The Brickton Weekly, March 15, 2012

Featured Blog
Each month we will feature a couple of blogs so that you can see Montessori education in action at Brickton. Discover all the opportunities our students have to develop independence and self-confidence. At our school, students take ownership of their learning with joy. This week, we are featuring Room 107 Children’s House Blog.

childrenshouse107.posterous.com (password: brickton)

The Brickton Ribbit Premiere Issue
The Brickton Ribbit is a newsletter developed and carried out by some of Brickton’s Lower and Upper Elementary students. Check out their first issue, which is all about MONEY! (You will need to sign in to the Family Site.)

You’re Irish Today!
Tomorrow, the world famous Trinity Irish Dancers will be performing at Brickton in honor of St. Patrick’s Day. Not only is this fun and entertaining for all the children, but they get to learn about another culture and learn a few of the moves!

Extracurricular Classes
Are your children experiencing Spring Fever? Sign up now for Extracurricular activities!

The Spring session of extracurricular activities will begin after Spring Break. In addition to Dance and Chess classes, the Community Committee is happy to continue offering clubs. Running Club returns on Mondays now that the weather is warmer. Lego, Gym/Sports, and Art clubs return for another session. Please review the descriptions and register your children to ensure a space in these fun and popular extracurricular activities. See Sara Gregory in the office to register or to ask any questions.

Parent Education Opportunity
Brickton’s Parent Alliance presents a Parent Education Opportunity:

Author Alisa Weinstein will discuss her book Earn It Learn It. Teach your child about the value of money, work, and time well spent. Click here to learn more about the topic.

When: Wednesday, March 21, 6:00 – 8:00 PM
Where: Brickton, Room 105
Cost: $10 per adult (includes the price of the workshop, care for children, and pizza for all)
RSVP to Sara Gregory at sara.gregory@brickton.org

Manna
Manna orders are due this Friday, March 16, with card pick up next Wednesday, March 21. Remember your orders support the Middle School overnight trips while helping pay your tuition.

The Brickton Weekly, March 8, 2012

An Interview with one of Brickton’s Founding Members
25 years ago, when Brickton first opened its doors, it did so with the help and guidance of some very important people, the Founding Members. Each month, we highlight a Founding Member as someone who made a significant impact on our school. To them, we say thank you with appreciation for their courage and spirit.

Parent Education Opportunity
Brickton’s Parent Alliance presents a Parent Education Opportunity:

Author Alisa Weinstein will discuss her book Earn It Learn It. Teach your child about the value of money, work, and time well spent. Click here to learn more about the topic.

When: Wednesday, March 21, 6:00 – 8:00 PM
Where: Brickton, Room 105
Cost: $10 per adult (includes the price of the workshop, care for children, and pizza for all)

RSVP to Sara Gregory at sara.gregory@brickton.org

World’s Finest Chocolate!
Get your chocolate bunnies (Mint Meltaways and Caramel Whirls, too!) just in time for Spring! Check your parent folder today for a catalog and order forms. All items are $6 each and proceeds benefit student field trips.

Order deadline is Tuesday, March 20, and the chocolate will arrive by Monday, April 2.

Upcoming Club Days
Several Club Days are coming soon at the end of March:
Friday, March 23 – Records Day (Club Day)
Monday, March 26-Friday, March 30 – Spring Break (Club Days)

So that we can plan for staffing, please contact Sara Gregory in the main office (773-714-0646 OR sara.gregory@brickton.org) and let her know if your child will be attending these Club Days.

All Full Day students may attend at no additional cost. If your student is in the Core or Half Day program, he or she may attend with pre-registration and payment of $50 per day.

Calendar Change!
The Band and Choral Concert, originally scheduled for Friday, May 11, has been changed to Thursday, May 10, at 7:00 PM. Hope to see you there!

The Brickton Weekly, March 1, 2012

Featured Blog
Each month we will feature a couple of blogs so that you can see Montessori education in action at Brickton. Discover all the opportunities our students have to develop independence and self-confidence. At our school, students take ownership of their learning with joy. This week, we are featuring the Upper Elementary Blog. They have highlighted their project for this year’s Annual Benefit!

upperelementaryprogram.posterous.com (password: brickton)

Only TWO SHORT DAYS until the Big Leap!
There is still time to buy your tickets to this event. We have many surprises in store – you will NOT want to miss this fabulous evening!

• Wine and Dine is back! For $20 you will receive a lovely bottle of wine and a restaurant gift certificate valued at $20-$50. What a bargain!
• Play Heads or Tails and win an Apple iPad2! Or, other great prizes. Buy one “Happy Birthday Brickton” pin for $20 and play three times.
• Bid on your child’s Classroom Art Project (on display now in the main lobby) or the coveted Brickton Parking Space in the live auction.
• Great food, great company, what’s not to like?

Hate waiting in line at the end of the night? Take advantage of Express Checkout:

• Stop in the Business Office this week and authorize a one time charge to pay for your items. We accept Visa, Mastercard, or Discover.
• OR, the night of the event, stop by the check in table when you arrive and give Dotty your credit card info  and at the end of the night just sail away without having to wait in a pesky line to pay.

We can’t wait to see you Saturday! And we checked: no major events in the area means no major traffic. Here are the details:

When: Saturday, March 3, 2012 (that’s THIS Saturday!), at 6:00 PM
Where: Victoria Rosemont, 6600 N. Mannheim, Rosemont, IL, 60016

Manna Orders Due
Manna orders are due this Friday, March 2, with card pick up Wednesday, March 7. The next Mannas due date will be Friday, March 16.

Parent Alliance “After the Benefit” Meeting
Tara Leinenweber and Maggie Bauer, co-chairs of the Parent Alliance, invite you to join in the “afterglow” of the Big Leap at the home of Maggie Bauer Treppa on March 8, 2012, at 7:00 PM for the next Parent Alliance meeting. Light food and soft drinks will be provided. Please feel free to bring a bottle of wine to share. More details will be coming via email.

The Brickton Weekly, February 23, 2012

25 Words to Describe Brickton

 Information Coffee
Tell you friends, family, and neighbors. Brickton will be hosting an Information Coffee for prospective families Thursday, March 1st, from 9:00 – 10:30 am. It’s a chance to tour the school, see the classrooms in action, and learn more about the Montessori philosophy and our school.

The Big Leap
Parents, teachers, staff, and students are scurrying around the school getting ready for Brickton’s biggest event of the year, The Big Leap. We’re finishing up classroom art projects, collecting items for the silent auction, and tracking RSVPs. It’s going to be a great celebration of Brickton’s 25th school year. We hope to see you there!

Where: Victoria Rosemont, 6600 N. Mannheim Rd., Rosemont, IL 60016
When: Saturday, March 3, 2012, 6:00 PM

The Brickton Weekly, February 16, 2012

Featured Blog
Each month we will feature a couple of blogs so that you can see Montessori education in action at Brickton. Discover all the opportunities our students have to develop independence and self-confidence. At our school, students take ownership of their learning with joy. This week, we are featuring the Children’s House Room 101 blog.

childrenshouse101.posterous.com (password: brickton)

Parent Appreciation Breakfast
Thank you for all that you do! We hope you were able to join us this morning for a breakfast in your honor. Your hard work and dedication keep us going.

Have You RSVPed?
The Big Leap is Saturday, March 3, 2012 – that’s only 2 and a half weeks to get in your donations and RSVP for the biggest event of the year. We have some fantastic items so far, and we’re still collecting, so it just keeps getting better and better.

• Two Three-day passes to Lollapalooza!
• Tickets to all major sports teams in Chicago
• Heads or Tails with a chance to win $100 to Luke’s on Harlem OR a brand new iPad2
• Wine & Dine – Pay $20 for a bottle of wine and a gift certificate to a local restaurant valued at $20-$50
• Spa treatments and Salon appointments
• Overnight stays at some of Chicago’s hottest hotels

We’ll see you there:
When: Saturday, March 3rd, 2012, 6:00 PM
Where: Victoria Rosemont, 6600 N. Mannheim, Rosemont, IL 60016

Help a Montessorian Complete Her Thesis
Below is a link to a quick survey for you to take to help a student, Cody of Metamorphosis Montessori, complete her thesis. Your help will contribute to further research on the benefits of a Montessori education:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/J9D98TF

Supporting Children with Life-Threatening Allergies
Judy Beyer, Brickton’s Middle School Directress, has been at Brickton for 24 years. Over the years, she has noted the increased number of children with allergies. She recently sent around a link to a blog written by Sarah Boudreau, The Allergist Mom.

Boudreau is a mother of 4, 3 of whom have life-threatening food allergies, and a pediatrician who completed her fellowship in Allergy/Immunology. In her blog, Sarah shares her knowledge and daily experiences facing the challenges of living with life-threatening food allergies.

Check it out!

The Brickton Weekly, February 9, 2012

An Interview with one of Brickton’s Founding Members
25 years ago, when Brickton first opened its doors, it did so with the help and guidance of some very important people, the Founding Members. Each month, we highlight a Founding Member as someone who made a significant impact on our school. To them, we say thank you with appreciation for their courage and spirit.

Founding Member Sue Volenec and her husband Bob host our Middle School trip to a Dairy Farm every year.

Parent Appreciation Breakfast
We want to thank parents of Brickton students for all their hard work, support, and care. Thank you for bringing your children to Brickton and giving us the opportunity to learn and grow with them. Please join us for a breakfast in your honor:

When: Thursday, February 16th, 7:30 am – 9:30 am
Where: The Great Room

No need to RSVP – just drop by in the morning for some coffee and breakfast treats.

The Benefit is Right Around the Corner
Have you RSVP’ed to the Big Leap? It’s going to be a huge celebration of Brickton’s 25th anniversary. We will be honoring some founding members, auctioning off some fantastic items, and playing some really great dance music. Please join us!

When: Saturday, March 3, 2012, 6:00 pm
Where: Victoria Rosemont
6600 N. Mannheim Rd., Rosemont, IL 60016

See you there!

Please Participate in this Important Survey
As we embark on a new year, our School Trustees and Administration are in the process of articulating short- and long-range planning goals. Here’s how you can help.

You and all our current families, and families from more than 5,000 other private schools across the country, are being asked to participate in a very brief national research survey being conducted by Independent School Management (ISM), the largest private school consulting firm in the U.S.

The survey data will enable ISM to project trends that will aid us in our planning.

ISM has 25 years of experience surveying school constituencies, and absolutely guarantees the anonymity of your responses. The participating schools will be provided with summary data only.

The online survey on ISM’s web site should take you no more than 5 minutes to complete. When you are ready to begin, simply click this link:

http://surveys.isminc.com/surveys/ParentReenrollment2012/

Thank you in advance for your thoughtful participation.

Club Day Monday, February 20th
As a reminder, Brickton will be closed Friday, February 17th, for an In-Service Day, which means there is no school and no care will be provided.

President’s Day, observed on Monday, February 20th, will be a Club Day at Brickton. All full day students may attend at no extra charge. Students in the Core or Half Day programs may attend if they are pre-registered and pre-paid in the amount of $50.

So that we can arrange adequate staffing, please let Sara (in the main office) know if your student will be attending this Club Day. Her email is sara.gregory@brickton.org or your can call the school at 773-714-0646.

Go Green and Support Brickton!
Learn all about our new Green Fundraiser by watching this short video below.

Viridian Intro Video from Generation V on Vimeo.

The Brickton Weekly, February 2, 2012

Featured Blog
Each month we will feature a couple of blogs so that you can see Montessori education in action at Brickton. Discover all the opportunities our students have to develop independence and self-confidence. At our school, students take ownership of their learning with joy. This week, we are featuring the Lower Elementary Blog.

lowerelementaryprogram.posterous.com

Your Invitation is in the mail!
The Big Leap is coming soon and your invitation is in the mail! Please help us make Brickton’s 25th Anniversary Annual Benefit a success. If you’re not sure what it’s all about, check out the bulletin board in the lobby for frequently asked questions and 25 reasons to attend. Reason number one: you’re supporting the school!

Wine and Dine: Calling all Brickton familes! We are looking for restaurant gift certificates for The Big Leap. Visit your favorite restaurant and ask for a gift certificate donation of $20 or more. If you need extra donation letters or forms, stop by the main office.

Bring a Friend to Brickton
Brickton’s “Bring a Friend” days are starting Tuesdays in February!

Children’s House and Lower Elementary students have an opportunity to invite a friend of the same age to visit Brickton. Think of a neighbor, teammate, or cousin who might be interested in seeing where you child goes to school. Visits take place in the morning and we do ask that the visitor’s parent stays for the visit.

RSVP to molly.arnoldt@brickton.org

Information Coffee
Tell your friends, family, and neighbors. Brickton will be a hosting an Information Coffee for prospective families Thursday, February 9th, from 9:00 – 10:30 am. It’s a chance to tour the school, see the classrooms in action, and learn more about the Montessori philosophy and our school.

Help!
We need some scratch paper for the kids! Please bring in any “clean on one side” printer paper for the children to use in the classrooms and after school. Help Brickton support a greener planet: recycle, reuse.