Announcements

               Our Chorus and Violin Ensembles will be performing
                    on Dec. 4th at the LAKEVIEW AUCTION
          and on Dec. 17th on the school's stage at 8:45 and 9:30 a.m.
                      and again that evening at 7 p.m.
               at Grace Baptist Church on east Bee Ridge Rd.
           
I am so very happy to be at Lakeview again this year. All students in
kindergarten through fifth grade participate in lessons in my classroom. They
sing, dance, play instruments, listen to music, discuss it, read and write
music, and help each other cooperate in learning more about where we live as
well as the cultures of other places in the world.

This year, students are studying music and art from many places but will
especially focus on the theme of WE ARE FAMILY. The art teacher and I have 
applied for several grants to help fund this project. Our second graders put 
on a show, CENTRAL AMERICA FIESTA, for the rest of the school last spring 
with some of the funds from last year's grants from the Education Foundation 
of Sarasota County. The program was on Earth Day, April 22, 2009, and was 
attended by all of the students and staff at the school as well as parents 
and interested community members, including Mrs. Caroline Zucker, School 
Board member. 

Every year at Lakeview, our third graders study the RECORDER in their general 
music classes. Recorders are vertical flutes which may be purchased at local 
music stores or from the music  department at the school. We sell them at our 
cost plus a few cents to cover shipping.  A student who can't afford to 
purchase one can get one through a scholarship.

Students earn stripes on their recorders as they progress to higher levels of 
achievement.  We appreciate the support of parents in encouraging their 
children to practice, and we also appreciate the parents who have given extra 
dollars to help us provide recorders for children who can't afford them.   

The ADVANCED RECORDER ENSEMBLE meets on Fridays after school during the second
semester. Students who have earned the blue stripe by the end of the first
semester are invited to participate.  Please see the FAQ section of this web 
site for specific information about the recorder program, including a 
complete list of stripes the children can earn. See the RECORDER GALLERY for 
pictures and more information about the Advanced Recorder Ensemble.

Lakeview's ADVANCED RECORDER ENSEMBLE performed again at the annual LaMusica 
Concert in April at the Municipal Auditorium on North Tamiami Trail. All of 
our third graders attended. They also performed the week after that at the 
school's Volunteer Appreciation Breakfast, April 21. As with every time they 
perform, they wore their black and white performance clothing.

Lakeview's fourth and fifth graders go to Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall for
the Sarasota Orchestra Young People's Concert every April. (Sarasota 
Orchestra is the new name for the Florida West Coast Symphony.) We appreciate 
the many things Sarasota Orchestra does for our students. They have a 
comprehensive youth program,including Youth Orchestra,.  Beginners and 
intermediate students meet on Saturday mornings.  Advanced groups meet on 
Monday evenings.  You can contact them to join the Kids' Concert Club, which 
can save your whole family money and give you many valuable activities to 
enjoy together. They also have SUMMER CAMPS for beginners through advanced 
level students and even have adult classes. See the LINKS section of this web 
site for more information about this and other opportunities.

CHORUS and VIOLIN ensembles are again offered to fourth and fifth graders
after school this year, although the deadline to join has passed now. 
Violinists meet on Wednesdays, and Chorus members meet on Thursdays after 
school. Both groups are filled and are not accepting any more applications at 
this time.  Friends in these ensembles are encouraged to get together at home 
to practice their music. Please see the FAQ section of this web site for 
specific information about renting violins and for information about the 
school's late pick-up policy. You can also see the CHORUS GALLERY and STRINGS 
GALLERY on this site for pictures.

All Lakeview music ensembles wear concert clothing for all performances.
     long black pants 
     white shirt/blouse
     dark shoes and socks

Last year's HOLIDAY CONCERT and SPRING CONCERT were at Grace Baptist Church 
on east Bee Ridge Road. THey will be there again this year.  We very much 
appreciate the staff and members of Grace for opening their doors to give us 
such a beautiful venue for our families to enjoy. The flowers, lights, and 
welcoming atmosphere were wonderful. We also want to thank Steve McCoy, 
pianist extraordinaire, for accompanying our chorus's selections. A great 
time was had by all! Performing along with our Chorus and Violin Ensemble 
were Lakeview's first graders. All of the students demonstrated their hard 
work. We are so very proud of them! This year we will perform at Grace again 
on Dec. 17th and May 20th.  Please see the CALENDAR section of this web site 
for more details. Thanks.

I am honored to be a part of Lakeview Elementary School. We have a great
staff from the administration on down. I really hope you will feel free to
contact me if you have questions or suggestions. Your child's education is a
high priority for me.

THANK YOU!
karen_johns@sarasota.k12.fl.us