Leo Baeck Parents Association

Leo Baeck Parents’ Association

After School Programs – Fall 2013

The Leo Baeck Parents’ Association is pleased to offer families the opportunity to register for a variety of fun, educational After School Programs as follows:

 Tuesday programs will commence October 8th and will run for 10 weeks.  Wednesday programs will commence October 9th and will run for 9 weeks.  Thursday programs will commence on October 10th and will run for 9 weeks. All programs begin at 3:45 p.m., which allows your children extra time after dismissal to have a nutritious, nut-free snack. Please note that all programs end at 4:45 p.m. except for “Act One” which ends at 5:15 p.m.

For your convenience, our After School Supervisor will be available to watch those children whose programs finish at 4:45 p.m. and who have siblings in Act One which finishes at 5:15 p.m. Please let us know if you require this service.

Registration for the After School Programs is on a first come first served basis. Registration begins on September 9th. The deadline for registration is September 20th. All registration must be done online and will not be accepted through any other method. It is important that you provide your child’s Health Card Number on your registration form.

Each program has a minimum and maximum registration requirement. Any program which does not meet its minimum registration may be cancelled and you will be notified. Unless you hear from us after submitting your registration form, you can assume that your child has been accepted to the program. Please impress upon your child the importance of appropriate behaviour while participating in these programs. Any difficult problems will result in dismissal without a refund.

PROGRAM CHANGES We will do our best to do accommodate all requests however we cannot guarantee any refunds for changes or withdrawals made after the second class.

AFTER SCHOOL SUPERVISOR The LBPA employs a paid After School Supervisor who ensures that the programs run smoothly and safely and that the children attend the programs promptly. The Supervisor also deals with any problems that may arise during the course of the programs. In order to assist in funding the role of the After School Supervisor, a fee of $10 has been added to the cost of each program.

LATE PICK-UPS: Your children’s participation in the After School Programs may be affected if they are not picked up promptly from their programs. Late fees will apply.

1 INFORMATION & QUESTIONS: For program info contact: -Jordanna Burstein (416) 820-1303 jordanna@tren d m.com -Lisa Fruitman-Belzowski (416) 898-4556 [email protected] -Eve Halpern (416) 305-3903 [email protected] -Debra Moskovitz (416) 562-3525 [email protected]

For registration info contact: -Jen Schwartz (416) 565-2191 [email protected] -Stacey Farber (416) 505-7191 [email protected]

2 Program Synopsis (See chart attached for dates, times and payments)

ART WORKS with Micheline Claude (Gr. JK – 1) [Tuesday] Join the fun in exploring different mediums of art with Micheline. Get your hands dirty and learn a variety of new techniques while making extraordinary art creations. Some of the fun projects and designs include: beautiful water colours, tie-dye stuffed animals, and experimenting with paints and various objects on canvas.

LEGO ANIMATION (Gr. SK – 2) (Gr. 3 & up) [Tuesday] Ready to take your fascination with Legos to the next level? At iCompute we will have all the Legos you need to create amazing movies. The ideas will be yours, the sets will be built by you, and you will operate all the equipment to bring your masterpiece to the big screen. Whether it’s a re-creation of an epic pirate battle scene, or an adventure in another galaxy, this workshop is the ultimate place to play with Legos. Each student will take home a DVD of their masterpiece filled with titles, narration, music & special effects.

NEW KARATE (Gr. JK - 2) (BEGINNER LEVEL ONLY) [Tuesday] Northern Karate School focuses on a specific set of basic non-contact karate skills, coupled with a character-development theme. Participants develop a strong body and mind as they perform educational and entertaining drills, learn essential skills and embrace personal best building blocks: teamwork, problem solving, leadership, compassion, generosity, community service, goal planning, integrity, self-discipline, loyalty and respect. Beginners Only. Sweatpants required.

MULTI SPORTS with Dwayne (Gr. SK – 2) [Tuesday] KIDS AND STICKS is an interactive after-school program designed to enhance healthy physical and social development in children of all ages. The program helps build strong motor development and social skills in a fun and safe environment. So students, grab your Sidney Crosbys and Mia Hamms and sign up today!

CHESS (Gr. SK – 1) (Gr. 2 & up) [Wednesday] Chess Institute of Canada (www.chessinstitute.ca) has taught chess in Toronto District School Board and Jewish Day Schools for years, using chess to teach life skills and critical thinking. CIC uses the highly engaging Chess World curriculum in schools and community centers throughout the GTA. All children improve their chess skills and learn to set goals, plan ahead and respect individual uniqueness. Join us for a fun, engaging chess time!

3 KANGOO KIDS - Rebounding (Gr. 1 & up) [Wednesday] Who doesn’t love to bounce? Kangoo Kids is a safe, active, low impact, rebound activity program, providing many great health benefits to students of all ages and abilities. We program different activities throughout the session including individual and group races, choreographed routines, skipping, bootcamp training, and sports. We provide the special Kangoo shoes that are worn by each student. Think of them as mini trampolines on your feet! The program is designed to help build coordination, endurance, good posture, healthy self-image, and team work skills! Shoe size must be size 1 or larger.

DASH SPORTS with Adam (Gr. JK - 1) [Wednesday] DASH will lay the foundation for success in sports by developing fundamental skills and the basic movements. Your kids will learn the fundamentals of 8 different sports...basketball, baseball, soccer, floor hockey, tennis, golf, volleyball and football. As well, children take part in fun games, warm-ups, stretches, skills and drills all in a non-competitive, safe and nurturing environment.

MINI CHEFS with Tobie (Gr. SK - 3) [Wednesday] Share your love of cooking with chef Tobie Seligman. Learn about nutrition and food science while making great food and having a blast. In each class, children will help prepare a fun recipe that they will eat or take home. Learn to explore food in a creative and imaginative way! This Fall we will be cooking mini apple pies, pizza puzzles, sub car sandwiches, caramel popcorn and much more.

NEW DYNAMIX (Gr. 2 & up) [Wednesday] Dynamix Treasure Hunt Edition teambuilding delivers fun, active and hands –on learning for the social and leadership skills your child needs. Lively, co-operative and active challenges get children learning through experience, discovering their potential and making new friends. The Treasure Hunt Edition excites kids to work together to conquer fantastic team-challenges and scoop up their treasures.

ART SMART with Micheline Claude (Gr. 2 & up) [Thursday] Come join Micheline in this exciting art program designed specifically for Leo Baeck students. Learn how to make and create works of art using an exciting variety of artist’s tools, media and techniques. Have a blast experimenting and creating works of art you never imagined. Projects include: water colours, beautiful sculptures, and experimenting with paints and various objects on canvas.

4 NEW SKATEBOARDING (Gr. 2 & up) [Thursday] Learn to skateboard! Whether you’re a beginner or more advanced, First Push Skate will take your skater through each step of their skateboarding development improving on their fundamental skills, balance, coordination and style. All coaches are seasoned skateboarders and instructors who will challenge skaters in a safe and fun environment (and hand out swag too!!!). First Push Skate will provide all equipment including boards. Running shoes required.

POPSTARS (Gr. SK - 4) [Thursday] Pop stars introduces the basics of songwriting including melody, rhythm, chorus and verse. Students will develop lyrical themes and ideas and collaborate with others to make their very own Top Hit Song and CD! Each Pop Star will go home with a CD of their very own songs and a photograph of the album cover.

NEW TENNIS with Lytton Park (Gr. JK – 1) (Gr. 2 & up) [Thursday] Learn to play tennis through exciting drills, acquisition of skills, lead up games, and mini games. This is a unique way for students to learn the fundamentals of tennis. Challenging skill-building activities, fun morale building games & competitions taught in small groups by Lytton Park Sports will captivate and enlighten your child all in a fun environment. Lytton Park Sports will provide all equipment including racquets. Running shoes, sweatpants & water bottle required.

NEW MAGIC with Baldini (Gr. 1 - 5) [Thursday] Join magician Baldini and learn how to perform a multitude of magical effects including cards, coins, mentalism and much more, all while learning how science plays a major role in making these effects happen. Magic with Baldini will not only captivate but also develop your child’s confidence and interpersonal skills in preparation for the “real” world.

ACT ONE: “Beauty and the Beast ” (Gr. 1 - 5) [Tuesday] Many of you are aware of the plays put on by Act One productions either because your children have participated or have attended the performances. For those parents who are new to the program and as a refresher for our veteran participants, Alex Moses has put together a week- by-week synopsis of the Act One curriculum to help parents understand the objectives and methods behind his curriculum. It is our hope that this will help parents in their selection process. PLEASE ENSURE YOU READ AND UNDERSTAND “WEEK 4”.

ACT ONE PRODUCTIONS AT LEO BAECK: “STRIVING FOR EXCELLENCE” ACT ONE PRODUCTIONS has taken Toronto by storm as the premiere musical theatre program for children in our area. Under the expert direction of Alex Moses and David Goldberg, ACT ONE has become known for “the place children want to be after school”. Whether your child is a hockey buff, baseball buff or has the love of the Arts, ACT ONE caters to the needs of every child by creating amazing musical productions leaving children craving for more. ACT ONE is now active in many schools across the GTA including USDS, Heschel, Bialik, Associated, Denlow, Harrison, Wilshire, Windfields and others. ACT ONE has found that through the magic of theatre children gain much needed confidence and integration skills that are vital to a child’s development. Children learn about acting, singing, staging, dance, and the importance of working with others in an unbelievable environment. Please join us in making this an amazing and unforgettable experience for your child.

5 Artistic Director/Producer, Alex Moses Alex Moses has produced/directed hundreds of musicals over the past 20 years. His first professional engagement was Jesus Christ Superstar, which he directed in Stratford in 1987. As a hobby, Alex has found Children’s theatre very gratifying and an important part of a child’s development. He directed the theatre program at Camp Wahanowin from 1985-2004. Throughout the year Alex practices Entertainment Law and services a large part of the Canadian and U.S. Music Industry. Alex is also a composer. Many may remember his recent album “The Power of Peace”, the 50th Anniversary benefit Album for CARE International where Alex served as Executive Producer and composer of the title track. The recording features Enrique Iglesias, Aretha Franklin, Celine Dion, Chaka Khan, Chris De Burgh, Jose Carreras, Michelle Wright, Peabo Bryson, Kenny Rogers, David Sanborn, Yanni, and Wynonna Judd. Recently, Alex also returned to performing as he took to the stage in a celebrated concert with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra.

THE PROGRAM SYNOPSIS (10 week Schedule) Weeks 1 and 2: In the first two weeks of the program, we work solely in a group setting. The kids learn many songs from the given musical and many of the Full Cast Production numbers are taught to the kids by our Choreographer. We also strive to demonstrate to the kids the various roles which exist in the show and work on character development. The kids volunteer to act out various scenes from the show. At the end of Week 2, an audition form is handed out to each child allowing a child to express themselves on paper as to the type of role they would like to have in the production. Although we cannot guarantee any role to a child, we try to take into account the children’s wishes.

Week 3: Auditions: Auditions are often a new experience for many. Many of the kids are getting up and acting or singing in front of their peers for the first time. This is a tremendous experience for the children and often this day is the beginning of a new chapter in their lives. Each child is asked to sing part of one of the songs that we have learned and to emulate the director as he acts out various characters from the musical. The kids enjoy watching the process of auditions and often can cast a show better than we can.

Week 4: Parts Assignment/Production Numbers Our fourth week is our most challenging week as it is the time that we assign individual roles to the children. Although as a general rule, most of the children are content with the roles that they receive, there are always a handful of children that express displeasure with their role. Roles are assigned based on the child’s performance at the “audition”. It is quite possible that a child who has been a lead role in the past may receive a lead role again if it is merited based on the audition. The kids are told that the parts are assigned based on performance. We do try to work at giving more individual work to those who have been in many shows to boost their confidence but the mere fact that they have been in several shows does not automatically grant the child lead role status. For those few children who would like to have more lines or sing more individually in the show, we encourage the kids (“not their parents”) to come and speak with us in Week 5 and we will give the kids more lines or parts to sing. Our goal is the happiness of each child that walks into our rehearsal.

Weeks 5, 6, and 7: The Learning Weeks The three weeks that follow are a time where we learn the individual parts of the show. Here we take the individual scenes, dance numbers, songs and work at them with the specific kids that are in the scene. New this year, we will be bringing in a third staff member during these three weeks to do drama games, activities and workshops with the kids while their individual scenes are not being worked on by the directors.

Weeks 8 and 9: Bringing the Show together These weeks are very exciting weeks for the kids as they see the show beginning to take shape. Many of the kids will now have an opportunity to see what their peers have been working on during the learning weeks and we begin to have runs of the show. We continue to perfect choreography during these weeks and finish perfecting any scenes that continue to need work.

Week 10: Full Run of the Show Finally we are reaching the time when we are ready to bring our show to the people. During week 10 we are essentially doing a dress rehearsal without the costumes. The kids are extremely excited as they are days away from their performances.

Dress Rehearsal and Performances: The Dress Rehearsal takes place approximately four hours before our actual performances. All children arrive and quickly change into their costume. The costumes are often rounded up from old clothes around the house or are rented by the parents for under $15 from the Markham Skating Club (or similar places). We stress that we do not want parents going to any large expense for their kids costumes. A quick photo of each child (in costume) is taken prior to the dress rehearsal. The dress rehearsal is an opportunity for the kids to rehearse in costume with lighting, sets, microphones and the like. A Pizza lunch/dinner is usually provided to the children compliments of the Leo Baeck Parents’ Association but all parents are encouraged to send any additional snacks or drinks along with their children. Our performances take place that day and we enjoy the efforts that the kids have put in over the last nine weeks.