Parents - Please note that drama classes were cancelled on Wednesday, November 2nd, and were held instead on Friday, November 4th.
PLEASE CHECK THE SIDE BARS FOR COSTUME AND PROP REQUESTS!
Dear Parents,
Next week a letter will be sent home regarding the Christmas Concert. Because St. Jude's Academy is a candidate school for the International Baccalaureate, and an "Arts Focused" school, the expectation is that your child will take part in our school productions.
The first school production will be the Christmas Concert on Thursday, December 15th. This is an evening performance. Your child MUST attend. This will be a Summative Assessment task for them and will directly reflect their grade.
It is unfair to practise for a role with a team, and then leave the team stranded the night of a performance.
Grade 3
We are still spending much time getting our dance together. More focus and seriousness are required, as some of you will also be asked to read (from memory) for the Christmas concert. It is important to remember you positions, and to be able to count. Those who continue to be disruptive will need to have their parents informed as you are not fair to your classmates.
Grade 6, 7, and 8
We have blocked everything for the Christmas concert - from start to finish. Some of you were in New York. Please check with your classmates regarding your roles and positions.
The boys and girls spent two classes preparing a skit for Remembrance Day. This was entirely prepared and rehearsed by them with minimal guidance. It was presented on Thursday, November 10th, at the morning assembly. This was done for 4 reasons:
- to show the younger children what a "performance" on stage looks like
- to honour Remembrance Day
- to give the 6, 7, and 8's an opportunity to put something together independently, and rehearse it, and make it "stage worthy" in little time
- to give the 6,7, and 8's an opportunity to reflect on their dramatic ablities and their performances prior to a "big prodction".
On that note: HOMEWORK - Please complete your Page of Reflection for Wednesday, November 16th, - NO EXCUSES!
Grades 1 and 2
Once again we have had an opportunity to be on stage alone and perform a solo based on a nursery rhyme. We were emphasizing clarity, intonation, elocution, performance skills, and the ability to be accurate and captivate an audience.
We have also been preparing our voices to sing melodiously, in unison, on key, on beat, in rhythm, and correctly move from verse to verse.
Children have practised their entrance and exit from stage - this area needs much work. It won't come together on performance night, and it is imperative that children realize that on the stage, we stay focused from START to FINISH.
Grades 4 and 5
ATTENTION PARENTS: Allow me to clear things up.
-Your children were given several handouts based on Twelfth Night.
-They were given links on this blog to a) NO FEAR SHAKESPEARE - TWELFTH NIGHT; and b) BBC SHAKESPEARE ANIMATED TALES.
- They listened to the story of Twelfh Night from the series Shakespeare for Kids TWICE.
- They have experienced the performance in Stratford.
- They have every opportunity to be well behaved, inquistive, caring, knowledgable, balanced, risk-takers in class and many, sadly choose not to do so.
Behaviour in class, as well as discipline and seriousness in the homework department are reflective of their mark on the FOURTH attempt to demonstrate acquired knowledge on their summative assessment.
TESTS have been sent home and MUST be signed by PARENTS before any further work is released to them.
St. Jude's Academy is an Arts Focused school in the candidacy stages of acquiring IB status. We teach via the IB method. This means there will be much cross-over in their subjects. They are expected to be literate, and therefore writing a test using clear, concise, full paragraphs in drama class is a legitimate expectation.
In order to complete their summative assessment on Unit 2, they will remain in class for 10 minutes after school, completing their work, as we cannot no longer expect them to do this during drama class. They have had their chance.
On another note - we have also finished our blocking for the Christmas Concert! Hooray! Some students choose not to pay attention and make it very difficult for the majority who does. We will be rehearsing this more. Focus on staying in character at all times.
To my singers - please practise your line of melody.
JK B (Mrs. P)
Interpretive movement games are used by this group to foster teamwork, to develop coordination, to assist in singing and moving simultaneously. The children play these movement games with songs very enthusiastically.
We have also rehearsed our part in the Christmas Concert, and almost everyone remembers what to do. Some children still are very young and do not realize that this will be before an audience. Please try to reinforce the "concert/audience" concept with your children.
JK A (Ms. H)
Our imitation of animals and making noises associated with our character is progressing. The children are beginning to understand through repetition and continuous stage exposure that they will be assuming a character - for pretend - who will have something to do. This is a big concept for little people.
We are now focusing on listening for our cues to know when to enter the stage, when to make movements and noises, and are practisig exiting the stage in character. Well done little ones!
SK (Ms. M)
This class has also finished blocking their play for the Christmas Concert. We have practised different forms of movement by various animals and people. This helped us to prepare for our roles. We have also rehearsed staying quietly behind the curtains, and waiting for our cue.
Some children will have speaking roles. They will receive their lines to memorized at home.
Costume information will be going home as well, as there will be different costumes throughout.
JK B/SK (Ms. G)
This is the only class, other than the 6, 7 and 8's which has completed blocking for the ENTIRE Christmas concert. Well done! They are familiar (I hope) with our IB entrance, their part, and our finale.
As our song is very fast, we are going to have to zoom across the stage to get to our positions. Remember to "ZOOM" only on stage and NEVER ZOOM on the stairs backstage.
We must also work on being quiet while waiting. In drama class there is much waiting as everyone needs to have their moment in the spotlight. This involves respect - for self, for others, for the director, and for the audience. This also means no talking, giggling, dancing, conducting, twirling, pushing, pulling, stomping, hopping, wiggling, poking, etc.
We can hope, can't we?
Best Regards,
Mrs. Deras
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Monday, October 31, 2011
HAPPY HALLOWE'EN EVERYBODY!!!!
Unfortunately there were no drama classes today.
You all looked wonderfully SPOOKY in your costumes.
Grades 4 and 5
We did not have a formal drama class on Monday, but we did take up the test answers AGAIN and we did read from more of Twelfth Night - Shakespeare for Kids series.
You WILL have a re-test on Wednesday! You WERE told this in class on Monday. And you were reminded again on Tuesday - I checked!
We have been over ALL of the answers!
You are expected to write in paragraph form. Keep it simple; just answer the questions.
Example: Q - Why does Viola become Cesario? (10 points)
A - Viola becomes Cesario because she is shipwrecked without any money, and without documents stating that she is a rich noble woman. She wants to work as a woman, but no one is hiring women at this time. She hears that Duke Orsino is looking for a page. She can sing and play instruments. She needs a job. To survive, she dresses up as a man with the Captain's help, and finds work in the Duke's court as Cesario.
2 points for neatly written paragraph form
2 points for proper spelling and grammar
1 point for being shipwrecked without money/documents
1 point for requiring a job to survive
1 point for telling me that women were not being hired at the time
1 point for telling me that the Duke was looking for a page (a guy)
1 point for telling me that Viola can play musical intruments
1 point for telling me that she dressed up as a man to find employment as a man
____
10 points
Please answer the last two bonus questions - they are your opinion. They cannot be marked incorrect, only incomplete! This is an easy 5 marks.
You don't need luck. Just think about what we read, what we discussed, what you saw in the play, and answer the questions. Focus!
And just in case....Good Luck!
Regards,
Mrs. Deras
mderas@stjudesacademy.com
Unfortunately there were no drama classes today.
You all looked wonderfully SPOOKY in your costumes.
Grades 4 and 5
We did not have a formal drama class on Monday, but we did take up the test answers AGAIN and we did read from more of Twelfth Night - Shakespeare for Kids series.
You WILL have a re-test on Wednesday! You WERE told this in class on Monday. And you were reminded again on Tuesday - I checked!
We have been over ALL of the answers!
You are expected to write in paragraph form. Keep it simple; just answer the questions.
Example: Q - Why does Viola become Cesario? (10 points)
A - Viola becomes Cesario because she is shipwrecked without any money, and without documents stating that she is a rich noble woman. She wants to work as a woman, but no one is hiring women at this time. She hears that Duke Orsino is looking for a page. She can sing and play instruments. She needs a job. To survive, she dresses up as a man with the Captain's help, and finds work in the Duke's court as Cesario.
2 points for neatly written paragraph form
2 points for proper spelling and grammar
1 point for being shipwrecked without money/documents
1 point for requiring a job to survive
1 point for telling me that women were not being hired at the time
1 point for telling me that the Duke was looking for a page (a guy)
1 point for telling me that Viola can play musical intruments
1 point for telling me that she dressed up as a man to find employment as a man
____
10 points
Please answer the last two bonus questions - they are your opinion. They cannot be marked incorrect, only incomplete! This is an easy 5 marks.
You don't need luck. Just think about what we read, what we discussed, what you saw in the play, and answer the questions. Focus!
And just in case....Good Luck!
Regards,
Mrs. Deras
mderas@stjudesacademy.com
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