Winter Music Concert
December 11th, 1:30 p.m.
Furey Hall
This concert will feature the LS Chorus, MS Chorus, US Vocal Ensemble, MS Band, US Band, and the Guitar Ensemble.
The doors to Furey Hall will open at 1:00.
Concert attire for Lower and Middle School Choruses
We have chorus t-shirts for the children which they can wear over their own shirts or can wear alone. They will be given out on the day of the concert.
We look forward to seeing you there!
We continue to be thankful for having such a wonderful group of young people to work with. Thank you for sharing your children with us.
The class has embarked on the world of story writing with the beginning of Writer’s Workshop. To help them on their way, we have asked them each to write their first story using the action figures that they created in art class as the main character. They have brainstormed many facets of their stories from the setting, to the problem or conflict, all the way to the resolution and ending. We have also put up a “Graffiti Wall” in the classroom where the children are allowed to express themselves in words and pictures. The wall is an explosion of color. In science, our tree unit has wrapped up (although we will continue to study our BCD trees throughout the school year) and we are busy learning about what it means to be scientists. This week we have been experimenting with candy. (We promise this does not involve eating the candy!) We did an acid test with sour candies on Tuesday and a color separation test with M&Ms on Thursday. We will continue to explore and experiment as scientists through December before turning our study to bears in January. On Tuesday we ventured upstairs to the third grade classroom to learn about various places in the Berkshires from the third graders themselves. The presentations were informative and creative. It had all of the children talking about what they may want to report on when they are in 3rd grade.
A few notes:
Snacks – many of the children are hungry in the afternoons, if possible, please pack a second snack for the afternoon.
Outerwear – on these in-between weather days please make sure your child has at least a long-sleeve sweatshirt or fleece to wear outdoors.
Extra clothing – along those same lines, your child needs to have an extra set of clothing to keep here at school. Being young, creative, and adventurous can often lead to a need for something dry and clean to wear!
We hope you have a wonderful time with your children during our time off next week.
All the best,
Katharine and Kay
NEWSFLASH from the Art Studios!
To cap off the end of the first trimester, Upper School ceramics students completed an ambitious pottery project involving traditional decorating and firing techniques inspired by the work of Magdalene Odundo. Clay pieces were burnished with terra sigillata and given an iron wash before being fired in saggars in an outdoor pit firing kiln which the students built by hand. Using bricks, wood pieces, and sawdust students assembled the pit, inserted their pieces, and lit the interior on fire before covering the top to preserve the high temperature and to produce smoke. The kiln burned for 24 hours before the final artworks were removed.
In other Arts Block news, Mr. Knoll’s Drawing students received a special visit from artist Valaire Van Slyck last week. The Detroit native paints urban scenes using auto-motive paints, acrylic, confetti, and glitter among other mixed media. Students were treated to individual conversations and critiques from Valaire as they worked on their graphic novel projects.
Teaching artists Ben Evans and Max Spitzer have stepped in to offer new media and experiences for our K-6 students! Kindergarten through Fourth Grade students are working with Mr. Evans this winter for an in-depth trimester of pinching, pounding, and hand-building with clay in the Ceramics Studio. Meanwhile, Mr. Spitzer takes charge of the Fifth and Sixth Grade classes as they delve into a term packed with drawing and painting projects. Great things are bound to emerge with this dynamic duo at the helm!
Students become cowboys and cowgirls as part of BCD’s contribution to the Berkshire Museum’s 2015 Festival of Trees. Fully embracing the theme “Westward Ho, Ho, Ho” in conjunction with the museum’s current exhibits, “Greatest Photographs of the American West” and “Go West“, Lower and Middle School students posed for photos which were then cut and pasted into authentic images of old west characters. Real and fictional, from Annie Oakley to Clint Eastwood, students embodied sharp shooters, outlaws, deputies, and lawmen. The images were printed in sepia tone, mounted on burlap, and hung on the tree with handwritten quotes from these characters along with other rustic, copper decorations. Click HERE to read more about BCD’s tree and the Festival of Trees in the Berkshire Eagle!
Dear Parents,
Thank you all for coming in for conferences. It’s so valuable for us to hear your perspective on your child’s learning both academically and socially. We appreciate the opportunity to share our observations and experiences and love working with you to make your child’s entire school experience as full and enriching as it should be.
Although Natacha and Sarah continue to do an amazing job keeping you up to date on upcoming calendar events, I will (re) mention that next Friday, the 13th, is Pizza Friday. Nothing worse than remembering that AFTER you’ve packed that lunch!
Also a reminder that there is no school this Wednesday, November 11, Veterans Day.
Below are some photos from our visit to Kimball Farms. As you know, we plan on establishing an ongoing relationship with our community friends there and will visit throughout the year. The children are working on their timelines of the important events in their lives and we will bring them when we visit again in December.
Also attached are some shots from our Halloween celebration. As you can see, it was a blast! Thank you to all who brought in those amazing treats.
Have a great weekend,
Katharine and Kay