THE JOURNAL & TOPICS NEWSPAPERS | FRIDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2006
Our Schools, By DENISE FLEISCHER
Mark Twain Elementary's Fall Festival is taking place Friday, Oct. 13, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. There will be a Haunted Room with ghosts and goblins, rooms filled with games and prizes. Students and their families can purchase treats such as taffy apples, pizza and other delicious food all night long.
Two teachers from Mark Twain Elementary School have been selected to participate in a series of yearlong inservices on science from the Museum of Science and Industry. With hundreds of teacher teams from the Chicago area applying to participate, Eva Perelgut (grade 5,6) and Fadra Feery (grade 4/5) were selected as two of the participants.
The Museum of Science and Industry will be inviting two buses of students in a Learning lab field trip. Classroom kits will be provided, along with hands on materials for the school. The focus of the science curriculum will be energy related to light, sound, magnetism and electrical.
Mark Twain artists are taking over the spotlight. Art teacher, Bonnie Briggs, has teamed up with Artsonia (www.artsonia.com) - an online kid's museum - to display students' work.
Anyone can view the school gallery online at www.artsonia.com/schools/marktwain3. Visitors can browse the artwork in the school gallery by grade level, or by specific exhibits. Mark Twain Elementary School students join thousands of students from over 100 countries whose artwork is showcased on Artsonia.
"This program is a wonderful way to get parents and family members more involved in Art Education," said Briggs.
All of Artsonia's one million pieces of artwork are viewable online and any teacher or parent can create an online gallery for their child or school. Artsonia provides several online features such as fan clubs and personal guestbooks, as a way for families to encourage the creativity and imaginations of their young artists. In addition, family members can purchase keepsakes imprinted with the child's artwork, with Artsonia donating 15% of their annual product revenue back to school art programs.
The next Brentwood School PTO meeting will be on Tuesday, Oct. 17, at 7 p.m. Brentwood families are encouraged to attend. Babysitting will be provided in one of the classrooms during the meeting.
On Wednesday, Oct. 18th at 8:40 a.m. in Brentwood's Multipurpose room there will be a "Muffins with Moms" event. Moms are to make their reservations by calling 847-593-4401 by Oct. 16 and filling out the bottom portion of the Brentwood Buzz newsletter form.
There will be a Winter Outer Wear collection on Saturday, Oct. 21, from 9 a.m. to noon. Distribution sites are Friendship Jr. High, 550 Elizabeth Lane, Des Plaines and Holmes Jr. High, 1900 W. Lonnquist, Mt. Prospect. Donations of new or in good condition items are needed for families in School Dist. 59. Bring proof of Elk Grove, Mt. Prospect, Des Plaines or Arlington Hts. residency.
Algonquin Cares A Ton Food Drive kicked off on Thursday, Oct. 12. Debbie Walusiak, Des Plaines Self-Help Closet and Food Pantry coordinator made a presentation of how much cans weigh; the collection of cans brought to the assemblies in shopping carts provided by Walgreens; and the distribution of buttons to each class. The students, staff and the community will attempt to collect a ton of food by the end of the 2006-2007 school year.
There will be a Chicago Storm Soccer Team Assembly on Friday, Oct. 13, from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. at Plainfield Elementary School. Students and teachers will have the opportunity to interact with the Storm players in a 45-minute educational and interactive assembly which promotes important life lessons on and off the field.