Sky Room Monologues Due

On Monday, October 4th, the Sky Room students will begin to recite their monologues for an oral grade in class. The next day they will recite them in front of a hundred of their peers during the auditions for this year's play-Cinderella!

The student's had their monologues now for about a month and were to be learning it at home, during time we set aside for practice in class and during free moments they had during class.

I will be judging their final product on the following criteria:

1. How well they have the monologue memorized. Do they have to think about it or does it come out sounding natural.
2. Whether they can be heard. They need to be able to be heard to the back of the classroom.
3. Whether they emote when reciting. Do they show emotion where needed--surprise, anger, happy, sad, etc. This should come out when they recite the monologue.

I have heard many of the students already who volunteered to try out their monologue on their classmates last week and I was very impressed by the level of their accomplishment! I look forward to hearing all of them on Monday.

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As I mentioned above, our annual musical auditions and interviews will take place this week beginning on Tuesday. All 5th and 6th grade students will be interviewed for a job on one of the crews--Sets, Costumes and Make-up, Technical and Public Relations crews. They will be interviewed by the student managers who have already been hired to manage each of the crews.

Auditions for a part in the play will also take place at the same time. Students will need to recite their prepared monologue and sing a song in front of the students and teachers. Those seeking a lead in the show will want to be prepared to sing a solo, while those either not interested in a part or who are only seeking a small role may only need to sing a simple song with a group of other students.

This can be an intimidating and very stressful experience for some students. The staff tries very hard to make the atmosphere as easy going and comfortable as possible. It can also be an emotional experience for some who may not be selected for the part they had hoped for. Again, we all try to be understanding and sensitive to this and we do talk about to our students so they are encouraging of each other.

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The Sky Room will also be visiting the Lincoln Garden this coming week and taking an up close look at the flower as a system. That is the parts of the flower and how they work. We will have a chance to taste a Nasturtium, an edible flower now in bloom in the Lincoln Garden. They are a tasty treat when served in a salad or on a cracker with a bit of cream cheese!

We will also be adding some new cloches to our garden. These are metal hoops covered in plastic sheeting that allow our growing season to be greatly expanded. We thank Scratch and Peck of Bellingham for providing these at a discounted price! Now our students will be able to carry their garden experiments further into the school year and also help provide more fresh veggies for Lincoln students in the cafeteria.

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