10-30-09 Sr. Puentes' Kindergarten class acts out the role of a woman walking her dog

Friends:

My last day at Dawes was a wonderful one. I had three classes and then I was invited to attend a Halloween party by Lilly (my friend, Juliet Bond’s daughter) and her third grade teacher, Ms. Brennan. My first classroom visit was Sr. Puentes’ Kindergarten TWI (Two Way Immersion) class. They are always such a fun and cooperative group. They followed every instruction to a tee. What cuties too!

10-30-09 Sr. Puentes' Kindergarten class acts out the role of a woman walking her dog

Plus, Sr. Puentes and his assistant are so sweet! I loved visiting this class!

Next, it was on to Ms. Sovich’s 2nd grade classroom. The kids were so excited to see me, giving me hugs and sitting on the run in anticipation of the class’ upcoming activities. I told the story of “Sody Sallyraytus,” taught them Zydeco dancing, and did some role playing drama activities with them. They were great dancers and Ms. Sovich even videotaped the students doing the two step! Too cool!

10-30-09 Ms. Sovich's 2nd grade class dances Zydeco

They moved quickly into doing their roles, acting out all the parts with enthusiasm, even in partnered pairs. What a great class!

10-30-09 Ms. Sovich's 2nd grade class acting out baby bear sitting on a chair

Check out Ms. Swanson, the second grade TWI teacher. She’s a honey of a teacher!

10-30-09 First Grade Teacher Ms. Swanson is all the buzz!

My last class was Ms. Weatherby and Ms. Gibert’s Kindergarten class. These two teachers are so wonderful. They welcomed me into their classroom with open arms and always offered me treats! So I made up a rap for them:

Here’s a little story for you and me
About Ms. Weatherby and Ms. G
These 2 teachers are so cool
2 of the coolest in the school
Ms. Weatherby and Ms. G (uh)
Ms. Weatherby and Ms. G (uh uh!)
WORD!

10-30-09 Ms. Weatherby & Ms. Gibert's Kindergarteners dance Zydeco

These kindergarteners did such a great job with their role playing! Check this out! Soo adorable!

10-30-09 Ms. Weatherby & Ms. Gibert's Kindergarteners act out Little Red Riding Hood and her cape

My teaching came to an end but the fun didn’t! I went to Ms. Brennan’s third grade classroom and had fun at their Halloween party!

10-30-09 Third Grade Teacher Ms. Brennan is a beautiful butterfly

We danced the Monster Mash, ate lots of tricky treats (there were apple strudels stuffed with worms! [gummy of course]), and had a ton of fun. Look at these marvelous monsters!

10-30-09 Dianne, Zombie Lilly & Scary Guy at Ms. Brennan's 3rd grade class Halloween party

Before I left Dawes, I encountered this mystery rock star… Who is it?!!!

10-30-09 Who is this Guitar Hero rockin the halls of Dawes?!!

Thank you for having me at your school, Dawes! You were awesome! A special thank you to Juliet Bond (the Dawes PTA coordinator of this residency), Ms. Jicha (school librarian), Ms. Bradley (principal), Ms. Johnson (school secretary), and all the teachers and staff at Dawes who made my visit so pleasant and memorable. Also, a huge thank you to the Dawes PTA for funding my visit!! I’d love to come back! And thank you to all the Dawes Kindergarten, First, and Second grade students. Dawes Elementary ROCKS!

Until next time…

Warmly, Dianne

10-29-09 Dianne de Las Casas & Sue Jicha, Dawes Librarian

Friends:

My day began with an assembly program for Grades 3-5. I did my spooky program, “Scared Silly,” since Halloween was just around the corner. The students loved it. My “Ghost of Mable Gable” was ever popular and the students were chanting the punch line all day long. Cool!

After my assembly, I went to Ms. Whisler’s 2nd grade TWI (Two Way Immersion) class. They listened to a story (“Sody Sallyraytus”), learned Zydeco, and did role playing exercises. Though the boys were a little reluctant, we still had fun.

10-29-09 Dancing Zydeco in Ms. Whisler's 2nd grade class

Ms. Whisler’s class loved the role playing drama activity. They were really good at portraying the various roles I gave them.

10-29-09 Acting as tables in Ms. Whisler's 2nd grade class

After Ms. Whisler’s class, I saw Ms. Shleker’s second graders. They were such a kind, cooperative group that exhibited exemplary teamwork and partnering skills. I even gave them a little treat and taught them Hula!

10-29-09 Telling a story in Ms. Schleker's 2nd grade class

Afterwards, the class treated me to a choral reading of two fun poems including “Igga Bigga,” which I love! What a fantastic class!

10-29-09 Ms. Schleker's 2nd graders are elephants

I met a phenomenal pumpkin carving artist, David Rotter, a Dawes parent and school helper. He brought Ms. Johnson, the super school secretary, a cool carved pumpkin! Wow!

10-29-09 David Rotter, a Dawes parent and visual artist, poses with his amazing carved pumpkin. He's a handsome fella, isn't he?! LOL

My day ended with an assembly program for grades K through 2. Again, I did my “Scared Silly” show and the students loved it. They even helped me on stage a couple of times! It was a blast!

Later that night, I had a performance and book signing at the Dawes Book Fair at Barnes & Noble.

10-30-09 Barnes & Noble performance small

The event was packed and I enjoyed myself immensely! It looked like the kids did too!

10-30-09 Madame Poulet Eats Roaches

After my performance, I signed lots of books. Thank you Dawes School for supporting the book fair night! And thank you to Juliet Bond for providing the photos from the Barnes & Noble event in Evanston!

10-30-09 Signing at Barnes & Noble

Until next time….

Warmly, Dianne

10-26-09 Welcome to Dawes

Friends:

Today was my first day at Dawes School in Evanston, Illinois, where I am the storytelling/author in residence for grades K through 2. The visit was arranged by my good friend and Dawes parent, Juliet Bond, and the Dawes Librarian, Sue Jicha. Sue was such a sweetheart, facilitating my visit and making sure everything ran smoothly. Ms. Bradley, the principal, greeted me first thing in the morning, making me feel welcome at Dawes.

10-26-09 Dianne in the Dawes Library

My first class was Ms. Wilcinski’s kindergarten class. They were a sweet group of children and I had fun telling The Cajun Cornbread Boy and doing creative movement with scarves and jazz music.

10-26-09 Ms. Wilcinski's Kindergarten

Next, I went to Ms. Hamilton’s 1st grade classroom. They were sitting quietly and ready for me to start when I came in. We had a blast and the students really enjoyed the activity.

10-26-09 Ms. Hamilton's 1st grade

Then it was off to Ms. Shleker’s 2nd grade class. This group of energetic children were so participatory in my story and had a great time with the scarf activity. I found out that Ms. Shleker was involved in theater and she loved my jazz music. We had such a fun time!

10-26-09 Ms. Schleker's 2nd grade

After lunch, I visited Ms. Sovich’s 2nd grade class. Ms. Sovich is a singer and knew all the songs I played on the Jazz for Kids CD. I was so impressed. The students had a great time with the story as well as the music activity.

10-26-09 Ms. Sovich's 2nd grade

My last class was with Ms. Swanson’s 1st grade TWI (Two Way Immersion) class. the students are immersed in a Spanish language curriculum. I had the opportunity to speak some Spanish and the children were so much fun.

10-26-09 Telling a story in Ms. Swanson's TWI 1st grade

It was a wonderful first day. The teachers were so warm and welcoming and the students were very well-behaved and enthusiastic. I am totally looking forward to tomorrow!

10-26-09 Turtle Art at Dawes School

Until next time…

Warmly, Dianne

10-25-09 Framed by Fall

Friends:

I flew to Chicago this morning and my good friend and fellow author, Juliet Bond, picked me up from the airport. I am staying with Juliet this week as I perform a week-long arts-in-education residency for grades K-2 at Dawes School. After a delicious breakfast, Juliet gave me a tour through Evanston, where she lives, and the surrounding area. I am in love with the Fall foliage: gorgeous green, glittering gold, shimmering orange, and rusty red-tipped trees line the avenues.

10-25-09 Tree-lined avenue

It was so beautiful today too. The weather was in the 60s and it was breezy, not windy. The view of the lake from an overlook was stunning.

10-25-09 Tree lined avenue

Here, fun Juliet sashays her way through the day. LOL

10-25-09 Juliet sashays

This is a beautiful Ba’hai Temple near Juliet’s house.

10-25-09 Ba'hai Temple juxtaposed against the cloud-crocheted sky

This is Juliet’s house. I sleep in the East Wing.

10-25-09 Juliet's dream house

Just kidding. Juliet, her husband Kevin, and their three children, Jacob (12), Lilly (9), and Casey (5), live in this house adorned with cool Halloween decorations.

10-25-09 Juliet's house

After a nice refreshing nap, I dined with the Bonds. Juliet cooked up a tasty pasta dinner with a Greek salad. Appetizers consisted of a cheese plate with apples and crackers. Yum!

10-25-09 Dinner with the Bonds

While I was napping, they added more Halloween decor to the front yard. Cool and creepy!

10-25-09 Creepy dead baby and tombstones

Love the ghosts! Boo!

10-25-09 Mostly Ghostly

Check out these pumpkin heads…

10-25-09 Pumpkin heads

And finally, a happy couple welcomes you into the Bonds’ home.

10-25-09 The happy couple

I look forward to my week with the Bond family. Thank you, Lilly and Casey, for loaning me your room! It’s just perfect. Thank you, Jacob, for all your help! And thank you to Juliet and Kevin, for opening your home to me. Hugs!

Until next time…

Warmly, Dianne