Spring Music Showcase Hits All the Right Notes

On Friday, April 26th, Horace Mann Elementary School offered its 2nd Annual Spring Music Showcase.  While students in all grade levels perform at the Winter Concert in our gymnasium each December, this performance takes on a different feel.  It features our students in music ensembles including Band, Orchestra, Choir and Singers.  By situating it on the stage in our cafeteria (with professional-grade light and sound), the vocal and instrumental music can really shine!

The hard work and talent of our students and music teachers took center stage as kids gave their best in both morning and afternoon concerts for loved ones.  We are grateful for family support, as well as the considerable effort of our music teachers:  Mr. Aaron Waryk, Mr. John Blaskom and Ms. MaryJo Mallchok.

If you would like to view the show, you may do so using this link:  www.tinyurl.com/hmesconcerts

Please see below for the program and pictures of each group. 

🏀 Mrs. Carney's Sweet 16 🏀

While there's no question we work hard at Horace Mann, I hope it is also clear from this blog that we think having fun at school is important, too.  We believe that if school is a place kids enjoy, they'll feel comfortable and confident to be the best they can be!

One recent fun event was Mrs. Carney's Sweet 16.  Room 203 is blessed to have just 16 students this year, so it was a natural for Mrs. Carney to make the connection to the recent college basketball tournament.  Just like so many workplaces around the U.S., Mrs. Carney's students picked teams with a prize at the end.

Grey S. was the big winner with Virginia, and he chose from a few options for a class reward.  The class enjoyed their lunches in the classroom with Mrs. Carney and watched part of Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 as their "winnings."

Talking with Mrs. Carney and co-teacher Mrs. Frank, they were interested to gain insight into their students pop culture knowledge while talking about the NCAA tournament.  Some kids knew all about brackets, while others weren't clear on how they were advancing when they weren't playing basketball themselves.  It is good to be reminded of the different backgrounds of our students, as that aspect surely plays into their everyday learning and doing.

Thank you, Mrs. Carney, for bringing real life to the classroom as a way to bond together 🏀

Think Green - A Healthy Planet 🌎

Recycle!  Reduce!  Renew!  Reuse!

These four words formed the message presented to our Horace Mann students in a fun assembly last Friday called Think Green - A Healthy Planet.  The performer used a few simple props, an adorable ant puppet, some magic tricks, and plenty of student participation to get his message across.

He encouraged kids to recycle, reminding them that it can include glass, plastic and paper.  Using light bulbs and running water as examples, he encouraged them to reduce their own consumption of precious natural resources. By renewing areas, we beautify them and make them more appealing (such as cleaning up trash in our neighborhoods).  Finally, we can creatively reuse materials that would otherwise be thrown away.  

Some people have given "reuse" a catchy name:  upcycling.  This means taking things that might seem spent and finding a creative use for them.  Paper, containers, broken things, you name it.  Keep this in mind, as you may be reading in a future blog post about low-tech makerspace ideas for Horace Mann and other LKWD elementary schools...

We want to thank PTA for sponsoring this fun, interesting and socially-aware assembly!  We often talk about kindness at our school, and hope to see increased kindness toward Mother Earth...especially with Earth Day approaching on Monday, April 22nd.