Milne Grove Messenger
March 2018
Highlighted Dates to Remember (see linked calendar for full schedule of events)
Casmir Pulaski Day: No School on March 5
Title I Reader's Theater Night: March 8
Miles of Smiles @ MG: March 9 (rescheduled from snow day)
Parent Planning Meeting @ MG Teacher's Lounge: March 12 @ 9am
Board of Education Meeting @ KG LRC: March 13 @ 7pm
Late Start Morning: March 20 @ 9:30am
Kindergarten Round Up: March 21
PTO's Breakfast with Dads: March 22
Dodgeball Tournament at KG New: March 23rd @ 6:30pm
Help Make Our Yearbook Awesome
Have you taken any photos of kids at Milne Grove? Outside fun, PTO gatherings and events, classroom parties? Did you know you can share those photos with us for use in our school yearbook? Go to community.lifetouch.comand enter our school's code: USUMRG.
PTO News
New Box Top Contest Begins: March 6th through April 13th
PTO Meeting: March 14th in the Kelvin Grove LRC
Papa John’s Fundraiser: March 20th and March 21st
Breakfast with Dad’s : March 22nd in the Milne Grove Gym 8:00-8:30
Email d91.pto.info@gmail.com with questions!
Principal's Page
Wow! We are already in the last Trimester of the school year. It is time for your child to apply all the skills he or she has acquired this year in a more independent way. This can be a growing experience for some, but we always want to remind students of just how much they have accomplished this year. Please praise your child for their hard work! Accomplishing academic and social emotional growth in the early grades takes a lot of effort.
Our third graders will be participating in PARCC testing for the first time this March and April. Please see the link to the letter below.
The Parent Planning Council is reconvening with a meeting on March 12 at 9am in the Milne Grove Teacher's Lounge. The purpose of this group is to dialogue and plan. Among the items we will discuss over the next three months:
Social Emotional Supports at Milne
3rd Grade Lock In in May
Activity Planning
Topics as they are suggested
If you plan to attend, please rsvp to me via email or phone. If March 12 is not convenient, my door is open to you - please let me know what ideas and insights you have to enhance our school. When we work together, we can create something better than either could accomplish alone. Call me at 815-838-0542x2104 or email jkoziol@d91.net.
Jaime Koziol
Mrs. Jaime Koziol, Principal
815-838-0542 x2104
Mrs. Cindy Dragosh, Secretary
815-838-0542x2100
Milne Grove's Title I Reading Students Present:
THANK YOU GOAL SETTING VOLUNTEERS!
The District 91 Goal Setting meeting was held on Saturday, February 10, 2018 and was facilitated by Mr. Perry Hill, IV, from the Illinois Association of School Boards. If you recall, residents had the opportunity to indicate their interest in attending this meeting on the district survey. Volunteers from the community, parents, alumnus, staff, administration, and the D91 Board of Education gathered to complete the first step of defining goals towards developing the next multi-year Strategic Plan, to be prioritized and adopted by the Board of Education and implemented by Superintendent Donna Gray. Please feel free to attend the Board of Education meetings held on the second Tuesday of the month in the KG LRC to be kept informed of all District 91 business.
Thank You to the following volunteers!
Katie Alcantar, Deanna Anderson, Caryn Arriaga, Sarah Beechler-Wilson, Steven & Therese Berglund, Jannette Boucher, Angela Cushman, Darren Deskin, Lia Ditter, Dan Dorion, Tom Drake, Lucy Fiday, Laura Garrett, Becki Georgopulos, Donna Gray, Erin Holland, John Jennings, Bryan Kincaid, Peter Klauser, Jaime Koziol, Jessica Lakics, Anne & David Lee, Ann Lopez-Caneva, Chris Malak, Jacob Maly, William Merchantz, Michaelene O'Halloran, Courtney Oxley-Turner, Jim Pierson, Estella Rodriguez, Dianna Skoczek, Adriana Sosa, Larry Spencer, Lisa Stanly, Andrea Thornton, and Adriana Westerhausen.
Volunteers are not paid - not because they are worthless, but because they are PRICELESS!!
Notes From the Nurse
Miles of Smiles will be here to do the dental cleanings on March 9th. The snow storm last month postponed their scheduled date. If your child is interested in the free dental cleaning, there is still time to sign up for the service. Please contact me if you would like to sign your student up for the free dental cleaning.
Dental Examinations are due by May 15th, 2018 for kindergarten, 2nd grade and 6th grade students. Please send all completed dental examinations to the school nurse so your child’s health record will be in compliance. Please contact me if you have any questions or concerns.
Please also remember that students who are absent more than 3 days may only return to school with a doctor's note.
Mrs. Gilkerson, RN
If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me at 815-838-0542 ex. 2106 or at sgilkerson@d91.net.
Like the D91 PTO on Facebook!
The Latest from the LRC
Book Notes
All students are voting for their favorite Monarch Award nominee next week. I can’t wait to see which book wins our votes, and how we compare to the rest of the state. Our third grade Bluestem Bunch Book Club is also finishing up - we end with a Battle of the Bluestems and a voting party next week. Then we’re on to reading about Spring and topics related to what’s going on in class.
Fundraisers
The D91 LRC's Culver's fundraiser on Feb 28 raises funds to help us buy more books for the kids.
We were able to order nearly $2000 in books from Scholastic, thanks to all your purchases at our Book Fair in October. Those books have arrived and are being checked out daily. Thank you for your support of our BIGGEST fundraiser of the year!
Reading Incentives
Six Flags Read to Succeed has ended for this year. The tickets will be distributed in May.
Spikes’ Super Students - Information will be coming home soon about this reading program. Your child can read books to earn a FREE ticket to a Joliet Slammers game, and you will have the option to buy half-price ($5) tickets for the rest of the family.
Volunteer Corner
Many thanks to Jaime Dixon, Peter Klauser, Linda Hozjan and Katie Schuldt for coming in to help put away books. They make it possible for your kids to find the books they are looking for!
ltumino@d91.net ~ 815-838-0542, x2122 Follow me on Twitter!
Physical Education Feats
February flew by in PE! Students spent a lot of their time focusing on our Jump Rope for Heart event! Our goal this year is $12,200. As of 4:15pm on February 23rd, we have raised over $12,737.61!
The American Heart Association says that for every $50 raised during Jump Rope for Heart, that saves approximately 1 life. Our school is so proud to say that we have saved over 185 lives! It has been so great to hear students ask, “How many lives have we saved?” rather than, “How much money do we have?”.
Jump Rope for Heart ends February 23rd. Please allow a few weeks for the rest of the Thank You Gifts to be delivered to Milne Grove.
In March students will get to start some different sports!
3rd Grade
ELA:
Students should continue to read 20 minutes every night to help practice their comprehension and fluency skills. Please also continue to work with your child on their spelling and vocabulary words. Here are some tips to boost comprehension:
Math:
Please continue to work with your student on fact fluency for addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. They need to work on accuracy as well as speed when practicing their facts. If you would like additional resources for fact practice, please visit the third grade page under math.
You can use the Go Math link to review lessons at home and assist with concept questions.
Updates:
PARCC Testing will begin at the end of March and continue through April. A note will be sent home with test dates and additional information about the test. If you would like to help your child practice or to see sample questions, please visit PARCC Practice Tests.
Remind students to use the third grade website so they can continue working on their foundational skills. There are a variety of links that will help them increase their ability with the material that has been taught so far this year.
Please discuss with your child his/her current need for replacement school supplies. Please have your child bring any needed supplies to school as soon as possible so that he/she can be prepared for class activities. The following is a list of supplies used on a daily basis:
art box
sharpened pencils
red pen
highlighter
large eraser
crayons
scissors
glue stick
take home folder
dry erase markers
Please feel free to contact your child’s teacher with any questions or concerns!
Thank you,
The Third Grade Team
Miss Johnson, 3rd grade teacher, jjohnson@d91.net
Mrs. McGreevy, 3rd grade teacher, hmcgreevy@d91.net
Mrs. Steed, 3rd grade teacher, csteed@d91.net
Mrs. Visser, Reading Specialist, avisser@d91.net
Mrs. Fiday, Special Education Teacher, lfiday@d91.net
Mrs. Phillips, Reading Aide, bphillips@d91.net
Mrs. Heintz, Math Aide, mheintz@d91.net
2nd Grade
Reading
Students will read fables and fairytales. Students are working hard on restating part of the question in their answer. They are learning to go back in the text to prove their answer.
Here are some silly tales that you can relax and listen to with your child. You might be impressed at how much your child can tell you about the genre!
Social Studies
Students will begin Chapter 4, Celebrating Our Traditions. Students will learn about different cultures, celebrations, national holidays, and how songs, stories and art can pass traditions down in cultures.
Science
We will begin learning about ecosystems, what plants need to survive and how seeds are dispersed.
Math
Students should continue to practice their subtraction facts. After 3 digit addition and subtraction students will focus on time and money.
The Second Grade Team
Mrs. Bolte, 2nd grade teacher, mbolte@d91.net
Mrs. Georgopulos, 2nd grade teacher, rgeorgopulos@d91.net
Miss Podwika, 2nd grade teacher, kpodwika@d91.net
Mrs. Visser, Reading Specialist, avisser@d91.net
Mrs. Fiday, Special Education Teacher, lfiday@d91.net
Mrs. Phillips, Reading Aide, bphillips@d91.net
Mrs. Heintz, Math Aide, mheintz@d91.net
1st Grade
Math:
Double Digit Addition
Double Digit Subtraction
Time to the Hour and Half Hour
Language Arts:
Reviewing long vowel patterns with ‘e’ at the end
Reviewing double vowel patterns
Discriminating between long and short vowel sounds
Continuing to practice writing sight / memory words
Writing:
Identifying a narrative story
Application of writing a personal narrative story
Reading:
Classifying and Categorizing
Using picture clues and prior knowledge to understand a story
Sequencing events of a story
Drawing conclusions
Science:
Discuss and Exploring Animal Habitats
At home animal project to be sent home
Social Studies:
Learning about traditions we share
Discovering and learning about cultures
Gaining an understanding about our past and our present
The First Grade Team
Mrs. O'Halloran, 1st grade teacher, mohalloran@d91.net
Mrs. Preboy, 1st grade teacher, cpreboy@d91.net
Mrs. Stanly, 1st grade teacher, lstanly@d91.net
Mrs. Visser, Reading Specialist, avisser@d91.net
Mrs. Fiday, Special Education Teacher, lfiday@d91.net
Mrs. Phillips, Reading Aide, bphillips@d91.net
Mrs. Heintz, Math Aide, mheintz@d91.net
Kindergarten
The Kindergarten Team
Mrs. Adams - sadams@d91.net
Mrs. Visser, Reading Specialist, avisser@d91.net
Mrs. Fiday, Special Education Teacher, lfiday@d91.net
Mrs. Phillips, Reading Aide, bphillips@d91.net
Mrs. Heintz, Math Aide, mheintz@d91.net
Early Learners Preschool
Upcoming Events:
Week of March 5 - The Early Learners will be introduced to the letter “Kk”. The theme of the week will be kites. They will also be introduced to the diamond shape and the number 17.
Week of March 12 - The Early Learners will be introduced to the color green and learn about St. Patrick’s Day. They will also be introduced to the number 18.
Week of March 19 - The Early Learners will be introduced to the letter “Rr”. The theme of the week will be rainbows. They will also be introduced to the rectangle shape and the number 19.
Week of March 26 –The Early Learners will be introduced to the letter “Ee”. The theme of the week will be Easter. They will also be introduced to the color purple and the number 20.
Dates to Remember:
Monday, March 5th, NO SCHOOL, Pulaski Day
Friday, March 9th, Field Trip to Lockport Police Station
Wednesday, March 21st, Family Fun at Richland School at 6:00p.m.
Thursday, March 29th, Spring Party at 2:00p.m.
Friday, March 30th, NO SCHOOL, Spring Break
The PK Team
Mrs. Torkelson, PK Teacher, rtorkelson@d91.net
Mrs. Pederson, Bilingual Liaison, spederson@d91.net
The Speech Spot with Mrs. Barker
Keeping a Healthy Voice
The cold and flu season can put a strain on our bodies as well as our vocal cords. Vocal cords are a part of your throat that vibrate when you speak. The vocal cords are covered with “mucus”, which helps to protect and lubricate the cords. If the mucus becomes too dry or too thick this reduces the ability to protect the cords. Keep the following suggestions in mind to keep your voice healthy all year long!
Drink plenty of water; aim for 6-8 glasses a day.
Avoid caffeine in drinks such as tea, coffee and pop. Caffeine can be drying and is also a diuretic.
Avoid sugary drinks which have levels of sugar. The sugar can lead to dryness in the mouth and throat and can leave you feeling thirstier.
Always drink plenty of water when eating hot, spicy foods.
Avoid smoking, or exposure to secondhand smoke.
Keep the air in rooms humid buy using a humidifier or keeping a bowl of water near radiators.
Avoid whispering, even when your throat is hoarse from a cold. Whispering puts greater stress on vocal cords.
Reduce coughing and throat clearing, which can blow off some of the protective mucous layer on the vocal cords. When a cough is unavoidable due to a cold, try sipping lots of water and reducing the amount of talking.
Avoid shouting or screaming which forces the vocal cords together too roughly and will irritate them.
Set aside a period of time once or twice each day for vocal rest and enjoy activities such as reading, watching television or doing a jigsaw puzzle.
Taken from Voice Care for Children
By Graham Williamson
Savvy Solutions with Mrs. DeSandre
This Month’s Topic: Effective Consequences
When children misbehave, it can be difficult sometimes to decide on an appropriate way to discipline your child. When kids exhibit negative behaviors, they often need a negative consequence to deter them from repeating the misbehavior. When it comes to finding a discipline strategy, logical consequences are a great way to teach kids how to manage their behaviors better in the future. Logical consequences need to be related to the misbehavior. Of course, positive reinforcement should also be used as a main part in disciplining your child.
How to make logical consequences effective:
If possible, make sure the child is aware of the consequence ahead of time. (“If you do not put your bike away today, you will not be able to ride it tomorrow.”)
Be as immediate as possible when giving a consequence. If a child misbehaves today and he doesn’t receive a consequence until tomorrow, he’s not likely to associate the consequence with the misbehavior.
When giving the consequence, it is important to be firm but pleasant. Stay as calm as possible. If a parent yells or appears to be very angry, it can lead to kids focusing more on their anger toward their parent rather than thinking about how they can change their behavior in the future.
Make sure the loss of a privilege is for a short amount of time. 24 hours is usually long enough of a period. Loss of a privilege for a week, may be unrealistic as they may have forgotten why they have lost the privilege in the first place and could cause further upsetting feelings.
Consequences also need to be an age-appropriate discipline strategy. For example, it’s reasonable to expect a 7-year-old to follow the rules while playing a game, but a 4-year-old isn’t likely going to stick to the rules as he may not understand the concepts.
Examples:
Child yells, argues, or talks back. Consequence: Parent refuses to listen until the child uses a calm respectful voice and/or apologizes.
Your child breaks something. Consequence: Child must complete more chores in order to earn money to buy a new one.
Dirtying or messing the house. Consequence: Child must clean it up mess or complete extra chores.
(Resources: Parent’s Guide: Solutions to Today’s Most Common Behavior Problems in the Home. By: Stephen B. McCarney and Angela M. Bauer. Website: http://discipline.about.com)
*If you have any recommendations for topics, please contact me!*
Contact Mrs. DeSandre at tdesandre@d91.net
Art
In March and April, all Milne Grove artists are continuing to explore the art of painting, while moving into the art of sculpture in the weeks ahead. Currently, we are also concentrating on communication skills when discussing completed artwork during critique. Students also continue to focus on communication in written form through “Artist Statements” for all projects completed. Be sure to ask your child about their artwork - you will be amazed at what you learn!
Currently, the kindergarten students are in the final stages of their Pop Art Wayne Thiebaud inspired sundae paintings and will progress into the art of printmaking. Students will use the “monoprint” technique to create a flower still life with chalk accents. First grade students will continue their outer space mixed media paintings and later turn their attention to the talented, yet mysterious world of Vincent Van Gogh prior to creating their own Sunflower Painting.
The second grade students will begin a watercolor cityscape in spirit of Chicago. Students will view many skyline images for inspiration and learn about the countless sites and classic architecture within the great Windy City. The third grade artists are currently working on the color wheel and the work of Jim Dine and move to the mysterious world of Edvard Munch.
For more information on art classes at Milne Grove, please be sure to check us out on the web at www.d91.net. Thank you for your interest in your child’s art education.
Thank you for your continued support!
Mrs. Cravens
Music Notes
To Contact Mrs. Randolph K-8 Music & KG Chorus Director
Email: srandolph@d91.net PHONE: 815-838-0737 ext. 1140
In March all K-8 music students will continue their music studies through our subscription to “The Music Express Magazine” that our D91 PTO so generously provides our music program. Please go the D91 Music Web site Home Page https://randolphd91music.weebly.com/ and each grade level to let your children share what they are learning in music. Also, please go to the “Music Express Magazine” website to join your children by singing and dancing along with them in the music they are learning: http://www.musicexpressmagazine.com/ and https://www.youtube.com/user/musicexpressmag . Students in grades 6, 7, and 8th music exploratory classes will compose original music, perform at least one selection on piano, and some students will advance to organ or guitar. Check out the Organ and Guitar D91 Music web tab for advanced music students. Lockport D91 has a lot of talented students!
Friday, March 17 (8am) The Kelvin Grove Chorus will be performing for the District IGSMA Choir Contest at Richland Junior high School (1919 Caton Farm Rd. – Crest Hill, IL 60403. Please show your support of the KG Chorus by attending contest. There is $1 admission charge for the audience.
W. March 28 (4pm) – check Music Web Page – Kelvin Grove Organ students will perform in private concert at the Rialto Theatre (101 N. Chicago St. – Joliet, IL 60434) in Joliet. Friends and family invited FREE.
T. May 15 (6:30 pm) – All students in Grades 4, 5 KG Chorus, and a few selected students in grades 6-8 will present the spring concert in the KG old gym with a SURPRISE at the concert. Admission is FREE and open to the public.
Th. May 17 3rd Grade Recorder Concert at 2:30 pm MG gym Parents and family invited
RECORDER CLUB – Every Friday at 8:05 am. (Please don’t come early. Mrs. Randolph teaches students at KG until 8 am.)
OPTION FOR STUDENTS WITH RECORDERS: Register with Joy Tunes (those of you who registered in the past should be able to continue free. New users have a fee. Select Sarah Randolph as your teacher for your scores to be sent to me and to be able to play games and compete with other D91 students. When you sign in, click the tab at the top where it says connect with your teacher and type Sarah Randolph.
In March students across the USA will celebrate “National Music
In Our Schools Month” with the theme “Music Connects Us”.
Music In Our Schools Month is celebrating its 33 rd year. It began
in 1973 as a one day observance and in 1985, grew into a month
long celebration. Music affects all of us in many different ways
throughout each day. Students will sing, play, and reflect how
music affects their lives and learn to appreciate the composers and
musicians that create the music we enjoy. Students in music
classes during March will view the Concert for Music In Our
Schools in celebration of National Music In Our Schools Month as
well as continuing their study of a variety of musical styles.
Substitutes Needed!!
For More Information on Milne Grove School:
Email: jkoziol@d91.net
Website: www.d91.net
Location: 565 East 7th Street, Lockport, IL, United States
Phone: 815-838-0542
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/milnegrove/
Twitter: @milnegrove