Conservatory Lab Sweeps Crescendo Day 

Conservatory Lab was the only organization to win three different prizes in the Boston Foundation's Giving Common Challenge, locally coined, "Crescendo Day." The grand total was $34,165, which includes $18,165 from 345 donations, a $2000 Early Bird prize for most gifts in the first two hours on Wednesday, a $2000 Social Maven prize for the most gifts referred via facebook, and the $12,000 prize for second greatest number of gifts overall.

The success of this campaign came from families, staff, board and their friends and families who gave generously, sent e-mails, made phone calls, and shared all forms of social media. Congratulations to all! 

Brass in Brighton Center

A World Without Music     

Can you imagine what it would be like if music disappeared from your life-if you were no longer able to listen to music, to play an instrument, or to sing? 6th graders visualized this drastic scenario during this week's launch of their world geography/music expedition. After listening to a recording of Afghan children singing a patriotic folksong, students learned about a former Peace Corp volunteer's efforts to revitalize the children's music of Afghanistan that was almost completely eliminated after over thirty years of war, oppression, and music censorship. Based on her work in Afghanistan in the 1960s, Louise Pascale, now a professor at Lesley College, created a beautiful songbook, Qu Qu Qu Barg-e-Chinaar: Children's Songs from Afghanistan, and distributed thousands of copies to schools, orphanages, and women's centers throughout Afghanistan.

To learn more about the Afghan Children's Songbook Project, visit their website.

Wellness Program

 On the evening of October 9th, parents and staff gathered to discuss the roll-out of the Conservatory Lab Wellness Program.  Overall good health supports the school's mission in the following ways: it fosters good student attendance and optimizes student performance potential to ensure that no child is left behind. Sports, play and physical activity serve as a catalyst for fostering physical, social and emotional development in our scholars, and promote positive self-esteem. Students learn healthy behaviors and build healthy habits that will ultimately lead to an enhanced quality of life.    

Parent feedback from the meeting included appreciation of the thought  and effort placed into crafting the first phases of the program, and the emphasis on making physical activity an integrated part of the day. Parents also commented on the fact that we are organizing activities we already do and making them more effective and useful, in order to build a sharp, quality program.     

Highlights will include incorporating 'energizers,' 5-10 minute spurts of movement throughout the day.  Energizers will not only be fun, and get our bodies moving, but will also help students to refocus. Examples of recent energizers include a combined 4th and 5th grade game of  "Fishy, Fishy Cross My Ocean" on the black top and Percussion Ensemble Community Perception Walks.  During the walks, students are asked to actively listen to the world around them while they stretch, exercise and focus.

Fifth Graders Go Bananas For Fair Trade

What can we do to make a difference in the world? 5th graders are exploring this question, investigating what we each can do to make the world a better place-- from tackling the problem of global warming, to saving the redwoods, to taking a stand against bullying, racism, and war.

On Friday, October 5th, Fair Trade Boston visited the classroom to tell students how they, as consumers, can make a difference in the lives of banana workers around the globe. Volunteers, Ruixi Hao and Sean Seltzer, gave a riveting presentation about how bananas are grown and shipped, focusing primarily on environmental concerns. 5th grade scholars learned about how fair trade bananas are grown in contrast to the conventional industry. 

Next, the students broke into small groups and had $10 to distribute and to determine how much each piece of the supply chain (farmers, land owners, stores, etc) should receive. First the students looked at the conventional distribution, and were struck by how unfair it was that the farmers did not get the most money! They were surprised to learn that the farmers received 30 cents a bushel when the stores received the bulk of the profit. They compared this with the fair trade process, which emphasizes benefiting the growers and the environment.

Box Tops For Education

We collect box tops!  If families have been collecting, please send them in to teachers by October 26th.  The first submission deadline is November 1st.