The Brickton Weekly, March 20, 2015

Thank You Corner

Thank you so much to the Trinity Irish Dancers for coming to Brickton to perform for us and spread their St. Patrick’s Day cheer.  A special thanks to Ellie Arnoldt, Baito Sarkiss, Liadan Sarkiss, Francesca Sarkiss and Stanley Sarkiss, current students, for dancing and alum Samara Perkinson for serving as the Show Captain. Enjoy a few pictures below of our festive day!

Big Leap Slide Show

Thank you again for all of those that came out to Brickton’s annual gala event, The Big Leap.  Enjoy a slide show of pictures from the night.  Thank you to Mark Treppa for the great photos.

Spring Break

Monday, March 23 through Friday, March 27 is Spring Break at Brickton. Please help us plan for the week by telling us if your child will be attending. For students currently registered for our full day program, there is no additional charge. All others may attend if they are pre-registered.  The fee is $50 per day.  Please RSVP to kelly.mcdermott@brickton.org

Brickton Reads

How about a new school vacation tradition that is bound to pay off?  It's called The Book on the Bed. This idea comes from the Family Reading Partnership and Ask Amy (Chicago Tribune) as a grassroots literacy campaign.  Their goal was to "raise a generation of readers." It was inspired by the author David McCullough who woke to a wrapped book on his bed every Christmas morning during childhood.  Here’s how it works for your Spring Break:

1. Choose a book.

2. Wrap it.

3. Place it on your child’s bed so it's the first thing he/she sees to kick off your vacation

What a great new tradition!   

Upcoming Events

Spring Break Club Days, Monday March 23 – Friday, March 27

School Resumes, Monday, March 30

School Closed – Spring Friday, Friday, April 3

Pizza Lunch, Friday, April 10

Parent Appreciation Breakfast, Thursday, April 16, 8:00am

Board Meeting, Thursday, April 16, 7:00 – 9:00pm

In School Celebration – Room 101, Friday, April 17, 8:30am

Brickton Bowling Bash, Saturday, April 18

Hot Dog Lunch, Friday, April 24

In School Celebration – Room 106, Friday, May 1, 8:30am

Fine Arts Night, Thursday, May 7, 7:00pm

Friends of Brickton Day and Art Expo, Friday, May 8

Staff Appreciation Breakfast, Tuesday, May 12, 8:00 – 10:00am

Brickton Kids Fun Run and 5K, Saturday, May 1, 9:00 –10:30am

Board Meeting – Annual Meeting, Thursday, May 21, 7:00 – 9:00pm

Club Day – Records Day, Friday, May 21

School Closed – Memorial Day, Monday, May 25

Hot Dog Lunch, Friday, May 29

Peace Picnic, Friday, May 29, 5:30pm

Last Day of School, Thursday, June 4

Graduation/Promotion Ceremony, Thursday, June 4, 7:00pm

The Brickton Weekly, March 13, 2015

Thank You Corner

We want to thank everyone for their support of our annual gala event, The Big Leap.  There were countless hours of volunteer service that went into making it such a fun and successful event! Want to see all the fun? Pictures will be headlining next week’s newsletter as well as the bulletin board. 

Brickton’s Cross Country Team in Montessori Life

Montessori Life Magazine’s Spring 2015 issue includes an article on the Montessori Tri-Meet with Brickton, Roger’s Park, and Chiaravalle Montessori Schools.  You can read the article here.

Brickton Reads

While some were watching various celebrity awards ceremonies, Brickton Reads took note of the recent Newberry and Caldecott book awards.  The prize-winning books appeal to a wide range of children and their parents.  As you plan your Spring Break reading, take a look at the list of winners. You might call your library to reserve these books since these awards make them very popular!

An inside tip from Brickton Reads:  The Caldecott award went to The Adventures of Beekle: The Unimaginary Friend written and illustrated by Dan Santan (Little Brown).  This story as described in Reading Rockets "is a sweet story of an as yet unimagined (by a real child) imaginary friend. Even young children will get this unique story of friendship which is made even more accessible through well composed, appealing, and sensitive illustrations – a true visual experience for readers."  Liz Skrodzki, Brickton's Reading Specialist, got to hear the book’s author and illustrator speak last Sunday. Santan revealed that he is already under contract and in the process of making "Beekle" into a movie – so look for this in the near future! Santan is also the illustrator of the Ricky Ricotta series, a popular choice for Lower Elementary students.

Conferences

Next Friday, March 20, is set aside for parent conferences.  If you have not already done so, please check the bulletin board outside your student’s classroom to sign up for an appointment.  Care is available for your student during the conference.

Club Day Friday March 20

Friday, March 20 is a Club Day at Brickton. Please help us plan for the day by telling us if your child will be attending. For students currently registered for our full day program, there is no additional charge. All others may attend if they are pre-registered.  The fee for the day is $50.  Please RSVP to kelly.mcdermott@brickton.org

Upcoming Events

Manna Orders Due, Friday, March 13

Club Day, Friday, March 20

Parent/Teacher Conferences, Friday, March 20

Spring Break Club Days, Monday March 23 – Friday, March 27

School Resumes, Monday, March 30

School Closed – Spring Friday, Friday, April 3

Pizza Lunch, Friday, April 10

Parent Appreciation Breakfast, Thursday, April 16, 8:00am

Board Meeting, Thursday, April 16, 7:00 – 9:00pm

In School Celebration – Room 101, Friday, April 17, 8:30am

Brickton Bowling Bash, Saturday, April 18

Hot Dog Lunch, Friday, April 24

In School Celebration – Room 106, Friday, May 1, 8:30am

Fine Arts Night, Thursday, May 7, 7:00pm

Friends of Brickton Day and Art Expo, Friday, May 8

Staff Appreciation Breakfast, Tuesday, May 12, 8:00 – 10:00am

Brickton Kids Fun Run and 5K, Saturday, May 1, 9:00 –10:30am

Board Meeting – Annual Meeting, Thursday, May 21, 7:00 – 9:00pm

Club Day – Records Day, Friday, May 21

School Closed – Memorial Day, Monday, May 25

Hot Dog Lunch, Friday, May 29

Peace Picnic, Friday, May 29, 5:30pm

Last Day of School, Thursday, June 4

Graduation/Promotion Ceremony, Thursday, June 4, 7:00pm

The Brickton Weekly, March 5, 2015

Thank You Corner

We’d like to extend a big thank you to Malina (RM 100/102), Stefan (RM 101) and their mother, Betty Boduch, for their support touring prospective families at our Open House last Sunday.Thank you as well to the Mull and Duffy families for encouraging friends to visit and learn more about our school.  There is no better advertisement than your confidence in the education for life your children receive at Brickton.

Club Day Tomorrow

Tomorrow, Friday, March 6 is a Club Day at Brickton. Please help us plan for the day by telling us if your child will be attending. For students currently registered for our full day program, there is no additional charge. All others may attend if they are pre-registered.  The fee for the day is $50.Please RSVP to kelly.mcdermott@brickton.org

The Big Leap Is This Saturday!

This Saturday is Brickton’s annual benefit dinner and auction.  Come out in support of our wonderful school and join the community is celebrating Brickton together.

Saturday, March 7, 6:30 – 10:30 pm

Banquets by Moretti's (upstairs): 6733 N. Olmstead Chicago 60631

Classroom Projects for our Live Auction!

We have an exciting selection of classroom projects designed and created by our students in each classroom.  See the photos below for a sneak peak at the beautiful projects available for auction exclusively at the Big Leap.

Bears Tickets Raffle!

Win two tickets to the home game of your choice! With only 100 tickets sold, the odds are great!  Get your raffle ticket for $20 in the office today.

Silent Auction Online Now

Once again this year, the Silent Auction portion of the Big Leap Fundraiser is online via BiddingForGood.com. Brickton has its very own auction page loaded with amazing items and new ones being added throughout the auction! Click here to visit our online auction now! The bidding ends TONIGHT – Thursday – at 10:30pm.

Brickton Reads

The American Education Association has designated Dr. Seuss’ birthday, March 2, to celebrate Read Across America Day.  TJ Bucaro, sitting in the lovely Dr. Seuss rocking chair created by our own Dotty Schweitzer, exudes the great affection that people of all ages have for Dr. Seuss.  When Brickton staff were asked to name a favorite book from childhood, Dr. Seuss was the most popular author, because he is FUN! Only four of his 46 books are in prose while all his others rhyme with delightful wordplay. So pull out your Dr. Seuss books and share the joy.  And remember, as Dr. Seuss tells us: "The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more you learn, the more places you'll go."  And be sure to check out the rocking chair in the silent auction at The Big Leap.

Upcoming Events

Club Day, Friday, March 6– Records Day

The Big Leap, Saturday, March 7, 6:30pm, 6733 N. Olmstead Chicago 60631

In School Celebration – Room 100/102, Friday, March 13, 8:30am

Pizza Lunch, Friday, March 13

Manna Orders Due, Friday, March 13

Club Day – Parent/Teacher Conferences, Friday, March 20

Spring Break – Club Days, Monday March 23 – Friday, March 27

School Resumes, Monday, March 30

School Closed – Spring Friday, Friday, April 3

Pizza Lunch, Friday, April 10

Parent Appreciation Breakfast, Thursday, April 16, 8:00am

Board Meeting, Thursday, April 16, 7:00 – 9:00pm

In School Celebration – Room 101, Friday, April 17, 8:30am

Brickton Bowling Bash, Saturday, April 18

Hot Dog Lunch, Friday, April 24

In School Celebration – Room 106, Friday, May 1, 8:30am