Report Cards!

 I have posted marks and comments for all of you (I hope it worked -- every time it is a bit different and this time we had to blank out your old marks and comments and replace them!)

Before you lose your minds, make sure you read the comments because some of you have not handed in all your assignments, journals and projects and some of you have not presented either your scenes or your monologues.  If you haven't done something, get it to me by the end of Wednesday (so I can mark it and put in your revised mark).

Remember!  The Drama Club is meeting by Zoom on Tuesday at lunch (the coordinates are on the bulletin board, the announcement on the website and on the Drama Club instagram page).

Enjoy the second semester, everyone!

Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow

 I want to take this opportunity to thank you all for your work in my classes in the first semester.  We certainly ended things on a very positive note and I really enjoyed seeing your final scenes and monologues and I wish you all the very best next semester.  If you still have things you need to do, remember that you have Wednesday or Thursday to finish off.  Check the posted report cards on Monday after 3!

I saw the new Joel Coen version of "Macbeth" last night (and was up long after my normal bedtime!)

I liked a lot of it and disagreed with some of it, but I am respectful of his attempt and pleased that Macbeth still puts "bums in the seats".  It is such a terrific play with such great characters and such a terrific jewel of a plot.  We've done it twice here at SLSS and the two productions were very different, so I'm sure that Joel Coen would do that, too, if he was going to direct it again.

It is in black and white and it looks fantastic.  The use of mist and crows and locations (like the castles of Dunsinane and Fife and the battlefields) and the old man's shack are really evocative and also Coen's use of camera angles, like looking down from the heights and through doorways and windows is really effective.  The witches (performed by one actor -- Kathryn Hunter) were really scary and creepy and weird and I loved how they resembled crows and then, perhaps, were crows.  The scenes from the battlefield and the fight scenes were staged really well and the attack on Fife, the murder of Banquo and Duncan and the fight between MacDuff and Macbeth were terrific.

Denzel Washington (Macbeth) and Frances McDormand (Lady Macbeth) were good, but I think they took a wrong tack here (obviously, Joel Coen and the actors would disagree with me) by weakening Macbeth and making him seem too crazy too soon.  Frances McDormand was good when Lady Macbeth was strong, but in the sleepwalking scene, I think you should pity her and I couldn't.  It seemed rather mechanical.  I did think of something I would do now, if I were doing it again -- I think when she ends the scene with "what's done cannot be undone; to bed, to bed, to bed", she should lie down right there as if she thinks the floor is her bed.  She should curl up in the foetal position and then the doctor and nurse could help her stand up and lead her off stage.  In the movie, they staged some of this on a long flight of stairs and it could have really worked for her to try to curl up on a step when she longs for sleep.

You guys from English 11 -- I would urge you to see the film, if you can.  It is fun to see scenes that you've performed and know the story and see how other people have decided to do it.  Of course, I would urge everyone to see it!

Okay, I am going to get to work now.

Update: End of Semester!

 English 11 

Learn your lines for your Macbeth scene (the only way to do this?  say them OUT LOUD!!)

Get your folder ready to hand in.  It should contain all the diary entries, be decorated and have the other items assigned.

Answer the questions from the "take home test":

Drama classes:

Scenes should be ready!  Monologues!  Sound and light shows!  Journals!!

Journal - January 21 (Last journal for Drama class)

 Senior Drama and Drama 9/10

What do you know about your extended role play character?  What do you need to do to play the character realistically?  Make sure you try to internalize the things you know.

Drama 8

Which Aesop lesson should you learn?  Explain your answer.

English 11

Questions for Act 5 of Macbeth:

1.  "Some say he's mad; others . . . call it valiant fury"

"Like a giant robe/Upon a dwarfish thief"

What are the above quotes examples of?  What do they mean?

2.  What happens in scene 4?  Why is it important?

3.  In scene 5, Macbeth finds out two pieces of bad news.  What are they?

4.  How was Macduff born?

5.  How does old Siward react to his son's death?

6.  Is Macbeth admirable in Act 5 or not?  Explain.

Grade 12 Reading List/Last Project

 For the Macbeth project -- think of what the scene is doing for the audience and for the story and try to honour that.  If it's serious or scary, don't make it funny.  NERF GUNS DON'T WORK!  When you are doing your scene, you must make sure everyone can hear you!!

Make sure you hand in that last composition on time.  I need it for your report cards.

If you are interested in preparing for grade 12 by reading, here is a list of grade 12 novels, non-fiction books and plays that your teacher might use next year:

Jane Eyre -- Charlotte Bronte

1984 - George Orwell

Frankenstein - Mary Shelley

The Great Gatsby -  F. Scott Fitzgerald

Metamorphosis - Franz Kafka

The Outsider - Albert Camus

The Wars - Timothy Findley

The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini

The English Patient - Michael Ondaatje

The Handmaid's Tale or The Edible Woman - Margaret Atwood

PLAYS

"The Crucible" - Arthur Miller

"The Merchant of Venice", "The Tempest", "King Lear", "Twelfth Night", "As You Like It" (Shakespeare)

The most common choice for grade 12 is "Hamlet".

NON-FICTION

Always Running - Luis J. Rodriguez

A Short History of Indians in Canada - Thomas King

The Inconvenient Indian - Thomas King

I can't guarantee that your teacher will use any of these, but the more you read, the better your English will be, so enjoy your books!  (These should all be available at the public library.)

Last year, for Grade 12 English,  I used Timothy Findley's The Wars as the novel we read as a class and "Hamlet" as the play.  (There are lots of good versions of "Hamlet" on film.  I really like the one starring Mel Gibson and Mr. Price used to love the one directed by Kenneth Branagh -- they're both great.)

Shakespeare scenes

 You are performing the following scenes:

TOMORROW:  ACT 1, scene 3

- witches tell Macbeth and Banquo their prophecy

PRETTY PRINCES:  ACT 2, scene 2

- the discovery of Duncan's murder

MACBESTIES:  ACT 3, scene 4

- Macbeth's banquet and Banquo's ghost appears

SHAK-SHOWER:  ACT 4, scene 2

- murder of MacDuff's family

English 11: Act 4, scene 1

 Read the scene and make sure you understand what is happening.

1.  What does Macbeth want to know?  Does he get to ask the witches?

2.  What are the three predictions the witches make to him?

3.  How does he react?

4.  What does he decide to do at the end of the scene?

Apparently, Joel Coen has directed a version of Macbeth starring his wife, Frances McDormand (who recently performed Lady Macbeth on Broadway to great acclaim) and the great Denzel Washington (as Lady Macbeth and Macbeth respectively).  It is getting great reviews and is showing now at the Park cinema in Vancouver, the International Cinema, also in Vancouver and at the Coquitlam Cineplex and also apparently on Apple TV.

READING LOG:

What is another book you would like to read?  (Our question of the day was what were other people reading, so we chose from that, but since you did not hear the discussion, just describe a book that interests you that you haven't read yet.)

Journals for January 14 (Journal #4 for Term 2)

 All:  Today is Black Excellence Day and next month is Black History Month.  What is the purpose of these events?  Do you participate in them?  How?  If you don't, why not?  What do you know about the achievements of people of colour in BC?  How could you find out more?

Here is an article about a local woman who is distantly related to ME (by marriage)!

https://www.hogansalleysociety.org/last-vancouver-temporary-modular-housing-residence-to-bear-the-name-of-local-black-history-icon/

Senior Drama:  

Theatre Production:  Your concept for the sound and light show.

Directing/Scriptwriting:  Your concept for your one act play

Actors:  What happened during your "pregnant pause"?

What was the climax of your scene?

What do we know about the two characters?

Drama 9/10:

What did you accomplish on Wednesday?

Drama 8:

How did your fairy tale mime go?  Which other group was your favourite?  Give reasons for your answers.

Back to school!

 

This is a photo of a Douglas squirrel on my upper balcony (with snowy Port Moody in the background -- we still have a lot of snow and it is very icy today!  I wonder what it is like in Richmond.)

Tomorrow we will be back at school.  The provincial government feels that it is important for schools to be open and that students feel better (especially mental health-wise) in school, and I agree with that, but we will have to be VERY careful to keep our distance and wear our masks properly (over both nose and mouth) and try to prevent the Omicron variant from spreading through our school population.  I am very nervous about it, because my vaccine appointment (for the booster) was cancelled because of the cold weather and I have a new appointment for January 11, but my immunity won't be fully kicked in for a couple of weeks after that.  An old student of mine had COVID over the holidays and she said she felt like a cement truck had poured its load into her brain and she is young, so you can imagine what it would do to me!

We will have a health and safety presentation at the beginning of C Block and then we will try to get back to normal, as much as possible.  We have about three weeks left of semester one, so we have a lot to try to do before that, but I promise I will not saddle you with a lot of work to try to make up for the week we've lost.  We will do what we can and make the best of it.  I hope you all enjoyed your time away from school and that you got outside in the snow and read a book or two and listened to music you liked and spent time with people you love and all that great stuff that we get to do when we aren't as busy as usual.

I saw the movie everyone is talking about -- "Don't Look Up" -- directed by Adam MacKay and starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Lawrence, Mark Rylance (who was fantastic), Cate Blanchett, Timothy Chalamet, Tyler Perry and all sorts of other people.  I really liked it but found it very scary.  I think it makes a very strong point about how we seem to lack the ability to act collectively for the good of mankind and how precious the natural world is and how, as stewards, we are doing a terrible job of protecting the whales and bees and birds and trees.  Someone on the radio yesterday said that this movie might have as strong an impact as Greta Thunberg's school strikes, and I am hoping all of the actions of people of goodwill will help us make sure that the Douglas squirrel and the varied thrushes that I see on my balcony have what they need to thrive and that we value them more than we value our cars and cool running shoes and things like that.  SPEECH OVER!

Looking forward to seeing all your shining faces in class tomorrow!

Another meeting!

 

We had our staff meeting this morning (teachers like to meet, so we feel like we're doing something!)

We discussed our first day back to school and how that will unfold.  The new news is that you must sign up for a PLT placement (for Wednesday and Thursday) and go to that placement, because admin is trying to keep track of kids and make sure you don't create crowds or exceed the number of allowed people in each room.  Try not to sit face-to-face with other people and keep your distance.

I have sent out academic alerts for some of you.  If you have not done a lot of journals in Drama, you could well receive one.  In English, if you have not handed in your poetry project, you need to do that.  It is a way for you to write both analytically and creatively.  If you are overusing your phone, that could also be an issue.

I made a video of the park near my house in its winter wonderfulness.  Here is the link, if you are interested.  My sister suggested that I do one for every season, and I think I will take her advice.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vrnl5-iyHk

More info

 Just an update after our meeting this morning . . .

There will be a health and safety meeting for all students on Monday, January 10 in C Block.  Mr Banta will present the students with information about the school's protocols for keeping us all safe in the face of the new situation with COVID.   Much of the process will involve keeping your distance from other students -- staggered entrance and exit times, exiting from the closest door to your classroom, not congregating and limiting time spent outside of classrooms, etc.

If you have symptoms, you should not come to school.  If you exhibit symptoms at school, you will be sent home.

If the school must close temporarily (if there are many students unable to attend, the Public Health office will decide or if there are not enough staff members to supervise students and manage the school, the school district will decide), we must ensure that we are up-to-date with emails to contact your family and that students understand how to access Teams (or in my case, my blog!).

If you do not have access to technology, the school might be able to provide you with what you need.

A parent letter will be sent home today to keep your family in the loop as far as the following weeks go.

********

I must send home academic alerts by Friday, so if you are behind in journals, this might be a good time to catch up.  If you have not yet handed in your poetry project, do it!!!

Fourth Annual WAG Film Festival -- Contest entries!

 It is time for the 4th Annual WAG Film Contest!  Submit your short film (it MUST be 10 minutes or less) to Ms. Kosar by March 11!  It MUST include the following components:

Theme:  Express yourself

Reference to the song/video, "Express Yourself" (by NWA)

Use of the line -- "What we've got here is a failure to communicate" (originally from the film, "Cool Hand Luke")

A sunset

Someone eating something surprising

Write a script, get your friends together, scout some cool locations, rehearse, film it, edit it and then, submit it! 

Break a leg! 

Information about the return to school on January 10

 

I said I would let you know about the information we received from our meeting, but I'm afraid there isn't much to report.  

We were told that you will be returning to school next Monday and that we should remind all of you to be scrupulous in wearing your masks properly (covering both your mouth and nose), that you should keep your distance from others, and that the school is planning on staggering entrance and exit times.  The administration has another meeting today which will address specific concerns about secondary schools, so we hope to hear more details after that meeting.  We will also have another staff meeting on Thursday.

There are no plans to extend the semester at this point, although we might hear differently after the meeting this afternoon.   I will continue to try to post any new information here.

It was very snowy in Port Moody this morning.  Heavy wet snow was falling and shovelling my driveway was quite a challenge.  But here I am at school!  I was surprised how little snow had fallen anywhere else.  The sun was shining as I came up the hill from Port Moody.

This is a photo I took of a path in Rocky Point Park.  The sun looks so warm, but the pathway in shade was very cold.  I bought new warm boots at the end of the cold weather, but they will be good for a long while, I hope.

Keep checking here for information.  I will post what I know when I know it!

Best wishes for 2022!

Hi everyone,

I have not posted here since the solstice, but I know that many of you are likely wondering what is going to be happening over the next weeks.  Me, too!  The minister of education has said that students are going to get a few more days of vacation before we start classes, but I have no idea what things will look like when we return (teachers are going back tomorrow).  I do know that the admin is having a meeting this morning and that after that meeting, they will probably know more and I also know that they are trying to plan our return (and your return)!

I have lots of questions and we will be having a virtual staff meeting tomorrow and some of my questions might be answered then (I hope).  I will post here when I learn any more information.

One thing I do know is that the ministry of education said we are not doing online teaching or learning, but of course, all of you have things you could be working on over the extended holidays.

English 11 students:  you should be reading the novel you borrowed from me in the last school week of December.  Be thinking about a short passage from the novel that you could read out loud to the class (a passage about 1 minute long).  If you have been reading Macbeth (I hope so), you could take a look at the Michael Fassbender film (he plays Macbeth and Marion Cotillard plays Lady Macbeth) or if you want a special treat, take a look at "Throne of Blood" directed by the great Akiro Kurosawa starring Toshiro Mifune.  Kurosawa loved Shakespeare and created some great films based on Shakespeare's plays.  I think "Ran" is my favourite -- it is based on King Lear. 

Senior Drama:  Actors, you should be learning the monologues that I provided for you.  Theatre Production:  Plan out your sound and light shows.  Directing/Scriptwriting:  Come up with a concept for a short one act play (1 minute = 1 page, so possibly 5 pages).

Drama 9/10:  Work on your monologues.  Think about the scenarios that I gave you before the holidays -- what scenes do you need to add?

Drama 8:  Put together some music for your fairy tale mimes.