in this issue -...
TRANSCRIPT
In This Issue April 2018
PTO Update Page 2Library News Page 3Green Team Page 4PALM Leaves Page 5Refugee Project Page 10Student Submissions Page 11
WHITTIER ELEMENTARY715 NORTH HARVEY
OAK PARK, ILLINOIS 60302 708.524.3080
www.op97.org/whit t ier
Happy Spring!
The days are getting longer and warmer (we hope). Our kids will be out of school in two months. Whaaaaat?
Thank you to everyone who helped out with our annual Fun Fair. It takes a lot of PTO power to pull that day off , and so many of you stepped up to the plate to volunteer. We had one of our biggest crowds ever and had more baked goods than ever before! And most importantly, everyone had a great t ime.
Our third annual Silent Auction was a huge hit thanks to all those that contributed. Thank you for all the awesome party donations! So many great ideas should prove to be crowd-pleasers to parents and kids alike!
As we look to the end of the year, get ready for yearbooks! You can order your child?s yearbook through the PTO website or through the order form that was sent home with your child.
The Whittier PTO Parent Engagement Team sent out a brief survey to ask you a few questions about your experience with the PTO, what interests you, and how we can do better. Thank you to all those who responded - your participation was invaluable and much appreciated!
Don?t run off just yet?
It is that t ime of year. We need to start planning our PTO for 2018-2019. If you have any interest in joining the PTO, please reach out to Brigitte Brostrom at [email protected].
You are a VERY important part of our PTO whether you know it or not, so pat yourself on the back. Better yet, let Brigitte do it, as she?s recruiting you for one of our many rewarding positions or new VPs and Committee Heads. Now is the time to get involved!
Mark your calendars for the following dates:Tuesday, Apri l 3Our next PTO Meeting is at 7 pm in the Community Room. All are welcome, and it?s never too late to join in! If you miss a meeting, you can always catch the minutes on the Whittier PTO website.
Tuesday, Apri l 10No need to cook dinner tonight (YAY!!). Raise money for PTO without having to volunteer your time or do dishes. Eat dinner at (or order from) Lou Malnati?s, and a portion of the sales that night support Whitt ier PTO.
Amy Soumar and Brigitte BrostromYour PTO Co-Presidents
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WISE Student Coordinator Vacancy OpeningThe PTO WISE Committee is looking for a team member to take on the day to day role that WISE Entails. This role is indispensable to the running WISE. The new member would off icially take over in the Fall 2018.
- Recruit volunteers for attendance and dismissal and be the point of contact for the volunteers throughout the session.
- Maintain stock of WISE snacks. Historically, snacks have been purchased and delivered by Costco. The Coordinator is reimbursed for the cost of the snacks.
- Communicate with parents and the WISE committee regarding student discipline concerns. - Update the WISE binder once per session. This may include providing a list of WISE enrollees to teachers,
preparing attendance lists, etc.- Monitor WISE e-mail for attendance and dismissal related concerns.
If you are interested and would like more information, please email sof iavil [email protected].
Dear Whittier Families,
Welcome back to school! I hope you all had an exciting and restful spring break.
Book Award WinnersLast month, we voted for the Monarch and Bluestem Book and Rebecca Caudill Book Awards.
I?m pleased to announce the winning books! Students in kindergarten, f irst, second and third grade chose Sam and Dave Dig a Hole by Mac Barnett for the Monarch award for our school. Runners up were The Will iam Hoy Story by Nancy Churnin and I?m Trying
to Love Spiders by Bethany Barton.
For the Bluestem Award, which is selected by students in third, fourth and f if th grades, the winner was 11 Birthdays by Wendy Mass.
This process is designed to encourage children to read crit ically and become familiar with children's books, authors and il lustrators, while having fun doing so. Thanks to everyone who participated!
Reading OlympicsWe?re nearing the end of our Reading Olympics season for f if th graders. Last month, The Fluffy Rainbow Kitt ies Eating Tacos (Evan Pisellini, Adam Doyle, and Malou Munch), represented Whittier in the spring round of Reading Olympics at the River Forest Public Library. They competed against 12 other schools and did an amazing job!
We have begun practicing for our f inal round of the year, the Ultimate Competit ion. Our Whittier competit ion will take place later this month and the winning team will advance to the regional f inals on May 2. Good luck and congratulations to all the students who are participating!
MakerspaceStudents are learning so much in our makerspace this year! What?s a makerspace? A makerspace is a physical space where students can go to create, t inker and problem-solve. We have a cart f il led with tools like Legos, Magnatiles, wiring sets, gears and more that we roll out to use with library and classroom curriculum. We also have open makerspace times for certain grades during lunch recess. Students have been making some incredible things!
Keep reading!
Laurie ConleyWhittier Teacher [email protected]
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Physical Educat ion Physical education classes look forward to April when classes will be participating in teamwork activit ies as well as learning about nutrit ion. In May, we will also celebrate sport and f itness week. This will be the f irst week in May, and it leads up to the annual District 97 Fun Run. The fun run will be held Saturday, May 12, at 8 AM at Lindberg Park.
~Mr. Coglianesehttp:/ /www.op97.org/scoglianese
Batt le of the Badges + Special Olympics
The Oak Park Police vs Fire Department Basketball fundraiser event took place on Saturday, March 10, and was a huge success. Special Olympics basketball athletes from Julian, Brooks, and OPRF played as part of the police and f ire department basketball teams which competed against each other. Over $2,000 was raised for Oak Park Special Olympics and Best Buddies programs.
~"Mr. Tim"Mr. Timothy McDonald
student submissions
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In t he ART ROOM
Our Kindergarteners' focus turns to f lowers...
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...while our f if th graders create house portraits.
Mr. W.D. PattersonVisual Arts TeacherJ.G.Whittier School
OPEF ART STARTArt Start projects begin after spring break.
Students in Ms. Will iams and Ms. Wrights class will be partnering with Frank Lloyd Wright Home & Studio to engage in a look at how the space we live, work, and learn in is designed and used. Second
grade students who work with Ms. Molnar will be joining Ms. Will iams class for all of the sessions.
Sessions: April 5, 11, 19, 29, May 3 & 10Field trip to the FLW Home & Studio: April 12
Katie Grindley, the Home & Studio Educator, will be facil itating all of the sessions with the students. She will visit Ms. Wright's class from 8:15-9:15 and Ms. Will iams' class from 9:15-10:15 on those days.
Students will act as designer and client as they work to create 2-D drawings and 3-D models of their dream spaces.
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Language (Spanish FLES)
Class Themes & TopicsK: Finished our food unit. Beginning our rain forest unit; talking about Puerto Rico, animals and more
1st: Fabulous job in Spring Sing! New theme: rain forest!
2nd: Spring Sing was fantastic! New theme: places in the school and what to do there; Talking about ourselves
3rd grade: Fabulous job on Spring Sing! New theme: places in the Community; Talking about ourselves
4th/ 5th grade: We have begun working on our country projects and digital travel brochures. Students choose a Spanish speaking country and research basic facts, as well as tourist sites and activit ies, important things for their packing list, and survival phrases for their travels. Students start with a worksheet in English and move to a guided writ ing in Spanish. Then using their iPads and digital tools (such as Book Creator and iMovie), they put Spanish (words and recording) and images together to show potential tourists what they can do and would need for a vacation to that country.
Most work will be done in Spanish class, though students may work outside of class if they wish or need to. Instructions, template, and rubric have been uploaded to Showbie so that students can consult them anytime. Projects will be due toward the end of April. They will upload the f inished product to Showbie. Once we are back from Spring Break, we will decide our f inal due date.
Nat ional World (Foreign) Languages WeekOur f irst district-wide celebration was a success! We had great fun at our Family Dance Fiesta, Cultural Clothing Day, and Move to the Music Day. Sra. Ruiz and Spanish teachers from the other schools joined us for the dancing.
And we got lots of responses for our Family Language Day. We will share the list when we are back from Spring break. A few of the languages are Arabic, German, Spanish, French, Irish, English, and Tagalog. Can't wait to see the full l ist, it grows by the day! Special thanks to Mrs. Roskos, Mr. Lukehart, Ms. Chacon, Ms. Swanson, Ms. Small, Mrs. Villasin, Mrs. Weiss, Ms. Hecht, and Ms. Molnar who shared their "language superpowers"? French, Spanish, Krio, Italian, Tagalog, and Hebrew.
Luncht ime LanguageWhittier?s PTO-sponsored World Language Program has been very popular this year! The students are making great progress in their lunchtime classes, and their enthusiasm has made learning languages so exciting!
Our American Sign Language class has recently been learning the signs for animals, emotions, colors, and food.
Our two French classes have been learning about French culture, including famous French monuments and traditional French food (Escargots, anyone?). The students are now learning about animals, body parts, and how to describe themselves.
Our German class learned about the weather and the seasons, and they have recently been building sentences using animals, colors and numbers.
Our Spanish class learned about Mexican culture, Cuban culture and Latin American geography. They also recently talked about things that are lucky (for St. Patrick?s Day), Spring Break, and Easter.
Thanks to all those who are participating in our World Language Program! Gracias, danke, and merci!~ Madame Robert
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Spanish Club
Great job leading the Spanish games and Photo Booth at the Fun Fair!
We have begun our Don Quixote project, learning about the important Spanish literary f igure and the author Cervantes as well as documenting the Spanish tiles that l ine the main Whittier Stairwell. This project will become part of the Whittier archive so that future students and their families can be part of the history.
The World Language Advisory Committee (WLAC) is a broad-based district committee, comprised of teachers, administrators, board members, parents, and community members, including business professionals, consultants, university academics and researchers, bil ingual teachers and other experts in second language acquisit ion. It is open to all for whom language learning is a passion. Please join us or contact me if you would like to be involved or would like more information. This year the WLAC was instrumental in our celebration of National World (Foreign) Languages Week.
The WLAC meets in the Whittier School Community Room. Remaining meetings for this school year are April 23, 2018 and May 14, 2018, from 7:00 - 8:30 pm. There is a chance that our April 23 meeting may move to participate in the district discussion of the book Culturally Responsive Teaching and The Brain: Promoting Authentic Engagement and Rigor Among Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students by Zaretta Hammond in the library at Beye School on Monday, April 23 from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. (Participants will need their own book.) Watch for further details.
38th annual Ethnic Fest ival and World Languages Day Celebrating Diversity: The heART of Who We Are
Saturday May 5, 2018
A long-standing tradition celebrating our community's diversity, this year's Ethnic Festival and World Languages Day will again take place at Julian Middle School. Parade steps off at 10 AM. Please join us in making this one of the biggest and best Whitt ier parade contingents ever! Our Student Council will lead the Whittier contingent.
Back at Julian following the parade, explore the mosaic of cultures through music performances, hands-on activit ies, language, dance, and art workshops, and more. D97 language teachers, OPRFHS students, and WLAC will be among those helping to lead the activit ies at the upcoming Ethnic Festival & World Languages Day,
Stay tuned to Palm Leaves for further updates on our learning. For more info on our in-curricular Elementary World Language (Spanish-FLES) program, including language resources for supporting your child's learning, check out our District 97 Elementary Spanish Department website: http:/ / d97spanish.weebly.com
Looking forward to lots of spring fun in our language learning. Please do not hesitate to contact us at any time. ¡Gracias por todo!
~Señora Deaton ~Señorita [email protected] [email protected]
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World Language Advisory Commit tee
MusicBand/Orchestra
Band and orchestra students are excitedly preparing for their performance at the D97 Instrumental Music Festival at OPRF High School on Tuesday, April 10, starting at 6:30 pm.
Informational emails have been sent home with a link to the online permission slip. The above information will also be sent via email when you return the online permission slip.
A reminder that practice at home is essential to success in band and orchestra. We recommend a minimum 15-20 minutes a day, 5 days a week.
Please email us with any questions.-Mr. Shannon & Ms. Korelc
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Rehearsals
Intermediate Band Monday, April 99:15 -10:15 AM
Beginning BandTuesday, April 1012:15-1:15 p.m.
On the Performance Night
Beginning Band Report @ 6 p.m. - South Cafeteria;Perform @ 6:30 p.m.
Intermediate BandReport @ 7 p.m. - South Cafeteria; Perform @ 7:30 p.m.
Concert attire of white shirt/ blouse and black pant/ skirt is required.
Notes f rom the Music Room!
Thank you 1st, 2nd and 3rd grade students for a great concert on Thursday, March 15! Special thanks also to the teachers and students who surprised Señora Deaton and myself with lovely f loral bouquets at the end of the concert. It was a very kind and thoughtful gesture that topped off the evening!
In April, all Whitt ier students will learn about Rusalka, this year?s Opera For the Young presentation in early May. Based on the story of The Litt le Mermaid, the story will come to life with professional opera singers and our own Whittier Opera Chorus Singers.
~Ms. Duckett-Edwards
Whit t ier School Supply Kits ? Coming Soon!
Save yourself some back-to-school stress and let Whitt ier PTO do your school supply shopping for you next year! Order school supplies for the 2018-2019 school year
during our sales period (April 16 through June 8) and your child?s school supply kit will be waiting in the classroom that f irst day of school. Please note that not all items (such as backpacks and water bottles) will be included in the kits, so if you do choose to order a kit, please plan to check your child?s supply list just to make sure you have everything.
You can place orders on the PTO website whitt ierpto.org starting April 16.
Questions? Please contact Kathy and Rekha at whitt [email protected]
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Q&A with an Iraqi RefugeeWednesday, April 4for 3rd-5th grades
Whittier parent Shana Wills has arranged for a participant in her organization, Refugee Education & Adventure Challenge (REACH), to visit Whitt ier and answer questions posed by our kids.
FUNdraiser for Refugee Famil ies!Friday, April 27
Kids will gather pledges from family/ friends for participating in an outdoor afternoon of activit ies that will include jumping jacks, running laps, Simon says, kicking a soccer ball into a goal, hula hoop, jump rope, and dancing.
All money raised will be split between the Rohingya Culture Center and the Iraqi Mutual Aid Society. These are the same two organizations with which we partnered last year for our Community Meals. More information to come, so stay tuned.
odyssey of the mind whit t ier refugee welcome project
Celebrat ion of HopeThe Whittier Refugee Welcome Project has reserved a table to celebrate Exodus World Service?s 30th Anniversary at its Celebration of Hope event on Friday, April 13 from 6:30-9:30PM at the Drury Lane in Oakbrook Terrace.
Exodus World Service is a faith-based organization that mobilizes its community to welcome and befriend refugees by educating about the refugee experience, connecting volunteers with refugees through practical service projects, and equipping leaders to advocate on behalf of refugees (www.exodusworldservice.org).
Join us as we enjoy an inspirational evening celebrating the courage and resiliency of refugees who are building new lives in the Chicagoland area. This adult-only dinner event is free, but donations to Exodus World Service will be requested.
Seats must be reserved in advance, and you may do so by either contacting us at whitt [email protected] to let us know if you?d like to attend or you may register directly through the Exodus World Service?s website at https:/ / secure.ministrysync.com/ministrysync/event/home.php?e=12586. If you register through the Exodus website, please choose ?Shana Wills? in the Group Host drop-down menu in the Event Information box near the end of the registration process.
If you have any questions about the Whittier Refugee Welcome Project, the refugee resettlement process, or would like information regarding kid-friendly learning resources about refugees, you may contact members of the Committee at whitt [email protected].
Other Upcoming Events Sponsored by the Whit t ier Refugee Welcome Project
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Haiku is a form of Japanese poetry. Typically, haiku are written about nature, but they can be about any topic. Haiku have a very specific syllable structure. The first line of every haiku has five syllables, the second line has seven syllables, and the last line has five syllables.
Mrs. Vil lasin's Class
SummerPool park eat ice creamto grandma?s and grandpa?s housesummer feels happy good funBy Emma Sinclair
RainbowsAfter rain rainbowsrainbow sun makes a rainbowrainbows feel happyBy Miles Horne
SummerRainbows rain sun skyf lowers bugs and grasshoppers waves ocean stars colorfulBy Andrew McVey
FallWindy leaves tress coldstorms lightning rainbows foggy sun stars branches rainBy Essence-Unique Duke
SummerTornado lightningrain f lowers grass hot trees skywaves bugs sunBy Henry Luman
FallThunderstorms lightningrainbows leaves rain windy coldraindrops tornadoesBy Julian Fitzpatrick
SummerSummer very hotswim bike play vacations fun sil l iness happensBy Will Engebretson
SummerTrees hot sky rainbowslightning f lowers tornadoesleaves sunny waves sandBy Mason Black
SummerYou go to the poolsummer is warm and sunnyice cream cold yummyBy Claudia Ravage
Tornado LoveWind spins tornadolove people come togethertornado feels scaredBy Deming Scullin-Javier
SpringFlowers come from soilthe weather in spring changesspringtime feels cool warmBy Zoey Collins
FallLeaves fall f rom the treesfall feels excited happyjump into the leavesBy Mariah Vernon
FallLeaves trees rain branchescold windy colors sunnychanges grass clouds waveBy Benjamin Castro
RainbowsRed orange yellowrainbows are colorful nicethey are shiny brightBy Claire Rogers
RainbowsRain colors sky sunbugs sun sky f lowers tress grassraindrops clouds windyBy Simone Petersen
RainbowsRain leaves bugs sunflowers storm lightning trees raindropswindy waves grassBy Sloan Materna
WinterWinter is cold funskiing sledding ice skatingshoveling the snowBy Ingrid Gustavson
FallFall feels cool and nicejumping in leaves makes a big splashhurricanes happenBy Corey Stuckey
SummerHow and play outsideice cream is cold and yummytrees grow leaves and bloomBy Asher Donahoe
SpringSun f lowers sky raingrass rainbows raindrops treesbus colors leaves stormsBy Jasmine Bronson
SpringSky sunny rain grassf lowers bugs rainbows stars cloudsstars grass leaves rainbowsBy Ben Carrier
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Mrs. Baker?s Class
SpringSand castles are funSun is so good for you, tooSpring is perfect nowBy Zoe Glennie
SnowSnowflakes are see throughI l ike to play in the snowSnow angels are fun By Dempsey Delehanty
SummerSwimming at the poolLet?s play basketball outsidePlant some f lowers tooBy Jacob Jones
TornadoWarm air and cold airTornado is spinning fastGo in the basementBy Julian Ierardi
SummerPlaying in the poolPlay soccer in the summerShorts in the summerBy Evan Perez
SummerI l ike the f lowersIf it rains, the clouds turn greySwimming is fun tooBy Teniyah McNeal
SummerBig, white sun is hotPizza party in the houseFlowers in gardenBy Tabatha Lloyd
RainbowRain and sun in skyThe shape is upside downColors are rainbowsBy Isaac Stefkovich
WeatherRainbows are colorsI l ike to play with snowmanJump in the puddlesBy Amina Yamini
SummerPlaying in the poolIn summer eat popsiclesClimbing trees is fun!By Bruno Pinzari
SummerSummer is awesomeHave a yummy popsiclePlay in the waterBy Aulden Martin
RainbowIn the sun and rainRed orange blue green indigoLook at the rainbowBy Asher Lynch
LightningI saw the black skyBolt of bright yellow lightningThunder is so loudBy Mallory Doxie
Bike RideMy bike needs a pumpMy bike is bright orange and greenI l ike to ride fastBy Izaiah Prince
StormsLightning is real strongTornadoes are powerfulStorms are very strongBy Alec Sabev
WinterSnow comes from the skyBlizzards, the snow goes fastClouds move in the skyBy Jaxon Kizer
CrystalsCrystals make snowflakes100 crystals or more!It all starts with dustBy Teddy Olson
SummerBlock parties are funI l ike to go to the beachPizza is real goodBy Abigail Carter
WinterSnowflakes are funI l ike to play games insideI actually don?t l ike winterBy Will iam Ormond
SummerSeashells at the beachI l ike to play in the sandGo in the waterBy Fiona Schaap
LightningSome people like stormsLightning is so dangerousElectricity!By Zoey Baker
TornadoesThe shape is funnelTornadoes are dangerousSpinning wind scaryBy Ryan Warzocha
FUN FAIR BY THE NUMBERS
Thanks to everyone who came out to attend Whittier's Fun Fair this year! Together with the Silent Auction, your PTO earned approximately $9K this year, with hundreds of attendees. A roaring success all around!
Dollars raised for YOUR PTO: $9K?Cerf ishicates? handed out: 100
Ticket sales: $4580 = 9,160 tickets (!)Games: 15 carnival + 4 Girl Scout + 2 Spanish
Volunteer hours worked at setup: 8Volunteer hours worked during the fair (by those on signup.com): 94.25
Total number of volunteer shif ts: 108Number of people who signed up to volunteer: 75
Average number of shif ts worked per volunteer: 1.44Number of Whitt ier alumni who volunteered: 14
A favorite of many, the Fun Fair is always a blast, but as you can tell f rom the calls for volunteers, it 's also quite a bit of work to pull off . Especially when the chair of the event breaks her ankle a week before the event!
Let's give super big WHITTIER HIGH FIVES to this set of awesome people who stepped up to make sure that the Fun Fair and accompanying PTO auction came together without a hitch. These people deserve all the playground kudos you can muster.
*Kate Haarvei* *Mike Haarvei* *Stephanie Thomas* *Kat ie Toml inson*
And by the way, the Spring Silent Auction is stil l going!
There are stil l a dozen dif ferent awesome events available, from a Sci-Fi Karaoke party to a CycleBar Ride to a sewing experience for kids! You can see all the remaining events/parties on the sign up. Don't delay, there are limited spaces available for each!
If you are viewing this on a mobile device, the parties are organized by date and you will need to click on the month and date to view the details and sign up. To view the listings by party/event name, you will need to use a desktop or laptop: http:/ / signup.com/ login/entry/ 87005477903190031
April 3PTO Meet ing
Apri l 4Q&A with an Iraqi Refugee
Apri l 6Common Ground
Apri l 10Instrumental Music Fest ival
Lou Malnat i Fundraiser
Apri l 19K-2 Spel l ing Bee
Apri l 203-5 Spel l ing Bee
Apri l 27FUNdraiser for Refugee Famil ies
May 1PTO Meet ing
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