The Brickton Weekly, May 2, 2013

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

Patricia Cribben, Children’s House Assistant

I have been a proud employee of Brickton for 18 years, since January 1995.  I became interested in Brickton when I was I college studying psychology and was a nanny part-time for a friend with triplets.  I have worn many hats here at Brickton: volunteer, After School Assistant, Classroom Assistant, and, as of 2008, a Children’s House floater.  My hobbies include art, music, and spending time with my dogs Precious and Shadow.

Volunteer Spotlight

You may have noticed or heard that we have a new basketball hoop in the Great Room.  We would like to extend a big thank you to Mark Santeforte, husband of gym teacher Kerry, for assembling the hoop and David Degand and John Barrett who helped fill the base with sand and moved cabinets to make a space for basketball.  Thank you, gentlemen. 

Runaway Circus Visit

This summer, we have many exciting programs as part of our Summer Camp at Brickton.  One of those programs, Runaway Circus, came to visit this week.  The elementary students received a preview of skills to learn during the Runaway Circus week.  Click here to learn more about Runaway Circus.  You can find out about all the Brickton Summer Camp Programs here.

Brickton Students Being Published

The Elementary and Middle School programs here at Brickton have attended field trips at Open Books, for a creative writing workshop this year where the students worked on their own creative fiction short story.  As a celebration of their 10^th year anniversary, Open Books is publishing an anthology of student created work and four Brickton students pieces have been selected for inclusion in the anthology.  Congratulations Amelia Dolly, Josh Plier, Niamh Duffy, and Tyler Flechs!   

In addition, four Brickton students are being published in Young American Poetry Digest.  This year, the digest highlights haiku poems.  Upper Elementary students Amelia Dolly, Vivian Natura, Ellie Arnoldt, and Simone Leinenweber submitted great work that we are thrilled to announce was accepted for publication.  Congratulation! 

Click this link, or scroll down in the blog to see the students’ submissions. 

After-school Special

During a discussion in one of the Lower Elementary reading teams, one of the students expressed an interest in starting a book club at school.  She wrote a proposal and gave it to Cheryl. 

It was approved and we would like to announce Brickton's first ever After School Book Club!  It will meet for the next 5 Wednesday afternoons (May 1st through May 29th) from 3:05pm until 4:00pm.  We will be reading Falling Up by Shel Silverstein this session.  Selena Brosnan will be the adult consultant.  The students will engage in discussions about writer's intent, their opinions of the book and other literary aspects. 

The book club is open to Lower or Upper Elementary students who love to read!   The members can read the book independently or ask for help from a family member, depending on their reading level so anyone can join.  The cost will be $10 for the 5 week session.  Though the session has already started, you can still join.  Members will be expected to supply their own book.  If you need help locating a copy of the book, please let Selena know. 

Please stop in the office to sign up for this exciting adventure in reading!

Upcoming Events

Manna Orders Due, Friday, May 3rd

Pizza Lunch, Friday, May 3rd
Scholastic Book Orders Due, May 6th

Parent Alliance Meeting, Monday, May 6th, 5:45 pm – 7:00 pm; Care and dinner provided

Board Meeting, Wednesday, May 8th, 7:00 pm

Oberweiss, Thursday, May 9th, 101 S. Northwest Hwy., Park Ridge, IL 60068.  Here’s the coupon.

Band/Choral Concert, Thursday, May 9th, Salvation Army Headquarters, 8354 W. Foster Ave

Friends of Brickton Day, Friday, May 10th

Art Expo, Saturday, May 11th, 10:00 – 12:00.

Celebration Honoring Debbie Kelley & Judy Beyer, Saturday, May 11th, 11:00 am

Staff Appreciation Day, Thursday, May 16th

Cultural Fair, Friday, May 17th

Club Day, Friday, May 24th

Memorial Day, School Closed, Monday, May 27th

Peace Picnic, Friday, May 31st

Last Day of School, Thursday, June 6th

Graduation and Promotion Ceremony, Thursday, June 6th, 7:00 – 8:30 pm, Irish American Heritage Center, Erin Room

Brickton Student's Creative Writing

Marie At The Lifetime Resort and Water Park

By:  Niamh Duffy

One day my dad said, "Hey guys!  Want a fish?"  "OK, Dad, sure thing, Dad, thanks!" I said.  I was so happy, and I named it Marie.  Marie looked like a splatter of blue paint.  She reminds me of sushi.  She ate my brother's fish's tail off.  My brother was very sad.  I always watch her after school. 

Doodle Land

by Josh Plier

Once upon a time, there was a giant white world called Doodle Land.  In this place, there were colorful people, characters, animals and things beyond your wildest imagination.  When you get there, you hear noises of every kind: laughter, sadness, joy and even excitement.  There are creatures everywhere talking to each other in their own language, saying anything whether you understand them or not.  Feeling them can be very different.  If you feel Wreck-It-Ralph, you feel sharp pointy pixels.  If you feel Mario, it will depend.  But now someone has invented the Doomageddon, a doodle who is always up to no good.  In Doodle Land there's a machine far away from all the Doodles.  It controls and creates all the doodles.  One day, the inventor went and found the machine.  He pulled one lever and made all the doodles in Doodle Land black and white.  Without their colors, the doodles will lose their personalities.  So Kirby, the little pink character in Mario, went to the machine and created the most powerful doodle in all of Doodle Land.  His name was Mr. Josh Strong Arm.  He was brave, strong, handsome, had his weight under control, and was courageous.  He and the Doomageddon fought to the death.  The Doomageddon has an electric whip and Mr. Josh Strong Arm had his fists.  Soon they were fighting: left, right, up, down, side to side, kicking, punching, yelling.  Soon Josh and Doom were dead.  After that, Kirby went back to the machine and remade Mr. Josh Strong Arm.  Mr. Josh Strong Arm and the doodle lived happily ever after.

The Hollys

by Amelia Dolly

Once upon a time, there was a family.  Their last name was Holly.  There was Lily Holly, Greg Holly, Sydney Holly, Gretchin Holly and Olga Holly.  They had a bunch of family in Birmingham, Alabama.  They went to Alabama to celebrate Christmas and sang songs and had a fun time.  They went every year to celebrate and get a lot of presents. 

It was hard to go to sleep because of the 1,000 crickets.  They were all very happy and played with animals all day except for in the morning.  They were very grumpy because they couldn't go to sleep.  Then Lily had an idea to sleep in earmuffs so they could go to sleep and it worked.  They sang and danced and played with their cousins and had a good time and celebrated.  They had a bunch of good nights.  Then they had a big feast and were getting enough sleep.

Amelia Dolly (4th grade) and Vivian Natura (5th grade)

Music

Soothing, relaxing

Different kinds of music

Fun to listen to

Ellie Arnoldt (5th grade) and Simone Leinenweber (6th grade)

Rain

Rain falling to earth

Water dripping on the dirt

Footprints sinking in

Flowers

Day by day it grows

Into a beautiful rose

Blooming all over

Music

Fills your heart with joy

Helps you express your feelings

Inspires people

My Dearest Nintendo

By Tyler Flechs

(Click picture to see a larger version)

The Brickton Weekly, April 26, 2013

We would like to extend a big Thank You to the entire Brickton community for the patienceand flexibility shown in response to the flooding last week.  Thank you for your many kind offers to help.  

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

Melonie Arroyo, Toddler Assistant

I walked into Brickton for the first time 12 years ago.  At the time the Montessori theory was unfamiliar territory to me, but it did not take long to figure out the outstanding educational experience it delivers.  Now 12 years later, I have had the pleasure of receiving my Montessori birth to three training, and am currently directing the Parent-Infant course.  As a part of the Brickton staff I feel I am part of a greater purpose.  Personally, the most important part of our purpose is to help the children find their love for learning.  I look forward to seeing what the years ahead of us will bring.

After School Cooking! (A Special Post From Upper Elementary Students Mica Barrett and Lucas Hansen)

In afterschool, once a month, we do food preparation. Food prep is when we all come together, and, as a group, we make one big meal or dish.  We vote on what food to make, and then we decide what ingredients we need.  We have a sign-up sheet to figure out who will bring them in. Last time we had tacos, but this week we had breakfast.  We made omelets, French toast and pancakes.  Each person chose two things to make.  We chopped, mixed, measured, and cooked all on our own.  We had chocolate chips for the pancakes.  There was bacon, sausage, and cheese for the omelets.  We had two kinds of bread for the French toast.  Then, we made them and ate them.  It was a lot of fun and we like doing it! Thanks to Megan for directing us while we cooked.  Also, thanks to our parents for helping us get the ingredients.

Totally Revamped Brickton Summer Camp!  Check out our new and improved Enrichment Program with expert instructors. You can register by-the-week, or for the whole summer.  Some of our highlights for the elementary program include:

The RunawayCircus

Mad Science

Clowning with Oliver!

Click here for a description of classes by week for Children’s House and Elementary.

Middle School and alums can join us for DiscoverChicago and the Junior Counselor program. 

Volunteer Spotlight

Lisa Spragia, mother of Middle School student Celeste Wrezel, does a great service for our community every week by providing the classroom animals with the yummy bugs and worms they need.  Thank you, Lisa, for your care of our special friends.

Thanks to Joe Somers, who valiantly tried to fix the pencil sharpener in Lower Elementary and Mike Messina who installed the replacement sharpener.   

The morning of our flooding, Phil Moran and John Barrett were able to spare a couple hours and provided manpower and wet/dry vacs to help with the clean-up.  Many thanks for your  help getting the school cleaned up..

Upcoming Events

Manna Orders Due, Friday, May 3^rd

Pizza Lunch, Friday, May 3^rd

Parent Alliance Meeting, Monday, May 6^th, 5:45 pm – 7:00 pm; Care and dinner provided

Board Meeting, Wednesday, May 8^th, 7:00 pm

Oberweiss, Thursday, May 9^th, 101 S. Northwest Hwy., Park Ridge, IL 60068.  Here’s the coupon.

Band/Choral Concert, Thursday, May 9^th, Salvation Army Headquarters, 8354 W. Foster Ave

Friends of Brickton Day, Friday, May 10^th

Art Expo, Saturday, May 11^th, 10:00 – 12:00.

Celebration Honoring Debbie Kelley & Judy Beyer, Saturday, May 11^th, 11:00 am

Staff Appreciation Day, Thursday, May 16^th

Cultural Fair, Friday, May 17^th

Club Day, Friday, May 24^th

Memorial Day, School Closed, Monday, May 27^th

Peace Picnic, Friday, May 31^st

Last Day of School, Thursday, June 6^th

Graduation and Promotion Ceremony, Thursday, June 6^th, 7:00 – 8:30 pm, Irish American Heritage Center, Erin Room 

The Brickton Weekly, April 19, 2013

Flood Update:

As you know, the heavy rains cause flooding at Brickton.  Four classrooms, the main office and business office were affected.  The staff here at Brickton has been working very hard to make sure that things get cleaned up while still providing care to the students that need to be at school.  The building management has brought in cleaning crews and contractors to us and our goal is to reopen for a regular school day on Monday.  Thanks to everyone for your understanding and patience while we get things back in order.  We will send out a school wide email regarding Monday’s schedule as soon as possible.

Hot Dog Lunch – Rescheduled  Today would have been Hot Dog Lunch.  We know how much the students enjoy it, and have tentatively rescheduled  for Monday, April 22^nd. 

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

Shobhana Kamani, Children’s House Volunteer

Shobhana Kumani, a former parent, has volunteered at Brickton over the last few months.  She has lived in the neighborhood around Brickton for over 30 years and felt it was time to give something back.  She works with the Children’s House on special projects and material making. Her daughter, who attended Children’s House, is now a Montessori teacher in Texas! Shobhana is very happy to be here.  Please help us welcome her to  our community.

New Blog Site

You may notice that our blog looks different.  We have switched to a new blog platform, posthaven.com, as our previous blog platform, posterous.com, is shutting down the end of the month.  Thank you for following the classroom blog.  We enjoy sharing our experiences with you. 

Friends of Brickton Day, Friday, May 10^th at 8:00 a.m.

Please have your child invite a "Special Friend" to visit Brickton - Grandparent, Aunt or Uncle, Neighbor, etc.  Your guest will enjoy breakfast in the Great Room and then time in the classroom with your child.  Please check your Parent Folder for an invitation that you can mail to your guest.

Please join us in honoring Debbie Kelley and Judy Beyer

For a lifetime of dedicated service to the students and families of Brickton Montessori School

Saturday, May 11^th, 2013

11:00 pm - The Great Room

The ceremony will be led by students and will coincide with the Art Expo.

Upcoming Events

Middle School to Nature’s Classroom, April 15^th – 19^th

Information Coffee, Thursday, April 18^th, 9:00 – 10:00 am – For families interested in Brickton

Hot Dog Lunch, Tentatively rescheduled to Monday, April, 22^nd

Pizza Lunch, Friday, May 5^th

Manna Orders Due, Friday, May 3^rd

Parent Alliance Meeting, Monday, May 6^th, 5:45 pm – 7:00 pm; Care and dinner provided

Board Meeting, Wednesday, May 8^th, 7:00 pm

Band/Choral Concert, Thursday, May 9^th, Salvation Army Headquarters, 8354 W. Foster Ave

Friends of Brickton Day, Friday, May 10^th

Art Expo, Saturday, May 11^th, 10:00 – 12:00.

Celebration Honoring Debbie Kelley & Judy Beyer, Saturday, May 11^th, 11:00 am

The Brickton Weekly, April 13, 2013

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

Jacqueline Toro, After School Coordinator

I came to Brickton in August1999 as a Floating Assistant.  I had heard about Montessori from friends.  I came to my interview and was awed with all I saw and heard. Having a daughter myself, I was not just interested in working here, but also having her come to school here.

I started in Kathleen Kasser's room and floated to other classrooms after awhile.  Just like the kids, I enjoyed every work I saw the teachers present.  Two and a half months later, and after lots of research, I decided to have my daughter attend Brickton.

I've gotten to know all the teachers along the way and have enjoyed working with them in their classroom.  Thirteen years later, my child that has gone through the Brickton program graduated. I am beyond grateful and happy that I chose many years ago to come work here and grow with the children and the families.

New Blog Site

You may notice that our blog looks different this week.  We have switched to a new blog platform, posthaven.com, as our previous blog platform, posterous.com, is shutting down the end of the month.  Thank you for following the classroom blog.  We enjoy sharing our experiences with you. 

Brickton's Annual Bowling Bash – Tomorrow!

Join the Brickton community for a fun-filled afternoon of Cosmic Bowling!

Brunswick Zone - 7333 Milwaukee Avenue in Niles

Saturday, April 13^th, 11:30 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.

$15 per person - includes bowling, shoe rental and lunch.  Tickets can be purchased in the main office.

Friends of Brickton Day, Friday, May 10^th at 8:00 a.m.

Please have your child invite a "Special Friend" to visit Brickton - Grandparent, Aunt or Uncle, Neighbor, etc.  Your guest will enjoy breakfast in the Great Room and then time in the classroom with your child.  Please check your Parent Folder for an invitation that you can mail to your guest.

Please join us in honoring Debbie Kelley and Judy Beyer

For a lifetime of dedicated service to the students and families of Brickton Montessori School

Saturday, May 11^th, 2013

11:00 pm - The Great Room

The ceremony will be led by students and will coincide with the Art Expo.

Upcoming Events

Bowling Bash, Saturday, April 13^th 11:30am – 2:00 p.m., Brunswick Zone, 7333 Milwaukee Ave, Niles

Middle School to Nature’s Classroom, April 15^th – 19^th

Information Coffee, Thursday, April 18^th, 9:00 – 10:00 am – For families interested in Brickton

Hot Dog Lunch, Friday, April 19^th

Manna Orders Due, Friday, April 19^th

Open House, Sunday, April 21^st, 10:00 am – 12:30 pm - For families interested in Brickton

Pizza Lunch, Friday, May 5^th

Manna Orders Due, Friday, May 3^rd

Parent Alliance Meeting, Monday, May 6^th, 5:45 pm – 7:00 pm; Care and dinner provided

Band/Choral Concert, Thursday, May 10^th, Salvation Army Headquarters, 8354 W. Foster Ave

Friends of Brickton Day, Friday, May 11^th

Art Expo, Saturday, May 11^th, 10:00 – 12:00.

Celebration Honoring Debbie Kelley & Judy Beyer, Saturday, May 11^th, 11:00 am