A personal note...
Unfortunately, I became quite sick over the Fall Break and was not fully recovered when we returned, so I needed to take some additional time to rest and heal as I became feverish mid-week. I try to do my best to take care of my health, but, as many of you know, getting sick while pregnant can be an especially tiring and worrisome ordeal, so I am grateful to the patience and support of students, colleagues, and parents as I continue to work towards recovering fully.
Things to celebrate...
The juniors students began developing their improvisation skills this week, beginning with focus, attention, listening, and memory, and moving into the important role of imagination and application of all the Actor's Tools from our prior unit. Students learned about the five-step story structure this week, which will help them quickly devise or improvise sketches that--as wild, creative, and funny as they can be--move through a coherent narrative towards a resolution.
The seniors continue to work on their mini-collectives, preparing for their first evaluated workshop on Tuesday, at which point I will be checking in on their creative process for evidence of progress and development of the preliminary ideas generated before the break.
A number of Drama Council volunteers also performed an original piece of movement paired with poetry at this Friday's Remembrance Day assembly. The entire piece was devised by this group of volunteers in order to reflect the need to recognize and address the spread of hatred and violence in all its forms, and to remember those who have fought against these two forces throughout history and around the world.
Things to look forward to...
The juniors will continue developing skills related to making, accepting, and advancing offers in an improvisation, responding to a variety of prompts, scenes starters, and suggestions. They will continue to give and receive feedback on physicalization and vocalization, especially as they relate to quickly creating imagined scenarios that the audience and their scene partners can easily identify and respond to.
Most of the senior class will be showcasing their use of the creative process and collective creation techniques at The Quest for Well-Being: Making Connections, Making Commitments. Quest is an annual three-day international education conference hosted by the YRDSB, and in recent years our organization has made great strides in ensuring that student voice is placed front and centre in the professional learning that takes place. Maple High School's senior drama class will be holding an open rehearsal, in which conference attendees are invited to watch, ask questions, provide feedback, and possibly even participate in some aspects of the creative process. Our goal is to help participants understand that all learning (not just learning in, about, and through the Arts) is a process of growth, development, and evolution, and to see what it looks like when students are active participants in and leaders of this process.
A number of Drama Council volunteers will also be involved in welcoming grade eights from our local community schools to Maple High School on Wednesday, November 14, for Take Our Kids to High School Day (which is Take Our Kids to Work Day for the grade nines). They have already demonstrated exemplary leadership in planning activities and coordinated a volunteer schedule for the entire day, and we look forward to a fun and informative day for our grade eight students.
Most of the senior class will be showcasing their use of the creative process and collective creation techniques at The Quest for Well-Being: Making Connections, Making Commitments. Quest is an annual three-day international education conference hosted by the YRDSB, and in recent years our organization has made great strides in ensuring that student voice is placed front and centre in the professional learning that takes place. Maple High School's senior drama class will be holding an open rehearsal, in which conference attendees are invited to watch, ask questions, provide feedback, and possibly even participate in some aspects of the creative process. Our goal is to help participants understand that all learning (not just learning in, about, and through the Arts) is a process of growth, development, and evolution, and to see what it looks like when students are active participants in and leaders of this process.
A number of Drama Council volunteers will also be involved in welcoming grade eights from our local community schools to Maple High School on Wednesday, November 14, for Take Our Kids to High School Day (which is Take Our Kids to Work Day for the grade nines). They have already demonstrated exemplary leadership in planning activities and coordinated a volunteer schedule for the entire day, and we look forward to a fun and informative day for our grade eight students.
Things to do at home...
I would like to take this opportunity, before the release of midterm report cards, to remind parents about the notes I shared during interim reporting time regarding speaking to and supporting your student's ongoing achievement throughout the semester and into the future as they develop into lifelong learners in whatever pathway they pursue. Please see the final sections of my Week 5 Recap for tips and suggestions when discussing academic achievement, and of my Week 6 Recap for a review of the different types of assessments students complete in all Ontario classrooms.
Comments
Post a Comment