Vacation on Mars!

These kids were just OUT OF THIS WORLD in their performance of "Vacation on Mars!" We knew we'd be taking it right down to the wire by trying to sneak another musical in before breaking for February vacation. That was before the Blizzard of 2013 hit! When school was cancelled two for two days, I really did consider postponing. However, there were a few good reasons to forge ahead. These students have shown me something again and again and that's that they're up for any challenge. Well, they sure didn't let us down today, did they? We were disappointed that our classmate Drew wasn't with us today. He had been spot on in every rehearsal and his big personality really brought the character of Mercury to life on stage. In his absence, Zachary stepped up and quickly learned his parts. Drew was still sorely missed but the show went on thanks to Zachary!

These kids continue to wow me with their courage and talent. Eddie had it right when he said that Emma "has a voice that sounds like it comes from heaven!" I think it is fair to say that everyone has been pushed well outside their comfort zones. Crazy thing is, they looked like they were confident and having fun there!  I just loved Venus and her Venettes’ rendition of “She’s Hot”!  Big Jupiter and his moons had fun with “16 Moons”.  We’re just hoping that all the attention doesn’t go to Alex’s head! Jack had his best performance to date today.  He didn’t let a little gas slow him down!  Today's solos, duets, trios, and group performances were examples of lots of time spent practicing.  Some of this practice happened in the classroom but more often; these kids were practicing at recess, during dismissal, in their neighborhoods and at home. Their hard work paid off huge. Thanks for all you did to support these performers!

Thanks to all the parents who were able to attend our matinee today.  Our next and final musical opera will be an evening performance during the month of June.  I will let you know the date as soon as it becomes available so that you can share the date with grandparents etc.  Our final production focuses on the American Revolution.  It is sure to challenge our cast in new and exciting ways!  I know I’ll be excited to share their work with you come June!

I know I said I’d be blogging about MCAS in the very near future.  I will be.  While we’re all enjoying this latest success on stage, I can assure you that your students are hard at work, tackling the third grade curriculum and working to acquire all the skills and strategies necessary for success in life.  I really am confident that this hard work will pay dividends when they tackle that English Language Arts MCAS in March too!  More on that soon…check back often!

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Evan, Dean, and Alex were fantastic guides. So, they never did get us to Mars but they were certainly skillful in navigating through all ten acts of our musical opera!

Alexa, Alex and Zachary may have had a disasterous trip around the solar system but their number as the Neptune family was sure a hit!

Cody, Lilly, Maura, and Andrew, memorized endless lines and belted out their solos with skill beyond their years!

Check out the performers who made up our chrous, our soloists, students who sang duets and trios. Amazing...each one!

The finale!