Upcoming Events
April 15 - 19
April Vacation
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Conservatory Lab
25 Arlington Street
Brighton, MA 02315
617.254.8904
www.conservatorylab.org
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| Family Notes
April 12, 2013
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Dear Families,
One of the best parts of working at Conservatory Lab is the supportive, collaborative relationships that exist among a diversely talented staff. Our teachers are continually learning from one another and working to improve their craft. We openly share materials, ideas, and practices with one another.
This synergy is what fuels innovation in our school. Good ideas become great ideas as more teachers adapt them to new situations. Challenges that feel frustrating when faced alone become exciting with a whole team of bright minds at your back. We believe that together we can do more for our children.
As administrators, we work to create structures that support this atmosphere of collegiality and collaboration. When teachers asked to visit each other's classrooms this year, Annie Sevelius scheduled a series of peer observations that would make it possible. In our professional development meetings, teachers share their most successful moments and their current classroom puzzles.
As we learn from one another, our teaching becomes aligned across the grades and disciplines. We develop common language that makes transitions easier for our children. Most importantly, we strengthen the bonds of community that we wish to model for our children. This is the secret to a positive school culture: when the adults get it right, so will the kids.
Warmly, 
Diana Lam
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Spring Fling Thank You's
We would like to take this moment to thank all volunteers at the Spring Fling:
Doug Bellow, David Case, Jen Vanora, Ana Rocha, Fabio Rocha, Mary Paige, Taj Tucker, Stephanie Dubay, Adaleta Maslo-Krkovic, Janaya Pierre, Matthew Briggs, Myriah Johnson, Maria Sheehan, Colleen Shea, Marilyn Dominique, Xiomara Rodriguez, Joel Rodriguez, Hansella Robson, Maria Andrade, Liesa Lessard, Chad Johnson, Jenna Gampel, Xinmei Zhang, Neil Kleinman, Ihorma Adighibe, Patricia Valdez, Jinya Liu, Nadia Muzac, Serge Muzac, Marie Lyncee, Jenna Wertheimer, Felice Rutstein, Spence Lee, Mercedes Castillo, Megan Kane, Calvin Lewis, Michelle Gurel, Karen Lombard, Francisca Guevara, Michael Cordice, Sherilee Cordice, Mila Achildiyev, Tammy Hammack, Raquel Almonte, Ramika Smith, Nicole Maniez, Christine Cox, Joanne Freeman-FanFan, Stephanie Deronette, Rhonda Berkower, Ezekiel Santiago and Julia Paige.
 The volunteers at this event are the ones who make it happen and are the ones who make a difference. By sitting with the K1 crew or managing the box office you made an impact on the day. A thank you to others who bought tickets or drove a neighbor to the event!
As a result of all of your contributions and the outreach leading up to the concert, 1,000 people were in attendance and the performance raised over $10,000. Conservatory Lab Charter School is a community that put on a great show! We look forward to having you join us again next year!
Sincerely,
Beth Greene and Casimir Deronette |
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Teachers Learning Together through Peer Observations
 This week, classroom teachers conducted their second round of peer observations, cycling through the K2 classroom to watch math, reading, and writing lessons taught by Mary Randolph. Over the course of the week, six teachers visited the Kindergarten class. On Friday, they met to share reflections, questions, and ideas sparked by the experience.
"We need to see each other's practice," says Principal Annie Sevelius, who scheduled these observations into the school work plan after teachers began requesting coverage to watch one another in action, "we talk about these things all the time, but it is entirely different to see it live."
Feedback on the peer observation cycle has been extremely positive, and administrators have indicated that the practice is likely to continue into next year as we welcome new staff members into our community.
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State House Rally to Raise the Cap
On Thursday, parents from Conservatory Lab joined with charter school parents and students from all around the state to make our voices heard in the corridors and offices of the State House as our legislators consider a bill that would raise the cap on the number of charter school seats available in the Commonwealth. The Gardner Auditorium was packed to the rafters to hear from the two co-sponsors of the bill, Senator Barry Finegold of Lawrence and Representative Russell Holmes of Dorchester and Mattapan. They spoke of the added value charter schools bring to their communities and encouraged the students and families to feel at ease speaking with their legislators. As Rep. Holmes pointed out, "Your tax dollars paid for this State House. You should feel comfortable in your own house."
Kevin Andrews, headmaster of the Neighborhood House Charter School and leader of the Boston Alliance of Charter Schools, exhorted the crowd to send the message loud and clear to our legislators. He led everyone in a practice chant, first whispered and then shouted "Raise. The. Cap. Please." After the rally, most of the Boston students and families stayed in the auditorium for some large group sessions with legislators including Rep. Nick Collins and recently announced mayoral candidate, Rep. Marty Walsh. Other parents fanned out across the State House for appointments with their state reps. They made the case for raising the cap using the stories of their family and friends. After their appointments, all participants met in the Grand Hall for lunch and more informal conversations with one another and with the legislators who joined them.
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Spring Fling Draws Crowd of 1,000
In the biggest turnout of any concert in Conservatory Lab history, our students played to a room of over a thousand last Sunday, April 7. The third annual Spring Fling concert, organized and sponsored by the Parent Advisory Council, honored Mark Churchill as a distinguished Citizen Artist, for his service to Conservatory Lab since its founding in 1999 and for his role in bringing El Sistema to the school. Jose Masso of WBUR's "Con Salsa!" charmed the crowd as Master of Ceremonies, speaking from the heart about the role of music in fostering community.  The students performed with joy and energy from the first strains of "Do A Deer," sung by the K1, K2, and Abreu Choir to the final bars of Pachelbell's "Kannon in D," performed by a 132 piece orchestra of 1st-6th graders. Don't miss the video on YouTube! Photos will be up on Shutterfly this weekend. Don't forget the password is "music".
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Boston Children's Chorus Auditions
Boston Children's Chorus is holding auditions for its 2013-2014 season.
Find out more here.
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Community Concert
Resident Artist Josue Gonzalez will perform with the Discovery Ensemble this Sunday, April 14, 2013 at 3:00 PM (Pre-Concert Conversation at 2:00 PM) at Sanders Theatre, Harvard University, 45 Quincy Street, Cambridge |
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