On Monday, we will observe Orange Day at SLSS. It is a day to show our solidarity with aboriginal people and acknowledge what happened to them as a result of residential schools. Can you imagine what it would be like to have government officials come and take you away from your family and place you in a school where you were not allowed to speak your language or see your parents? If you want to learn more, try reading Richard Wagamese's book - Indian Horse.
Wear something orange on Monday to show that you believe that every child is important and that we have learned that children must be supported, defended and respected.
Today is the climate strike. It is a time for all of us to think about how lucky we are to live on this beautiful blue (and green) planet and how wondrous it is to see birds and trees and oceans and the blue sky and how precious it all is. Nature is a powerful force but our thoughtless actions are changing the natural course of the planet's weather, the climate and the environment on land, at sea and in the air. Thanks to activists like Greta Thunberg, many of us are waking up to the dire consequences of the climate emergency and it does seem like we are finally thinking of what we can do to stop ourselves from consuming all the resources of the planet and despoiling the wild places and taking better care of the plants and animals that share the earth with us.
We are all responsible for taking care of our world and treating the land and the living things with respect.
Grade 9 - 12: You are working on public service announcements related to this topic. What is your theme? How are you approaching it? What techniques are you using to convince your audience of your point of view?
Are you worried about climate change? Explain your answer.
Grade 9's and 10's -- remember that you need a heritage story for Monday!
Grade 8's: Are you good at working with a group? Rate yourself from one to five with five being great and one being not good at all. What is one thing about group work that you are successful with? What is one way you can improve? Would you say you are a good leader? Could you explain your answer? Write about an experience you had with group work and what you learned from it.
Here are the D Block grade 8's on our climate march this afternoon. The quote says, "never doubt that a small group of committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." As you know, Margaret Mead said that! Good work, guys!
That is something Greta Thunberg said. She is a young woman (around your age!) from Sweden who has done so much to create awareness and a badly needed sense of urgency about the climate emergency. Next Friday, there will be worldwide day of action for people to demonstrate their concern about the climate emergency and to stand up for our home here on Planet Earth. There is a lot of scary information out there, but there are some reasons to hope that we will be able to turn things around and protect our home if only we act now.
I tried to copy the banner from the Guardian which shows the last two hundred years on a graph and is a shocking visual of how quickly and how much the world is warming. We need to take drastic action now to ward off the tipping point. What can you do? Our fine and performing arts departments want to make "care and respect for the planet" the theme for this school year. If you can come up with some ideas about tangible things we can do, share them with us! Just worrying about it is not a solution.
If you are interested in attending the rally at the Vancouver Art Gallery on September 27, let Ms. Descary know. She is taking students from SLSS on a field trip to the rally to show that we care and want to contribute to the solution and not make things worse.
On a more prosaic note (maybe, or maybe it's a less scary note . . .) we finished auditions for "As You Like It" on Friday. Thank you to everyone for taking part. It is always hard to decide on a cast. Of course, your audition is part of it. If you do a dynamite job, you will get a bigger part. If you didn't memorize it, that might mean you won't get a big part, because we want to make sure the people who are most serious and dedicated get the giant roles. If you are in grade 8 or 9, you need to realize that you must make the most of the part you get. "There is no such thing as a small part, just small actors!" If you come to all the rehearsals, you might find yourself promoted! Sometimes people drop out or can't manage rehearsals, and if you're there, you might be "johnny on the spot".
In Drama 8, remember that you will be reciting on Monday. Practice out loud. That is the best way to memorize something. We will work on the incidental music tableaus on Monday.
In Drama 9/10, make sure you ask your families about stories from your family's life. Marriages, wars, new or unusual jobs, holidays, babies, immigration to Canada -- all of these are possible sources for good stories. Think of the kinds of stories we tell in the circle!
In Senior Drama, we will definitely see your scary plays on Monday. Be ready. If you haven't discussed costumes, think of what your character should wear. Colour can communicate a lot.
Have a great weekend. I hope all you sleep deprived kids were able to grab a few extra moments of rest today.
Grade 8's: What should I know about you? You might want to include where you went to school before, if you did drama there, if you have ever done drama before, what you expect to get out of this class. It's important for you to let me know if you have stage fright, if you have ever performed in public (even if it is as an athlete or a musician or a dancer). Please share anything that you think will help me teach you and understand you better!
Grade 9/10's: Write about an adventure you had this summer. Make it sound dramatic. It should reflect the plot line we learned about in Grade 8. At the beginning, introduce the characters and setting, have an inciting incident and rising action and then an exciting climax! This might become a family story that you can share with your children and grandchildren.
Senior Drama: This is a combined course with Directing/Script Development, Directed Studies, Theatre Production, and Theatre Performance. What do you expect to get out of the course you have chosen? Think of an artist or a theatre professional you admire who does the work that you hope to study. What do you like about their work?
