Our Month of Gratitude

We start with a song game played by our PreK 4-year-old class. In this game, students are nature explorers, creeping around a "grizzly bear" who is sleeping. The grizzly bear wakes up, growls, and scares them all away. In addition to the drama and creativity skills taught, this song introduces dynamics (volume) and the associated recording (not in the video) introduces the string section, specifically the double bass.

The Middle School and Grades 3 & 4 completed their Annie, Jr. auditions and received their scripts. All students did a wonderful job in their audition and I am so excited for the cast of the show. Students can view the rehearsal calendar, practice the songs and get other powerful information in the Annie, Jr. Google Drive Folder. All students in grades 3-8 will be involved in the show.

Here are the students receiving and highlighting their scripts and rehearsal calendar:

As we approach our Holiday Concert (less than 20 days!), students might have reached a point when they stop practicing, either because they are starting to get tired of the songs or because they have mastered the songs. Students are encouraged to keep practicing, but practicing can decrease to once every day or every other day. Some of the older students do the majority of their practice on the weekend to keep the week open for homework. Keeping the songs in our heads is very important.

Holiday ConcertWednesday, December 176:30PMPRCC

Students should arrive by 6:00 to warm-up and line-up.

Remember, you can find practice videos for the Holiday Concert and MP3s & lyrics here:

Holiday Concert Practice Videos

Holiday Concert Practice MP3s & Lyrics

The students are practicing hard, both instrumentally and vocally, for the Holiday Concert!

In library, students finished up their month of gratitude by reading books about Thanksgiving. Mr. Putter & Tabby Pour the Tea by Cynthia Rylant sparked a conversation in who makes us feel loved in our life. Thanks for Thanksgiving by Julie Markes gave us a great idea of things in our family and the world for which to by thankful. Giving Thanks: A Native American Good Morning Message by Chief Jake Swamp, was a visualization activity where the students visualized things in nature for which to be grateful as I read the words. The older students read The Legend of the Bluebonnet: An Old Tale of Texas Retold and Illustarted by Tomie DePaola which teaches how in order to give thanks, we must also give of ourselves. And finally, Caldecott Medal winner The Lion & The Mouse adapted by Jerry Pinkney taught us about giving and receiving gifts through gratitude.

 Our Gratitude Tree looks beautiful, finished with hundreds of Leaves of Thanksgiving. Thank you to all who participated and enjoyed our tree.

As we enter into a season of giving and receiving, our Student Council students have been preparing to help with the orphanage Christmas party, organized and hosted by BIWA. The students have spent their lunch recesses planning activities and this week, stuffing gifts of school supplies for the children from the orphanages.

Stay tuned for more from our PRIS Students and don't forget to check out the library and music YouTube page (and subscribe)!

PRIS Music & Library YouTube Page

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