Class News

Class of 2006  *The Junior Prom will be Friday, May 13, at Portobello Restaurant in Oakland, N.J. *The class will be hosting the College Fair at the Academies on May 5.  Everyone should have received a flyer. *The sweatshirt and pants forms should have all been returned. The sale is over. *Also, the National Honor Society induction is Thursday, April 21.

Class of 2007  *Jostens Ring Reps spoke with students and parents on April 14, and took sales orders on  April 18 and 19 at lunchtime. *The sophomore showcase on March 25 was spectacular!!!  *The semi formal on April 1 was a HUGE success!!!  *Please look for information about the upcoming Class of 2007 clothing sale in the near future. *Kidstuff coupon book fundraiser will begin upon our return in September.

Class of 2008 *Did you know that the freshman class has a system in place to directly reward each student for fundraising efforts?  There is an individual account for every student. If students participate in a fundraising activity, the profits that result from their sales go directly into their account. For example, if a student participated in the freshman candy sale, each box sold yielded a $27 profit. The $27 dollars is then allocated to that student's individual account. Students are encouraged to add to this account through fundraising throughout their four years at BCA. During senior year, the money in the student's individual account will be used, dollar for dollar, to defray the cost of event tickets such as prom and graduation. It is hoped that this will be a great incentive to have everyone participate in, and benefit from, fundraising. (Some fundraisers are earmarked for the general account and will not be allocated to the individual.)

Asset of the Month
The Youth Resiliency Goal Team of The Bergen County Partnership for Community Health seeks to inspire, educate, and empower individuals, families, schools, congregations, communities and other groups to support young people's ability to successfully navigate life's challenges. 
Research strongly supports the fact that the more of the 40 Developmental Assets young people have, the less likely they are to engage in high-risk behaviors.  The asset that we will focus on for the month of March is #23-Homework:  Resilient young people report doing at least one hour of homework or studying every school day.  Parents can monitor homework and can check to see that assignments are being completed and turned in.  Work with your child to set up a regular homework schedule.  If homework is before dinner, have healthy snacks available.  Hungry children have trouble concentrating.  Help them prioritize their assignments.  Encourage them to get the hard ones completed first before fatigue sets in.  For more information, contact Victor Truscelli, Guidance Counselor, at victru@bergen.org.

Senior Exhibitions Update
The Tenth Annual Senior Exhibitions, the culminating event of the Senior Experience program, were held on April 13 and April 20. Judging by the turnout of mentors - close to 200 this year - and the positive feedback from the audience, the event was a huge success.
This year, both days of Senior Exhibitions began with a Mentor Appreciation Luncheon, which was attended by seniors and the largest turnout of mentors in our program's history! The Luncheon was a great success, and our heartfelt thanks go to Nancy Lagomarsino and the PPO parent volunteers who gave their time to assist with this event, as well as to KPPO president Keum Sook Chang and the KPPO parent volunteers for their help. Our gratitude also goes out to the senior parents who generously donated the delicious assortment of desserts served at the Luncheon.
As you may know, Senior Experience is a unique opportunity for seniors to explore areas of interest with out-of-house internships each Wednesday of their senior year.  This learning takes place under the direct guidance of a mentor, representing professionals in all areas of expertise including administration, business, education, engineering, finance, forensics, law, media, medicine, politics, science, technology, and zoology.
At the Senior Exhibitions, seniors had the opportunity to share information about their internship experiences in the form of formal half hour presentations held in various classrooms throughout the Academy. The audience included mentors, faculty, staff, senior parents and junior students. Based on their feedback, the seniors did an outstanding job of communicating the impact of  Senior Experience on their educational growth and the value of this experience on their personal and social growth. At the closing of each presentation, mentors were honored with plaques acknowledging our appreciation of their contribution to the success of Senior Experience.
Congratulations, again, to all the seniors who did such a fine job at the Senior Exhibitions this year. We look forward to working with the juniors in the upcoming weeks to assist them with their internship search for next year. Also, we look forward to receiving the Parent Feedback form from the senior parents and the SE Parent Survey from the junior parents.

- Dana Picinich and Heather Lawler

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Cultural Connections...

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