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Glen Ellyn School District 41
May 1, 2006
Craig dedication, Arbor DayFIFTH GRADE RECOGNIZES ARBOR DAY, PRINCIPAL
On Friday, April 28, Forest Glen celebrated Arbor Day as the fifth grade dedicated a newly planted tree to retiring principal Doug Craig. Glen Ellyn Forester Peggy Dreshler was on hand to explain the proper care and feeding of the Chinkapin Oak, which will reach 50 feet at maturity. Glen Ellyn Village Trustee Sara Lee explained the benefits of trees to the students, which include adding oxygen to the atmosphere, moderating temperatures and therefore reducing the energy needed to heat and cool homes, providing habitat for birds many more.

The dedication was accompanied by an original poem written by the fifth graders on how the tree will remind them of Mr. Craig ("When the branches and leaves wave in the wind, it will remind us of how kind and friendly you were by making an effort to always say hello."). Craig was surprised and pleased, noting "There is not a nicer thing that you could do for me." There is another tree dedicated to Mr. Craig, a Red Maple at Benjamin Franklin School, where he was principal for many years. "Now I have two trees dedicated to me from schools that have such a special place in my heart."
Conga Lip SyncMUSICAL MAYHEM PUT "FUN" INTO FUNDRAISING
More than 1,400 people attended District 41's Musical Mayhem fundraiser. Hosted by D41’s Music Education Foundation (MEF), Musical Mayhem is an annual family evening of games, dancing and raffles. One hundred and fifty children from all five D41 schools performed in the Lip Sync Contest, which included dynamic renditions of “Conga,” and “Thriller” (pictured).

ThrillerWith over 120 volunteers and many generous donations from local vendors and D41 families, the event raised more then $11,000 to supplement D41’s music programs.

For more information about District 41's Music Education Foundation, please visit: mef.d41teachers.org
Mardi GrasMARDI GRAS A SERVICE OPPORTUNITY
Fourth grade Social Studies classes at Forest Glen participated in a Mardi Gras celebration/community service project to mark the end of their unit about the Southern Region of the US. In addition to listening to jazz, drinking Mardi Gras punch, wearing beads, and decorating masks, each student donated $1 to a volunteer clean-up group called the "Katrina Krewe." The money went toward supplies like trash bags, gloves and shovels, explained fourth grade teacher Jowayne Kostner.  In addition to the donation, the students sent cards with words of encouragement, support, and gratitude to the Katrina Krewe volunteers.
Knit ClubKNITTING A POPULAR PASTIME FOR BOYS AND GIRLS
When Forest Glen second grade teacher Mary Alice Saville started a lunchtime knitting club last year, she was overwhelmed with applications. And this year, when she told participants she was retiring at the end of the year, the kids asked her to please, puhleeese come back to run the club for them next year. Dropped stitches, tangled yarn, and other challenges are all part of the fun. The children, who are knitting scarves for the homeless, are all learning at their own pace—one of the boys is starting his third scarf, while one of the girls has completed only a few rows, explaining cheerfully “I keep having to start over!” Ms. Saville, as well as the more experienced knitters in the class, are patient and persistent as they help the novices begin to understand the rhythm, tension and other subtleties that go into a finished piece.
LITERACY LUNCH BUNCH
Teachers know that collaboration is one key to quality teaching, and a group of teachers at Forest Glen Elementary School have been spending their lunch hours together exchanging ideas, sharing successes and challenges and investigating resources to support literacy instruction. “At the start of the year, we made a list of things to talk about,” explained teacher Julie Podulka, “including topics like our balanced literacy, guided reading and assessment programs.” During a recent session, the teachers shared ideas about literacy games and teacher Marie Delahanty described her students’ reaction to one called Concentration. “Talk about the kids getting wound up and enthusiastic! I could see this game working for everything…Math, Science…it’s a great tool!” The group has also discussed how to get uninterrupted blocks of time to devote to literacy and how to incorporate the principles of continuous improvement and the use of quality tools into the classroom. “The one area I would really like to see us focus on is helping students to monitor and take more responsibility for how their own learning is progressing,” said Literacy Specialist Carol Waltz, “That would be a big plus.”
Tales to TackleSTUDENTS MAKE A GOAL IN “TALES TO TACKLE”
Forest Glen fourth graders in Julie Snyder’s class recently participated in a reading incentive program sponsored by the Chicago Bears. The goal of “Tales to Tackle” is for students to read three books from an approved reading list per month. Each child who reached the goal was entered into a random drawing for the chance to be among 50 students to enjoy a special "Bears Experience" at Halas Hall in Lake Forest. Three of Ms. Snyder’s students were chosen and on a recent Saturday, the students and their dads spent the morning with the Bears at the team’s Lake Forest training site, participating in physical skills workshops and visiting with the mascot. “The program is in its second year with over 6,000 students participating,” explained Ms. Snyder. “The children are supposed to read three books a month if they are in junior high. Since my children are in first grade I upped the number of books to one book a day because our books are so much shorter then a novel. The whole class participated and made their goals each month and I am very proud of them. All the participants got a certificate of participation and received a “Tales to Tackle” poster.”



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