This is Rebecca Huerta’s second year volunteering to do glasswork with junior high and high school students. In this class, students learn how to safely score and cut sheets of glass to make intricate designs. Students lay out and glue their projects together, which Rebecca then (carefully) takes home to fuse in her glass kiln. They’ve experimented with stringers (thin rods of glass), decals, and metal, and Rebecca comes in every week with a different project for them to do that can help them learn new skills and techniques. They’ve completed a variety of projects this year, from pendants to small bugs. This week, they worked on making glass snowflake ornaments!
Students in Lisa’s Hoof Training use positive reinforcement to shape the behavior of the animals. We have two mini-donkeys (Wicket and Waffles) and three sheep (Nova, Cinnamon, and Alabama). Each student develops a close relationship with “their” animal, which they spend all year training. They teach the donkeys and sheep to walk on balance beams, jump over small hurdles, ride a “see-saw,” weave a slalom, and more! Each animal has a main trainer and an alternate trainer: Reese and Kit train Wicket; Jack and Raiden train Waffles; Quinn and Darian train Alabama; McKayla, Sierra, and Camrynn train Cinnamon; and Nick and Grace train Nova. Here are a few videos of our trainers in action:
Bird Enrichment
Students in Bird Enrichment visit the birds, give them treats, and interact with them to form positive relationships with them. We have 8 chickens (Cassie, Dia, Maple, Ziggy, Beauty, Pineapple, Sun, and Penny) and one turkey (Annabelle). This year, we are thankful to have a parent volunteer, Susan Kent, who helps supervise bird enrichment every Wednesday. Students get to know all the birds and become bird ambassadors who can tell the Kino community about the birds’ temperaments, likes, and dislikes. Even though most chickens and turkeys don’t like to be held, through all the love and attention our birds get, they actually like to be picked up and sit in laps!
Our students have been hard at work rehearsing for the holiday concert next Thursday. We’ll be having a full rehearsal for the whole school at 2:00pm and a performance that evening at 6:00pm (right after the Board introduction/Q&A). We hope you can make it to their performance!
Primary and Mid-Level
Cezanne’s primary students will be performing “Vamos a la Mar” and “The Twelve Days of Kino,” a song they all helped write! Cezanne’s mid-level students will be performing “Feliz Navidad” and “Mi Burrito Sabanero.” Watch the video for a sneak peak of “The Twelve Days of Kino”:
Rock Band
Scott’s Rock Band students have also been working hard to perfect their performance of “Carol of the Bells.” It’s almost entirely a Cappella (along with a glockenspiel and bass), and they’ve been diligently practicing! Watch the video for a short clip of their beautiful harmonization:
This year, Kino has partnered with The Scoundrel and Scamp Theatre for a drama class for Junior High and High School students. Their resident teaching artist, Zac Austin, comes weekly to teach kids how to perform. He starts class with professional acting warm-ups, like tongue twisters and memory games. Then the class breaks into groups to write their own fractured fairy tales, which are modern interpretations of classic fairy tales. They are writing 6-8 minute-long skits inspired by “The Three Little Pigs,” “The Gingerbread Man,” and “Little Red Riding Hood.” At the end of the semester, they will perform their fractured fairy tales, along with some of their warm-ups, for the Kino community at The Scoundrel and Scamp Theatre (located downtown in the back of the Historic Y). They will have a dress rehearsal on January 18th and perform for the community on January 19th at 2:00pm. We’ll be taking students, and parents are welcome to attend! They plan to have a full-scripted piece to perform in the theater by the end of the year.
We are excited to have Serena Mendoza join Kino as a part-time counselor this year! In addition to one-on-one meetings, Serena and Caroline hold a bi-weekly class for Junior High and High School students on social and emotional health, called Serenity. They have previously worked with domains of wellness, communication, boundaries, accountability, values and priorities, and more. Currently they are learning about disability and practicing self-advocacy.
She’s also started a kindness project with the primary kids. Each week they will gather as a group to share some kind acts they saw from their classmates. They then get a kindness card to take home and remember their classmates’ appreciation.
After the Thanksgiving break, Serena will also be running a series of small sessions for Junior High students called “Being Your Best You.” They will cover good habits, study skills, and time management. She’s hoping to get some more small group sessions started for our soon-to-be graduates on life skills too.
