Upcoming Events
February Break
Feb. 18-22
(No School)
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Conservatory Lab
25 Arlington Street
Brighton, MA 02315
617.254.8904
www.conservatorylab.org
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| Family Notes
February 8, 2013
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Dear Families,
When our students go out on field work, they go with a mission. They are searching for something to bring back- pictures, artifacts, answers. They are bringing something to share- background knowledge, ideas, a product or performance. Field work is a chance to open dialogue between our students and their community. Just as when experts come to visit our school, we are building relationships and sharing experiences that benefit both host and guest.
This week, several classes ventured into the community for fieldwork. K1 met with docents from the Museum of Fine Art, gathering techniques and inspiration for their self-portraits. K2 spoke with grocers from Whole Foods, seeking out the stories of the food we eat--how it travels from farm to fork--and expanding their repertoire of fruits and vegetables available for healthy snacking. Fourth graders sang on the stage of the House of Blues, sharing their gifts with an audience of students from around the city, and taking in a show by a professional blues band.
With each trip, students come prepared for the give and take of learning. They board the bus expecting to make a new friend, to become part of a new scene. Engaging with experts in the community, our children become apprentices. This is learning in action.
Warmly,
Diana Lam
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Fourth Grade and Feelin' Blue
 On Tuesday, the fourth grade class had the audience at the House of Blues clapping their hands and tapping their toes to the beat of their original blues tunes. The young performers captured the crowd's hearts with their imaginative lyrics, catchy riffs, and relentless rhythms. Their songs told the stories of events in their own lives- from loosing a ball game to dropping a wallet down the sewer- that had given them the blues.
Following their performances, the students took a turn in the audience to watch the Schoolhouse Blues Band in its interactive musical presentation on the history of the blues. The students had seen this presentation months ago as a prelude to their study of the blues. After studying the culture, history, and musical features of the blues, they viewed it again with new eyes.
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Sharing Thoughts and Resources with Edison K-8
 Having the word "laboratory" in our school's name expresses our commitment to disseminate best practices and to create resources for other schools. Last Tuesday, February 5th a really robust collaborative professional development day took place with teachers from the neighboring Edison K-8 Elementary School. Some of the effective ways that we have learned and that we are using to good advantage were demonstrated and discussed. The primary focus was Math and different approaches to: using more manipulatives, teaching fractions, preparing strategies for division, use of fractional line plots and number lines and tips on dealing with story problem issues were seen as very valuable new input for our visiting colleagues.
To a one, the Edison teachers responded positively to the experience. Their comments included: "made me feel re-energized," "sparked new ideas," "very helpful and insightful for me," and "learned new ways to tackle specific problems". There was a chorus of "Yes, Yes, Yes!" when asked if they would like to do this type of PD again. The Edison K-8 is one of the schools which is part of the Boston Compact along with Conservatory Lab.
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Bernstein Winds and Strings Unite
On Tuesday and Thursday this week, a blast of symphonic harmonies rang forth from the orchestra room, as the Bernstein Orchestra held its first full rehearsal combining strings and winds. Throughout the year, both sections have been preparing the skills needed to be independent musicians in the context of a large rehearsal. Each musician must be able to read their parts and follow their section, as the other instruments weave together their own interlocking parts.
Having developed this level of responsibility and cooperation, the two ensembles have now joined forces, and will come together twice a week to practice blending the sounds of string and wind. They will perform together in renditions of the St. Anthony Chorale by Joseph Haydn, "Habanera" from the opera Carmen by George Bizet, and the Cannon in D by Johan Pachelbell. In combined rehearsals, they will develop new subtleties of sound production needed to make a violin sound like a flute, or a trumpet to sound like a cello. Learning to match each other's sound brings a new palate of tone colors into each musician's arsenal.
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K2 to Whole Foods
Our K2 nutritionists spent Thursday morning at the Whole Foods grocery store in Brighton. They spoke with Sara Engel, an expert on healthy foods, and Kate, Whole Foods' resident "Boston forager". Sara and Kate helped K2 answer questions about the five food groups and gave us some great hands-on research opportunities. We now know what the inside of a locally caught salmon feels like! This visit was helpful in preparing us for our upcoming research project. Stay tuned as K2 attempts to answer the age-old question: What choices can we make to keep our bodies healthy and strong?
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K1 Learning to Paint From the Greats!
 What better way for our K1 artists to practice the visual arts than by studying the works of the French painter Piet Mondrian and some of the renowned American painters such as Thomas Sully? At Conservatory Lab, we value not only focused musical study, but expeditionary learning integration across all different types of art media.
 This week K1 has been studying the works of Mondrian, who is known for his minimalist works consisting solely of rectangular shapes and primary colors. Students honed their art critique and analysis skills by producing their own Mondrian-inspired paintings. To complement what they have been learning in class, the students embarked upon a field trip to the Museum of Fine Arts on Tuesday morning, where they explored the world of portrait art. K1 was taken on a journey through the Art of the Americas wing where they periodically stopped and sat in front of paintings by different American artists and discussed their observations.
 Topics of conversation included the artist's use of color and shape, the history of portraits and their social necessity before the existence of photography, as well as the use of symbolic imagery, such as George Washington's distinguished white horse. The students then synthesized what they had learned from the tour by creating their own self-portraits in the museum's workshop.
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International Book Giving Day
 Need a new Valentine's Day idea? Give a book, get a book! Our school is participating in International Book Giving Day on Thursday, Feb. 14th. Starting Monday, we are asking all students to bring in a book from home that they are willing to give to someone in the grade below. Each grade will gather the books from their class in a basket and then present the basket to their younger classmates. Classroom teachers will have bookplates (stickers) for students to fill out so they know who donated their book. We hope these book swaps start some inter-grade book talks! We have extra donations to mix in to the baskets so we are sure every student will get to go home with a book. We appreciate your cooperation in donating a book to the cause.
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