Third Grade Holiday Party Fun

The 3^rd grade holiday party was Thursday afternoon and the kids had so much fun. Thanks to room parents Margaret Steele (Ginny's mom) and Heather Wasilew (Jacob's mom) for coordinating the party, games and decorations. Parent volunteers for this holiday party included Margaret and Heather as well as Radhika Miraglia (Mateo's mom), Courtney Lederer (Beck's mom), Maurine McAdams (Hayley's mom), Nicole Gage (Sienna's mom), Jennifer Seitz (Ella's mom) and Karen Zeitlin (Maya's mom).  With holiday music playing in the background, the 3^rd grade participated in 5 fun stations.

1)      Make your own Snowman craft

2)      Make your own book mark

3)      Cookie decorating (and eating)

4)      Minute marshmallow games

5)      Dreidel playing

The parents and kids had a great time just hanging out and celebrating the holidays. They created some great snowmen and bookmarks and ate their share of marshmallows before, during and after the marshmallow games. Patrick was even visiting from England! Thanks to Ms. Blivaiss and Ms. Podgorny for letting us take over the room.  Here are some fun photos from the afternoon.

Happy Holidays from the 3^rd Grade!

  

 

NPES Girl Scout Troop 20432

NPES is the proud new home of Girl Scout Troop 20432.  We are 26 girls strong and boast a multi-age level mix with girls in first through fourth grades.  In November we visited Jewell Animal Hospital at 4501 North Lincoln Avenue.  The Vet Techs there demonstrated the care of pets on the two resident cats.  See the Troop and the cats in the attached photos.  At Sulzer Library we made bird feeders and shared animal jokes and riddles - What do you get from a pampered cow? Spoiled Milk.  Where do polar bears vote?  The North Poll.

In October we started work on our art badge.  In December we take the ice to earn an ice skating patch.  In January we will begin work on our snack badge.

Our Girl Scout Troop is entirely volunteer led.  Troop leaders are Heidi McDermott and Carrie von der Sitt.  Ms. Hovey, Laura Novy, and Andrew Dunlop have committed their time and energy to helping the girls earn badges.  Kim Minscalco and Dawn Zarembski will be instrumental in the most favorite of Girl Scout activities - Cookie Sales.  Liz Burgess and Julia Colpoys have assisted the troop at meetings.  Thanks to them and many others who intend to volunteer in this dynamic organization.
Heidi McDermott (mom to Sammy in 3rd and Marcus in 5th)

Lunch Time Fun and A Safe Ride on the CTA

On Tuesday I had the pleasure of being "lunch mom" and then visiting first and third grades. We are new to NPES, and still consider ourselves "rookies," but our affinity grows with each passing day. Volunteering at lunch time is simply fascinating! Watching the various dynamics and interactions was better than any reality show. More importantly, it reinforced my appreciation for the values taught at NPES, these kids are on their way to success! I was also able to steal a couple of creative lunch ideas.

During my visit to each classroom, I talked to the students about CTA. We looked at a system map and reviewed the various train lines, including the Brown Line just down the street. We discussed how utilizing public transportation is vital to a large city (1.7 million people ride the CTA every day!), how it's good for the environment and how it's good for our health because it involves walking.

But as the former Chief of Safety and Security at CTA I thought it exceptionally important to share with them some important safety tips. Never go on the tracks. Don't horse around on platforms. Always respect crossing gate arms, bells and lights. Boy, did they get it! They asked a ton of great questions, you should be proud of your urban dwellers. I hope they enjoyed the presentation as much as I enjoyed spending time with them, and I hope they always remember the safety issues we discussed.

Celi De La Cruz, Ava (3rd) & Marcelino (1st)

Halloween handprints in PreK 3 class

The highlight of my week was the time I got to spend with the AM preschoolers on Tuesday.  I helped the kids do a really fun Halloween craft -- making black cat handprint paintings.  They loved the way the paintbrush tickled when I was putting the black paint on their hand!  It was very cute.  I sat with each child individually to make his or her own picture, which was a nice way for me to get a tiny little glimpse of each student, some of whom I hadn't met yet.  I was amazed at how polite, well-behaved, and what good listeners every single kid was when I was working with them -- a testament to both the parents and the fantastic NPES preschool teachers! 

I'd trade places with Cal in a heartbeat if I could -- they're lucky kids!

Chloe Patton (mom to Cal, PK-3)

Science in Preschool

On October 8th, NPES grandparent Jim Mellett volunteered in the afternoon preschool classroom. The preschoolers have been studying clouds. Mr. Mellett did a slide show and shared some information with them. He then showed them how a cloud forms when moist air and cool air meet by creating a cloud in a bottle. The kids loved having a chance to do a hands-on science experiment with an expert.

Jim Mellett -  Grandfather to Cal (4th Grade) and Maya (8th Grade)

Preschool Lunch Bunch

Last week I had the opportunity to volunteer with Mrs. Dago in the preschool Lunch Bunch program. I had so much fun, and hopefully the kids did too! The preschoolers learned about the parts of the body in Spanish – we focused on major parts of the body this week (head, legs, arms, hands, legs & feet), and we will learn more about the parts of the head next week (eyes, ears, nose, mouth).

We introduced the kids to the topic using "Señor Papa" (Mr. Potato Head); each child was given 1 piece of the body and when asked "Who has the arm?", responded "I have the arm." in Spanish with prompting. Next, as a group, we all stood and put our hands on our head/legs/arms, etc. as fast as we could when I called out the body part – together at first, and then without prompting as the kids became more familiar with the new words. Then the kids worked in pairs to trace each other on large pieces of paper and while they decorated their drawings, Mrs. Dago and I helped them to identify different parts of the body in Spanish.

The kids are so enthusiastic about Spanish and seeing the smiles on their faces when they hear "Muy Bien!" after saying a new word is so rewarding.

Cortney Wong - Mother of Thea (Preschool-4) and AJ (Kindergarten)

Library Helper 10/17/14

I have to admit, I am a book nerd! Anything and everything to do with reading and writing really gets me going.....just the thought of a bookstore or library brings a smile to my face so when I had the opportunity last year to sign up to be a library helper (yes, you too can help beginning in kindergarten) it quickly became one of my favorite half hours of NPES time and those days don't come around quickly enough!

Today was no exception. The First Graders were pumped up about Halloween and thoroughly enjoyed listening to The Biggest Pumpkin Ever by Steven Kroll.  Their curious minds were puzzled by a green pumpkin, their eyes lit up as the pumpkin grew and grew, and their inventive minds searched for ways to help get the pumpkin to the fair. I am not sure what was more fun, reading the story for the first time or hearing the sidebar commentary!

I also love to see what First Graders like to pick out for their book choices. These kids know what they want and within minutes have queued up ready for check out. With Waldo and Pokemon on hiatus, some favorites included Garfield, Halloween books, Nancy Drew, Guinness Books of all kinds, and books on Hamsters, Ponies, and Rocks and Minerals.

My precious half hour ended with these happy First Graders giving me huge smiles, a loud Thank You, and proudly holding up their book choices. They truly made my day!

Thank you Mrs. Rosenberg and NPES! Until next time.........

Julie Kaufield - Mother to Sofia (1st Grade) and Finn (Preschool-4)