Parent Teacher Student Organization of
the Kirov Academy of Ballet

45 muffins, three jugs of OJ, Apple Juice and Cranberry juice, two fruit platters, 150 pieces of chicken from Chick-Fil-A,  50 brownie bites, six cheese cakes, many napkins and plates (but they did run out), homemade brownies, 68 massages, 15 facials, 68 therabands, 48 red boas, 20 top hats, 68 packs of Orbit gun and tic tacs and ... 68 happy kids thanks to the PTSO!

Thank you all for making this happen! 

More pics here

Right now, I think I'd like to be  student!  After 240+ hours of dancing this semester, the PTSO (that's all of us) are treating the students to massages by The Still Point, a spa in DC recently voted best Spa by The City Paper.  There are 68 time slots 15-minute chair massages from a licensed, female massage therapist.  That's right.   Every student gets a message for free!    There will also be a skin-care specialist providing mini-facials.  These are 20-minute facials and cost $20.  The skin care expert, Sarah, the woman who created Skincando products.  I hadn't heard of them either and enjoyed reading her story.  Sarah regularly works with adolescents and is really excited about Spa Day. 

Kids love food, especially the food they don't get very often.  So, there will be soda, brownies, cheesecakes, chips and salsa, hummos and pita, fruit, and something for lunch.  That's still in the works.  

Then, there are the goody bags.  Feather boas for the girls, top hats for the boys, and sewing kits and therabands for everyone.  

All of this with the Hollywood theme.  So, decorations are going up and the plates, napkins, and cups all match the theme.  If you're in DC and can lend a hand decorating on Saturday, May 16th or organizing and cleaning up on May 17th, let Sheryl know!   If there's a check in the mail or if you've just decided to order something for the Spa Day, again, let Sheryl know.  

We'll post updates and photos of Spa Day in the coming weeks.  Then, time to plan for next year's PTSO activities.

If you're a fan of the Kirov Academy, then join the Kirov Facebook Group and the Kirov Facebook Fan page!  Learn about upcoming events, see photos, and let people know you love the KAB.

Here's the group page: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=82624226575.

Here's the fan page:  http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kirov-Academy-of-Ballet-KAB/77099294105?sid=11866e4f7efdb8286edcdad302a8e996

Top hats, check. Therabands, check. A multitude of decorations, check.  What's missing?  Lots!  Take a look at the wish list (link and instructions below) OR make a contribution to the PTSO (instructions below).  Contributions will subsidize or pay for massages and also be used to purchase local food items like chips and salsa. 

Choose from the wish list.   It's like a wedding registry.  Find an item or two that you would like to contribute to Spa Day, purchase them, and have it  delivered to the Kirov no later then May 12th.  

The Kirov Academy
Attn: Rebecca Rorke
4301 Harewood Road N.E.  
Washington, DC 20017.
Tel:  202.832.1083

Here's the link to the wish list:  http://www.thethingsiwant.com/kirov-ptso/list/wishlist/

Contribute to the PTSO.  Make out a check to the PTSO and in the purpose line put Spa Day.  Send the check to The Kirov Academy, Attn: Rebecca Rorke,4301 Harewood Road N.E. Washington, DC 20017. The telephone number is 202.832.1083.   Let Sheryl know the check is coming at tsestsesroberts@att.net.

Questions?  Contact Sheryl, President of the PTSO at tsestsesroberts@att.net.

Top hats, check. Therabands, check. A multitude of decorations, check.  What's missing?  Lots!  Take a look at the wish list, link and instructions below OR make a contribution to the PTSO.  Contributions will subsidize or pay for massages and also be used to purchase local food items like chips and salsa. 

Choose from the wish list.   It's like a wedding registry.  Find an item or two that you would like to contribute to Spa Day, purchase them, and have it  delivered to the Kirov no later then May 12th.  

The Kirov Academy

Attn: Rebecca Rorke

4301 Harewood Road N.E.  

Washington, DC 20017.

Tel:  202.832.1083.

Here's the link to the wish list:  http://www.thethingsiwant.com/kirov-ptso/list/wishlist/

Contribute to the PTSO.  Make out a check to the PTSO and in the purpose line put Spa Day.  Send the check to The Kirov Academy, Attn: Rebecca Rorke,4301 Harewood Road N.E. Washington, DC 20017. The telephone number is 202.832.1083.   Let Sheryl know the check is coming at tsestsesroberts@att.net.

Questions?  Contact Sheryl, President of the PTSO at tsestsesroberts@att.net.

We've listened to students to get a sense of what Spa Day is for them.  The resounding theme is FOOD and a close second to food is massages followed by the goody bags, decorations, and the day itself.  I'm working on locating two females masseuses for the day.   Sheryl has researched food, goodby bags and decorations.  Now, all we need is for everyone to purchase a few items or send a check to help cover costs for the day.

How it works: Purchasing identified items

1. It's like a wedding registry, just go here: LINK 
2. Find a few items that you would like to contribute.  Put down your name under " Person purchased" and order the items to be delivered to:  The Kirov Academy, Attn: Rebecca Rorke,4301 Harewood Road N.E.  Washington, DC 20017.  The telephone number is 202.832.1083.
3. You're done!

How it works:  Sending money.

1. Send a check made out to the PTSO and in the purpose line put Spa Day.
   
2. Send the check to The Kirov Academy, Attn: Rebecca Rorke,4301 Harewood Road N.E.  Washington, DC 20017.  The telephone number is 202.832.1083.

This is the first time we've done Spa Day this way and it might be confusing.  So, share your comments, thoughts, or confusion here or contact Sheryl or Sarah directly.

Again, here's thte link to the items we need: http://www.thethingsiwant.com/kirov-ptso/list/wishlist/.

KIROV ACADEMY OF BALLET

OF WASHINGTON, DC

Oleg Vinogradov - Founding Artistic Director

Marat Daukayev – Artistic Director

Kirov Academy of Ballet

of Washington, DC

Newsletter

April 10, 2009

PURCHASE YOUR SPRING PERFORMANCE TICKETS NOW!!

Performance Dates:  MAY 22 and 23, 2009

• All tickets are $25.00 each
• You may purchase a maximum of 8 tickets per performance.
• All tickets are general admission.
• You may pick up your tickets beginning at 5:30 PM the day of the performance.
• Doors to the theatre will open at 615 PM.
• Should you need more tickets please contact Mary Catherine West at 202.636.0629.
• Go to the purchase page at:  

https://secure2.willetts.com/kirov/tickets/index.php

*******Parents of Seniors should contact Mrs. West about priority seating.*******

From the Director of Programs:

Dear Parents, Guardians, Students, and all KAB Staff,

Please be reminded that the deadline for confirming enrollment for next year without any financial penalty is April 15. We hope all our dancers will return, except for those who are off to begin their professional careers! If you have not already done so, please be in touch with Ms. Katherine Cromwell, registrar, to let her know of your intentions for next year. She may be reached by phone at 202-636-0624 or by email at cromwell@kirovacademydc.org.

On Saturday, April 18, the senior class will hold its second Lock-In fundraiser to help support its trip to New York City. The students and staff have agreed on a number of changes to the event to help address concerns raised after the first Lock-In was held. The event will begin at a specific time (to be announced), and all students who wish to participate must be present when the Lock-In begins. The Lock-In will be held in Studios A and B with the wall opened up to allow ample space for games and activities. Students are not permitted to bring sleeping bags or pillows to the event; when students are tired and ready to go to sleep, they must return to their dorm rooms. Students must stay in Studios A and B and are not permitted to leave. A pass will be issued to a student who needs to use the rest room; passes will be limited (this will prevent students from leaving the event and having the run of the entire KAB building). Ms. Westbrook and Ms. O’Connell will chaperone the event while the rest of the building will be staffed as usual with an RA and front desk security. The Lock-In will end at 4:00am, at which time everyone must go to bed.

This has been a successful negotiating process for students and staff. KAB fully supports the efforts of the seniors to fundraise for its class trip; and the class as a whole recognized the need to make changes to the event in order to make it safer and more appropriate for KAB students of all ages. The sensibility and maturity our seniors displayed during our discussions about the Lock-In is one more example of why I am so proud of our students!

Please be in touch with any questions or concerns.

Kind regards,

Rebecca M. Rorke

Director of Programs

Dong-Woo Kim, Ya Meng Lin, Nonoka Akita, Nana Yamatani, Jong-Suk Park, Ji-Seok Ha, and Nayun Eom

learned an American tradition of dyeing eggs.

From the Director of Academics:

I’m not sure how many people can truly say that they love their jobs, but I’m glad to be counted among those that can. It is a joy for me to work in an environment such as KAB where students and staff have a mutual respect for each other, where students want to learn all that they can, where teachers come to work not for a paycheck but for the love of their students and their profession, and where I can be surrounded by people that enjoy their jobs as much as I do.

With only four more weeks of academics before final exams, the teachers and students have been, and will continue to be, very busy. Here are some of the classroom activities that have taken place in the past two weeks and upcoming activities for the remaining weeks.

World Cultures has learned about North America’s Great Lakes. Perhaps you have heard of them: Great Bear Lake, Great Slave Lake, Lake Athabasca, Lake Winnipeg, and those other 5.

Government is learning about Foreign Policy. Did you know that the first Secretary of Defense fell to his death from the window of a Bethesda hospital?  (Suicide? Pushed?)

U.S. History is learning about World War II.

Modern European History is studying the national unification of Italy and Germany and analyzing the writings of Walter Bagehot.

Music History is listening to music from the Romantic Period and is discovering the peculiar character of the diminished chord and scale.k

Seniors are in Russia this month -- at least in their imaginations.  We're reading about 20th century Russian ballet dancers and choreographers in Ballet History, and watching/discussing films of mid-20th century Bolshoi and Kirov dancers.

In Art History, we're in Paris, enjoying the art of the Impressionists.

Great Ballets 1 is watching Petipa's last grand ballet, "Raymonda," by both the Bolshoi and Kirov ballets -- and even an excerpt of American Ballet Theatre!

Great Ballets 2 watched Frederick Ashton's 1956 reinvention of 19th century classicism in his "Sylvia" this week, and next week we'll watch John Neumeier's contemporary version of the same story and music.

The 9th English students are working on their writing skills with literary analysis essays for The Alchemist by Paolo Coelho.

The Seniors are getting to the end of Virginia Woolf's difficult book Mrs. Dalloway, but succeeding in understanding and discussing it.  They will try their hand at the difficult stream-of-consciousness writing this upcoming week.

Since Spring Break both French I and II have completed chapter 9.  French I has learned how to buy a train ticket and learned useful vocabulary for traveling by train.  They have also learned regular –re verbs which completes their introduction to the three basic groups of regular verbs.  French II has learned how to reserve and check into a hotel and has learned some very useful pronouns.  Both classes had their chapter 9 exams today.

7/8th English class is continuing to work on The Giver.  There have been some interesting classroom discussions about the events in this book.

“Celebrities in Danger” is the topic of power point projects for middle school science.  Students chose and researched a celebrity that had an addiction to either drugs or alcohol. Presentations will be on Monday. They will be ending the year with a unit on Flight and Rocketry.

The Seniors have worked hard this year raising money for their annual Senior Trip.  They will be flying to New York City on Thursday, April 23rd and returning on Sunday, April 26th.  Events in New York will include at least one Broadway show, a trip to the Met, sightseeing, and shopping. This is the first trip to New York for some of our seniors and promises to be a fun time for all. Mrs. Westbrook, Ms. Falls, and I will be chaperoning the trip and are as excited as the kids for this upcoming event! (This is Mrs. Westbrook’s first time to NY too!)

Graduation plans are being finalized. This year we are pleased to have two of our alumni as guest speakers. Ian Poulis (Ballet Arizona) and

Rasta Thomas (Bad Boys of Dance) will be speaking to the Seniors about their current occupations and memories of their own times at KAB.

Madame Morkovina and Ms. Falls will also be speaking to the graduates. Graduation will be held on Saturday, May 23rd at 11:00 a.m.

I look forward to seeing all of you soon.

As always, please contact me if you have any questions or concerns.

Sharon O’Connell

Director of Academics