November Assembly Gets High Marks For Variety

First Friday Monthly Assemblies have become a real highpoint for students and faculty!

It is a time and opportunity for every one to have their unique time onstage.  And the performance bug has bitten! Every month the number of students and staff wishing to perform has grown and the variety is remarkable. Consider the program on Friday, November 2nd which included seven very different acts from a Violin Duo to the Jiggly Band and also included the participatory 6th grade Jammin' Minute.  Not wishing to be left out, members of the academic and music faculty joined together for a spirited acapella performance of Billy Joel's "And So it Goes". Cool!

The desire to perform and the ability to perform well is growing with each successive assembly.  And of course, excellent performance is what we all strive for in every aspect of our lives.

Election Day Observations

Voting is both a right and a duty for all US citizens but not everybody exercises that right or fulfills that duty.  On Election Day 2012, however, all Conservatory Lab students fulfilled their civic obligation as official election observers.  Every class walked down to the polls at the corner of Warren and Cambridge Streets along with their teachers and filed in to observe the Ward 21, Precinct 8 poll workers and voters.  Students from K1 to 6th grade took their responsibility to ensure a free and fair election seriously and asked questions so they could better understand the process of voting. 

When one 2nd grader asked "How can you vote if you can't read?" another pointed out the special machine that reads the ballot aloud.  "What if you can't speak English?  Can you still vote?"  Students quickly found that there were Chinese and Russian interpreters on site and that the ballot was written in both English and Spanish.  The poll workers were all gracious and welcoming towards this huge contingent of observers and gave every student a "I voted" sticker as they left.  Our students can proudly claim to have played a role in this historic event.

In addition to their observations, some classes conducted fieldwork outside the polls.  1st graders asked exiting voters what qualities they thought were most important for a leader: honesty, perseverance, intelligence etc. and tabulated and graphed the responses as part of their Expedition,  This Land Is Our Land.  5th graders interviewed voters about why they voted and how they felt about a variety of national issues.    

First through Sixth Graders Participate in the National Mock Election

Elementary students are not old enough to vote but they can make their voices heard via the National Mock Election. The My Voice National Student Mock Election is the largest civic engagement project in the United States, and is a digital initiative to encourage student voice in school and the community all year long.  During the week before the election, teachers logged into the website and students were presented with an individual ballot.  In some classrooms, students voted just in the presidential election but in other classrooms, they voted on the Senate and Congressional candidates as well.  Those students were also asked their opinions on a variety of issues.  Here are our results:

Choir Showcase Celebrates Joanne Hammil Residency   

The joyful voices of Abreu and Bernstein Orchestras echoed in harmonies on Wednesday, as visiting guest artist Joanne Hammil led them in a choral showcase for staff and board members, concluding her six-week residency at Conservatory Lab. Students sang in multiple languages, two and three part harmonies, and several were highlighted as soloists in this culminating celebration. 

Ms. Hammil brought with her a variety of engaging and beautiful repertoire including music from around the world and from her own compositions. Highlights of the performance included Hammil's own "Alligator Pie" and "Ease on Down the Road," from the musical "The Wiz." Students loved the new songs and look forward to singing them in school assemblies and in musicianship class. Video footage of the celebration will be available on YouTube.

Uniforms: Cold weather reminders   

As the winter months commence, please make sure your child is prepared for cold weather, consistent with our uniform policy.

In order to go out for recess, children must have appropriate outerwear, including winter coats, scarves, hats, and gloves. Inside the school, all of these items must be left on the hooks outside the classroom. Children may not wear scarves, hats, or any other non-uniform items inside the classroom.

Temperatures inside the school can fluctuate. In order to stay warm inside the school, children may wear the long sleeved uniform shirt, an undershirt that is white or black, and a uniform gray fleece. Please make sure your child's name is in all uniform items, especially their fleece.

We are working to become more consistent about tucking in shirts. Please reinforce this aspect of "wearing the uniform well" by reminding your children to tuck in before they leave the house.

Please refer to family handbook for the complete uniform policy.

Community Concert