Life at Bement: Lower School Look Ahead

For the week of February 13, 2012

Updated February 10, 2012

Monday, February 13

8:10 All Lower School Morning Meeting in the Barn

11:30 Lunch (Breaded Cod, Carrots, Fresh Fruit)

3:30 Dismissal, After School Group, Lower School Faculty Meeting

Tuesday, February 14

VALENTINE'S DAY

DRESS DOWN DAY, IF YOU WEAR A RED TOP!

8:10 Third Grade (Lent) Recorder Performance in the Barn

11:30 Lunch (Chicken Carbonara, Cake)

3:30 Dismissal, After School Group, Chess Club, Noticing Nature (K+1)

Wednesday, February 15

RE-ENROLLMENT AGREEMENTS DUE TO BUSINESS OFFICE

FINAL DEADLINE FOR SUPPER FOR SIX BAG DROP-OFF

8:10 Building Morning Meetings

11:30 Lunch (Meat and Vegetarian Chili, Cornbread, Wings, Cookie)

3:30 Dismissal, After School Group, Noticing Nature (2), 3rd Grade Lego Group

3:45 Kindergarten Screening Session 2, Part 1

Thursday, February 16

8:10 Building Morning Meetings

8:30 Kindergarten Screening Session 2, Part 2

11:30 Lunch (Cheese Ravioli, Cookie)

3:30 Dismissal, After School Group, Noticing Nature (3+4)

Friday, February 17

8:10 All School Morning Meeting in the Barn

11:30 Lunch (Burgers, Fries, Ice Cream). Faculty Meeting/Lunch Bunch: Collette, Holubecki, Janko, Lunt, Pynchon, Smythe, Sumner, Torras, Turowsky, Walker

3:30 Dismissal, No After School Group

HILLSIDE PIZZA ORDER PICK-UP IN THE DINING ROOM

Band Rehearsal

4th - Yoda Plays the Tuba

5th - The Walruses

ADDITIONAL NOTES...

SUPPER FOR SIX It's not too late!!! Bring your grocery bag full of non-perishable food by WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 15th and we will get it to a grateful family in the area. Collection areas are in Keith, Drake, and Kittredge Buildings. Any questions, contact Sara Riddington or Cressey Belden Janko at cressey@belden-janko.com or 413-586-0203. Thank you!

VALENTINE�S DAY This favorite holiday is coming up on Tuesday! It will be a Dress Down Day, AS LONG AS STUDENTS WEAR SOMETHING RED ON TOP! Children are invited to bring in valentines with the following caveats:

1. Valentines must go to ALL students in your class.

2. If you include valentines for children in the other class in your grade, please include all students in that class.

3. You may send valentines to anyone in any grade or to any teacher in the lower school.

4. If you want to bring candy to school that day, please check with your teacher first.

5. Please remember, we are a nut-free campus!!

All lower schoolers will be creating their own Valentine Bags and will have ample time on Tuesday, February 14, to deliver their valentines around the school. You'll find class lists in the 2011-12 Family Directory or ask Mrs. Pennock for a copy of the roster.

ATTENTION 4TH AND 5TH GRADERS Skating for P.E. will begin on Monday, February 20th, and will continue on for the next two weeks. Each student will be REQUIRED to bring A PAIR OF SKATES and a HELMET (bike helmets are fine) to class. Please DO NOT feel like you need to go out and buy a brand new pair of skates for your child if they don't have any. We have a box of skates that might have a pair or two that fits someone or you could ask around and see if someone else has a pair to borrow. Please only use buying a new pair as a last resort unless of course that is something you want to do. Please contact me at jdobosz@bement.org if you have any questions. Thanks for your help!

3RD GRADE FIELD TRIP On Tuesday, February 21, the 3rd Grade will be going to Amherst Cinema's See-Hear-Feel-Film program, which "teaches third-grade students critical viewing skills and the techniques of telling a story through film," according to the website.

PIZZA PICK-UP! Thank you for your Hillside pizza and cookie dough orders that will help the 5th Grade go to Nature's Classroom. The orders will be ready for pick-up on Friday, February 17, at dismissal time in the old dining room.

********SPRING BREAK CAMP LISTING********

BALLROOM AND LATIN DANCE CAMP - THE ONLY CAMP THAT'S A REAL BALL!

For Boys and Girls (It takes two to Tango!) Grades 3-5.

Session Three - March 19th to 23rd.

9:00 am to 3:00 pm

Cost - $300

Instructor - Karen J Andrade

413 210-2042

Karen@ABCDresses.com

Ballroom and Latin dancing is super cool, and all the rage. It's a high energy competitive sport, and the newest Olympic event. Come join us as we boogie down on the dance floor. We'll learn some of the same dances and funky moves they do on Dancing With The Stars. In just one week you will actually be able to dance, (probably better than your parents!), and really be able to impress your friends. You'll have a ball, and it definitely won't be the sappy Cinderella kind.

In this camp we will:

1-Learn three Ballroom Dances; Waltz, Foxtrot and Tango.

2-Learn Four Latin Dances; Swing, Salsa, Merengue and Cha Cha.

3-Learn about the history and culture of Ballroom and Latin dance.

4-Learn about the different types of music and rhythms the dances developed from.

5-Watch fun and famous dance movies and video clips.

6-Invent our own versions of dances and the music to go with them.

7-Celebrate our new knowledge and dance abilities with an end of camp Ballroom Dance Party!

What to bring:

1-Enthusiasm and energy.

2-A bag lunch.

3-Snacks, and a water bottle (dancing is real exercise).

What to wear:

Girls - Hard soled shoes with a small heel, no sneakers or rubber soles. Comfortable clothes, and a skirt for dance practice (not tight fitting). A dressy outfit for the Dance Party.

Boys - Hard soled shoes, no sneakers or rubber soles. Comfortable clothes. A handsome outfit for the Dance Party.

Special dance shoes and clothes are not required. But girls will have an opportunity to purchase Ballroom dance skirts for $20 and Latin dance dresses for $35, with parental permission.

About the Instructor:

Karen J Andrade, mother of a Bement Third Grader, is a National Champion Ballroom and Latin dancer. A former professional competitive Ballroom dancer for over ten years, she has won numerous awards in national and international competitions. Karen has studied with the cream of the crop of professional champion dancers, including the professional dancers on Dancing With the Stars, the producer of So You Think You Can Dance, and International BlackPool champions. Karen studied the history of dance and fashion at Smith College and was an assistant curator at the Smithsonian Museum of American History in the Division of Costume. Combining her fashion design and dance knowledge, she opened the first store in the United States specializing in custom designed competition dance wear for both amateur and professional dancers. Karen has been teaching children to dance for four years. Her first pupil was her son. At age five, he became Bement's first Kindergarten Ballroom champion. In his first competition, he beat out eight adult couples, placing first four times in Waltz and Foxtrot. Karen is currently teaching Ballroom and Latin dance classes in Northampton and is available for private lessons for both children and adult couples. In her spare time she is a children's rights attorney.

PINHOLE PHOTOGRAPHY SPRING BREAK CAMP (Grades 4-9)

Instructor: Jun Gao

Have you ever imagined how to make your own camera and print at home? Maybe you want to advance your photography further and create your own black and white masterwork, from the capturing of the image, to developing the negatives, and finally to printing and mounting the final print.

Come to discover the world of pinhole photography, you will enjoy:

Exploring the mystery behind the camera's aperture;

Learning a history of photography;

Building your own creative pinhole cameras;

Acquiring the fundamental knowledge of Black and White Photography;

Practically processing paper-based photographs;

Studying how to frame your final prints.

This will be a fun, creative, and productive art program, which will help students to cultivate a deeper understanding of photography. This program will also motivate and release their artistic imagination to see an even more beautiful world.

Program schedule: 8:30am - 3:30pm from March 5th to March 9th

Program fee: $320 + $80 material fee ($400 in total)

Please bring your own snack and lunch bag.

For more information, please contact Mrs. Hong (xhong@bement.org) or visit the artist's website: www.gaojunart.com

Mr. Jun Gao is an renowned artist and educator. Currently he is a doctoral student in the Art and Art Education program at Teachers College, Columbia University. Prior to his arrival in New York, he studied his Bachelor of Fine Art degree in the Central Academy of Arts and Design in Beijing, China; earned his Master of Arts degree from University for Creative Arts in Canterbury in Britain and acquired his Master of Fine Art degree from Boston University College of Fine Arts in Boston in the United States.

Mr. Gao's interdisciplinary art practices involve mixed media and multimedia site-specific art, experimental photography, and video. He has created many large-scale site-specific artworks and exhibited his works internationally. Many his works are collected by Chinese and American institutions, such as Capital Normal University (Beijing) and Photonics Center in Boston University (Boston).

PUPPET CAMP--in its third year!--IS BACK!

Only a few spaces left, so please enroll soon!

This camp is open to any children in grades K-4 (no matter whether they are Bement students or not). This camp will feature all kinds of puppet making (from finger and sock puppets to paper-mache puppets) and performance; appropriate to the age and skill levels among us. No experience is necessary!

Nora, an alum of Puppet Camp, says, �I really loved when we got to make dresses for our puppets!�

Recesses, snack and lunch break will also be incorporated into each day. Ms. DeCook�s annual Puppet Camp will take place the first week of March break (March 5 through March 9) from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The cost for this camp, including materials, is $285, to be paid to Ms. DeCook upon enrollment.

If you have any questions at all, or to enroll, please contact Ms. DeCook at cdecook@bement.org. This is an extremely fun camp and enrollment is limited, so please claim your space right away!

COMIC BOOKS AND SUPER HEROES!

Students will explore the creative art form of comic books through drawing, writing, and reading. We will learn about many popular comic book series and characters, as well as create our own. What does it mean to be a hero? What might a hero look like? We will explore superheroes through popular comic book characters and real life heroes. Students will have fun designing their own costumes, masks, games, props, and participate in imaginative play. Students will have a variety of comics geared towards this age group.

Grades 1-5

$350/ week

Session I: March 12-16; Session II: March 19-23;

Hours are 9-3.

Bring a bag lunch and appropriate outerwear for recess.

For more information, contact Amanda King at aking@bement.org.

A RECIPE FOR MARCH BREAK FUN!

� 2 cups of enthusiastic teachers

� 1 cup of hungry students in grades 1-5

� 1/2 cup of hands-on measurement, fractions, and geometry lessons

� 1/2 cup of inquiry-based food science experiments

� 1/4 cup of cooperative, team-building games

� a dash of outdoor free play

Combine all ingredients above and you will have the most delicious fun!

Monday, March 12 - Friday, March 16

8:00 am - 3:30 pm each day

$325 tuition, $25 materials

Contact Ms. Morse (gmorse@bement.org) and Ms. Lent (elent@bement.org).

We need a minimum of 8 students to fill the camp.

Dietary restrictions can be accommodated.

Stay tuned for additional March camp options!

LOST AND FOUND Please visit the Lost & Found up in the Polk Building, outside the Dance Studio, to see if any items belong to you.

From the Admission Office:

RE-ENROLLMENT Re-enrollment agreements for the 2012-2013 school year have been mailed to families of students eligible to re-enroll. In order to reserve your child's (children's) place at Bement, please return the enrollment agreement and reservation fee by Wednesday, February 15. You can mail or drop off the materials in the Admission Office or the Business Office. Please contact the Admission Office if you have any questions.

From the Parents' Association:

COFFEE CONNECTION If you are interested in ordering some Dean's Beans coffee, now is the time! It's great coffee, you get a full pound - not that measly 12-ounce grocery store size - and part of your purchase supports the Parents' Association & Bement! Choose from Medium or Dark, Caf or Decaf, and there are even dark chocolate java drops if you prefer your coffee in the tasty chocolate-candy format. Please refer to the Order Form at the Bement website (www.bement.org/coffee201112.pdf). You may either 1) print & fill out your form and return it to Ms Doubleday, Mrs Pennock or the Business Office by Tuesday, February 14 OR 2) you can email Meg Clark directly with your order information (kegcomm@verizon.net). Thank you!!

OTHER NEWS:

PIONEER VALLEY SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA CONCERT Please join Mrs. Pond and her fellow musicians for PVSO's Flights of Fancy on Saturday, February 18, at 7:30 pm at Greenfield High School. A highlight of the program will be Beethoven's Violin Concerto with special guest violist Elena Urioste, who received a glowing review in the New York Times for her Carnegie Hall performances. Mr. Pond has tickets for sale if you'd like to get them in advance.

LOOKING AHEAD...

* Please note date changes for 5th Grade Plays

Tues, Feb 14-Valentine's Day/Dress Down Day, IF you wear a red top!

Tues, Feb 14-3rd Grade (Lent) Recorder Performance, 8:10 in the Barn

Wed, Feb 15-Final Deadline for Supper For Six Bag Drop-off

Fri, Feb 17-Hillside Pizza Pick-up at Dismissal in the Old Dining Room

Tues, Feb 21-3rd Grade to Amherst Cinema's See-Hear-Feel-Film program

Fri, Feb 24-4th Grade Colonial Ball

*Mon, Feb 27-5th Grade Play (Flying Wallaphants Group) Math Curse, 8:10 in the Barn

*Tues, Feb 28-5th Grade Play (Math Cursed Walruses Group) Math Curse, 8:10 in the Barn

*Wed, Feb 29-5th Grade Play (Purple Cow Group) Tut Tut, 8:10 in the Barn

Thurs, Mar 1-3rd Grade Biography Fair, 8:30 in the Library

Fri, Mar 2-3rd Grade Play (Gage) Gizmo, 8:10 in the Barn

Fri, Mar 2-Spring Vacation begins
Sun, Mar 25-Boarders return, 4-6 pm

Mon, Mar 26-Classes resume

The Look Ahead Online is published weekly in the Lower School. Please send any news for it to Mrs. Kapteyn (kkapteyn@bement.org) or Mrs. Pennock by the Thursday morning before the week you want your notice to appear.