Nothing brings hearts and minds together like a good book shared!

The month of February is all about love, inclusion and friendship here at St. Stephen's and St. Agnes. And nothing brings hearts and minds together like a good book shared.

With Valentine's Day around the corner, the theme is Love and Kisses.  I've also included some quick fun activities and a video to accompany a great story written by Scott Campbell, Hug Machine.  You may find these and many more books in Sinclair Library at the Lower School or visit your local library or bookshop. Enjoy!

Magic Enhances One’s Creativity and Problem Solving Ability

Learning and honing a magic trick or effect is a journey. You read the instructions and try it out with someone and then someone else and another person and you start to learn what works and what doesn’t work for both you and your audience. What are those touches that you can add that will make it more mysterious or amusing or entertaining? When I teach my 5th grade students a trick I am very clear about how I’d like it to be done. But sometimes the way I perform it won’t work for them so we brainstorm different approaches and methods. And once they perfect it I then tell them to do it entirely their own way, to personalize their “patter” or stories, to try something new with the same props. And they come up with so many great ideas that I will often borrow them and use them in my own performances!

Mr. Weiman brings you magic through video!

I have been teaching magic for over 25 years, and I have seen it be a transformative experience for so many kids of different ages, temperaments, interests, and backgrounds. I began learning magic when I was five years old, and I started delving deeply into it when I was in 5th grade. As I performed for friends, classmates, and family I loved the effect that it had on others.

Today, magic is an important part of my own life as I teach it to students at St. Stephen's and St. Agnes and perform it during school assemblies and while walking through our school buildings. In place of being together on campus, I will be sharing some magic tricks through video. Read on for tricks and reasons for learning magic...there just may be some tutorials coming through as well.