Dear parents and families of St. Thomas,

I am so excited to tell you about all of my plans for the students and families at St. Thomas this year! School wide this this Fall the students will be focusing on music and performing arts, with a community-welcoming Christmas concert, themed “Christmas Around the World!” Then, in the Spring, the focus shifts to art, offering students the opportunity to enter in several well-known art competitions, including the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo!

For those students wanting to get even more involved than their daily fine arts classes, I am forming a competitive choir and holding a Spring musical this year! Auditions for the choir will be on September 17th from 3:30-4:30pm in the Sanctuary, there are still 5-6 spots available to audition on this day. Students who have signed up for an audition will have a form sent home informing parents of the time and further details. Eligible students should be enthusiastic, fluent 2nd – 5th grade readers who are able to carry a tune (think ABCs or Happy Birthday), can focus in a fast-paced musical setting, and who can commit to a weekly rehearsal after school and several performances throughout the year. Rehearsals will be every Monday from 3:30-4:30 starting October 22nd. The choir will hopefully be ready to enter into a regional Spring music competition at the end of April 2019.

Art classes are offered 1-2 times per week depending on grade level. Each month we will explore a famous artist in history, an art and sciences project, a different medium (clay, paint, pastels, etc.) and a seasonal or holiday craft (wait until you see our thankful trees). We will also be preparing for the Spring art competitions and for a few very special art projects. Needless to say, we are already going through a lot of materials! In each newsletter I will try to send out a list of needed materials – if you happen to see a good sale or can donate anything to our art closet I would be incredibly grateful!

Music is held 1-2 times per week depending on grade level. On September 7th each class learned what country they are representing for our “Christmas Around the World” concert on December 13th! 5th grade – France, 4th grade – Mexico, 3rd grade – Italy, 1st and 2nd grade – Las Posadas (opening to concert), K – Nigeria, PK4 – Hawaii, PK4 – Venezuela, PK3 – Australia.

In addition to singing we are also learning about note values and rhythms, exploring handbells and percussion, and getting fluent in treble clef this month. If parents or students are interested in performing for their classes there will even be several opportunities for students and parents to participate in “showcase” days throughout the year (dates TBD).

Drama is often combined with music class for the younger students, but offered as a separate weekly class for the older grades. Ask your 1st-5th grade student about what drama game we played each week (Lie To Me, Hot Seat, Alien Tiger Cow). We’re having a blast learning to come out of our shells and even had an awesome improv session already this year!

The Spring musical will be announced after Winter break, and auditions will be held during the first couple weeks of January. Eligible students are enthusiastic 2-5 graders who can read fluently, enjoy singing and drama, and can memorize their parts on a deadline. Rehearsals will be held weekly after school and more often in the 2 weeks before our performance.

Please reach out to me via email or phone with questions, comments or concerns. I can’t wait to get to know your children better this year and to work creatively with you all!

Sincerely yours,

Michaela Searfoorce