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

Note: Comments are moderated and for privacy reasons, cannot include students' names. Please direct specific inquiries via email.

One Month and Counting

Now less than one month away from the Holiday Concert, students are showing huge progress on songs, both instrumentally and vocally. Here's a compilation of the Grades 3 & 4 recorder songs and a little teaser for the concert.

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

Holiday Concert Practice Videos

Holiday Concert Practice MP3s & Lyrics

Annie, Jr. auditions are coming up on Monday & Tuesday. This is for all middle school students and the Grade 3/4 students that were in drama club. Students will sign-up for after school audition times for November 24 or 25. The links below contain practice videos and the audition packet for further information. They must fill out and return the last page (front & back) of the packet either at their audition or before.

Annie, Jr. MP3s & Audition Packet

Annie Audition Songs (YouTube Playlist)

Students in the Pre-K 3-year-old class will join the Middle Schoolers on a performance of Feliz Navidad. They are practicing with their maracas and castanets.

The Pre-K 4-year-old class will also join Feliz Navidad playing an ostinato (repetitive) rhythm on the castanets.

Of course, they are still making requests for Haydn's Surprise Symphony, otherwise known as The Cookie Song. We had a free minute this week so the students reviewed the story of the spilled cookie crumbs on the floor and trying to pick them all up before Mom wakes up (and hiding when we hear her door open).

The Kindergarten & Grade 1 class conquered their instrumental activity, percussion ostinati for Pat-a-Pan, early. They then were introduced to The Biscuit Brothers, one of my favorite musical television shows. Made for one limited season in Canada, The Biscuit Brothers teach all aspects of music from instrumentation to singing, and they have a great YouTube channel linked above.

In library, the Kindergarten & Grade 1 class added leaves to our Gratitude Tree. Students wrote or drew what they were thankful for--everything from family to nature.

The Grade 3 & 4 class read a book called The Story of Jumping Mouse, a Native American legend retold and illustrated by John Steptoe. The book highlights kindness, gratitude and selfless giving.

The Pre-K 3 & 4-year-old classes read two books, one called The Doorbell Rang by Pat Hutchins, about sharing. And another about the power of hope, The Chimpanzees of Happytown by Giles Andreae and Guy Parker-Rees.

The books can be accessed in read-aloud form on YouTube by clicking the links above.

When the Grade 1 & 2 class read The Doorbell Rang, they also practiced some division and problem solving. We made 12 "cookies" out of paper. First, the cookies only had to be split between two book characters, but each time the doorbell rang, more characters entered and the cookies had to be split evenly between them. The students did a great job working as a team to figure out all of the division problems presented to them.

The students that live in Pasir Ridge have formed a "quick choir" to perform at the Ridge's Thanksgiving celebration. Students have sacrificed lots of after-school and weekend time to be a part of this and their work is much appreciated.

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

Note: Comments are moderated and for privacy reasons, cannot include students' names. Please direct specific inquiries via email.

Instrumental Intensity

First, we start with our Middle School Students. In small groups, they are learning to master Jingle Bells on the ukulele, while singing. This is one small group's progress:

The Pre-K 4s will join the Middle School on the holiday concert, singing "Jingle Bells". They are still enjoying dancing at the end of each class as well as working hard on their concert songs.

The Pre-K 3s will join the Pre-K 4s and the Middle School students, playing maracas and castanets during "Feliz Navidad."

The Kindergarten & Grade 1 class is learning an instrumental part on drums, tambourine and triangle to play while the Grade 1 & 2 and 3 & 4 classes are singing "Pat-a-Pan."

The Grade 1 & 2 class is working on xylophones, learning "Up on the Housetop," which they will play with the PreK 3 & 4-year-olds.

 The Kindergarten through Grade 2s combined are still working hard on their vocal pieces.

And when the Grade 3 & 4 class isn't singing or playing their recorders, they find a little time for group dancing.

Sadly, it was our last day of drama club on Tuesday. But the good news: all these students will participate in the musical, which will start rehearsing in a couple weeks!

Finally, in library, the students all wrote at least one gratitude leaf, often designed with beautiful pictures and writing. There are so many things our students are thankful for--they often wrote more than one! Students have been coming in voluntarily during recess to add to the tree.

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

Holiday Concert Practice Videos

Holiday Concert Practice MP3s & Lyrics

Annie, Jr. auditions are coming up in just over one week. This is for all middle school students and the Grade 3/4 students that were in drama club. Students will sign-up for after school audition times for November 24 or 25. The links below contain practice videos and the audition packet for further information. They must fill out and return the last page (front & back) of the packet either at their audition or before.

Annie, Jr. MP3s & Audition Packet

Annie Audition Songs (YouTube Playlist)

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

Note: Comments are moderated and for privacy reasons, cannot include students' names. Please direct specific inquiries via email.