wear by all means be comfortable.

Monday, April 4 Start of after-school Spring Enrichment Classes. See full list here.

Thursday, April 7 8:15am Development Steering Committee Meeting. 6:30pm Susan Engel to speak

Friday, April 8 5th and 8th grade trip to the Metropolitan Museum. 8th grade leaves at 6:30 and goes to the Cathedral of St. John the Divine first. 5th leaves at 8:20. Any questions, contact Mr. Ashworth, Mrs. Fawcett, Mrs. Meyer, or Mrs. Cromwell.

Tuesday, April 12 8:15am Building and Grounds Committee Meeting. Arts Night 5:00pm

Week in Review

Upper School Trips This week marked the Upper School’s greatly anticipated class trips departure. The 7th grade left on their way to Washington, D.C.; 8th grade left for the Everglades; and the 9th grade was headed overseas to Paris and Barcelona.

Hopes & Dreams do come true! Each year the Kindergarten class list their hopes and dreams for the school year. This past week a united dream to, “Build a Cardboard House” came true for three students as they saw their dream realized in the classroom. The house was complete with handmade lightbulbs, working windows, colorful wallpaper and even some smoke stacks!

Seen Around Campus

4th GradeTheater Workshop: Improvising

Upcoming at BCD

ArtSoirée Are you IN? Don’t miss the party in the barn at Stoneover Farm, Saturday evening, May 7th, to benefit BCD’s Financial Aid Fund. Key word: Party. Imagine yourself sipping a specialty cocktail (courtesy of Tyler and Chris Weld), mingling with friends, your eyes feasting on art, your ears filled with the Brazilian Jazz of Richard Boukas and, later, the music of our own smooth musical guru, Jon Suters. Now imagine yourself receiving your invitation in the mail soon, and responding “YES, I’m going!” ArtSoiree—Your friends are going, and you should too!

Spring Enrichment Program Our Spring Enrichment Program is right around the corner—now is the perfect time to plan for these exciting events! Please click here to go to our downloads page and get a copy of the 2011 Spring Enrichment Program Schedule and Sign-Up Form. Enrollment in these classes are on a first-come first-serve basis and often are filled very quickly—so don’t delay!

Susan Engel We are pleased to announce that Williams College Professor Susan Engel, author of the recently published book, “Red Flags or Red Herrings?: Predicting Who Your Children will Become” will be speaking at Berkshire Country Day School on Thursday, April 7 at 6:30 p.m. in the Furey Hall Music Room on BCD’s Brook Farm campus at 55 Interlaken Road (Route 183). This talk, sponsored by the Berkshire Country Day School Parents’ Association, is free and open to the public.

Monday, March 28 Full Day of School for B3-9 (Snow day make up)

Tuesday, March 29 Grade 7-9 Sports and Theater begin

Wednesday, March 30 Head’s Chat—Lower School parents

Thursday, March 31 St. Stephen’s Table Grade 7-9 volunteers

Friday, April 1 ArtSoirée Committee Meeting

Saturday, April 2 Admission Faculty Open House

Due to dangerous icy roads in some parts of the large geographical area served by BCD, school is closed Monday, March 7.