Conservatory Lab
Charter School

In This Issue

History of Spring Fling

Welcome New Staff

Charter School Showcase

School Calendar

Upcoming Events

Wednesday, Jan 29th

Professional Development - No School for Students

Friday, Jan 31

Whole School Assembly

9:30 - 10:30

25 Arlington St

Friday, Feb 14th

Professional Development - No School for Students

Monday, Feb 17th - Friday, Feb. 21

February Vacation

Conservatory Lab

Grades 3 - 7

25 Arlington Street
Brighton, MA 02315
617.254.8904

Grades K1 - 2

320 Washington Street

Brighton, MA 02315
617.208.6200

www.conservatorylab.org

Family Notes

January 17, 2014

Dear Families,

On this coming Monday we celebrate the life and legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr. who was a great and visionary leader and is a most important figure in American history.

His was the voice of the American civil rights movement, which worked for equal rights for all. He was famous for using nonviolent resistance to overcome injustice, and was a valiant warrior in the fight to end the laws of segregation. This fight was not an easy one as there were millions of people who did not share his beliefs or his convictions. His belief was that "all men are created equal." The Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 were signed into law as a result of his unflagging efforts and commitment to his life's dream of having a true democracy for all the citizens in this country regardless of their race or color.

Because of his great work and belief that non-violent protest was the correct approach, King received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964 - the youngest person ever to receive this high honor. Dr. King's life and legacy stands as a beacon to guide us in our path as we strive to be fair and equitable in all our actions and beliefs.

If you would like to read a powerful article about Dr. King, please click here.

Have a wonderful long week end.

Warmly,

Ms. Lam

Diana Lam

Art Educators in Third Grade

As part of their Expedition, Whose Story Is It? 3rd grade students become historians and interpret the past through researching primary and secondary sources, examining artifacts, and conducting fieldwork at Plimoth Plantation. The students returned to school after the chilly winter break to begin work on illustrations of historical artifacts for their book about Wampanoag and Pilgrim life ways.

Two expert MFA art instructors visited the class for three productive drawing and watercolor sessions. The classroom was abuzz with creative energy as students drafted and revised their illustrations, learning shading and watercolor techniques. "Time always flies when you're doing art," commented teacher Alex Klove when it was time to put away the brushes on Wednesday. Students are compiling a turn-around book that will feature sections on aspects of Wampanoag and Pilgrim culture and daily life, including musical instruments, food, clothing, and shelter.

History of Spring Fling! at Conservatory Lab

Spring Fling! is the largest school concert of the year as all the students at the school will perform. Sponsored and managed by the school's Parent Advisory Committee (P.A.C.) to raise funds for the school, this event has proven to be a huge success, annually attracting hundreds of family and community members to the event.

This annual community outreach concert began in the 2010-2011 school year when it took place at the Hyde Park Seventh Day Adventist Church in Mattapan. Every year since then, however, the concert has taken place at the historic and ever improving Strand Theatre in Dorchester. Last year over 1,000 people were in the audience to hear the K-1& K-2 Rockstars as well as the Abreu, Bernstein and Dudamel Orchestras. This year in addition to those groups, the new Abbado Orchestra and the Ives Wind ensemble will also perform.

Last year began the tradition of honoring a special person who has been very helpful to our school and its mission. Mark Churchill, founding Board member, Founder of El Sistema USA and highly respected music educator was the honoree at the 2013

Spring Fling!

This year the honoree is Kitty Pell, also a founding member of the school Board and a major donor since the school's inception.

What follows are the specifics to date for this year's event:

I.This year's

Spring Fling!

will be on Sunday, April 6th at the Strand Theatre, 543 Columbia Road, Dorchester.

II.The admission price is $10.00 per person. All tickets must be purchased beforehand, either online or by purchasing tickets from the school, before the concert. There will be no tickets sold at the door. Concert tickets will go on sale beginning February 10th in two waves: 1st offering each family 4 tickets by March 10th and then a 2nd offering for all remaining seats on a 1st come/1st served basis. All tickets MUST be purchased by Thursday April 3rd.

III.There are going to be classroom and neighborhood baskets offered in a raffle. The families of each grade in the school will participate in creating their grade's basket. Some theme ideas for baskets are: Arts & Crafts, Baby, Beach, Sports Paraphernalia, Electronics, Fancy Food, Games. Garden, Hello Kitty, Jewelry, Legos, and Spa/Yoga. Danielle McBride and Meghan Curran have agreed to take the leadership in this effort. They will contact the room parent in each classroom to have each group select their theme and will be responsible for having the baskets finished and decorated. A timeline for gathering and decorating the baskets will be prepared.

IV. Many volunteers will be needed for different categories of tasks, some of which are:

Before the event:

Basket point people in each classroom
People to solicit for ads in the program from the neighborhood businesses
People to get food donated for student lunches

Day of the event:

Chaperones for the student performers
Ushers to help seat the audience
People to sell and collect raffle tickets
People to staff the concession stand selling student products.
People to make sandwiches for the student lunches on the day of the concert

IV.The program onstage will include all the children in the school.

The next meeting of the Spring Fling! Planning Committee will be held on Saturday, Feb. 8th at 2 PM at the Kroc Center, 650 Dudley Street, Dorchester 02125.

SPRING FLING! 2014 PROMISES TO BE THE BEST CONCERT YET!

Welcome New Staff to Upper Campus

Please help us welcome two new staff members to the Upper Campus:

Riva Lencer is very excited to be joining Conservatory Lab as the Paraprofessional for grades 3-5. She just finished her masters degree in Elementary Education and Literacy from Bank Street College in New York City. In her free time she enjoys doing yoga, cooking, and reading.

Lisa Spagnuolo was born and raised in Boston. After graduating from Beaver Country Day School, she received a BA in psychology from Boston College. Her travels brought her to Seattle where she was a Lead teacher at a non-profit school for at-risk children. Her love for her family brought her back to Boston where she continued her passion of teaching in Newton and Wellesley Public Schools. Lisa enjoys volunteering and does so for The Best Buddy Challenge, The Doug Flutie Junior Foundation and the Bristol Lodge Soup Kitchen throughout the year.

School Calendars For Sale

Every year the school creates a calendar which serves as a reminder of the achievements and performances of the past year and as our Annual Report full of information about the school. This year's calendar is a beautiful testament to the power of education and music and is filled with the faces of our children.

The calendars will be for sale at $10 each at every school event: PAC meetings and concerts but you can also send your student in with money and a note any time (the orders can be brought to the front desk at each building) and we will send them home the next day with the number of calendars you would like.