Eat, Drink, Mabin
With the sun setting over Jamie Kennedy’s rooftop restaurant at the Gardiner Museum, the Mabin community came together to make The Mabin School Spring Gardiner Party the social event of the year, an evening of fun and great food. The highlights of the night were definitely the spirited silent, live and wine auctions, all the proceeds from which will benefit the school.
Thank you to all who helped organize this event and to those who came out and enjoyed the evening. Having a united and confident parent group supporting us in our work is invaluable.
Mabin-palooza
Students, parents and teachers are still buzzing about this year's first ever Mabin Spring Festival, a three day-two night celebration of learning extravaganza. 
"We thought we'd try something new that would allow us to feature different aspects of our program — language, math, movement, drama, visual arts as well as music," says our principal, Lynn Seligman. "We were aiming for a "work in progress" feel that represented the work emerging in our classrooms and specialist areas. The selected evening performances illustrated the children's questions, the topics that drive their learning and the inventive and creative ways they apply and express their understanding."
The festival opened with our regular school schedule being tossed up on the shelf to make way for three packed days of masks, authors, puppets, performers, presentations, dance and more. “I liked how we had all those cool activities during the day,” says Jasper in Grade 2. Also scheduled into the mix were opportunities for classes to come together and share work and projects they’ve been involved with this year. All over the school, in hallways, corners and classrooms, mixed grade groups and visiting parents got together to discuss, reflect and ask questions on the process behind their work.
“We showed everyone our clay African animals we made this term,” says Ethan in SK about the SK Art show on Thursday. “Everyone really liked them. Mine was a lion. People were asking all about lions and where they live, so I told them all I’ve learned.”
Says Scott in Grade 5, “It was really neat how all the different performers and speakers came in. The author Lucy Falcone was great. I didn’t realize she wrote episodes of Are You Afraid Of The Dark? She also talked to us about writing her book Walking With The Dead.”
“The teacher fairy tale play on Wednesday was funny but WEIRD!” adds Jasper. “Seeing Ian dressed up as a woman — now that was odd...”
Grades 1 to 3 took full advantage of the giant stage in the gym to present a Mini French Festival, performing for their families the French dramatic plays each class has been studying this term. Not only did the attendees have the opportunity to see various interpretations of each play, but they were also treated to the dance moves each class came up with to accompany the songs from each dramatic piece.
But, definitely the highlight of the Spring Festival was our two evening performances for parents and grandparents which showcased more of the work our students have been involved with this year and included music, movement, poetry, drama, dance and more.
On Night 1, our Primary Grades (JK - 2) took to the Festival stage. The JK’s kicked things off with a heroic introduction to the personal super heros they’ve brought to life, capes and all, as part of their Everyday Heroes study. Then it was time for the Grade 2’s who recited their Winter Poems accompanied by an ambient musical snowfall. The SK’s had the whole audience singing and clapping along to their very active version of the Months of The Year Macarena before settling the crowd for a sneak peak of the Grade 1’s The Wizard Of Oz play, complete with an on-stage tornado, (yes, it did blow everyone away!).
The night concluded with all the students on stage for two musical numbers: Frère Jacques with Grade 2 playing a symphony of xylophones, and then Funga Alafia, the West African greeting song.
On the next night, it was time for our Junior grades to shine. Grade 6 began the Thursday evening show with a stirring recitation of The Cremation of Sam McGee. 
The 3’s shook the house with their Math Raps before Grade 4 showed off their fabulous puppets and previewed “movie trailers” for their upcoming puppet plays which they’ve written themselves. And then the 5’s awarded The Grammiez, a hilarious integration of drama and the grammar rules they’ve learned this year in their Language studies.
The finale on this night were two more musical numbers — the 6’s jamming along on percussion, bass xylophone, guitar and keyboards to Oye Como Va by Tito Puente and accompanied by a Grade 3 to 5 chorus. May Sunshine Light Your Way, sung by all the grades, closed the festival and sent everyone home in a bright and... well, festive mood.
The Grade 4’s And Save A Child’s Heart
The Grade 4’s are working on a bake sale to raise money for Save A Child’s Heart (SACH).
SACH is a not-for profit, non-governmental organization that saves children’s lives by giving them much needed heart surgery. SACH is based in Israel and has five offices worldwide including, SACH Canada, SACH Germany, SACH U.S., SACH U.K. and SACH France. As of August 2006, SACH had operated on 1,500 children from 26 different countries. There are more than 1,000 children presently waiting for much needed transplants and surgeries. Each surgery costs $10,000. The Grade 4’s ultimate goal is to save a life so they are trying to raise $10,000. The Grade 4’s realize that the goal will not be reached with this one bake sale or even in this one school year. Depending on how much they make at the bake sale, they’ll meet again and try to make next steps.
The Grade 4’s started learning about SACH by watching Betty’s Story, a video about a young girl’s journey with SACH, an organization that former Mabin mother, Karen Diamond, is very involved in. After they saw the video, they brainstormed and had cross talks to come up with what to do to help SACH. The Grade 4’s have been focusing on how to raise money and awareness for SACH. They thought about what they could do in the school and in the neighbourhood. They had a vote on what to do and came up with the bake sale idea. They decided to do a bake sale because they remembered what the Grade 2’s did to raise money for BOOKO. Most of the school gave money and it was very successful.
At the bake sale, they’ve chosen to give out a brochure and a business card with each purchase. The business card will say one fact about SACH and include SACH’s website.
They’re hoping everyone will come and help the cause by giving money and learning about SACH.
By: Hunter, Grade 4
No Pressure At All
Author Carl Honoré returned recently to The Mabin School and spoke to an appreciative audience consisting of members and friends of the Mabin community about his new book, Under Pressure: Rescuing Childhood From The Culture Of Hyper-Parenting.
Last year while working on the book, Carl visited our school and was so captivated by the environment and philosophy, he contacted us about a return visit and the possibility of speaking to the Mabin community.
After Carl’s talk, audience members had a chance to ask questions and have copies of the new book signed. Thank you to all who came out and, in the process, made the evening a very special one for the school.
Find out more about Carl and his work here
One Big Latin Party!
It’s definitely festive in the midst of all those drums and other percussion instruments as our Grades 4 to 6 students jam along with Latin music extraordinaire, Rodrigo Chavez, during three days of intense workshops in Music class.
Says Ian, “Drumming is one of the areas I concentrate on with students in the third term. With Rodrigo, we are learning Latin percussion, specifically Afro-Cuban music and how to properly play the various instruments such as conga, drums, guiros, cowbells, agogos, bongo drums and the clave. We are also learning the authentic rhythms that one plays on them plus a bit of history of the people and the rhythms.”
“It’s been a lot of fun,” says Duke. “Rodrigo pushes you a lot — he makes you play the best you can. He’s a great musician. We’ve done the cha-cha and the calypso. He lets everyone try every single instrument. I really like the bass drum and the shakers.”
An SK African Safari
"Elephants are the biggest animal on the land," says Zara with a grin. "They eat bark, nuts, grass and leaves. They use their trunks to knock down trees."
"And they wipe away bees with their big ears!" adds Max. B.
Stroll into the Kindergarten room and for a moment you might think you're on safari in the African savannah accompanied by a gaggle of small but super knowledgeable guides. All term long, our Senior Kindergarten students have been engaged in an intense African animal study that's followed a variety of learning avenues and established each of them as experts on a particular creature of their choice.
"The children were engaged in amazing cooperative play with our African animals in the block room," says Julie, recalling how it all began. "So I started reading some African folk tales and chapter books to them. Soon, some really juicy questions were being generated!"
With the students invested and keen to learn more, a plan of study was needed.
"As a class, we came up with a list of eight ways that we can find out more about African animals," explains Julie. "It included things like reading books, consulting experts and travelling to Africa and/or the zoo! Each child has already gathered information about his/her own animal in a number of ways. They have used the computers, non-fiction books and have recorded their wonderings and discoveries in a journal."
"I chose a snake — the black mouth mamba!" says Zack. "It's venomous! It bites you to give you its venom. And it lives underground and eats other animal's eggs."
"I studied the hyena. I like them," says Pilar. "They hunt by themselves. People should be scared of them, but not the people who take care of them."
Two highlights of the study are the Art projects which emerged from the students' enthusiasm for their study. First up — the bright and detailed "African Animal Passions" collage pieces currently on display in the front hall of the school. The result of several weeks worth of work, the class created careful pencil, pencil crayon and thin line marker drawings of their chosen creature, ensuring to note special features such as claws, whiskers and manes. The hand drawn animals were then cut out with care and placed in backgrounds designed to reflect the area of the savannah and even the time of day/night the particular creature preferred. In some cases, details such as trees and grasses were added, while in others mud, rocks, and water reflected an animal's habitat choice.
The SK's then felt they could learn more about African animals if they had a chance to build some. The class has just completed construction of their own animal of interest using boxes, tubes, crates and other sculpture materials. Papier mache was used to add strength to the creatures and fur, fabric and special animal print paper was used to add texture to the bodies and ears. When the decorating began, the creatures instantly came alive. Buttons and markers were used for eyes, mouths and noses. Gold, silver and permanent markers brought out claws, whiskers and other special features.
"Mine is called Ele," says Max. B. about his elephant. "Gluing on the trunk was the hardest part. I had to use a lot of glue. I used fabric for his tail and ears and straws for his tusks."
"This is Linus," says Ethan introducing his lion creation. "He's the king of the jungle. That's why I chose to study him. Putting on the paper mache was not my favourite thing. It's gooey. I don't like goo. But I did it. Linus can run for a long time and he is good at eating other animals. He also likes leftovers."
Says Jenn, "It's a real commitment to take on a project like this and the class was completely invested from start to finish. Each animal has a special name and the artists love animating and dramatizing their creatures as they interact with the other animals."
Which has given Julie a new avenue to explore. "Stories about their animal meeting another research animal and describing a little adventure — that's the next challenge. The children are still so enthusiastic about the project. They're proud of all the work they've done and have a serious feeling that they are smart, capable African animal experts. What more could I hope for!?"
Student-Led Conferences Ready To Begin
Students from Junior Kindergarten to Grade 6 are polishing up their portfolios, reflecting on their progress and articulating their goals for the rest of the year, 
all in preparation for Student-Led Conferences scheduled for this term.
Student-Led Conferencing is a method of evaluation that allows children to examine their own growth towards being self-directed, lifelong learners. This approach has garnered recognition by the wider education community as a process greatly beneficial to a student’s progress and development. Student-Led Conferences are a forum for the students to talk about their school work with their parents. The students plan, implement, conduct and evaluate the conferences themselves. Parents are both the audience and thoughtful contributors while the classroom teacher acts as “the guide on the side.”
The focus for the conference is the student portfolio, a collection of student work where they highlight and reflect upon the skills and abilities that their work demonstrates.
Le Petit Festival De Théâtre
Our students in Grades 4 to 6 are busy putting the finishing theatrical touches on their class French plays which hit the stage this month. 
Parents and students are invited to Le Petit Festival De Théâtre being hosted in the school gym and running all morning. Grade 6 will present their play Chat Angora, Grade 5 Louis La Grenouille and Grade 4 Comment y aller? Each class has been working in three or four troupes, so attendees will have the opportunity to see various interpretations of each play as well as their dance moves.
"The students are so incredibly excited," says Dalia. "They're always asking, 'Do we have French today?' Drama is the most natural, perfect way to practice French. "
In addition to their rehearsals, the classes continue to work on the grammatical structures present in every one of the dramatic units and completing the "cahiers." But, with the festival only days away, the focus now is on speaking with expression and perfecting their accents. Sets, props and costumes are also a big part of the show and the students are hard at work with pencils and paintbrushes in hand.
"We're finishing up the design for the genie lamp in our play," says Nicholas in Grade 5. "It's the lamp the genie hides behind. We've already made our backdrop and we're putting together our costumes for the frogs, a genie, the ballerina and opera singer."
Says Dalia, "We've done everything in French — work on the sets and make up dance steps. It's exciting to see the students feeling so comfortable with the vocabulary. If they forget a line, they just ad lib. That's when you know they're getting a better command of the French language!"
To add to our French festivities on the day, arrangements have been made with our hot lunch provider to provide a special French lunch for everyone. A sneak preview of the menu includes French delights such as Soupe aux Pois, Pommes Frites, Croissant au Fromage, Croque Monsieur and Crêpes aux Pommes et au Syrop d’Érable. Bravo et bon appétit!
Reading Buddies — A Mabin Tradition Continues
Leadership has always been an important part of Mabin learning and nowhere is this more apparent than in the efforts of our Reading Buddies.
For the past four years, Mabin students in the upper grades have been given a unique opportunity to hone their mentoring skills, spending eight weeks reading with Grade Two students from Rose Avenue Public School.
This kind of literacy initiative runs in many of Toronto’s independent schools, but Mabin is the only school to send children in the primary grades.
Each Wednesday afternoon during the winter term, sixteen students bundle up and head to the library at Rose Avenue Public School. They meet their buddies, share a snack and spend an hour reading, playing games and making friends.
Many Rose Avenue buddies are children of new Canadians where English is a second language at home. They benefit from the extra reading help and enjoy the program as much as the Mabin students. It is a delight to witness the Buddies’ mutual excitement as they get to know one another.
Grade Two teacher Chris Wright and librarian Jane Glassco direct this program along with Mabin parents who help organize, coordinate, carpool and bring snacks.
A special Mabin thank you must also be extended to Summerhill Market for providing yummy red-icing cupcakes as snack for our first session.
A Lego League Success!
FIRST Lego League is an organization for kids from ages 9 - 14. It inspires children to get involved with technology and engineering. A big part of the FIRST Lego League is learning the educational aspect of the challenge.
The theme of this year’s competition was Energy. We went on numerous field trips and did an Energy audit of the school. We learned how our energy choices affect the environment and about alternative energy sources.
To accomplish the various challenges in the competition, we had to build a robot. We made it so that there were different attachable parts and we had to write different programs for each challenge. Everyone chose to dedicate CSI and other classes to learning more about robotics. Some people even stayed in for recess to work!
On Saturday, November 24th we went to a robotics competition at Mentor College. This was our second year participating in this competition. We decided to participate again because we had so much fun last time. Last year at Greenwood College, one Mabin team came in 14th and the other came in 9th out of 14 teams. This year, one team, Awesome Powers, came in 5th and the other team, Lego Legends, came in 1st out of 20 teams. The Lego Legends have qualified for the provincial competition. Even though Awesome Powers didn’t qualify, they will still go and cheer their classmates on!
There are three parts to the Lego League competition:
Face Off
Two teams compete to see who can get the highest score. Each match is timed. The robot only has two and a half minutes to complete all of the difficult challenges. There were real refs with striped shirts. It was very intense.
Project
For this aspect of the competition, we learned that our school isn’t very energy efficient. We learned this by doing an audit of the school. An audit is when you do a count-up of something. We also went on field trips to Mountain Equipment Co-op and the Kortright Centre to find out more about renewable and non-renewable energy forms. We had to present our project in a type of form. Both teams chose to do a skit. We showed our skit to a panel of judges and they scored on how well we presented.
Design
Another aspect of the competition was design. We had to go into a room and show our robot design to a panel of judges. We also had to show them the challenges we were doing. They asked us questions about our robot.
These are some of the awards we won:
Adult Mentor Award -This award goes to the coach or mentor who’s wisdom, guidance, and devotion are most clearly evident in his team’s discussion with the judges. This was won by MJ, Pam and Daniel.
Innovative Solution Award - The Awesome Powers team won this because they had thought-provoking and innovative solutions to the challenges.
Robot Performance Award - This award goes to the team whose robot achieves the best score on the competition field or in the elimination round. The Lego Legends came 2nd in this category.
The final award we won is the most prestigious award any team can win. It measures how the team members inspire and motivate others about the excitement of science and technology, solve problems and demonstrate respect and gracious professionalism to everyone involved in the competition. This award is The Champions Award! - By The Grade 6’s
Update: After overcoming some unforeseen technical issues, our Grade 6 Lego Legends team still managed to make a strong showing at the provincial FIRST Lego League Challenge. The Legends made it to the semi-final round of eight in the competition and then snagged a 2nd place prize for Robot design. Way to go gang!
Peace Police On Duty
What’s this? A disagreement on the playground? Someone took a tumble? Sounds like a job for the Peace Police, our new friendly force of Grades 5 and 6 playground helpers.
P
layground mentoring is a long standing Mabin tradition, part of our leadership and character education program. This year’s Peace Police patrol is on duty every day at recess in the front and Kindie yards, ready to perform basic first aid and help out with conflict mediation.
"The students are thrilled to have a chance to show their strong leadership and conflict resolution skills," says Jill, the Peace Police Chief facilitator. "It's an opportunity for the older students in the school to take on a variety of roles and volunteer their time to make changes within their community.”
Before taking on the role, the participating students had three weeks of first aid and conflict resolution training. Conflict resolution is broken into four steps: 1) knowing the ground rules (no interruptions, no put downs, work hard to solve the problem), 2) get the story (listen, paraphrase, ask questions, repeat), 3) brainstorm for solutions, 4) come to an agreement.
And what about the great name and those easy-to-spot T-shirts? "We had other names like Mabin Bureau of Intelligence and Mabin Mediators," explains Elodie, "but everyone in the group voted for Peace Police. And then we came up with the slogan "Free Bandaids!" for the back of our shirts. We really do give out free bandaids. But only if you get hurt..."
Make Me A Big Club Sandwich!
Our 2007/08 Clubs program is underway and the word on the playground is, “Hooray!”
For the next nine weeks, every student will have the opportunity to participate in academic, hobby and sports options organized by the teachers. Activities are scheduled during the last period Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.
Some of the Clubs being offered for this session include Science, Card Sharks, Knitting, Brain Teasers, Jewelry Making, Skipping, Photography, Student Council, Math Games, Sketching and Study Hall. All students also participate in Sports Club, playing a variety of sports and other team building games.
This Community Made A Difference
"Mudballs!" says Max B. in Junior Kindergarten when asked about his favourite activity during Mabin Cares. 
"I made lots of them and threw a hand full. And I'm going back to the ravine later to see the mudballs grow!"
Over
350 people—students, parents and teachers, attended school on a glorious Sunday afternoon for our inaugural Mabin Cares event, a day of community service promoting care and concern for the environment, animals and humanity. Designed to provide our students with a hands-on experience of the power of community and the rights and responsibilities that come with being a member, the day proved rewarding for everyone involved.
"Watching our youngest students carry out backpacks packed with necessities for the homeless and with the biggest smile on their faces said it all," notes our Principal Lynn Seligman. "By involving parents, family and teachers, the children understood the importance of one entire community helping another. Our students felt inspired by the very act of doing, which in turn paves the way for teaching and inspiring others."
Around the school and neighbourhood, participants were encouraged to roll up their sleeves and get involved in projects such as re-seeding the local ravine, packing backpacks and making sandwiches for the homeless, painting distinctive “yellow fish” on storm drains to alert residents to the perils of water pollution, making cards and jewelry for children celebrating birthdays in shelters, helping wildlife by building bat or bird houses, and making beds and toys for animals in shelters. "By getting our hands covered in paint, margarine and mud, we all felt the joy of working together for others,” says Mabin parent, Julie Scott.
"I liked making the dog beds and bird houses," says Audrey in Grade 1. "It was good to make homes for them so they'll have a happier life."
"The whole day was a really great experience," adds Lex in Grade 5. "We're definitely going to do it again!"
