Highlights of the 2016-17 School Year: The Wizard of Oz

Immaculate Conception’s March 8th production of The Wonderful Wizard Of Oz was like no other! The cast was made up of incredibly talented intermediate students, including, Auntie Em, who was played by a Grade 4 student, The Witch of the North, who was played by a graceful Grade 7 girl, The Witch Of The West, played by a lively Grade 5 student, and and The Wonderful Wizard of OZ himself, played by a sage Grade 7 student. Dorothy Gale was played by a Grade 6 girl who wowed us with her likeness to the “real” Dorothy Gale! Finally, Dorothy’s friends, who accompanied her on her journey to Oz were played by a trio of fun-filled Grade 7s who kept us laughing every step of the Yellow Brick Road!

I think the best part of being in The  Wizard Of OZ was getting to know everyone, and making new friends – similar to the Scarecrow’s words to Dorothy. That brings me to the special memories shared by the cast members in our production:

“It was really fun working with people I had never worked with before,” said the Scarecrow.

“I loved getting into character,”  said one of the munchkins.

From others in the crew and cast:

“The sound effects were really cool.”

“My favourite part was getting dressed up in costumes.”

“My best memory was acting in front of people. It made me feel very special.”

“My favourite part was on the day of the performance…there was so much excitement in the pitch black waiting for the curtains to open.”

It was all very exciting, and we were sad that it ended so fast. It was hard work to get ready for The Wizard of Oz, but when work is fun, time flies, just like Dorothy’s journey Over the Rainbow.

Written by Dorothy Gale

Archbishop Carney Speech Arts Festival

There is a wonderful tradition of Speech Arts at ICS. During the month of February, each student chooses and prepares a poem to deliver in a class competition. Students may also choose to prepare a series of pre-selected bible readings, one of which is picked for recitation during the class competition. Several students from each class are chosen to compete in a school-wide Speech Arts competition in one of two categories: Poetry or Bible Reading. This is always a most entertaining day for us as we listen to the beautiful, humorous, and poignant delivery from our competitors.

Our students performed exceptionally well and we are proud of how many Gold Certificates they earned. We are very proud of you!

Primary Classes Visit the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra

The Grades One, Two and Three classes had the wonderful opportunity to watch the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra perform at the Orpheum Theatre. The concert was titled “What a Wonderful World” and featured songs by composers from all around the world. The students had the opportunity to sing a song called “Siyahamba” with the rest of the students in attendance and the symphony. Many students said “Mambo” was their favourite song, which they studied in music class together.

ICS Choir Sings for Bleinhem Lodge Seniors

A group of 15 ICS choir members braved the rainy weather, on Friday December 2, to Christmas Carol for Bleinhem Lodge seniors. The choir sang Deck the Halls, Jingle Bells, Go Tell it on the Mountain and many more popular Christmas tunes for the group of seniors. Students had an opportunity to meet with the seniors after, and were treated with ice cream!

Grade Seven visits the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra!

When we walked into the lobby of the Orpheum, we saw numerous classes from other schools, all there to see and hear the symphony!  The show started off in the setting of a living room and kitchen with a man snoring on the couch. The phone rang, and he discovered he was “late” to perform at the Orpheum. Trying to cover this up, he invited the orchestra over to his house. He began to talk about how you can make instruments out of everything and he makes a shaker out of a soda can, some tape and rice. The symphony played songs like Sabre Dance, Xylophonia, Mission Impossible’s Theme song, a bass solo and a cello and piano duet. There were also some kids who came up on the stage to play some of the handmade instruments. All in all, it was a really cool and interesting show, which I would recommend to everyone!

Written By a Grade Seven Student

Vancouver Children’s Festival 2016

On Friday, June 6th the Grade One and Grade Two classes went to the Vancouver Children’s Festival at Granville Island to watch Splash’N Boots live in concert. They had us all singing, dancing and laughing during the fun-filled show. After the show, the students spent the afternoon exploring the various activities at Sutcliffe Park. It was a fabulous afternoon shared with friends in the warmth of the sun.

Grade Six Responds to Picasso’s Work

On June 15th, the Grade Six class of ICS went to visit the Vancouver Art Gallery to look at the Picasso Exhibit. I asked some classmates what they thought about his work . . . One person said that Picasso “puts his emotion onto canvas.” Others said things like “He has a very unique style that no other artist bothers to use.” I personally think that Picasso’s work is unique and fun to look at, but I wouldn’t like to actually own one. Another question I had for classmates was “Why do you think Picasso was inspired by African masks and statues?” Almost all of the responses were like this one, “Because they had different shapes and forms that Picasso seemed to like.”

At the end of the exhibit, we were all able to recognize that Picasso was an extraordinary painter with an extreme set of skills. Having the chance to look at his work was an amazing opportunity. At the end of the day, after seeing many Picasso paintings, I asked around the class to see which one was most appreciated. People said Guernica because it showed the emotions of all the villagers who lived in Guernica.

Reflecting on Guernica . . .

Bust of a Woman (Dora Maar), 1938

Learning about Picasso and the Spanish Civil War

Written by a Grade Six Student

Celebrating Aboriginal Day at ICS

“National Aboriginal Day takes place on June 21 each year. It is a special day to celebrate the unique heritage, diverse cultures and outstanding achievements of First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples in Canada” (http://www.aadnc-aandc.gc.ca/eng/1100100013718/1100100013719). At Immaculate Conception, we are blessed to have a strong Musqueam heritage including many families who share their cultural wealth with us. Today, in celebration of Aboriginal Day, The Coastal Wolf Pack performed traditional Coastal songs and dances in their full contemporary regalia.

Joseph Paul and the extended family of three students in our school, shared the traditional teachings about each piece of regalia, in addition to the history behind the songs and actions. The children were enraptured by the beauty of the music and dance, and the resonance of the drums brought neighbours out to view the performance! Thank you to the Kenoras-Paul family for giving so generously of their time, love, and respect for their culture.  

Thank you to the Coastal Wolf Pack for celebrating Aboriginal Day 2015 with ICS!

Primary Students Visit the Vancouver International Children’s Festival

On Friday, May 29th the Grades Ones and Twos went to the Vancouver Children’s Festival at Granville Island to listen to Inuit poet, storyteller, and throat singer Taqralik Partridge, who brought lively stories and tales from Canada’s north to this year’s Festival stage.

She recounted an Inuit legend, The Owl and Raven, as well as two of her own stories, The Little Boy and The Giant and There’s a Whale in That Puddle. The stories were about children in the north who found extraordinary treasures in ordinary places. After the show, the classes spent the afternoon exploring the various activities at Sutcliffe Park. It was a fabulous afternoon shared with friends in the warmth of the sun.

At the Bandstand!

Well done ICS! What a great matinee and evening performance of At the Bandstand! – we were all smiling from ear to ear last Wednesday!

When Rockin’ Robin, host of the hit TV show At the Bandstand!, announces an on-air dance-off to join the popular Bandstand Kids, Cindy and her gaggle of girlfriends jump at the chance! But in order to succeed, Cindy will need to out-shine the spoiled daughter of the show’s corporate sponsor…

All grades, from K to 7, participated in this fun musical with familiar ’50s songs, great characters and funny punch lines.   They danced and sang their way through the ’50s hits At the Bandstand!,  Rockin’ Robin, Save the Last Dance for Me, Johnny Angel, Sh-Boom, Splish Splash,  Shake, Rattle and Roll and Great Balls of Fire!  

A big THANK YOU to all who made this production such a success; the cast members, all the students, the staff members and the parents