Family Notes: June 21, 2013

Classrooms have been packed neatly into boxes, instruments are in their cases, backpacks are hung up for the summer or tossed in a heap, stuffed with masterpieces from throughout the year. The very walls of the school seem to sigh with the contentment of one who has just enjoyed a great feast in the company of friends. In this brief moment of well-earned respite, I want to share with you a few words of celebration and gratitude.

In the midst of grand concerts, astonishing Expedition Celebrations, and shimmering final products, there is no shortage of reasons to be proud. But let us not forget that it is a series of small moments that makes all of this possible. The teacher who says, "let's try again," the student who comes back from a classroom break full of resolve, the volunteer who schedules her day around a labor of love - each one adds another brick to the strong foundation on which our school stands. Each one is responsible for creating a culture in which learning thrives.

The paradox of our school is that every contribution is essential to our success, and yet we are bigger than any one individual or even the sum of our parts. I am so grateful to be a part of this amazing community with all of you, and on its behalf I thank you for the critical role that you play.

There will be plenty of time to plan the next exciting steps, but for a moment, let us rest. Have a wonderful summer and enjoy some quality time with your incredible children.

Warmly,

Diana Lam

Warmly,

Ms. Lam

Diana Lam

About This E-Book

What most excites eager seven-year olds as they enter second grade? At the Conservatory Lab Charter School, the answer is SNAKES!

This digital book is the final product of the 2nd grade class created at the end of a six-month learning expedition on snakes. What went into its production? Scientific research, creative writing, drawing, drafts and drafts and more drafts, music rehearsals, the joy of discovery, a life-changing appreciation of the natural world and its creatures, perseverance, teamwork, and fun. Here's how we did it.

Phase 1: Research

Students chose a snake to research. They spent weeks selecting multiple sources, creating bibliographies, and taking notes about their snake's physical appearance, habitat, prey, predators, and life cycle.

Phase 2: Writing

After listening to a mentor audio eBook, Susan Korman's

Box Turtle at Silver Pond Lake (Smithsonian's Backyard Series), students decided they wanted to create their own. They listened carefully to many examples of narrative nonfiction-writing that tells a story while giving the reader accurate information and facts about a topic. Before beginning their own stories, students created criteria for what would make an outstanding nonfiction narrative about a snake. After weeks of peer feedback, revising, and editing, their stories were done!

Phase 3: Illustration

While students were writing their stories, they were also creating scientifically accurate drawings of their snake. Throughout the drafting process, students became skilled at giving honest, helpful, and detailed feedback and at using feedback to improve their own drawings. Draft after draft, critique after critique, students' snakes began to emerge in meticulously crafted detail. Once completed, students applied color and patterns with watercolor pencils and painted backgrounds of desert, forest, and sea habitats with watercolor wash.

Phase 4: Audio Narration

Practice. Practice. Practice. Students rehearsed reading their stories with fluency and expression before traveling to the Rec Room, Gabriel Sarango's recording studio in Charlestown, MA, to record their narrations.

Phase 5: Adding a Soundtrack

Second graders rehearse and perform regularly in Conservatory Lab's Bernstein Orchestra, conducted by Resident Artist Levi Comstock. Mr. Comstock helped select the musical pieces for our digital book. We recorded students performing these selections and students chose where they wanted each selection to appear in the narration. Here are the musical pieces you will hear before, during, or after each story.

Phase 6: Publication

A 2nd grade parent, Adaleta Maslo-Krkovic, generously offered to design the book, which was produced by eBook Architects. We are inspired by the talent, creativity, hard work, patience, and perseverance of these young scientists, writers, artists, and musicians. We hope you have as much fun reading and listening to this digital book as we had making it.

Friday's Assembly a Grand Finale

Last Friday's assembly was rife with surprises and heartfelt performances. A K2 drumline kicked off the morning with unprecedented levels of groove, tapping out layer upon layer of polyphonic rhythm and warming up the crowd for a flowing arrangement of Sakura Sakura delivered by the Bernstein Wind Ensemble. Elijah Simon and the Dudamel Brass drew tears with an instrumental rendering of My Heart Will Go On, the first of several student-initiated tributes to departing teachers and students, and 5^th grade flutist Maya James revealed her hidden accordion talents through a lively serenade.

Following a touching trio by Kelly Exilus, Yantaya Smith, and Rayne Lipscomb and a show stopping reprise of the 1st grade musical, The Three Little Pigs, Ms. Sevelius acknowledged our departing 6^th graders. Each stood and received a certificate in recognition of their years of study at Conservatory Lab, then sat and watched as the fourth grade class performed a choreographed song expressing their appreciation and friendship. By the time Ms. Levi took the stage to perform a goodbye song for the school, there was not a dry eye in the house.

Just as the assembly seemed to have approached its zenith, an unexpected guest appeared! No sooner had Ms. Levi strummed the final chord, than a streak of purple raced across the stage. Every child who had ever been in one of her K1/K2 classes instantly recognized the infamous Purple Lizard, a beloved character in the musical stories Ms. Levi tells in class. For the children who had listened to these stories, imagining the mischievous reptile playing silly jokes on their music teacher, it was a dream come true to see it come to life and join the school in a rousing sendoff of

If I Had a Hammer. The assembly danced out to the swingin' tunes of the Dudamel Brass.

Student Council: A Successful First Year

This year, for the first time, Conservatory Lab elected a Student Council to serve as an intermediary between students and administration. Every six weeks, a body of representatives from grades 3-6 met with Principal Sevelius to discuss concerns, joys, and hopes for the future of the school. Topics ranged from bathroom cleanliness to creating opportunities for more students to perform in small groups throughout the community.

"We are being heard," Rep. Trayvon (5^th grade) said in a statement issued last Friday, "it feels good to have a voice and to be more involved in solving problems."

While no topics are off the table, council representatives have had to deal with the hard realities of governing. "When we first started, there was a lot of talk about less homework and more desserts for lunch," Rep. Hafeedh (3^rd grade) told reporters, "As we talked about it, we realized that we need homework to prepare us for middle school and high school, and we need healthy food to give us energy for learning."

But as the year progressed, council members discovered that they had a valuable opportunity to be a mouthpiece for their classmates. When students and staff began to notice an increase in paper towels left around the bathroom floor, council members worked with students and staff on a campaign to encourage responsible use of school facilities, resulting in a widespread increase in bathroom cleanliness. Students were also able to voice their interest in playing chamber music throughout the community, resulting in increased opportunities for students to participate in small performing groups.

Each student's term expires at the end of the school year, but several students expressed interest in running for reelection. Unfulfilled agenda items include programs to procure additional books and supplies for classrooms, school lunch reform, and community service projects. Political analysts expect to see tighter races next campaign season as more students become interested in running for office.

Classroom Celebrations

6th Grade

The 6th grade celebrated their accomplishments in their Graphic Geology expedition after the Spring Concert last Thursday evening. All students and their families gathered together at the beautiful Longy School of Music with food, drink, and merriment. Together, they pored over the students' amazing artwork representing the stories of different land formations in Hemlock Gorge. We are looking forward to seeing our final published book which will be released in late summer!

4th Grade

Last Friday the fourth graders shared their LTME Space final products with families and friends. Students have worked hard to complete a piece of informational writing in a True or False style about a space topic in which they were very interested. Along with their writing, students used oil pastels to create an illustration to match their writing. Topics range from Earth to Jupiter, from Exoplanets to Solar Eclipses. Over the summer a book will be published and we cannot wait to see how it turns out!

5th Grade

Wednesday evening was the site of a science celebration as the 5th graders hosted an "Advocacy Fair". Through their earlier studies of global warming, the students had learned of the effects of temperatures rising around the world and wanted to know how to make a difference. They each chose a cause to research, wrote speeches and designed a poster to persuade others to join in efforts ranging from protecting oceanic life to recycling of notebooks to reducing the demand for fresh water. Three of the students gave their speech to the whole audience and then all attendees were encouraged to walk around to the different presenters to hear their pitch for advocacy. Hearts and minds were swayed to make a positive change in the world.

These students spent the spring becoming poets and biologists. They started by observing the world around us- things like the beans plants they were growing- and recording what they noticed. After learning all about the writing tools that poets use, they turned those scientific descriptions into their own delightful poems. At the same time, they used their observation notes to study the life cycle of bean plants. They compared what they learned about beans to their own life cycles, which gave them even MORE to write poems about! On Friday, they got to share all of this with their families during a rousing poetry jam and life cycle tutorial.

Finally, Perfect Weather for Field Day

Teachers and students at Conservatory Lab work hard and play hard. Every year, in the last week of school the children and staff take to the field for a morning of games and laughter in the time honored tradition of Field Day, as they did this Thursday. Working together in mixed-grade teams, the young athletes complete a circuit of physical challenges and team-building games specially designed to maximize fun and spend that end-of-year energy. This year, students enjoyed a pizza box race, carrying an increasingly large stack of boxes in a 15 meter relay, a kickball game, a parachute center, and more. According to tradition, the morning ended with a waterballoon toss tournament that leaves the whole student body soaking wet and rolling with laughter. Special thanks to all the volunteers who helped to make this year's field day another resounding success!

End-of-year Collaboration Celebration

On Thursday, June 20, musicians from the Edison K-8, St. Columbkille and Conservatory Lab Charter School came together for an afternoon of music collaboration. Resident artists, Tess Plotkin and Chris Schroeder led group classes on hand-drumming and vocal percussion, while Mr. Robinson and Mr. Rivera of the Edison led a vocal class and an introduction to music composition software. Their collaborations culminated with a group performance of "Funga Alafia" that resounded through the halls of the Edison. After much celebration, they enjoyed pizza and field games together. This collaboration was a result of the Boston Compact, designed to share common practices and resources to benefit students from all three partnering schools.

2013 - 2014 School Calendar

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Congratulations Poets!

There was an awards ceremony at the Children's Bookshop in Brookline, on Thursday for our two 3rd grade winners in the 2013 Poetry Contest. Niko O'Grady Arnold won Honorable Mention for her poem "Bull." Stella Paige won Honorable Mention for her poem "Spring." . The winners read their poems, which will be posted in the bookshop window.

Shutterfly Share Site Updated

We have had so many school events, it's hard to keep track of them all! We are in the process of adding photos to the schoolwide Shutterfly share site, www.conservatorylab.shutterfly.com, and you will find many new albums are already up. Use the link above and the password music to see photos from our June 1st Showcase and other celebrations.