One of the objectives of the high school dance program is to expose the students to a variety of styles of dance, especially in this international context. To this end, St. John’s occasionally invites guest instructors to the school to teach a masterclass in a particular style. Last month, St. John’s hosted TLove Ruffjam, a professional dancer who has worked with artists like Michael Jackson and Britney Spears. He taught the students various elements of street dance.  St. John’s also invited Frankie d’Andrea, a professional dancer who has been in modern companies all over the world. She taught the students … Continue reading High School dance teaches students a large variety of styles

Thanks to the generous participation of several parents and language teachers, we were happy to see the introduction of several language clubs in the Elementary School this year. St. John’s Elementary School endorses and respects the languages of all our students and it has been the school’s commitment to try and provide as many language clubs as possible. Previously, language clubs were offered after school.  This year, however, as a trial, they are taking place on Wednesday afternoons from 2:45-3:30 p.m. when students in Grades 1-5 may choose whether they wish to attend one of the language clubs or the weekly … Continue reading Language Clubs in the Elementary School

Our visiting artist program provides our art students with an opportunity to not only see an exhibition installed in our Greene Gallery, but to meet with a practicing artist. Audrey Atkinson uses “the language of the senses, the language of the body itself that is at once timeless and profound.” Students asked Audrey questions about her Bodies of Work exhibition; they wanted to know what inspires her and how her work has evolved. Audrey talked about her love for geometry as a child, her creative processes and her interest in the students’ personal responses towards her work. As you can … Continue reading Students meet and learn from visiting artist Audrey Atkinson

Caring for little cubs is no easy task but it certainly is a joy! Started this school year, as a direct response to our parent community’s request for before and after school care, CUB Care has started to make a real difference in the lives of the children and parents in our school. CUB Care is a “garderie” service for the working parent(s) – a growing trend in the demographics of our school.  More and more families at St. John’s have two working parents and it is not easy to find before and after school care for students who must start … Continue reading CUB Care provides parents convenience and peace of mind

We are learning about “The Senses.” In Music, we are learning about what we can hear. We have done a Sound Walk around the school and you would not believe the things you can hear if you listen carefully enough! Art and Music have been working together, students made wonderful music shaker instruments in Art Class and now we are using them as our instruments for our songs on “Senses.” Students used rocks, sand or bottle caps for their instrument insides and we have divided into groups to play in groups and as an ensemble in music class. We love singing “The … Continue reading Grade 2 is having lots of fun in Music Class!

Grade 11 art students are looking with their eyes, hands and mind in order to investigate who and what they are. They are experimenting with different media, techniques and the visual elements and principles to explore how they perceive, communicate and express their visible appearance as well as the ideas they have about themselves.  Between now and December they are creating nine separate self-portraits. At least three of the ‘portraits’ are to be from direct observation the rest should show a creative and imaginative, novel or unusual approach to the idea of ‘self’. While these practical experiments are taking place, … Continue reading Eyes, hands and mind in High School art class

Last year, the Parent Teacher Program (PTP) organized a very successful gala event at the Chateau du Lac. The tickets sold out in a week and the event was a roaring success. Part of the proceeds were used to purchase new basketball hoops for the main courtyard. Students from ES, MS and HS enjoy playing basketball during recess and the PTP felt this would be a donation that would be enjoyed by the whole school. On behalf of the students, we would like to thank the PTP for this wonderful donation and all the work they do for the school community!   Continue reading We thank PTP for the new basketball hoops!

Grade 11 IB History students along with Grade 10 US History students visited Ieper and its environs last week. The purpose of the trip was to allow the students to witness at first hand the battle fields of Flanders. There is only so much that can be learned in the classroom, for example, we visited the remnants of trenches at Hill 62 – this gave the students a feel of life in the trenches. We visited the museum in Ieper which contains many artefacts from the Ieper salient. The students also visited two cemeteries, one German and one British and … Continue reading High School history students visit the battle fields of Flanders

This school year, robotics is taught in 6th and 7th grade this year.  The main goal for the class is to take the knowledge students have and to teach them to be able to stretch their imagination and knowledge to go beyond their comfort zone with each project.  Each student works at their own level based on the knowledge coming into the class. We begin by learning the basic steps of learning to program the basic robot.  This is followed by using software to program the robots from their laptops to preform directed instructions and movements the students create based … Continue reading Building robots in Middle School

The Pre-Kindergarten students have been taking great care of their vegetable garden, situated in the back of their playground. They learn how things grow and how to care for plants and vegetables. Last week, they enjoyed harvesting the potatoes from the garden and celebrated by roasting potatoes and sausages on a fire for lunch! Congratulations to the very creative teachers in Timbertops (Timbertots, Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten) for making learning such a fun experience! Continue reading Pre-Kindergarten students roast potatoes from their own garden