The Brickton Weekly, October 10, 2014

Thank You Corner

Thank you to Meg Ricard and Colleen Lembo, mother and grandmother of Sean (Room 107) and Ella (Room 104) for helping the children in room 107 re-pot many of their plants. It was a wonderfully educational and fun experience for the children.

Thank you very much to Meg Ricard (mother of Sean (Room 107) and Ella (Room 104)) and Lauren Zureikat (mother of Juliyana (Room 103)) for your help with picture day ensuring the process ran so smoothly.

Taste of Montessori

Please join us to get a taste of what it’s like in your child’s classroom and to meet other families.  The families will meet in the Great Room for a potluck dinner from 5-6pm, then move into the classroom to join the students to work until 7pm. Toddler families will meet in the classroom for an hour of work and snack time with their child.  Check the list below to Save the Date for your child’s Taste of Montessori. 

Room 107: Tuesday, October 14^th

Room 100/102: Tuesday, October 21^st

Room 104: Thursday, October 23^rd

Room 103: Tuesday, October 28^th  

Trunker Treating

Brickton will celebrate Halloween on Friday, October 31^st with a costume parade and Trunker Treating.  Once the children have completed the parade route through the school and the Red Mane offices, Trunker Treating will begin.  Participating parents will park their cars in the main parking lot with their car trunks open where they will keep Halloween treat for the students.  Use the same consideration as for the classroom treats, especially by providing treats which do not contain nuts.  Expect about 120 TrunkerTreaters.  In case of rain, Trunker Treating will take place in the Great room. If you choose to decorate your car, please do so prior to the parade. There is only a moment or two between the end of the parade through the great room to the beginning of trunker treating for the head of the line. If you are interested, please RSVP with Kelly at kelly.mcdermott@brickton.org or Sara in the office.

An Exciting Opportunity

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be on the set of the filming of a real live music video?!?!  Or, better yet...  BE IN A MUSIC VIDEO?!?!  Well, here is your chance!  
POOCHAMUNGAS will be shooting a music video for their song Bah Humbug Halloween and they are inviting all Brickton students to be a part of the experience!
When: This coming Saturday, October 11th
Time: 1:00 p.m. - ? (plan to spend a couple of hours)
Where: 5500 W. Cullom in Chicago (on the block of the Somers' family home)
Pizza and beverages will be served.
**Students should come dressed in their Halloween costume (preferably not trademarked). Ghosts, monsters, heros, princesses, pirates, etc.**

A Letter From the Board

On behalf of the Board of Directors, I am pleased to welcome you back to school.  Brickton’s Board of Directors has three main leadership roles:  fiduciary (oversight and assessment of the school mission and finances), strategic (planning focused on a 2-5 year time frame), and generative (developing and sharing a vision for the future of the school).

Brickton’s Head of School (HOS), Cheryl LaCost, and the Administrative Staff lead the day-to-day operations of the school. The board is not involved in decisions regarding student admission, curriculum development, or faculty and staff hiring and evaluation. The board hires and appoints the HOS, evaluates HOS performance annually, and partners with the HOS to help deliver Brickton’s mission.

Brickton’s board operates via a committee structure. There are currently seven committees:   executive, nominating, operations, marketing, gifting, finance, and community.  The board also appoints ad hoc task forces as needed to address specific topics such as technology.  These committees are chaired by a board member and comprised of parents, staff, and the HOS.

The full board meets at least five times during each school year. Typically, committees meet monthly. Their agenda is set by our current strategic plan, direction from the executive committee, and emerging needs of the school. The committees perform significant work aligned to the strategic plan and make recommendations for consideration by the entire board. All policy decisions and major expenditures are discussed and voted on by the entire board. All meetings of the full board are open to any members of the community. Please check the family calendar and the Brickton Weekly for meeting dates and times if you would like to attend.

During 2014-2015, the board will launch an effort to develop Brickton’s next strategic plan.  The strategic plan will articulate our vision and chart the path to help us reach it.  As part of this work it is critical that we obtain the feedback of a wide variety of members within our community.

If you would like to be interviewed by a member of the board in support of our strategic planning efforts or volunteer to serve on a board committee, please send me an email at bmsboardpresident@brickton.org.

I look forward to hearing from you and working with you to ensure Brickton’s continued success.

Best Regards,

David Anthony

President, Board of Directors

Brickton Reads

'Tis the season to put the Boo into Books!  Lower E. students are requesting Edgar Allen Poe for their Reading Team.  This is not a good option for this age group:  far too dark and disturbing.  But we will find something that captures the spirit of the season and their keen interest! Some kids like spooky stories, and some are terrified.  All can find great reads this time of year because nearly every popular book character has a Halloween edition: Biscuit, Clifford, Curious George, Fancy Nancy, and, of course, Charlie Brown.   For the next level of readers there are Halloween chapter books:  Horrible Harry, Amelia Bedelia, the Littles, Magic Tree House and all the mystery series! The DragonBreath #5 book has a GREAT Halloween story for kids and adults.  These seasonal editions are worth your book dollars because kids can return to these books year after year. When you pull out the decorations the books reappear. You can talk about how your little "pumpkin" has grown in reading tastes!  And more importantly, when your child makes friends with a literary character, especially at an early age, it is really fun to have a visit now and then.  Halloween, Thanksgiving and all holiday books are a great investment.  

For the youngest readers, now is a great time to enjoy fun-filled digraphs.  Check it out:  wh, ch, sh and th are everywhere!  Point out these letter combinations and have your child say the single sound in witch, chills, thrills and shiver. 

Upcoming Events

Pizza Lunch, Friday, October 10^th

Manna Orders Due, Friday, October 10^th

Cross Country Sectionals, Saturday, October 11^th, Busse Woods, 9:15 check-in

School Closed – In-service Day, Monday, October 13^th

Room 107: Taste of Montessori, Tuesday, October 14^th, 5:00-7:00pm

Board Meeting, Thursday, October 16^th, 7:00-9:00pm

Cross Country State Finals, Saturday, October 18^th, Springfield, IL

Operation Child Find, Monday, October 20^th – Tuesday, October 21^st

Cross Country Montessori Tri-Meet, Monday, October 20^th, 4:00 pm Winnemac Park with Rogers Park and Chiaravalle

Upper Elementary: Taste of Montessori, Tuesday, October 21^st, 5:00-7:00pm

Toddler: Taste of Montessori, Thursday, October 23^rd, 5:00-6:00pm

Manna Orders Due, Friday, October 24^th

Hot Dog Lunch, Friday, October 24^th

Room 103: Taste of Montessori, Tuesday, October 28^th, 5:00-7:00pm

Trunker Treating, Friday, October 31^st, 8:30am

Club Day, Friday, November 7^th

Open House, Sunday, November 9^th, 10:00am – 12:30pm

Pizza Lunch, Friday, November 14^th

Club Day, Friday, November 21^st

Manna Orders Due, Friday, November 21^st

School Closed – Thanksgiving, Thursday, November 27^th – Friday, November 28^th