Weekly Bulletin February 5 - February 9, 2018 | Week 23 |
MESSAGE FROM BAA HEADMASTER, MS. CLARK |
We are always proud of the achievements of our alumni, and last week was particularly noteworthy. If you watched Kendrick Lamar's powerful opening at the Grammys, you also saw alum Keenan Cooks dancing as part of the performance. Keenan has performed at the MTV Music Video Awards and is a regular on Spike TV Lip Sync battle; he also was the choreographer for rapper Cardi B’s Underestimated Tour. We are incredibly proud of Keenan's achievements post BAA. And The Boston Globe last week gave a glowing review of Company One Theatre's current production of "Hype Man," now playing at the Boston Center for the Arts. The cast includes only three actors, all BAA alums: Kadahj Bennett, Rachel Cognata, and Michael Knowlton. The Globe reviews states that the "production sizzles with the kind of dynamism that can result [...] when a playwright with a distinctive voice and an urgent message teams up with a theater troupe whose aesthetic and sense of mission are as sharply defined as his." We are incredibly proud that these three actors all began their careers in the halls of BAA. Not all of our students will go on to pursue the arts, and we are just as proud of the graduates who become social workers, teachers, business owners, and so on. What matters most to us is that our students, through the arts, discover their own passions and sense of direction. We hope that no matter what our grads do--whether they are dancing all over the world, dazzling the local Boston theatre scene, serving as civil servants, or engaging in some other profession--that they continue to advocate and appreciate the importance of the arts. Happy Black History month, and have a great week! |
HAPPY BLACK HISTORY MONTH! |
Do you know Bayard Rustin?
Bayard Rustin (1912-1987), a gay African American Quaker, civil rights advocate, proponent of non-violence, and campaigner for social and economic justice, had an impact on many of the nation’s social justice achievements since the 1930s. Over his long life, he worked on important campaigns in non-violence, pacifism, civil rights, economic injustice, human rights, and LGBT civil rights. Rustin organized and led the August 28, 1963 March for Jobs and Freedom in Washington DC. He helped create and led for many years the A. Philip Randolph Institute, an organization which became central to creating jobs and justice for trade unionists. He became a restless world traveler for Freedom House, a Human Rights and voting rights advocacy organization, and for the International Rescue Committee, supporting refugee resettlement and support. In the mid-1980s he recognized the struggle for Lesbian and Gay civil rights and lobbied the New York City government to support the lesbian and gay rights bill. Rustin testified at city council meetings against efforts to attach amendments to the bill, writing Mayor Koch that the lesson he had learned in fifty years of fighting for human rights was that “no group is ultimately safe from prejudice, bigotry, and harassment so long as any group is subject to special negative treatment.” Learn more here. |
CONGRATULATIONS AND SHOUT OUTS |
Shout out to all the students who supported faculty, staff, and prospective students this weekend at BAA’s Auditions! Auditions are a massive effort and we couldn’t have done it without your help. Congratulations to Fashion Tech majors who had their first exhibition last week! Their exhibition is up in the 2nd floor gallery until Thursday, February 8th, so be sure to check it out. Have someone(s) to congratulate or shout out? Please email Ms. Booth --> tbooth@bostonartsacademy.org (be sure to include name and reason for the shout out) |
ANNOUNCEMENTS FOR ALL STUDENTS Please also see the appropriate section below for information specific to your art major. |
Please have any talent show lyrics in to Ms. Kroesser by Monday, February 5th. Please email to skroesser@bostonartsacademy.org or ask Ms. Gomez to put in Ms. Kroesser’s mailbox. On Wednesday, February 7th we are holding a Building Update meeting from 6-8pm in BAA’s assembly hall. Come meet Carolyn Meadows who is joining the BAA staff to coordinate the move. At this meeting we will be updating you on the schedule of planning, and giving updates on the arts spaces in next year’s building. National Honor Society will meet on Thursday, February 8th in room 216 during lunch. Thursday, February 8th is Go Red for Women Day. This event is in support of the education and research of heart disease risk for women. You are encouraged to wear red on this day to show your support. We will raise money for The American Heart Association by selling cookies, pins and bracelets. Free fruit smoothies will also be available. This event will take place in the cafeteria during lunch. The Farm School is now accepting applications for the 2018 Learn to Farm Class! The Farm School offers a practical, real-world agricultural education for aspiring farmers, educators and community leaders. They help their students establish conceptual understanding and physical competency in a wide range of skills and areas of farm production: forestry, animal husbandry, carpentry, mechanics, business planning, homesteading, marketing, cooking, organic vegetable production and beyond. The Learn to Farm program is a full-time, residential immersion in the work and rhythms of sustainable farm life. Scholarships available! Click here for more information, to register for Visiting Days, or to apply. Applications are due Thursday, February 15th. The Metro-Boston public bike share system, Hubway, is now available at a significant discount to low-income families and individuals. "SNAP Card to Ride" provides $5 monthly memberships and $50 annual memberships to individuals over the age of 16 with their household EBT card. The membership includes unlimited 60-minute trips, rather than the current 30-minute trips, without additional usage fees. Residents who do not receive SNAP benefits, but participate in other public assistance programs, will be able to access the discounted membership program in the near future. Convenient, easy online registration is available for EBT cardholders at thehubway.com/SNAP/. After completing registration, members will have access to more than 1,800 bikes at 194 stations across the four municipalities. Members with smartphone access can use the Hubway mobile app to locate and unlock bikes. Teens in Print is Boston’s only citywide high school newspaper written by and for teens. Launched by WriteBoston and The Boston Globe in 2004, TiP is a platform for student journalists, essayists, poets, and artists to share their voices. Published quarterly, the paper is delivered to high schools, libraries and community centers across the city. Any 9-12th grade student in Boston can join Teens in Print as a staff writer. Teens meet Mondays from 3:30-5:30 near Downtown Crossing for a deep dive into journalism. Click here to learn more and to join. Applications are now being accepted for the 2018 city spotlights leadership program! City Spotlights Summer Leadership Program is a school-year youth employment program that will hire up to 60 Teen Leaders, specializing in an area of the performing arts (dance, music, or acting) to use the arts for social change in their communities. Teen Leaders will deepen their facilitation and job readiness skills; engage Boston residents in meaningful dialogue about a social justice topic; and operate as change agents in their communities. WHEN: 6 Weeks from July – mid-August, Monday-Friday, 25 hours per week WHERE: Boch Center, 270 Tremont Street, Boston WHO: Boston and Everett residents ages 15-19 COMPENSATION: Minimum wage for 25 hours/week For more information, please click here. The Boch Center, with its Teen Leadership Council and Youth Planning Committee will be hosting the Youth Arts for Social Change Summit and Job Fair on Wednesday, February 21st from 12pm-4pm at Hibernian Hall in Roxbury’s Dudley Square. This exciting opportunity for teens and organizations from the Boston and Greater Boston area will showcase youth’s artistic experiences and facilitate discussions on social justice and advocacy efforts we are all working towards in our own communities. For more information and to RSVP, please click here. Win Prom tix, $5, $10, or $25 Gift Cards! 9th and 12th graders Come to School, 10th and 11th graders Come to School On-Time and Get to Classes On-Time. If you do the following things every month, your name will be entered into a raffle: come to school 95% of the time (less than 1 absence) AND arrive to school on time 95% of the time (less than 3 tardies). Monthly raffle prizes for each grade level are: 9th graders - 2 students will picked for a $10 Gift Card and the opportunity to pick a friend for a 1-day pass for Open Campus lunch 10th graders - 5 students will be picked for a $5 gift card 11th graders - 5 students will be picked for Prom tix or a $5 gift card 12th graders - 2 students will be picked for Prom tix or a $25 Gift Card 2018 HS Apprenticeship Challenge Applications Open. Students 16+ can apply for the BioBuilder Apprenticeship challenge, a specialized program to prepare high school students for paid summer internships in the life sciences. Students will receive a $500 stipend and compensation for the summer internship. The program begins March 24th. Learn more and apply here. For additional information, students may contact Tess Atkinson. The BAA 2018 Summer Arts Study Scholarship is open! Any BAA student in grades 9-11 is eligible to apply, and forms can be downloaded from this link. Scholarship Applications are due on Friday, April 2nd. Any questions or concerns, please see Ms. Marsh. Updated Tutoring Schedule: Ms. Claire: M 1-4, T 2:30-5, Th 2:30-5 Ms. An: W 3-5 Ms. Susan's writing help: T/Th 3-5 by appointment) The library team is happy to proofread papers. Please email/share to: READ@BostonArtsAcademy.org |
COLLEGE AND CAREER |
JUNIORS: Free SAT Prep & College Admissions Guidance. Applying to college can be overwhelming, but Let’s Get Ready is here to help! Let’s Get Ready begins with the College Access Program, a 9-week curriculum administered by trained college student Coaches that includes SAT prep, college application guidance, college visits, and more. The program is provided at no cost to high school seniors and juniors with qualifying financial need. Sign up today! Red Pine Scholars Program | Amount: up to $20,000/yr | Deadline: Thursday, February 15th. The Red Pine Scholars Program offers high-performing high school seniors and recent graduates from Massachusetts the chance to attend competitive colleges anywhere in the United States. The Program is dedicated to making college affordable for Massachusetts families and helping students to reach their full potential. If accepted into the program, students receive a four-year scholarship of up to $20,000 annually, plus individual mentoring and funding for enrichment opportunities. Click here for more information and to apply. Yawkey Scholars Program | Amount: up to $25,000/yr | Deadline: Thursday, February 15th. The Yawkey Scholars Program is designed to make college affordable for talented, motivated, low-income students from Massachusetts. It provides a four-year renewable tuition scholarship and other supports to help students achieve academically and go on to be successful and highly productive members of our community. Click here for more information and to apply. $2,500 JFK-GE Foundation Scholarships | Amount: up $2,500 | Deadline: Friday, February 23rd. The JFK Library Foundation & GE Foundation are offering up to 40 $2,500 scholarships to BPS high school seniors graduating in Spring 2018 who are planning on pursuing undergraduate majors in a STEM field of study. Please pass along this information to high school students. Additional program requirements can be found here. Applications are available here. Microsoft disAbility Scholarship | Amount: $5000/yr | Deadline: Thursday, March 15th. Apply for the Microsoft disAbility Scholarship, a renewable scholarship of $5,000/year, up to $20,000. Applications are open to high school seniors living with a disAbility (as defined by WHO) with plans to major in a STEM field in the fall. Learn more and apply here. For additional information, please contact Tess Atkinson. Tiffany Green Operator Scholarship Award | Amount: $10,000.00 | Deadline: Saturday, March 31st. Established to support women pursuing a career in live entertainment. Fields of study may include but is not limited to: live event operations, production, music engineering and/or other related fields. Click here to learn more, and here to apply.
Live Nation – US Concerts Scholarship Award | Amount: $10,000.00 | Deadline: Saturday, March 31st. Supports students pursuing careers in the five core areas of the Live Nation business: concert and venue promotion; sponsorship and advertising; ticketing; e-commerce; and artist management. Click here to learn more, and here to apply.
Steven J. Finkel Service Excellence Scholarship Award | Amount: $10,000.00 | Deadline: Saturday, March 31st. Established to support the ever-growing customer service expectations of fans, artists and employees within the live entertainment industry. Click here to learn more, and here to apply. Hispanic Scholarship Fund | Amount: $500-$5,000 | Deadline: Saturday, March 31st. The Hispanic Scholarship Fund is designed to assist students of Hispanic heritage obtain a college degree. Awards are based on merit; amounts range from $500 to $5,000, based on relative need. Click here to learn more and apply. Tempus Unlimited Scholarship | Amount: $2,500 | Deadline: Sunday, April 1st. Tempus Unlimited, Inc. is pleased to award up-to two (2) $2,500.00 scholarships per high school for aspiring students who have a disability, and have overcome challenges that will attend higher education after high school. Click here for application and additional details. Ms. LoBrutto will be holding drop-in hours in the Alaska Lab every Wednesday from 3-5pm and Friday 1-3pm. She is available to talk to all grade levels about career and major exploration, standardized testing, the Common App, college essays, financial aid, and scholarships. *Note: Ms. LoBrutto will not be holding drop-in hours this Wednesday. OTHER RESOURCES – Please visit these websites for helpful financial aid, scholarship, and college readiness info:
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SAVE THE DATES |
For additional details, or for a listing of all events for the school year, please check our website calendar here. Thursday, March 8 Gallery Exhibition Opening Reception: "Crossing Borders” BAA’s Sandra & Philip Gordon Gallery 5-7pm Thursday, April 12 - Friday, April 13 Boston National College Fair Boston Convention and Exposition Center Click here for more info and to register Wednesday, April 25 Family Conference Day Wednesday, April 25 Healthy Family Fun Day 8:30-10:45am Friday, May 11 - Saturday, May 12 Dance Springfest, 20th Anniversary Performance Boston University Dance Theatre Thursday, May 31 - Saturday, June 2 Theatre Main Stage Production |
ANNOUNCEMENTS FOR FAMILIES Please also see the “Save the Date” section above for upcoming events, and the appropriate section below for information specific to your student's art major. |
We've raised $10K towards our $20K FOR 20 YEARS campaign! From the Boston Arts Academy Foundation: THANK YOU to our very generous caregivers, students, and others in the BAA community who have supported our $20K for 20 Years campaign. We are halfway to our goal! Help us continue this momentum by clicking here to give online today. Did you know you can set up a monthly recurring gift? It is a wonderful way to make a truly meaningful gift to support our students. Thank you! On Wednesday, February 7th we are holding a Building Update meeting from 6-8pm in BAA’s assembly hall. Come meet Carolyn Meadows who is joining the BAA staff to coordinate the move. At this meeting we will be updating you on the schedule of planning, and giving updates on the arts spaces in next year’s building. The next Family Council meeting is on Tuesday, February 13th at BAA in room 133. The meeting will be held from 6-8pm. Dinner will be provided. Family Council meetings will be held on the second Tuesday of every month for the remainder of the school year. Please note that while spring meetings are currently scheduled to be held at BAA, the location is subject to change based on the Red Sox game schedule. Updates will be provided if there is a location change. To see all notes from this school year's Family Council meetings, please click here. The Metro-Boston public bike share system, Hubway, is now available at a significant discount to low-income families and individuals. "SNAP Card to Ride" provides $5 monthly memberships and $50 annual memberships to individuals over the age of 16 with their household EBT card. The membership includes unlimited 60-minute trips, rather than the current 30-minute trips, without additional usage fees. Residents who do not receive SNAP benefits, but participate in other public assistance programs, will be able to access the discounted membership program in the near future. Convenient, easy online registration is available for EBT cardholders at thehubway.com/SNAP/. After completing registration, members will have access to more than 1,800 bikes at 194 stations across the four municipalities. Members with smartphone access can use the Hubway mobile app to locate and unlock bikes. With the cold weather upon us, we would like all of us to do our part to ensure safe, healthy, and welcoming school environments for all. Please click here to read an important message from the BPS Medical Director. To read this message in Spanish, click here. Do you shop at Amazon.com? Begin your visit at smile.amazon.com and AmazonSmile will donate to Boston Arts Academy! |
DANCE These are announcements that are specific to the dept; for performances see “SAVE THE DATES.” |
Friday, February 10th: Earl Mosley’s Institute of the Arts (EMIA) summer intensive auditions at BAA
Monday, April 2 - Saturday, April 7: Nathan Trice Residency Friday, May 11th & Saturday, May 12th: Springfest 20th Anniversary Performance at Boston University Dance Theater |
FASHION TECHNOLOGY These are announcements that are specific to the dept; for performances see “SAVE THE DATES.” |
Parents/Caregivers, thank you for your response to fashion technology dues. If you have not yet sent in your $30, please do so. If you have any concerns please see Ms. Polito. |
MUSIC These are announcements that are specific to the dept; for performances see “SAVE THE DATES.” |
Sophomore benchmark recitals will be held February 5th - February 9th during the school day from 9:45-11:30am. Please click here to view the performance schedule for vocalists. Please click here to view performance schedule for instrumentalists. Families are welcome to attend! The sophomore recital benchmark is a pivotal point in music students’ experience at BAA. This experience is designed for students to demonstrate readiness for upper house music study. Students must present and score at least a 2.8 out 4 on their recital performance while maintaining at least a C average in their arts before being eligible for promotion into the upper house. |
THEATRE These are announcements that are specific to the dept; for performances see “SAVE THE DATES.” |
No announcements. |
VISUAL ARTS These are announcements that are specific to the dept; for exhibitions see “SAVE THE DATES.” |
Art Connections is a two-section, all majors class exploring visual art themes interpreted by each artist - no matter their major or grade. We will be holding an exhibition from February 13th - March 5th to display and celebrate the success of student's learning and exploration. All are invited to the opening reception on February 13th after school from 3-5pm in the 2nd floor gallery! |
Questions or Concerns? For artistic concerns, contact Artistic Dean, Kathleen Marsh: kmarsh@bostonartsacademy.org For academic concerns, including special education and support for English language learners, contact Academic Dean, Joy Bautista: jbautista@bostonartsacademy.org For safety and school culture concerns, contact Dean of Students, Edgar Vasquez: evasquez@bostonartsacademy.org For health concerns, contact Nurse Jocelyne Aboujaoude: jaboujaoude@bostonartsacademy.org For admissions information, contact Admissions Director, Blanca E. Bonilla: bbonilla@bostonartsacademy.org For any concerns, feel free to contact Headmaster, Anne Clark: aclark@bostonartsacademy.org Helpful Links: School Calendar, SIS Login, BAA Handbook for Students & Families, BAA Library |