Wednesday, November 30, 2011

TRANSITION WE ALL EXPERIENCE IT!

The whole school community including children, parents and staff are experiencing the transition of children from one year level to another.
The children will partake in 4 transition sessions. Three will take place on 5th, 6th, 7th December from 10am to 11:15. The children will spend time in their 2012 neighbourhoods with their team of teachers and groups. They will familiarise themselves with the new learning spaces, discuss learning possibilities and partake in learning agreement activities with all of their 2012 teachers. Older children will be mentoring and offering advice to the younger ones. The children will have lunch in their new spaces as part of each session.
On Tuesday 20th December there will be a fourth transition session where the children will be introduced to their 2012 home teacher as well as working in their new neighbourhoods for 1 hour. This will take place from 2.30 to 3.30. The children will be dismissed from their new neighbourhoods on this day.

This period of change is both challenging and exciting in which children and families adjust to expectations, interactions and relationships.

Monday, November 21, 2011

ASSEMBLY TUESDAY 22nd NOVEMBER



The Year 2 Neighbourhood are presenting the animation, the story panels and the drama group costumes at the whole school assembly in the gym at 9am.
Could the children in the drama group please be at school in room 14 at 8.30 to get dressed.
Thank you Ethan, Kevin and Rita

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

A reflection by Bassi on behalf of the Drama Group

My name is Sebastian and I’m going to tell you about the learning and the process of our play.
It all started when we had to write a persuasive letter to the teachers to persuade them to let us into a group of our choice. My choice was the play group.
When we were in our groups we had to get into smaller groups and create a character. We all had to think about what our character would be like and then we had to use each other’s ideas.
Once we had our characters we drew what we thought they would look like.
Then we all came together and thought up a story that included all of our characters and everyone’s ideas. We weren’t allowed to have too much violence and our story had to have a problem.
It was hard to negotiate what we would have in and what we would leave out but we all learnt that you don’t have to always get your own way and that other people’s ideas can change things and make them better.
Then we thought about what things we could do on stage to tell the story. We were inspired when we saw Emily Eye Finger and that gave us ideas for how we could make the car and use the audience space.
It was hard to think up the dialogue. Everyone kept thinking up new ideas and we had to choose which words to say.
We had lots of experts come in and help us.
Gabi the teacher helped us think about the staging. I learnt that you have to use our space a lot more than we usually do. She also helped us to make a storyboard and set the scenes in order.
Our story changed a lot from how it was in the beginning.
Gabi, my Mum talked to us about costume design. We had to think about what we could wear to tell the audience who the characters were and what they were like. We drew our costume designs then Gabi, Sule, Michelle, Sue and Laurel helped us to create our costumes. I learnt that wearing a costume can make you feel more like a character and it can make you feel more confident.
Clare, Ivy’s Mum is a director so she helped us with our expression and showed us some movements to help us be like our characters. Clare taught us to always have our feet, hips and shoulders pointing at the audience.
Linas, Rita’s son talked to us about sound. I learnt lots of new words from him. Linas talked to us about all the different parts in the story where we could use sound effects to help explain what was happening and we chose some sounds.
Then Will, Isabella’s Dad helped us with the lights. He told us that different coloured lights can help the audience know what is important and can set the scene.
Sheryal helped us with our singing and Tim also helped us with our acting and expression.
Justine, Jasmine’s Mum told us about stage make-up. I learnt that stage make-up has to be really heavy so the audience can see it. We all drew face charts with our make-up designs.
I was surprised how much time and effort it takes to tell a story through drama and how many different things like sound and lights and costumes are involved.
I learnt lots of new things like how to write a movie script and a play script and how to say things with expression. I also learnt that working in a big team is difficult because there are so many ideas but that is good because exciting things can happen.

The Story Writing Group

Our students were invited to apply to join one of three groups that would investigate narrative and how it could be expressed in different ways.
The Story Writing group had a rich background to bring to this project. A major focus in their prior learning was developing a lively interest in books through book clubs, conversations about books and discussions about authors. To initiate the inquiry we discussed the things we needed to know about or learn in order to create a story from beginning to end.
Characters needed to be created and given personalities, possible story lines needed to be developed and settings decided upon. We looked at the many different ways a story can be presented and it was decided we would use panels to depict the visual images our story provoked.
Team work, collaboration, negotiation, making choices and reflecting on the process as it grew and became more refined was a continuous part of our project work.
Thanks to our hard working, creative and very talented team, we are proud of our achievements.

Family and Friends

“Family and Friends” Written and Performed by Year 2 Neighbourhood Drama Project Group.

The story of “Family and Friends” is set in Melbourne, Carlton in 2006. Roxy Blythstown, a popular rock singer on You Tube is reunited with her sister Lucy by the magical birds. The sisters decide to play together but they accidently fall down a drain pipe. The Ninga tourists arrive as they are touring Carlton and help the sisters. Meanwhile a wicked witch orders her robot to magnetize the sisters and the tourists to her house. The witch has evil plans. Roxy’s fans follow her through Twitter and discover where Roxy is. The wicked witch’s spells don’t go to plan but good finally comes through all of this misadventure. The family is reunited and everyone becomes friends.

Scene 1-Baby Roxy is given up for adoption.
Scene 2-The two sisters Roxy and Lucy are reunited by the magical birds.
Scene 3-The Ninga tourists arrive.
Scene 4-The witch plots a plan with her robot.
Scene 5-The robot magnetizes everyone to the witch’s house.
Scene 6-Roxy’s fans find their star.
Scene 7-The witch has a revelation.
Finale

Cast

Adaption agency worker
Ivy Miller

Birds
Sebastian Durham, Matilda Verdon Black, Ella Gunn, Sam Jones, Ivy Miller

Fans
Maddie Tenace, Jane-Rose Harrison-Kern, Vivienne McCracken, Rochelle DeNardis, Jasmine Poniris

Narrator
Asha Ketchell

Ninga tourists and guide
Lachlan Phillips, Wil Debrodt Sutherland, Joel Bennett, Samson Romfos, James Baikie and Isabella Richards

Rabbit
Nora Rodin

Robot
Miray Kaplan

Roxy’s Father
Sebastian Durham

Sisters Roxy and Lucy
Ciara Hardy and Lucia

Witch
Irene Mohamed

The Drama Group thanks the experts who worked with the group.

With Very Special Thanks To:

1. Clare Watson (Stage Direction)
2. Delia and David Spicer (Props)
3. Gabrielle Mina (Costume Design Co-ordination, Scripting and Stage Direction)
4. Gabi McDonald (Stage Movement)
5. Jessica Birchell (Year 2 teacher term 2)
6. Josephine Byrt (Props)
7. Justine Poniris (Make-up)
8. Laurel Gorman (Costume Screen Printing)
9. Linas Jokubaitis (Sound)
10. Michelle Tenace (Costumes)
11. Shana Upiter (Inquiry Planning)
12. Sheryal Musumeci (Singing and Music)
13. Sue Bennett (Costumes)
14. Sule Kaplan (Costume Design and Coaching)
15. Tim Aris (Acting)
16. William Richards (Lights)
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR TEACHING US.



The Silver Key by Nicole Cameron

http://www.silverkeytheseries.com/author.php

Dear Nicole,
hello Nicole my name is Nina and I had an extroardinary time while reading your adventurous and exciting book so my school REALLY WANTS you to come. So would you kindly possibly come to our school in Carlton North. Please!
Nina.

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

TABLOID SPORTS



The children in Prep, Years 1 and 2 will be involved in Tabloid Sports every Thursday in November from 9 to 10am. This coincides with the Prep Transition Program for our prospective 2012 Preps. It is also part of the current Year 1 and Prep transition program. We will all be promptly meeting in the neighbourhoods for the roll and messages and then going outside for the sports. Could all children please be prepared; wear sports shoes, have hats and drink bottles and wear sun screen to school and be provided with any medical requirements.
Thank you Kevin, Ethan and Rita.

Monday, October 24, 2011

Book Talk




Many children across the Year 2 neighbourhood have enjoyed listening to "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" every Wednesday as part of Book Talk. The story has been passionately read by Gabi a parent. The children will discuss the story and their wanderings on comments on Wednesday.




Thank you very much Gabi your enjoyment of this book is infectious.




Parents are invited to join us on any Wednesday at 9am for Book Talk.

Year 2 has talent!







Parents are cordially invited to join the Year 2 Neighbourhood in the drama space where the children sign up to share their talents. This neighbourly event takes place on Friday at 2.45 to 3.20. Parents are most welcome to share their talents including reading a story, telling a joke, playing an instrument etc. or just come along and be part of the audience.