The Brickton Weekly, December 6, 2012

Getting to Know You: Each week this section will highlight one staff member and what inspired them to pursue working in a Montessori environment.

Kathy Hummel, Music, Band, and Chorus Teacher
I learned about Montessori in one of my psychology classes in college and knew that I wanted my children to learn that way. I began teaching in a Montessori school when the principal of the school my children attended asked me if I was familiar with Orff Schulwerk and if I would be willing to start a music program at the school. The philosophies of Carl Orff and Maria Montessori are very similar and the two methods work well together. I enjoy working in a Montessori school because the children are involved in their own learning and the focus is on helping them develop into independent, life-long learners.

Dr. Betsy Coe at Brickton
Thursday, December 13^th, 5:30-6:30p.m. Room 106

Please join us for a wonderful parent development opportunity.  AMS Living Legacy, Dr. Betsy Coe, will talk with parents about Adolescent Development with tips and strategies for raising your teenage child.  Care and dinner for students will be provided at no cost, but please RSVP with Sara in the front office so we can plan accordingly.

Volunteer Spotlight: Breakfast With Santa Edition

Breakfast With Santa was so much fun and a very successful event for the Brickton community.  We would like to extend a gracious thank you to all those that volunteered their time to help ensure the event’s success.  First, thank you to all of you who baked for the bake sale.  The goodies were delicious and sold out fast!  Thanks to Elisa Sarkiss, Deb DeYoung, Deb Schmidt, Diane Grassi, Susan and Jon Urbanski, Rachel Means, Elizabeth Vasquez, LaDonna Taylor and many staff members for all your help during the event.  A special thanks are due to Joe Somers for setting up and letting us use his camera equipment.  The photos with Santa have a professional quality that would not have been otherwise attainable.  Finally, special thanks to Anna Olech for her donation of the beautiful table arrangements which added a lovely ambiance to Breakfast with Santa.  Anna is the mother of Lower Elementary student, Natalie Olech; she is the owner of Krystyna's Flowers, located at 5209 W. Belmont, phone 773-286-8699 

Reminders:

Parent/Teacher Conferences and Club Day, Tomorrow, Friday, December 7th

Bring In Your Boxtops!

We are sending in a batch of Box Tops, please submit them by December 17th to be included in this round.

Scholastic Book Fair, Monday, December 10^th – Thursday December 13^th

Our Scholastic Book Fair is next week.  In preparation for this Book Fair, we are asking for volunteers to help set up on Sunday, December 9, at 11:00 AM.  It is not a huge job but requires as much help as possible.  With enough help, the work is over in about 45 minutes.  This is such a successful fund raiser for our Upper Elementary students, and it all begins with an setting up an inviting display up of books.  If you would like to volunteer, please email John (john.huber@brickton.org) in the 9-12 classroom. 

Holiday Cookie Exchange

Spread some delicious holiday cheer and join us for the Brickton Cookie Exchange.  On the last day of school before Winter Break, December 21^st, at 8:30 am, bring around 3 dozen cookies and exchange with other parents and Brickton staff members.  This is a great way to feed your holiday sweet tooth with a wonderful variety of holiday treats.  Don’t forget your empty container to store your cookies!

Featured Blog: Middle School from Nature’s Classroom
The Middle School Class is up in Mukwanago, Wisconsin, at Nature’s Classroom Institute.  As a way of checking in with the students and introducing some of you to the NCI program, we are featuring a blog entry from the Middle School sent out yesterday.  To access the blog, you will need to enter the password ‘partnership’. (http://middleschoolprogram.posterous.com/engineering-and-other-highlights)