April - May 2023

Division I Art - Printmaking - Division I students created relief prints by cutting interesting shapes from foam sheets and glueing to cardboard. Upon applying tempura paint, each student made three prints.

Mrs. Preece's Grade 3's created Abstract Collages using fabric.

Division II Art - Ms. Ryo and Ms. Reid's 4/5 Classes created Circular Weaving using CDs and yarn. They learned that the loom is called a welt and the weave is called the weft.

Ms. Reid's Gr 4/5's:

Ms. Ryo's Gr 4/5's:

Ms. Kensley's Gr 4/5's created Abstract Collages using fabric.

Division I Music - students continued developing in-tune singing, beat competency and internalizing steady beat and rhythm through small and large group games. A popular activity was completing the rhythm of simple songs with a partner (Starlight, Starbright; Queen Caroline; Doggy Doggy; Snail, Snail. Classes also developed melodic awareness of high and low through constructing simple songs using felt circles and a simple staff.

Division II Music -  through Irish folksongs students practised internalizing the rhythm and steady beat through partner and large group movement and dance. Students began playing a three-part piece using Orff instruments (pitched percussion - xylophones, etc). This developed an important musical skill of playing a complicated piece within an ensemble: listening to other parts as well as one's own is imperative.

Division II Drama:

Constructing Objects - in small groups students developed cooperation skills and imagination to to create an object using only their bodies (for example, a table and chairs or a television).

Developing vocal projection, expression, and confidence: through the game Opening Lines, students had to improvise to create a dramatic conversation. For example, "How are we going to get out of here", or "Here's the plan". 

March - April 2023

Division I Music - students have been exploring Italian words that are used in music. The speed of music (tempo) for example uses many Italian words to describe the speed. For example: very slow (largo), medium (moderato), medium fast (allegro) and very fast (presto). Students have incorporated these into songs they already know and new singing games and action songs. We have also continued exploring the 14 short pieces of Carnival of the Animals. 

Division II Music  - students have been reviewing the concept of Form in music. This is how music is organized into sections. For example, Verse / chorus is AB form. The grade 4/5s of Ms. Ryo and Ms. Reid's class have been creating choreography to Bobby McFerrin's Hush Little Baby and organizing into 4 four-beat sections. They have learned to count how orchestral musicians count: 1234  2234  3234  4234

Division I Art - Division I students learned about the art of folding paper called Origami. They learned that thisancient art form began in China and was quickly adopted in Japan. Fish, birds, flowers, and hearts were created and put into a landscape scene.

Grade 1/2's (below):

Grade 3's (below):

Division II Art - Ms. Ryo and Ms. Reid's classes created 3-D sculpture art called Agamographs which are optical illusions. 

Ms. Kensley's grade 4/5 - Art - Students used pencil, black marker, oil pastels and watercolour paint to create tiny towns in the style of artist Friedrich Huntertwasser (below):

Mid-January/February 2023

Division I Music - Students continue working on in-tune singing, identifying, comparing and performing steady beat and rhythm. We have been listening to music that tells a story (such as Carnival of the Animals).

Division II Music - Students have been exploring and comparing music in a major key with music in a minor key. Students have written a short 8 beat piece in D major and learned how to change this to D minor (F# becomes F natural). Students have also learned about the intervals between notes in a melody: half step, whole step and will be reviewing the melodic leap.  

Division I Art - We have been creating paper sculpture through Origami. We have learned where Origami was first practised. Ask me which country first developed this art form. So far we have made origami hearts, fish, flowers, boats and next is birds.

Division II Art - Grade 4/5 students have been working very hard creating an Agamographs.            

           "An agamograph is an art form that uses optical illusion to create changes when you look        at it from different angles." 

 Each student created two different pages one with warm colours, the other, cool colours. They also used straight lines for one and curvy lines for the other. This has been a complicated process to create! 

 Art -Ms. Kensley's Class  - Hundertwasser Towns:  Hundertwasser (born in Austria, 1928 - 2000) had a lively imagination.  His art was unruly and chaotic. In his work, he used spirals, organic forms, wavy lines, bright colours, and a strong individualism. He wanted humans to live in harmony with nature, where there are no straight lines Students have drawn and added paint and oil pastel to create Hundertwasser-style towns. They are so bright and happy and the class enjoyed putting their own ideas into their work.

November/December 2022

Division I  Music - Students worked on both melodic and rhythmic patterns found in music including review of so, mi and la.   The basics of handling and playing pitched percussion, use of mallets and removing/putting on bars commenced (for grade 1s this was an introduction; for grade 2 and 3 this was a review. Grade 1,2 and 3's participated in rhythmic dictation as well as composing their own four-beat patterns.

Division II Music: students prepared a piece to sing for the Remembrance Day Ceremonies, called Blowin in the Wind by Bob Dylan.  Students learned to accompany themselves on the ukulele, learning C, F and A minor chords.

RMS Grade 1 to 5 Choir began early November and is going strong! Last practise date is Wednesday, December 21st! We are learning three pieces: O Siem, On the Back of an Eagle, and Winter Fantasy (which includes Jingle Bells).

Division I Art - Students have been exploring the use of chalk pastels to illustrate the Aurora Borealis. Bright colours were applied to black construction paper in a sweeping motion then blended with fingers to create a smudged effect. Mountains were then painted into the foreground using black tempera. See below:

Grade 3 and 4/5 Kensley Art - Winter at Dusk - using purple, pink, and blue pieces of tissue paper students 'painted' in the sky. Trees were added using black marker and snow flecks were dotted in using white tempera paint. 

Grade 4/5 Art - Winter Woodland - Grade 4/5's worked very hard to explore and create colours found in nature to create a Birch forest winter scene. Students first mixed colours and made notes to remember the 'recipes' for each colour.  Texture was created by painting thin layers of colour using three types and sizes of paint brushes. See below:

October 2022

Downie Wenjack Secret Path Week (October 17-21)

Welcome back from the Fall Break. This week we have been creating the Metis Mural for Downie Wenjack Secret Path Week. In commemoration of this students created a mural that incorporated qualities of Métis art. The Métis culture’s decorative arts emphasize brightly coloured floral motif in beadwork. Métis beadwork patterns are taken from nature emphasizing symmetry, balance and harmony. Example of Métis beadwork below:

 Grade one to five students at RMS used the pointillism technique instead of beads to create their own flowers.See photo below:

October 1-7, 2023

Music

Division I - Students learned about/reviewed the rhythms ta, ti-ti and ta rest. Students studied the rhythm in the song Pease Porridge Hot identifying the rhythm of each phrase. Students also learned about non-pitched percussion and were able to sort these instruments into three groups: skins, metals, woods.

Division II - Students added non-pitched percussion to their Silly Poem assignment. Each group presented their work to the class.

Art

Primary, Secondary Colours and Tinting/Shading 

1.Division I -  Division I students have been mixing primary colours to see what colours are created (secondary colours). Ask me what the three primary colours are. Ask me how I make the three secondary colours. Division I students have also  been asked what colour is created when mixing two secondary colours together. Ask me what happened when I did this. 

Division II - Division II students have learned what tinting versus shading means when adding white or black paint to a colour. Ask me what colour I use to create various tints. Ask me what colour I use to create various shades. 

2.Adopt-a-School Our school was selected to participate in the Indigo Love of Reading Foundation's annual Adopt a School fundraiser! Every dollar raised in-store at Indigospirit TD Square and Chapters Chinook and online between September 12 to October 2, 2022 will go DIRECTLY to our school.

Grade 4/5 students picked their favourite book, painted a 'book cover' then wrote why they loved this particular book. All art was taken to two Chapters stores and put on display.  A special THANK YOU goes to Ms. Haniak for arranging the displays at the stores!

Grade 4/5 Book Cover Art:

Welcome Back!!

I am so excited to start our 2022/2023 school year! I will be teaching Music, Drama and Art. Students will sing, move and play instruments in music. We will also have Drama (usually Mondays) and Art (usually Wednesdays). I have some really cool ideas for this year and am looking forward to working with the students of RMS! See you on Monday, August 15/22. Have a great weekend and stay cool! Ms. Butner 

August/September 2022

Music

Division I students have been participating in actions songs, echo-response,  and singing games. They have been discovering the difference between steady beat and rhythm and have been working on in-tune singing through echo-response and tone matching games. Environmental sounds have been explored as well as comparing singing, speaking and whispering voices.

Division II students have been taking silly poetry and honing their concentration and rhythmic skills by clapping these words then eliminating some to create an interesting rhythm piece. We will be transferring clapping of these poems to non-pitched percussion.  These students have also taken part in music games pertaining to high/low, up/ down, as well as note values.

Art

Students have been exploring colour and were introduced to Russian artist Wassily Kandinsky (1866 - 1944) who was one of the pioneers of abstraction in Western art. Students used Kandinsky's study of contrasting colours from "Squares with Concentric Circles" for inspiration to create their own contrasting colours in concentric circles using construction paper and/or oil pastel.

Kandinsky's "Squares With Concentric Circles"