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Welcome to the March 14, 2009 issue of Newsbreak. Send this newsletter to a friend! In this Issue Upcoming Events 3/14 3/16 3/17 3/20 _______________ 3/25 3/27 4/1 4/1 4/1 4/2 4/3 4/7 4/7 4/8 4/10 4/10 4/17 _______________
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 Headlines...News from David Sullivan I look forward to seeing all of you soon to celebrate Breakwater and our community at the upcoming Gala on Saturday, March 21st. I come from a family that looks for any excuse to have a party and while at the very least this is going to be a fun night of dancing and victuals, there is admittedly another agenda. Many of you have seen those cryptic little signs and messages around the campus (“Curious?”) and have figured out what is going to happen the night of the Gala. I do not want to spoil the ending - you will have to come to the event to hear it - but I will tell you that after at least thirty years, Breakwater School is adopting a new logo. The new design has been very favorably received by the faculty, the Board, and focus groups of parents, donors, and alumni. This Spring Gala is dedicated to celebrating our new look while affirming, positively and boldly, the best of who we are: marketing meets mission. We are very excited about this development and hope you can join us at the Gala to be there when the new logo is revealed publically for the first time. Curious? Countdown to the Gala - Seven More Days! The pieces will come together at Saturday, March 21, 2009 Please join us for a festive evening of fun and surprises!
Return your RSVP card by Wednesday, March 18 and you will be entered to win a gift basket from Starbucks!! RSVP: 207.772.8689 or by email! Child care available by reservation. From the Art Studio to the Museum Walls 
One of the highlights of a Breakwater year is a trip to the Portland Museum of Art - an excursion eagerly anticipated by students of all ages. Last week, Kindergarten through Grade Eight students all experienced this special event. As part of an assignment for a class in Museum Education, some of Kelly McConnell's MECA students collaborated with Museum docents to give Breakwater students Gallery talks - another example of Breakwater and MECA's "labschool" arrangement. Justifiably proud of her students and their ability to trust their instincts and speak eloquently about the art they see, Kelly inspires students to take what they learn in class and bring it to the walls of the museum as they identify and discuss artists, styles, and movements. Breakwater students were very excited to be able to see one of their own classmate's artwork hanging in the PMA! Quilla represented Breakwater at the museum and was honored at the Youth Art Month Reception on Saturday, March 7. Breakwater's Middle School students met Sage Lewis, an assistant in the Curatorial Department. Kelly asked Sage to speak to our students about her career at the Museum because the Middle Schoolers themselves wish to have more input on creating exhibits of their own work. Breakwater Middle Schoolers are frequent visitors to Portland's Arts District, and have been introduced to a variety of people who are part of our city's vibrant creative economy. In an email to Kelly McConnell after the visit, Tour Coordinator Emma Wilson said: "I just wanted to pass along that everyone, EVERYONE, from security, to visitors, to docents, commented how smart, well behaved and fun the students from Breakwater are. It was truly a delight to have everyone visit this past week." Breakwater 5th Grade CARES (part 2) 
As part of their culminating project "CARES" (see last Newsbreak) Fifth Grade students are involved with a wide variety of community service projects. Two students, Jamie and Dylan, have teamed up to hold a bake sale to raise funds for their respective causes. Jamie is interested in the plight of homeless cats and dogs and is working to support the Heart of Maine organization. Dylan's interest is in preserving the Amazon rainforest and he is raising funds to buy a few acres of land through STARO (Save The Amazon Rainforest Organization). Their bake sale is scheduled for Friday, March 27
in the foyer outside the library. Each class will have a time during the day to visit the bake sale. Goodies will be available after school as well. If you would like to help support these students and their causes, please bring in some baked goods for them to sell on Friday, March 27 - and of course purchase some wonderful treats for your family! Donations of baked goods may be taken to the Fifth Grade classroom on Thursday, March 26 or Friday, March 27. Photo: El-Fadel in Portland Toddler Playgroup - Spring Session Added! The final Toddler Playgroup for our Winter Session takes place on Friday, March 20. Due to an overwhelming response to this program, Breakwater will be adding a Spring Session starting on Friday, April 3. This session will run on the following Fridays: April 10, April 17, and May 1. Contact Meredith Jones to register for one or all of our Spring Session Playgroups! Cal 207.772.4295 x236 or email! Explore Your World through the Arts and Nature at Breakwater 
Tadpoles & Leapfrogs: Explorations Program for Children Ages 4 to 6 Like Breakwater's school-year Early Childhood Program, this summer program honors children's questions and interests, giving each child the freedom to choose projects and activities they feel drawn to or wonder about. Our staff of educators supply children with open-ended materials and encourage their natural imagination, creativity, and curiosity. We also provide teacher-directed projects drawn from our observations of children's play, interests, and conversations. Our Tadpole & Leapfrogs: Explorations Program uses three rooms, each designated as a "theme environment". In the Arts Studio, children are given raw materials like clay, paint, and many other natural and found objects. The Imaginarium is a space for dramatic play, music, and movement. The Story Room is a space created for quiet play and fine motor investigations. We will spend active time each day enjoying and exploring the outdoors. At least once a week a "Walkabout" is taken off-campus to the nearby Fore River Sanctuary or at Capisic Pond and we also have many opportunities to watch our older friends in the Breakwater Creative Arts Camp as they practice and perform their creative works. Naptime is available for those who need a period of rest in the afternoon. We are pleased to announce that Mari Dieumegard, talented artist and long-time Breakwater teacher, is the new Creative Director of this program. Look for a "Faculty Spotlight" on Mari in the next issue of Newsbreak. Tadpoles & Leapfrogs: Explorations Program registration is on a first come-first served basis with a $100 non-refundable deposit due by April 30, 2009. Full payment due by June 1st. 
"Fighting cancer one performance at a time!" The date for Breakwater alumnae Rachel Friedman's fundraiser Perform for a Cure is quickly approaching! This variety show will feature some of the most talented kids in the Greater Portland area. Rachel's family has been dealing with cancer since 2000 and she has combined her talent and passion for the performing arts to raise money for organizations that support cancer patients and cancer research. Over the past several years Rachel's mom, Hannah, has taught her children to give back and fight back. With the help of family and friends, Rachel has raised over $20,000 in the last three years. Her story was featured on WCSH 6. When asked about her ambitions, Rachel replied “I’m fighting cancer one performance at a time!” Sunday, March 15 at 2:30 pm All-youth cast, inspirational music, theater and dance. Doors open at 1:30 pm for face painting, refreshments, silent auction and exciting raffles. Proceeds benefit the Cancer Community Center in South Portland and Relay for Life / The American Cancer Society Photo: Rachel Friedman performs during Breakwater's Fifth Grade LEAP Presentations last year. When is the Music Genre Festival? We will be celebrating all kinds of music on Thursday, May 21 at 6 pm. During our annual Music Genre Festival students in Kindergarten through Eighth Grade share their studies through song and dance and fill the Dan with color, movement, and sound - to the delight of a packed house of famiilies, teachers, and friends. This date - Thursday, May 21 at 6 pm - is a change in our schedule. Please mark your calendar (in pen - like we have) for this school-wide event! Professional Day Child Care - This Monday! March 16 for any Breakwater student Kindergarten and older! While the Breakwater Faculty is having a day of professional development, we are offering child care for all students Kindergarten and older. Students should bring their own lunch and winter outerwear (boots, snow pants, hats, gloves, etc). We will provide a morning and afternoon snack with activities and games throughout the day. The fee for one child will be $50, two children from the same family $75, and three children $90. Regular Aftercare will take place as usual from 3:00 - 5:30 that afternoon. Space is limited, to make a reservation please call Cathleen at 772-4295 x226. If you reserve a spot, but do not use it a $25 fee will be charged to your BWS account. Looking for an enriching and fulfilling vacation experience for your child? Let us help! Each day at Breakwater's Vacation Camps are filled with sports, arts, theater and drama games, and loads of fun! April 21-24, 2009 Daily: $55 per child ($10 less for multiple siblings) Bring: lunch and drink, appropriate clothing for indoor and outdoor play. We will provide snacks. Sports will be taught by Frank Donovan, a certified physical education teacher and survival skills instructor at Casco Bay High School. Frank has a passion and enthusiasm for fitness and sport and has created a co-ed program designed to develop campers' skills through a variety of games and sports. Arts will be lead by Erin Leon-O’Brien, an Artist Educator currently teaching in Lewiston, Maine who also has taught art at Breakwater School in many capacities. Erin has planned a week of projects that include paper mache, watercolor paint, pencils and crayons, printmaking, illustrated books, and art history. We will work using the methods of Claus Oldenberg, Paul Klee, Picasso and Dahlov Ipcar. For more information or to reserve a spot, contact Cathleen Allen at 772-4295 x226 or by email. 
We have new and exciting classes and staffing to announce for the 2009 Breakwater Creative Arts season! As always students will choose from over 40 courses in visual and performing arts, sports, and writing. This includes a show tunes chorus, filmmaking, building a sonic sculpture that makes music, rock band, publishing a newspaper, and much more. Please welcome Kate Kaminski, our new filmmaking teacher. Kate joins us from USM and brings many years of teaching and making movies. We will be offering a weaving workshop taught by Suzanne Van Wye. Barbara Woods of the Metropolitan Museum of Art (previously a guest artist) will stay on for the whole summer, teaming up with our own Kelly McConnell. Our full 2009 course roster will be posted on our website in a couple of weeks. Visit our website to view a few samples of our 2009 selections! A big "Welcome Back" to Ian Trafford who will be joining Sarah Adam's class on Tuesday. Parents Sarah and Chris are thrilled to have Ian returning to Breakwater and we are even more thrilled to have him! And another welcome to Samson Pfeffer who will be joining Michelle Littlefield's class on Tuesday. Welcome to Samson and parents Dona and Richard. We are so excited you will be joining us! You may have seen some familiar faces in recent publications. Here are links to a couple we have found: It's All for Noora Go & Do: Send in the Clowns! If you've seen an article about someone in the community, please email Meredith Jones the link! Book Search! Thank you to everyone who came to help on our Parent Work Days - the Main Lobby looks great and the basement of the Dan has never been so organized! Thank you: Katie Murray, Codi and Tahn Tiparos, Stacy Towne, Lisa Flanagan, Camilla, Bevan and Tom Whitehead, Elizabeth Campbell, Guy and Tessa Quattrucci, Mario Vela, Amy Ford, Eva McVicar, Martin Lodish, Chris Small, Sean Dundon, and Ellen Barton. |
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