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In This Issue June 2017
Reading Olympics Winners Page 2
School Supply Kits Page 2
Palm Leaves Page 3
PTO Update Page 7
Library News Page 8
Student Submissions Page 9
Refugee Welcome Page 15
WHITTIER ELEMENTARY715 NORTH HARVEY
OAK PARK, ILLINOIS 60302 708.524.3080
www.op97.org/whit t ier
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Save yourself some back-to-school stress and let Whitt ier PTO do your school supply shopping for you. Families can pre-order school supplies for the 2017-2018 school year through Carlson?s School Supplies. School supply kits will be delivered to your child?s classroom in time for the 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 order a kit online, please plan to check your child?s supply list just to make sure you have everything.
Please contact Kathy Dull at [email protected] with questions.
Whit t ier School Supply Kits for the 2017?2018 School Year
Order your school kit onl ine by Friday, June 9 at whit t ierpto.org
congratulat ions!
Reading Olym pics Winners
Congratulations to the Super Pupcakes (Priya, Ivy and Giovanna) on their Reading Olympics victory! They demonstrated knowledge of 18 books during the day-long regional competit ion at OPPL. Well done!
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Physical EducationArtLanguage (Spanish)Music
Physical Educat ion
As this great year comes to an end, our PE classes are learning baseball/ tee-ball skil ls along with f itness themes. As everyone moves into summer, remember to stay active, stay healthy, and have fun!
For more information please visit http:/ /www.op97.org/scoglianese
~Mr. Coglianese
In the ART Room
Students are working hard to f inish and upload projects. I am also in the process of sending past projects home, hopefully before June. Be on the look out for your child's work.
~Mr. W.D. PattersonVisual Arts Teacher
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Language (Spanish FLES)
~ from Señora Ruiz
¡Hola verano! Casi casi ya aquí!!! (Summer is almost here!!!)
Summer is almost here. During this last trimester, we are learning about el Yunque, the only Rainforest in the United States located in Puerto Rico! Students are comparing el Yunque to Oak Park using a Venn diagram and using structures such as ?El Yunque tiene (El yunque has) and "Yo veo _____en Oak." (I see ______ in Oak Park.) Students are also learning which animals live in the Rainforest and what they do.
¡Bravo, muchachos! Enjoy the summer break!! ¡Disfrutad de las vacaciones!
¡¡¡Feliz verano!!!
~Maria C. Ruiz-HanebergTwitter: @[email protected]:/ /mruiz-haneberg.blogspot.com~ from Señora Deaton
It 's been a terrif ic year! We have had so much fun and really grown in our understanding and use of español. As we wind up the year, we are f inishing up our themes, reviewing vocabulary and structures from earlier to keep them in the front of our brain for at least some part of the summer, and having fun with movement, music, stories, and games.
Themes & topics:
K/1: Insects, spring, and summer words; days of the week, months of the year; other review; music and movement
2nd grade: Describing the weather; talking about what we like to do in the summer
3rd grade: Spanish alphabet -- including practicing the letters with games and funny songs. Ask your child to sing "Una mosca paraba en la pared" or "Me gusta comer plátanos y manzanas." Talking about what we like to do in summer. We have also ventured into the world of "Kahoot" (a learning quiz "app") to test some of our knowledge using our iPads.
4th/5th grade: Independent projects on "Todo Sobre Mi." ¡Asombrosos! Written and recorded en español! Hopefully your student shared his or hers with you. Also work with Rosetta Stone and year end review with Kahoot. ¡Fantástico in Spring Sing! Students really challenged themselves with a combination of traditional and contemporary songs (De Colores, La Bamba, Waka Waka, and Wavin' Flag.) ¡Bravo, muchachos! A special gracias to Alana S. who asked to learn De Colores and worked independently to master the music so that she could accompany us live (no CD!).
Spanish club: Both our Spanish clubs ended the year with a fun lunch f iesta in the Young Learners' (outdoor) Classroom and even the weather cooperated. Our 4th/5th f iesta had
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40 students and our 3rd grade had 20. ¡Muy divertida! A great way to celebrate our extra Spanish learning.
Ethnic Fest/World Languages Day: A special thank you to students and families who joined Sra. Warner and me on the Hatch/Whittier f loat and for the day's festivit ies. Sra. Ruiz and her daughters did an amazing job of dancing sevillanas from her home town. Sra. Jacoby, Spanish FLES teacher at Lincoln, did Peruvian dances with her sons. Another wonderful celebration of the diversity that makes Oak Park so special! Sincere thanks and best wishes to retiring MultiCultural Resource Center director Lynn Allen. She has done so much for our community around the issues of language and diversity and will be greatly missed (though she assures us she will def initely be around!).
French And German World Language lunchtime enrichment:
Danke and Merci to Madame Robert and the PTO for providing the French and German lunchtime language enrichment program this year. The kids had lots of fun and are so proud of their added language skills. The PTO is looking to add more languages to the line-up next year, so if you might be interested in helping this happen, please let PTO leadership or me know.
Summer language/culture enrichment:
Lots to do around metro Chicago to partake in Spanish/Latin culture and language: a trip to Pilsen to visit the National Museum of
Mexican Art, enjoy authentic Mexican cuisine, and take in the murals; a visit to the Puerto Rican Heritage Center in Humboldt Park and while in the area you can check out the honorary street named for Cubs player Javier Baez; concerts at Chicago's Old Town School of Folk Music featuring music of Argentina, Peru, España and more; family fun at Fiesta del Sol (@Cermak and Loomis in Pilsen July 27-30), restaurants, music, and other events galore! Check out chicago.metromix.com for summer happenings around town!
If you are a Spanish speaker (even if just from high school study), read to/with your child in the language. And more and more there are kid-friendly Spanish TV and apps. However possible, keep those Spanish channels humming as part of your summer fun! If you speak another heritage language, try to use it as often as possible with your child. One can never have enough language! It makes us all richer.
¡Gracias! ¡Gracias! Gracias! We sincerely appreciate your continued support of your child's language learning. It is truly helping grow global cit izens. See you in the fall! ¡Hasta el otoño! Have a wonderful summer! ¡Tengan un verano fabuloso!
"To learn a language is to have one more window at which to look at the world."
-Chinese proverb
-Sra. Ruiz y Sra. Deaton
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Music
Instrumental music
Intermediate band performed at the Memorial Day ceremony on Friday, May 26 at 9 am.
Band students are completing certif icate work and looking forward to summer band and next year.
Summer band is July 31 to August 4. Register online at http:/ /www.op97.org/ instrumental-music/Music-Camp.cfm
Have a great summer!
~Mr. Shannon
Notes f rom the Music Room
Hello Whittier Family,
Our Opera for the Young presentation of The Elixir of Love featured Whittier?s own ?opera chorus? and adult cast, and was presented on May 4th. Written by the Italian composer Gaetano Donizetti in 1832, the original story was set in Spain. To make the story engaging for students, the story takes place in America in the old west, and features a cowboy, an army sergeant, a medicine woman, and a woman rancher. (Ask your child to tell you what the ?love elixir really was!)
We paid tribute to Memorial Day with a morning program on May 26th. This has
become a Whittier tradition over the last few years, spear-headed by Mrs. Mangiantini and district band teacher Amy Vogt, and continued by Mr. Shannon and Ms. Korelc. Third, fourth and f if th grade students participated with recitations of The Gettysburg Address and poetry, and special music from our band, orchestra and chorus.
Summer enrichment:
D97 Music Camp: Interested in a local summer music experience for your children? This year our District 97 camp will be will be held at Percy Julian Middle School from Monday July 31st to Friday August 4. Taught by our D97 music teachers! More information at http:/ /www.op97.org/ instrumental-music/Music-Camp.cfm
The summer is chock full of music experiences for children and families! Don?t miss Ravinia?s schedule of Saturday concerts for children, as well as movie nights: Ravinia will screen all three movies in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, with their scores performed live by the CSO, Chicago Children?s Choir, Chicago Chorale and the Lakeside Singers (Aug 18?20), while the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra will come south to provide live accompaniment for a screening of Oscars Best Picture runner-up La La Land (June 18).
Have a happy, healthy, fun, musical summer, everyone!
~Ms. Duckett-Edwards
That?s a wrap! Another successful year in the books. It is t ime for warm weather, staying up late and lazy days at the pool.
We would like to thank each and every one of you for making 2016/2017 a success. Whether you donated money, dropped off an item for a teacher dinner, volunteered at an event or on a committee or held a leadership position, we couldn?t have done it without you. From big fundraisers like Fun Run and Trivia Night, to our newly added Dine Out Nights and Movie Nights, our community came together to meet our goals. Thank you to everyone for supporting the Lou Malnati's night in April that brought $500 to the PTO.
We are already actively planning for next year. If you are interested
in getting involved, we are forming many committees to support our leadership positions. Please contact us. We would love to have you!
And when you get the tentative copy of the school calendar and mark your own calendar of our fundraising events and monthly PTO meeting.
Have a fabulous summer and we look forward to seeing you on the playground in August.
Kate Haarvei and Amy Soumar
PTO Co-Presidents
Volunteer Posit ionsWe have a few positions to f il l for next school year. If you think you are interested in volunteering, please contact us at [email protected].
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Dear Whittier Families,
What a great year we?ve had! Here are the latest updates from the Whittier Media Center.
Reading Olympics
Another fantastic year of Whitt ier Reading Olympics is in the books! We held our f inal competit ion ? the Ultimate round ? in April. Teams competed to see who best knew facts from eighteen dif ferent books. Our winning team was The Super Pupcakes - Priya, Giovanna & Ivy! They represented Whittier at the all-day regional competit ion at the Oak Park Public Library and did a fantastic job! Congratulations to everyone who participated and worked so hard.
Summer Reading Program Starts June 1st
The Oak Park Public Library Summer Reading Program (Build a Better World!) starts Wednesday, June 7th and goes all the way through the last day of summer - August 22nd. That means more opportunities to win prizes and more levels to unlock as kids tackle reading challenges. Encourage your students to get involved in this great program!
Author Visit
We had a fantastic author visit from the writer of Stick Dog, Tom Watson. He led
us in some group drawing lessons and told us about his new series, Stick Cat. Thanks to the Coligan family for helping us connect with this funny and relatable author!
Suggested Reading Lists
The Oak Park Public Library is offering their annual Reading Lists online this year, rather than printing them to send with report cards. The link is here: http:/ / oppl.org/ services/kids/ reading- lists. There are tons of great books on these lists! The printed versions will also be available at the library if you would like one.
Library Books
As we begin getting closer to the end of the year, please look around your home for any overdue or misplaced library books! All books will be due Monday, June 5th so be sure your student doesn?t have any outstanding books, magazines or playaways. We very much appreciate your help!
Have a wonderful summer and keep reading!
Laurie ConleyWhittier Teacher Librarian
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I Wil l Help the World....
By Mrs. Baker's and Mrs. Vil lasin's First Grade Students
Khloe A. ? I would teach people who do not have food to plant food. People who do not have food we need to help.
Kal iaya B. ? My idea is I will give some people food and water. It is fresh water.
Cameron B. ? I will help the world by picking up garbage.
Noah B. ? I will help the world by recycling paper and cans and bottles.
Gwen C. ? I can pick up garbage and go on adventures and make new trees, a lot of trees. I will get more clothes for people who have not a lot of clothes. And that?s how I am going to save the world.
Khal iq C. ? I would help the world by cleaning the whole earth.
Jal issa E. ? I would give them care and food and water.
Kaviyon G. ? Bring people water and medicine. Help them f ind friends and family.
Jet t G. ? I would buy some food for the people that are hungry. I would pick up garbage. Make trees and make trees that have food.
Jewan G. ? I would help underwater animals by feeding them.
Elaina T. ? I can help the world by being a good person. Do not l iter.
Silvana G.P. ? I am going to study hard and make the world a better place and to do a lot of science. One day when I grow up I am going to change the world and help the world by recycling and save the world.
Kayden J. ? I would buy food and water for people that are hungry. Please do not l itter. And I would plant some trees. If you see some garbage pick it up.
Serena K. ? We can give people food. We can recycle. I will plant trees and plants. I will help the earth by getting water.
Cora M. ? I can make dif ferent plants and that will save the world.
Marley P. ? I am going to bring peace to world by stopping bad people from doing bad things and helping understand how the world is suppose to go.
Claire R. ? We can make food for other people. We can recycle. We can plant more plants. I can help the earth.
Jack S. ? I could make a cake when someone is sick and give it to a family.
Ayden S. ? I can save the ocean by feeding the animals.
Wyatt S. ? I can help the world by delivering fresh water to people who don?t have money and food.
Sidney S. ? We can recycle and pick up trash to help the earth and the environment.
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student submissions
Poetry Study
Mrs. Druckmil ler's Second Grade Students
Emot ions
By Laila M.
They are inside you.
You feel them inside you.
Emotions are happy, sad, angry, and disappointed.
They are all inside you.
Nature
By Jackson B.
There?s bees,
They buzz.
There?s open roses,
The f lowers smell great
Nature is the best.
My Book
By Aurora B.
When I read a book,
I?m in another world.
Where I?m the princess
And a knight too.
But the one thing I love the most
Is coming back to the real world.
Night Sky
By Geneva V. & Arielle S.
Sometimes I think about the night sky
I think someone is up there .
When it is daytime
Someone turns on the light.
At nighttime
They turn out the light.
I?m sure he?s nice.
Otis
By Annabelle B.
Otis is a dog.
Otis is two.
Otis runs
and plays every day.
Otis l ikes to destroy stuff .
Otis barks and barks
at bunnies every day.
Me
By Oliver S.
I am as cute as a bear bug.
I am as kind as Whittier Wildcat.
I am as smart as a fox.
I am as respectful as a doctor.
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Sunrise
By Ruby O.
I think sunrise
is the best
time of day.
All your
feelings surge
into your mind.
Where everyone
thinks dif ferently.
Mommy
By Leah S.
I love mommy?s hugs.
They?re as tight on one hundred blankets on me.
As warm as f ire
protecting me.
Me
By Nadia V.
Tall
Skinny
Nice
and beautiful
That is me
People
By Mallory M.
People are nice.
People change.
They like others.
They are friends.
They are besties
together forever.
Faces
By Juliette A.
Faces help me understand.
Faces are everywhere.
Scary faces,
Sad faces,
Happy faces,
Everywhere.
Dreamy faces
are my favorite.
Sighs of happy, dreamy
People.
Bedt ime
By Troy G.
When I lay down in my bed,
I feel l ike I?m in another world.
My blanket wraps me in sleep.
And when I?m dreaming
My pillow keeps me safe.
Feel ings
By Olivia R.
Swirling
Around in my mind,
Showing themselves
At dif ferent t imes,
Anger, sadness, joy
Sometimes
Mixing together,
Part of my body
Controll ing me,
Love, a symbol of peace.
You?re calm
As you feel it.
Nature
By Josie M.
Nature smells
like fresh air.
Birds are f lying
like a plane.
I lay down
On the grass
Using it l ike a pil low.
Anger
By Gavin O.
When your angry
The emotion seems
To control you
Its as maddening as
Someone breaking your toys
It controls what
Choices you make
That?s rage.
Matteo
By Sebastian B.
My cute
Laughing bro.
I love to make him
Laugh!
I take care of him.
I love Matteo.
Nature
By Clare G.
Nature is beautiful.
It?s like a secret hidden world
that seems imaginary.
And where you sit down
in the soft lush grass.
You stare at the tops of trees
And drif t off .
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Lights
By Marcel B.
There are one hundred
firef lies in the lights.
They f l icker
Until they die.
New ones f ly in
and light up the room.
Mysel f
By Hank H.F.
I am as fast
as a cheetah.
I am as smart
as a jaguar.
I am as friendly
as a chipmunk.
I am as pleasant
as a puppy.
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Spring Haiku Poems
By Mrs. Baker's Writ ing Group
Kite in the blue sky
Butterf l ies eat pink f lowers
Red cardinal feather
- by Marlee D.
I play in the park
Run with the kite in the sky
Birds are in the nest
- by Matthew A.
Family picnic
Blueberries grapes bananas
Flowers in the spring
- by Lucy K.
Friends love home today
Butterf l ies eating f lowers
So nice of you friend
- by Max B.
Picnic at the park
Flowers and pointy green grass
My brother and I
- by Fischer L.
Have fun at the park
Butterf ly f lying high blue
My dog is out good
- by Madeline M.
Service Day
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Bird in the treetops
Hide out inside the tree house
Sun is shining bright
- by Sebastian V.
Sunflowers growing
The butterf l ies are f lying
On a walk outside
- by Lyla M.
Family is fun
The bird f l ies to its tree home
Play football outside
- by Markist W.
You can play outside
Picnic with my mom and dad
Eat lunch in the grass
- by Journey S.
Hot sun in springtime
Roses come out in springtime
Flowers bloom in spring
- by Addie G.
Snow melts to the ground
Flowers pop out of no where
Grass grows from the ground
- by Zoe I.
I got some ice cream
I am playing at the park
I?m picking f lowers
- by Ava O.
Have fun at the park
Blue skies shining blue up
Swings up in the sky
- by Kaedyn S.
Let?s go to the park
Go on slide a bunch of t imes
Let?s eat some pizza
- by William V.
In the morning time
Rainbow bird in the blue sky
I sleep at nighttime
- by Diya M.
We go to the park
Butterf l ies eat pink f lowers
Play with Eric and Walter
- by Connor L.
Friends jump in puddles
Splashing with brown coconuts
Eggs crack at Easter
- by Luke B.
We brought out the stuff
Picnic for my family
Blanket in my yard
- by Ben D.
Hot sun in the park
Friends with Journey we can play
We go to the zoo
- by Journee H.
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whit t ier refugee welcome project
Members of the Whittier Refugee Welcome Project and the Whittier community had a wonderful t ime at the Rohingya Culture Center on Saturday, May 6 th. We delivered household items for 10 Good Neighbor Kits and spent the evening sharing a meal with and getting to know Rohingya refugees.
All of the kids had so much fun playing together; they truly know no boundaries.
Our hosts prepared a delicious meal and our kids enjoyed eating with their hands (it is customary for the Rohingya people to do so and our kids didn't want to be rude). We ended the evening with the Whittier kids presenting the Rohingya kids with beaded necklaces, pencils and hard candy ? they were all so very excited!
The Rohingya refugees are from Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, located in Southeast Asia. When they leave Myanmar, they travel through Bangladesh, Thailand or Malaysia, often risking slavery and their l ives. Those crossing the Andaman Sea face overcrowding in wooden boats where many
are often lost to storms and pirates. Those who reach Malaysia are often without legal
papers and are forced to live in refugee camps without rights to an education or work. All of this after being forced from their homes by the military regime in their country -- their homes and lands seized, their vil lages burned, their women hurt, their schools closed, their business shuttered, their f ishing boats grounded, and their people beaten, imprisoned and kil led -- all
because the government robbed them of their status as cit izens and banned the word ?Rohingya? from the public discourse in order to deny their existence. According to the UN, the Rohingya are the most
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persecuted minority in the world, with the word ?genocide? being used to describe the atrocities waged against them.
Upon arriving in the U.S., the Rohingya refugees are faced with unique challenges. This is a new community being settled in the U.S. and because the Rohingya language is rare and unwritten, resettlement agencies are not equipped with translators to help them in transitioning to their new home. Also, a vast majority of the new arrivals are il l iterate and unskilled, and the children lack formal education. Adults learn English on-the-job and children are placed in age-appropriate public school classrooms without the support to help them adjust and learn.
Thank goodness for the Rohingya Culture Center! The volunteers provide support and education to ensure success for the Rohingya people. They offer religious classes, English classes, homework help and they support and educate their people on how write a resume and conduct a job search, how to manage their f inances, sort through mail and even provide translators for doctors, schools and other agencies.
We are so grateful to have had the opportunity to meet our new friends and we look forward to more visits. If you?d like more information on how you can visit or help the Rohingya community, please email whitt [email protected] or visit the Rohingya Culture Center?s website at www.rccchicago.com.
