Jeanne Bogino Publishes Debut Novel
A hot, hard driving story set in an intoxicating world of sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll, Rock Angel is the first novel by author Jeanne Bogino. Shan is young, beautiful, talented and addicted to heroin in Rock Angel, a novel that follows her meteoric rise to guitar goddess stardom in the 90s. She is discovered in New York by a handsome, arrogant musical genius named Quinn, and sparks fly between them when he hires her as lead guitarist of his band. Although Quinn is accustomed to bedding a different groupie every night, he can’t ignore his deepening feelings for his new band mate.
From gritty Greenwich Village clubs to L.A.’s Troubadour, gigging and touring the country to the cover of Rolling Stone, Rock Angel is infused with the passionate music and intense sexual chemistry of Shan and Quinn. Shan must work out her personal demons and learn to trust Quinn enough to love him but still remain true to the music that has always been her salvation.
As an author of short horror, fantasy, romance, memoir and gay fiction, Jeanne has found her calling as an up and comer in the new adult market.
Blurbs
Set in the intoxicating world of 1990s rock ‘n’ roll, Jeanne Bogino’s debut adult novel, Rock Angel, is “true music fiction, a soulful ballad that will interest readers of rock nonfiction titles… or drug-fueled fiction.” – Library Journal.
“Bogino portrays an authentic landscape of what it’s like to be in a rock band in the early 90s. Shan and Quinn both read as fully realized, flawed characters.” – Kirkus Reviews
“In a show business tale filled with ego clashes, sexual tension, drug addiction, dreams of success and nightmares of stardom, the rarefied world of ambitious musicians is rendered with a relentlessly keen eye and ear.” – Music Connection Magazine
Local author Jeanne Bogino is available for interviews. She will also be doing a few local events to which the public is invited:
• a launch party at the New Lebanon Library on September 13;
• a book signing at Barnes & Noble, Pittsfield, MA, on September 16, and
• a book signing at Water Street Books, Williamstown, MA, on September 21.
And The Band Played On (in Hoosick Falls)
Shaker Museum | Mount Lebanon Yankees Raffle
Your chance of winning front row seats at Yankee Stadium has never been greater than it is right now! On September 4, at 7:05 pm Derek Jeter will play one of his last games ever as a Yankee in his 20th and final season. You can be there. Enter the Shaker Museum | Mount Lebanon’s 2014 raffle to win a prize package valued at nearly $2,000!
Each raffle ticket is only $25. The prize drawing will be at 12 noon on August 28. Enter now before it’s too late! Purchasing a raffle ticket is a great way to help us and yourself at the same time.
Tickets can be purchased via our online store by going to http://squareup.com/market/shaker-museum—mount-lebanon/yankees-red-sox-raffle-ticket.
Hoosick Falls Central School Opens Thursday, September 4
Tuesday, September 2, and Wednesday, September 3, are Superintendent Conference Days – no students.
Tuesday, September 2 – Open House for Grade Universal Pre-k through Grade Two (6 – 7:30 pm).
Thursday, September 4 – Open House for Grade Three through Grade Six (6 – 7:30 pm).
Students in grades Universal Pre-k – 12 will begin with a full day of instruction on Thursday, September 4. Breakfast and lunch will be provided as usual. Students should follow their regular bus assignments and schedules.
Here are some helpful hints for the opening days of school:
1. Every year, all free/reduced applications must be filled out and returned before the first day of school. Any questions, contact Heather Brooks at 686-7321, ext. 1708.
2. Have your children at their bus stops 5-10 minutes early each day.
3. If you cannot walk your child to the designated bus stop, have a responsible adult or older child do so.
4. Meet and get to know your child’s bus driver. K-1-2 students must have a designated responsible person at the bus stop for pick-up. Please be sure to come to the bus stop so your child can identify you to the bus driver. If no one is at the bus stop for pick-up, your child will be brought back to school and you must come to school and pick him or her up.
5. Ensure that your child knows his/her bus number. Please be sure to let us know as soon as possible if you have changed your location or your children are going to a new baby-sitter. This is particularly important for a younger student, in grades k, 1, 2 or 3.
6. Reinforce bus safety with your child.
7. Label all your child’s possessions with first and last name.
8. Ensure that our school nurse and the Elementary School office have up to date emergency telephone numbers in case you need to be reached.
9. Always feel you can contact the Elementary School (686-9492) or the High School (686-7321) offices for information.
Hoosick Falls Elementary School Open House – “Meet The Teacher”
Parents are cordially invited to meet their child’s teacher, view text, materials and student work. Children are welcome as this night is informal and not meant for individual conferences.
• Tuesday, September 2, for grades Universal pre-k, kindergarten, first and second from 6 to 7:30 pm. The Principal’s Welcome will be in the High School Auditorium from 6 to 6:15 pm. Visit your child’s classroom from 6:15 to 7:30 pm.
• Thursday, September 4, for grades three, four, five and six from 6 to 7:30 pm. The Principal’s Welcome will be in the High School Auditorium from 6 to 6:15 pm. Visit your child’s classroom from 6:15 to 7:30 pm.
Refreshments will be available in the elementary school cafeteria from 6:45 to 7:30 pm each evening.
Hoosick Falls Central School District 2014 – 2015 School Year Calendar
Sept. 1, 2014 – Labor Day – No School
Sept. 2, 2014 – Grades Universal Pre-K (UPK) – Grade 2 Open House (6-7:30 pm)
Sept. 2 & 3, 2014 – Superintendent Conference Day – no students
Sept. 4, 2014 – First Day of School for students grade UPK-12
Sept. 4, 2014 – Grades 3-4-5-6 Open House (6 – 7:30 pm.)
Sept. 25, 2014 – Grades 7-12 Open House (6:30-8 pm)
Oct. 13, 2014 – Columbus Day – No School
Nov. 7, 2014 – Emergency Release Day – (Closing Drill)
Grades 7-12 at 2 pm/K-6 at 3 pm
Nov. 10 and 11, 2014 – Not in Session and Veterans Day – No School
Nov. 13-14, 2014 – Grades. UPK-6 Parent/Teacher Conferences
(1/2 Day Sessions)
Nov. 26-28, 2014 – Thanksgiving Vacation
(School Resumes Dec. 1)
Dec. 24 – Jan. 2, 2015 – Christmas Recess
(School Resumes Jan. 5, 2015)
Jan. 19, 2015 – Martin Luther King Jr. Day (Holiday) – No School
Feb. 16, 2015 – Presidents Day – No School
Feb. 17-18-19-20-23, 2015 – Mid-Winter Recess
Feb. 24, 2015 – School Resumes
Mar. 12-13, 2015 – Grades UPK-6 Parent/Teacher Conferences
(1/2 Day Sessions)
Mar. 27 through April 3, 2015 – Spring Recess
(School Resumes Apr. 6, 2015)
May 25, 2015 – Memorial Day Holiday – No School
June 2, June 16 – 24, 2015 – Regents Testing
June 23-24-25, 2015 – Grades UPK-6 Early Dismissal
(1/2 Day Sessions)
June 25, 2015 – Last Day Of School for Grades UPK-6 Students
(Last Day For Teachers)
June 26, 2015 – High School Graduation
2014-2015 School Hours
The Elementary School day will begin at 8:35 am and end at 3:20 pm. The High School (grades 7-12) will begin at 7:40 am and end at 2:15 pm.
k-6 7-12
Buses Arrive 8:30 7:25
Attendance & Instruction 8:45 – 3:20 7:40 – 2:15
Student Dismissal 3:20 2:15
Student Pick-Up by Parents 3:35
Extracurricular, Detention 3:20 – 4:20 2:20 – 4:20
(Mon. – Thurs. only) – No late buses on Friday
Berlin CSD Buildings Receive Summer Face Lift
submitted by Erin Clary, Communications Specialist, Berlin Central School District
Phase 2 of the $6.8 million Capital Improvement construction project at Berlin Elementary and Berlin Middle School/High School is running on schedule as the District gears up for the start of school. The project will be complete by August 29 – in time for the first day of school on September 4.
[Read more…] about Berlin CSD Buildings Receive Summer Face Lift
Initial Assessment Data Indicates Growth At New Lebanon CSD
submitted by Erin Clary, Communications Specialist, New Lebanon CSD
On August 14 the Board of Regents and the State Education Commissioner released the results of the spring 2014 Grades 3-8 Math and English Language Arts (ELA) assessments. Overall, New Lebanon CSD’s results indicate growth from the previous year, and this data will allow the District to focus its efforts in areas requiring further improvement.
The first administration of assessment of Common Core Learning Standards (CCLS) was seen in 2013. In 2014 New Lebanon is tracking the progress of its students from 2013 to 2014. For example, New Lebanon is comparing the proficiency of 2013 third-graders to those same students as 2014 fourth-graders. This comparison is important because it allows the District to focus on student growth. This growth information has proven more useful than simply comparing the performance of one year’s students at a particular grade level against the next year’s students at that same grade level.
New Lebanon CSD analyzed the data of students who scored 3s and 4s – indicating the student is on track for college and careers – compared to statewide results and other districts in the county and one nearby district in Rensselaer County. New Lebanon CSD students are outperforming those in other districts and in many cases they are outperforming the statewide scores. Even in cohorts where the proficiency percentage was lower than the statewide average, most results show growth from the previous year. In areas where the proficiency level stayed the same, the scores were at or above the statewide average.
According to New Lebanon CSD Superintendent Leslie Whitcomb, the growth in student achievement is partially attributable to the District’s in-house coaching model of professional development.
“This early data shows New Lebanon CSD students are clearly making progress with the new Common Core State Learning Standards,” she said. “We are continually tweaking the curriculum to ensure students are gaining the skills and knowledge they need to be college and career ready. Further analysis of the data will allow us to focus our professional development and curriculum alignment where it is most needed, as well as on individual student’s needs.”
Highlights Of The New Lebanon CSD Grades 3-8 Exam Results
ELA
• In Grade 3 – where students took the test for the first time – significantly more New Lebanon CSD students scored 3s and 4s compared to the statewide average. This cohort also outperformed all other districts in the county and another nearby district in Rensselaer County
• In Grades 4-8, where the cohort results can be compared to the previous year, New Lebanon CSD students showed growth in nearly all grade levels. In Grades 6 and 7, more New Lebanon CSD students scored 3s and 4s than did all other schools on the county as well as one other nearby district in Rensselaer County.
Math
• In Grade 3 – where students took the test for the first time – fewer New Lebanon CSD students received 3s and 4s compared to the statewide data, however this cohort did outperform those of two other districts in the county.
• In Grades 4-8, where the cohort results can be compared to the previous year, most cohorts performed below the statewide average, however nearly all cohorts saw growth. The Grade 7 cohort also outperformed all other districts in the county as well as one other nearby district in Rensselaer County.
Marriage of Figaro Is Superb
a review by Alex Brooks
The Hubbard Hall Opera has opened a new production of The Marriage of Figaro (and also Gianni Schicchi, not reviewed here), which is the most enjoyable opera production I’ve ever seen. The company has been able to recruit a dozen or so rising young opera stars from all over the country and bring them to Cambridge for a few weeks to put on these two productions. Local people put them up in their houses while they are here.
The result is a show bursting with youthful vitality that is also carried off with astonishing skill and professionalism. There are perhaps a dozen gorgeous young voices assembled here, and just about all of them have the rare combination of vocal ability and dramatic ability. The star of the show is the incredibly expressive Marielle Murphy as Susanna, the Countess’ maid who is Figaro’s fiancee and also the object of the Count’s (unwanted) amorous attention. She is ably supported with wonderful performances by Geoffrey Penar as the Count and Luke Scott as Figaro. But some of the less central parts also sparkle, most notably Blake Friedman as Don Basilio the music master, who delivers some beautiful vocal passages, and Shane Tapley as Don Curzio the lawyer. Tapley does a hilarious turn as a nervous lawyer (borrowed from Austin Pendleton’s classic performance in the movie “My Cousin Vinny”).
The Marriage of Figaro is one of the finest comic operas ever written. It is based on the second of Beaumarchais’ trilogy of plays about Figaro, with music by Mozart and a libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte, who collaborated with Mozart on several operas. It is the sequel to The Barber of Seville, which Hubbard Hall Opera did last year.
The plot revolves around a series of schemes and intrigues. The Count, while fiercely jealous of his countess Rosina, is also chasing her maid Susanna, and since she is about to marry Figaro, the Count engages in a (losing) battle of wits with the clever Figaro to try to win her. He tries to force Figaro to marry a woman old enough to be his mother, and then it turns out she is his mother, to the consternation of the Count and the lawyer Don Curzio.
But while the hilarious hi-jinks of the Beaumarchais play are retained, and the show is often laugh-out-loud funny, Mozart’s magnificent music manages to deepen our experience of the characters. Rosina’s pain trying to win back her wayward husband, and the genuine love between Figaro and Susanna make the opera emotionally engaging and very moving.
Remaining performances of Figaro are at 2 pm on Saturday and Sunday, August. 23 and 24. The remaining performance of Gianni Schicchi is Friday evening, August 22, at 8 pm. Details can be found at www.hubbardhall.org.