PPO SCHOOL-WIDE VOLUNTEERS 
Many thanks to all the parents who helped out with the summer packet mailings.  Throughout the school year, there will be many other opportunities for parents to be involved as volunteers helping various departments.  If you would like to be informed of volunteer opportunities as they arise (beyond specific PPO committees), please contact Shiaoling Paxson, PPO Co-Administrator at wpsling@aol.com, or Elizabeth O'Sullivan, PPO Co-Administrator at eoros@optonline.net.

ACADEMYPPO.COM
Be sure to check our website, www.academyppo.com, for all the latest PPO news.  You'll find notices of upcoming events, PPO meeting minutes, newsletters, contact information, volunteer sign-ups, links to other parent groups and educational sites, and so much more.

WELCOME-BACK BREAKFAST
Academy staff were welcomed back to school on September 1 with the annual PPO-sponsored faculty breakfast.  Parent volunteers served early-morning treats to returning staff before the first-day teacher orientation sessions.  It was a pleasure to serve you!

NEW SENIOR LOUNGE 
Room 145 has taken on a new look this year with the advent of the senior lounge.  Thanks to a cooperative effort between the BCA administration and the PPO, the seniors will enjoy comfortable seating and stylish tables,  and -- most importantly -- a place to call their own.  The new lounge should be up and running within a few short weeks!

Not yet a PPO member? 

Send your membership form with $50 dues (per family) to Sabrina Ganz, 214 Patriot Lane, River Vale, NJ 07675.  Checks should be made payable to Academy PPO.
Your membership dues fund invaluable activities for our students and parents, and entitle you to participate in PPO events throughout the year.

Please note that this year the PPO directory, our Academy contact book, will be distributed only to paid PPO members.

Cultural Connections...

Theatre Arts News

A new school year and new theatrical "season" is upon us, with all of the excitement that such new beginnings always bring. Course opportunities for all Academy students exist in the form of three fully mounted productions in our state-of-the-art theatre, equipped over the summer with a new main curtain and new lighting equipment. The 2004-2005 BCA season includes The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, on November 19 and 20, As You Like It, by William Shakespeare on March 4 and 5 and Les Miserables, based on the novel by Victor Hugo, music by Claude-Michel Schonberg, and lyrics by Herbert Kretzmer,  on May 20 and 21. All productions run as "classes" with rehearsals beginning in the 3:30-4:30PM class slot, four days each week and extending into after school hours.  All productions, except the fall play, The Crucible, are open to all students, including freshmen. Auditions for As You Like It will take place in late October and for Les Miserables in January. Students interested in playing in the orchestra for the musical will audition for Mike Lemma and work under his direction in the Wednesday project time slot for trimesters two and three.
To support our productions and to give students an opportunity to study stagecraft and technical theatre, a new elective. Stagecraft/Technical Theatre, "premiers" this fall under the guidance of visual arts teacher, Bill Pavlu, with the assistance of our technical director, Steve Danieli. Students taking this course will also have an opportunity to work with guest teaching/artist John Lincoln Stulik who will design the sets and lighting.  Students interested in this new one-trimester course may sign-up each trimester with the understanding that the class meets in the 3:30-4:30PM slot with an after school extension time two days each week.
A round of thunderous applause to PAPA, our Performing Arts Parents Association, for their efforts to spread the word and recruit new parents to the organization, and for their handsome display of photos in the auditorium lobby display case. 
A warm, warm welcome to our new AVPA: Theatre freshmen families. Our theatre sophomores welcomed them with a bagel breakfast on September 10 and are looking forward to serving as their mentors.  AVPA: Theatre students will soon elect Theatre Council representatives in an effort to further support the freshmen and the entire theatre program.

Dr. Rebecca Strum

Music News Updates on the Web

Please check the music website's calendar for the latest in music events:
http://www.bergen.org/music.  If you have any questions, please stop by Room 40 or call or email Mr. Michael Lemma, miclem@bergen.org, x2313.

Class of 2005 Plans Art Auction

The Art Auction, a fundraiser for the Class of 2005, will be held in the Bergen County Academies Auditorium on Friday, October 15.  The preview begins at 6:30PM and the auction begins at 8PM.  The evening should end at about 11PM.  Admission is $10. Ticket  price includes light refreshments, a small raffle and door prize.