Walking through the school, observing different classrooms, I am struck by the evident thrill of discovery which I see on the student's faces. It is interesting to see how curiosity moves us.

We have it in our genes, and in the way our brains are built, to find pleasure and excitement and get a huge adrenalin surge when we are 'on the hunt', and discover something previously unknown about which we were motivated to learn.

For most of human history we were hunter-gatherers. We went out into the wilderness, strategized how to find food, and bring it back to camp. Much of this instinct and thrill for hunting still remains in us today. The thrill that children feel when they have uncovered something new in their world is also part of this same legacy of hunting and gathering.

Making this "hunt" fun is how our teachers prepare. If students think of learning as something fun, they will naturally want to dig deeper. This week was full of hunting and gathering to satisfy curiosity!

Have a wonderful weekend.

Warmly,

Diana Lam

Who? What? Where?

A true story about Ms. Biro, Ms. Rose and the K2 class

During Writers Workshop, Ms. Biro and Ms. Rose must make each lesson a small victory for the K2 students. Step by step, K2 masters smaller skills in order to meet the greater learning target "I can tell a true story using words and pictures".

First, the children build a foundation of knowledge regarding their bodies. The 'Parts of a Writer' chart is used to identify crucial parts of a writer which help them do their best work. For example, a Writer's brain is thinking and staying focused while a Writer's heart cares about what they are writing about. The next step is to pull apart the meaning of 'true' and the action of storytelling itself. The students practiced in partner pairs first, taking turns to tell a short but true story. This partnership promotes a sense of teamwork, responsibility and builds comprehension and communication skills. As the storyteller begins, the listener is careful to identify 'who', 'what' and 'where'. The students are encouraged to ask each other questions so new detail is added.

Now that K2 students have mastered these small steps, they are in the process of telling their true stories using words and pictures. Their work is steadily gaining detail and exemplifying their thinking and learning. Be sure to ask your K2er about the who, what and wheres of their stories, non-fictional or otherwise.

Literacy Teachers Gather at Primary School

On Wednesday this week, K-2 and Grade 1 teachers and administrators from Boston Public Schools attended the 1st in a series of professional development sessions focused on effective use of learning targets to enhance student engagement and responsibility for their own learning. This session, held at our primary school site in Brighton, is part of the Transforming Literacy Project (TLP), a grant awarded to Conservatory Lab in August by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE).

During this 20-month grant period, Conservatory Lab will be sharing successful pedagogical strategies with Kindergarten, 1st grade and 2nd grade teachers from three Boston Public Schools, the Shaw, the Greenwood and the Kenny, in order to increase their student engagement and achievement.

Bean Factory

How do you help second graders develop a conceptual understanding of place value in a way that fosters cooperation, responsibility and joy? The answer is BEANS! Second grade students participated in a long-standing second grade tradition this week called, "Bean Factory."

The whole class is "hired," to work in a bean factory where they are placing orders for beans. Rolling a dice allows them to know how many beans a "customer" wants, and they count these beans. Students quickly discover it is hard to keep counting all these single beans to keep track of orders; the solution is to group these beans into bags of ten. Once students package ten bags of ten, they then can group these into a hundreds bag.

To celebrate such a feat, these students rush to ring a bell. When the bell is heard, the whole factory erupts into 3 seconds of cheering and celebration, then returning right back to their important job of packaging as many beans as they can before the factory closes. The excitement is palpable. Once the bean factory closes and they discover the total amount of beans they have packaged, the 2nd graders then spend several days practicing counting skills with the packages.

Students were heard saying, "this is the best day ever," and, "thank you for letting me work in the bean factory." Students are focusing on the essential math skills of accuracy and efficiency in a hands-on and engaging way.

Welcome Visitors

We are always welcoming visitors to our school. People have come from all over the world to hear our students play and learn from our teachers. On Wednesday, a group of musicians from Jamaica Plain came to rehearse with our Dudamel Wind and percussion students because this Sunday they will all march together as part of the Honk! parade. The parade begins at noon in Davis Square in Somerville and ends at Harvard Square in Cambridge at 2 PM. If you are looking for some noisy, fall fun, join us anywhere along the parade route. We will be in the middle of the pack with the JP Honk Band. And be ready to make some noise!

On Friday, the Bernstein orchestra performed three pieces for representatives from the Klarman Foundation, a strong supporter of our school.

Take Note:

Our first half day is coming up on Friday, October 31st. Students will be dismissed from both sites at 11:15 AM.
Applications for admission are now available on our website. Tour dates will be posted shortly.

Parent Advisory Council Notes

Wrapping Paper Fundraiser orders are due next Tuesday, October 14th. Don't forget to share the Innisbrook link with family and friends!

For families with children in the Brighton Lower School location, please use account #126250 when ordering on the paper form and online.
For families with children in the Dorchester Upper School location, please use account #116992 when ordering on the paper form and online.

The Book Fair is coming up: October 27 - 31 at the Primary School and November 3 - 7 at our Dorchester site.

To volunteer for the Book Fair, please follow the 3 easy steps below to sign up using VolunteerSpot.

1. Click this link to go to our invitation page on VolunteerSpot or copy it in to your browser: http://vols.pt/kYCi37

2. Enter your email address: (You will NOT need to register an account on VolunteerSpot.)

3. Sign up! Choose your time slot(s) - VolunteerSpot will then send you an automated confirmation and reminders as the date of your time slot approaches. (Note: VolunteerSpot does not share your email address with anyone.)

If you prefer not to use VolunteerSpot, please email Felice Rutstein at feliceandspence@yahoo.com and she will sign you up for a shift at the Book Fair.

Discount tickets for ProArte Chamber Orchestra Concert

The ProArte Chamber Orchestra is offering free tickets their concert this Saturday, October 11 in Cambridge to parents who attend with their student. The Conservatory Lab student (and staff) rate is only $10. This is an evening concert, running 8-10 pm, and is a special opportunity for the kids to see and hear the orchestra they'll be playing with in May. A special treat for woodwind students is the opportunity to hear Mozart's Clarinet Concerto by our Principal clarinetist Ian Greitzer, who also plays in many other orchestras in NE, including subbing in the BSO. If you would like to reserve tickets, please call the box office at (617) 779-0900.

Invitation From the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra

Boston Philharmonic Orchestra would like to extend to your school's families complimentary tickets to experience an incredible evening of music with us. As a part of this offer, we would like to invite you to attend our exciting new Kids Notes Upbeat series. Geared toward kids ages 6-13, this pre-concert talk will feature fun musical activities, a guest Boston Philharmonic Orchestra musician, and an interactive discussion on the music at that night's concert. Additionally, our brilliant conductor, Benjamin Zander, will offer his pre-concert lecture for adults and teenagers at 6:45pm.

The concert is Saturday, October 25th at 8:00 PM at Jordan Hall, 290 Huntington Avenue, Boston 02115

[Orange Line T stop at Mass. Ave/ Green Line T stop at Symphony]

Please email D.Williams@bostonphil.org to request tickets (up to 4 per family). For more information, visit www.BostonPhil.org

Play for Peace

What: Play for peace provides an opportunity for kids and families from across Boston to come together for a FUN, FREE and joyful day of play and peace building!

When: Saturday, October 25th, 2014 from 12:00-2:00 p.m.

Where: Marcella Connolly Park, 80 Marcella street, Roxbury

Why: Playworks believes that play is a powerful way to build communities where everyone feels safe, included and a sense of joy and we believe everyone deserves to feel this way.

This year we will dedicate our event to honor the legacy of Coach Dawnn Jaffier and her commitment to service and young people. #DawnnforPeace

For more information, please contact the Playworks coach at your school or the Playworks office at: 617-522-3600