STAB 2017

This afternoon was the final rehearsal ... my sons Joseph and Tucker can barely wait for the curtains to rise tomorrow night!

The school is buzzing with anticipation for the performances of Robin Hood and the Imaginary Arrow , this Wednesday and Thursday evenings at 7 PM. The cast previewed the show during today's Monday Meeting. IT LOOKS AWESOME! I snuck into a rehearsal this afternoon and got some behind the scenes photos...

During today's discussion of Crispin,  Matteo  drew an insightful analogy to the Harry Potter series. With assistance from  John  and  Diego , Matteo said that Bear's spy network reminded him of the Order of the Phoenix .  He also pointed out that Bear teaches Crispin, just as Hagrid teaches Harry. Matteo, John and Diego : Your teachers love it when you make connections between books. Keep up the good work. Thanks to Percy for this beautiful picture of Crispin, swimming in the millrace of Stromford Village. The students continue to learn about medieval castles, and we will begin writing tomorrow during class. Olivia and  Asa  have located some excellent information about medieval brain surgery and the ways that it differed from modern procedures. Let's just say that the trepan sounds a bit more primitive than the tools and techniques used by doctors nowadays. James  is examining the various tools and techniques used to attack castles....

Today we talked about Crispin's adventures in Great Wexley , and the students came up with a variety of adjectives to describe the medieval city: Henry says Wexley is grand , while  Zoë says it's bustling . Joe  focuses on the city walls and chooses the adjective  impenetrable (wow!). Meanwhile,  Alexa  and  Liam  provide this piece of sophisticated analysis: "Compared to Stromford and the other small, simple medieval villages that Crispin and Bear have visited, Great Wexley is evolved and developed ." For today's Musical Monday   selection, we listened to Vivaldi's masterpiece, Spring . Here's a sampling of the students' feedback: Ellie : The music makes me feel like the sun is coming out, ready to shine . Gabriel :  I have played this piece, and it's really fun -- it's very upbeat and happy. Bjorn :  The speed of the violinists' fingers is noticeable . Max :  This music feels like a windy spring day . Olivia : I can hear the ...

Today I asked the students why it's important to organize your notes before you begin writing an informative paragraph. Here are some of the responses: - Organizing your notes helps you sort your information into logical categories - Once you have created logical categories, you can make connections that will make your paragraph flow smoothly - Organizing your notes helps you determine the main points on which you will focus - Organizing your notes helps you develop a logical order for presenting the information: a plan - Organizing your notes makes the writing process faster and easier

Max : Bear is meaningful . He says things that really get a point across. They sound like they have been thought over. Bear makes a big deal out of stuff that doesn't seem like a big deal. He does this to show Crispin the meaning of life. JP [aka " The Adjective Doctor "] : Bear is evasive . When he learns something new, like what's written on the lead cross, he keeps his thoughts away from Crispin and avoids Crispin's questions. Mr. Richmond's question for JP: Do you think Bear's evasiveness is a deep part of his character, or is he just acting evasive in this particular situation? Which parts of the text can you use to support your answer? Cameron : Bear is protective . Although he can get a little bit grumpy and loud, I think he is being more of a guide than a master. Also, he doesn't tell Crispin to call him "sir", and he teaches Crispin the ways of life. Dearing : Crispin is thoughtful . Whenever Bear says something wise, Crispin takes i...

Here are a couple more beautiful maps of Stromford Village. I understand they were prepared by the famous " A&A House of Cartography ." The students are continuing to analyze character traits in Crispin. They've shared a variety of initial perceptions about Bear, the wandering juggler whose behavior seems to jump (quickly!) from demanding and harsh to compassionate and generous ... and then back again! Mac described Bear as steely , citing the way that he forced Crispin to swear in the name of Jesus that he would always serve him.  James  used the word relaxed , with reference to Bear's surprisingly upbeat attitude (demonstrated by his love for cheerful music) during such a dark and dismal time.  Sam , meanwhile, described Bear as experienced : he seems to know answers to all of Crispin's questions, and he has journeyed far and wide. Sam offered this great description: " Bear seems like an old soul. "

Big congratulations to Jack, Kelsey, Eloise, Zara, Isabel and Bella Grace for their fantastic performances at the Talent Show!!

The Student-Faculty Basketball Game this afternoon was VERY exciting!  I took these photos just after JP's brother, Grant, made an absolutely amazing halfcourt shot at the buzzer.  In the first photo, who do you think has the best expression of surprise and excitement?! (I think it's a tie between Matteo and Annabelle, but Jack D. is definitely a contender, too)

Today we began our medieval castle research. Mr. Passmore asked the students why we need to be able to take notes effectively, and they came up with lots of great answers: Taking notes helps us  gather information Taking notes helps us synthesize and analyze  the information we have gathered ... in other words, it helps us  make sense of the information Taking notes helps us  organize our ideas Taking notes helps us to avoid forgetting the great information we've found Taking notes helps us  make sure we do not plagiarize the ideas of others -------------------------- Meanwhile, the students continued to come up with intriguing adjectives ... Kendall :  Father Quinel  is  gentle . He was gentle towards the boy when he invited him into the church and gave him food. He shared information about his mother and told him his given name. Isabel :  Crispin  is  dependent . He depends on everyone else to help him, like Father Quin...

Liv : John Aycliff is harsh . He was the one who set fire to Asta's son's house. He did this just because they saw the kid in the woods that night. Also, he is blaming the kid for stealing money from the manor, which never happened -- and I'm pretty sure John knows that. He is also the one spreading rumors about the boy. Waller : John Aycliffe is deceptive . He told the entire village that Asta's son had stolen from him, trying to cover up his own secret meeting. Davis : Asta's son is persevering and smart . Even when the bailiff and the reeve of the village destroyed his house, he was not going to just start screaming at them to stop tearing the house down. He was very smart to hide, because he knew that John Aycliffe, the steward to Lord Furnival, was looking to kill him. When two men from the village, Matthew and Luke, were looking to bring Asta's son to John Aycliffe, he stayed in a tree even until curfew, to make sure no one found him. I love the way Ca...

Today we used the medieval stories of Isobel and Barbary to talk about empathy and perspective. Isobel , the lord's daughter, has an incredibly easy, comfortable life ... from the perspective of the peasants who do not actually know her. From Isobel's perspective, life is lonely -- and it is not fun to be disliked by all the other kids. Barbary has lots of friends, so her life must be perfect. Right? Max, Sam, Lilly M., Dearing, Annabelle  and  Jack D. : Barbary's life is much harder. She has so many responsibilities, including taking care of the twins and completing chores all day long. She is also worried about her pregnant mom. Plus, she looks down on herself because she's not as "fancy" as Isobel. Zoë, Liam, Carter V.   and   Wynter : Isobel's life is way harder. Barbary has a group of friends, and friends are much more important than money. You can never be truly be happy without friends. People judge and dislike Isobel, just because she has money a...