Thursday, January 31, 2008

Taming of the Shrew

The Theatre Department of Morton West High School presents William Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew. Our production brings out the humor in this already comic play; adding more physical comedy, fight sequences, and fun musical numbers. Be prepared to see pirates, ninjas, and disco dancing while Kate, the shrew, is “tamed.” The show is at the Morton West Auditorium, right on stage! The cost is $3.00 for students with ID. Performances are Friday, Feb. 1st, Saturday, Feb. 2 at 7:00 p.m. and Sunday, Feb. 3rd at 2:00 p.m. come early to see our hilarious pre-show!

Pack the Place!!

PACK THE PLACE IS THIS FRIDAY @ MORTON WEST

4:30: Sophomore Boys (Main Gym)
4:30: Sophomore Girls (Aux Gym)
6:00: Varsity Girls (Main Gym)
7:30: Varsity Boys (Main Gym)

Morton Boys Varsity Basketball is ranked 11th by the Tribune and is supposed to be a really exciting team to watch. Basketball fans and Berwyn fans...come one, come all!!

Wednesday, January 30, 2008

Neighbors Making a Difference by Terri Shonder

Neighbors Making a Difference, “Building Schools” January 24, 2008

I attended a roundtable discussion, Neighbors Making a Difference. The discussion literally focused on “Building Schools” and schools’ positive effects on the neighborhood. The speakers were two neighborhood women who saw a desperate need for a new school in their low-income neighborhood. Their strategy focused on improved teachers, improved curriculum and the knowledge that school success equals community success.

Both groups of parents were professionally trained by groups such as Little Village Community Development Corporation (LVCD) and Community Organizing and Family Issues (COFI). Through these organizations parents were taught to lead and mobilize other parents for their cause which allowed them to participate in discussions and the design of the building. They discussed obstacles they faced such as information not arriving home, that was solved by personally passing out literature at drop off and pick up. They requested families to attend meetings as well as for their input, this lead to more families and neighbors becoming involved. Principals at both schools were supportive and provided meeting rooms.

Trung Le, a designer of learning spaces spoke about the future competition for jobs and that school curriculum needs to change in order to compete with students overseas. The future goal should be customized learning centers that reflect the multi-tasking of 20th Century children.

Robert Guerico, Principal of Bell School in Chicago spoke with pride of the schools successful parental involvement. As Principal, Mr. Guerico encourages parents to challenge the school board, attend meetings and ask questions. Bell School has an open door policy; the parents feel welcome which fosters strong communication between the school and its parents. The school administration supported parents to form a non-profit group called “Friends of Bell”. This group writes a school newsletter (funded by business donations); helps educate students in fine arts, formed an inclusion group for special needs and technology committees, and budgeted by the school. The priority at Bell School is to serve the community and their key to success is people are “proud to be there”.

The common theme of the speakers was the schools were part of the neighborhood and the school/parent/neighborhood partnership works. The parents were so inspirational, they would not take no for an answer, they continued to knock on doors until they were heard. I related their situations to ours in Berwyn; I reminded myself that the schools were in Chicago, run by the government of Chicago. Even though Berwyn has a different school structure parents should not be afraid to question the school board and band together for the good of the students.

Monday, January 28, 2008

What it Takes... by Shelley Titzer

Arne Duncan, CEO of Chicago Public Schools, was interviewed on Sunday morning on Channel 7. He talked about some of the expansions of education that have occurred in Chicago recently. I was reminded of The New York Times article, "What It Takes To Make a Student" that thoroughly examined the real possibility of closing the achievement gap. An article in a BerwynCARES newsletter (on page 4) last year referenced the NYT article and the achievement gap here in Berwyn. One idea from that article is that low-income, minority, and at-risk students don't need the same education, they need MORE. From what I heard Arne Duncan say, Chicago is embracing this idea. Chicago spent $30 million on full day kindergarten so that most Chicago kindergarteners (95%) attend school full day. 200 Chicago Public Schools are open on Saturdays. Many schools double as community centers where parents learn along with their children by taking evening and weekend courses.


Oak Park District 97 is considering offering full-day kindergarten in SOME of their schools, the ones with the higher percentage of at risk children. I think this is a great example of targeting limited resources and rejecting a "one size fits all " approach, though the plan is to eventually expand full-day K to all Oak Park schools.


http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-district97_25jan25,1,2194992.story

Researchers and educators across the country (and here in the Chicago area)
increasingly report that What it Takes is MORE. More funding. More hours. More
resources. More teachers.
What it Takes is MORE ideas, MORE outside-of-the-box thinking, MORE progressive and innovative, research-based strategies for reaching ALL kids. Berwyn must offer MORE to our students. Berwyn must demand MORE of our schools and ourselves.

Tuesday, January 22, 2008

Parent University

Lyons Township Parent University is a valuable experience for parents of children of all ages. The one-day conference on Sat. Feb. 9th is structured like a professional conference including a Keynote speaker, vendor fair, and workshops on topics related to parenting. I attended this Parent University two years ago and found it to be a very worthwhile event. This year's topics include:

1. Raising respectful, responsible, and resilient children in a privileged world
2. Raising Boys
3. Learning Disorders
4. Holding the line without Losing Control
5. Birth Order and your marriage
6. Remove Yelling from your home
7. Helping Girls Navigate Adolescence
8. Getting Ready to Read

For a complete list of workshops and registration information click here.

Monday, January 21, 2008

North Berwyn Enrichment Program Provides Learning Opportunities by Shelley Titzer

Last fall I attended the joint All Berwyn Committee (ABC)/BerwynCARES meeting that featured Berwyn teachers presenting some of the innovative programming in Berwyn schools. All of the presentations were interesting, but one group of teachers and their program stood out for me as particularly impressive. Teachers, Jason Crowley and Lindsay Mynaugh, told the audience about the Illinois Math and Science Academy (IMSA) Excellence 2000+ program at Lincoln Middle School.

Excellence 2000+ is an enrichment program for middle school students who are talented, interested and motivated in math and science.
6th-8th graders must apply and be selected into the IMSA sponsored program that meets every Monday from 3:30-5:30 and occasional Saturdays. A math and science teacher are trained in the curriculum through IMSA, a residential college preparatory school in Aurora. Units of study include:

Understanding Scale and Proportion: Earth's Place in the Solar System
Seeing Math and Science in a New Light: Reflections and Symmetry
Rock 'n' Roll: Tectonics and Seismicity in Illinois
Your senses: Pathways to Learning
Investigating Chaos Theory
Crime Scene Investigation

During the "Scale and Proportion" unit, students walked the solar system to scale by starting at the sun (Lincoln School at 16th and Elmwood) and walking to Pluto (about 16th and Clinton). Other activities were described as "hands-on/minds-on" with problem centered and inquiry based lessons. Last year was the 4th successful year in the program which provided opportunities for about 30 middle school students.
Opportunities for the students include visits to the Illinois Math and Science Academy, Saturday field trips, IMSA Summer Programs, Problem of the Month, and a Virtual Online Competition.
Upon graduation, some students may ultimately apply to IMSA for high school. Currently, there are Lincoln Middle School graduates at IMSA!

This program is one example of the innovative and challenging programs that are offered to Berwyn students.

Friday, January 18, 2008

Qualities of a Leader

The Illinois Association of School Boards will be assisting the District 100 School Board in a full search to replace outgoing Superintendent Patricia Wernet who submitted her resignation as of June 2008. I have been asked to be a part of a focus group to consider what qualities our community is looking for in an educational leader. The focus group will be meeting with the IASB on Jan. 30th. I thought I would bring along your input.

What would YOU like to see in an educational leader?

Please respond in the comments section or to me directly at titzers@yahoo.com

Friday, January 11, 2008

Decision 2008 by Shelley Titzer

While the rest of the world may seem consumed by the presidential primary elections, perhaps some of you are making an equally (or perhaps even more) important decision: Where to send your kids to school next year. In Berwyn, many private schools offer open houses in January and the pressure to register and secure a space for the next year is great. For two years, I have encouraged Districts 98 and 100 to plan a similar event in the public schools so that the families of young children have an opportunity to get as much information as possible about all of their options before making such an important decision.

The fact is that many families choose private schools without ever setting foot in their local public school and, for many, that decision is partially based on what they've heard about their public school.
For the last 3 years, my family has attended the open houses at local Catholic schools to begin the decision making process. I was impressed! We really have great options here in Berwyn.

But, I was disappointed that it wasn't as easy to get information about my public school. Ultimately, I found the information I needed, but I maintain there is a great need for some kind of formal Open House at our public schools where the community is invited in to see what the public schools have to offer. I went to the trouble of making an appointment to visit my neighborhood school on my own.

Though I wasn't invited like the private schools' open houses, I found I was welcome. I sat in the back of a few classes, looked at what student work was displayed on the walls, paid attention to student behavior, and asked some pointed questions about discipline, achievement, arts education and opportunities for parental involvement.
Oh, and I brought a few other parents along with me. I found it really energizing to be with a group and I think we probably got a bit more attention than if we had been alone. In the end, my family chose the public school. My kindergartener is happy and I am, too. I am impressed daily by his hard-working teachers and by the educational opportunities given to him. He really is getting a great education.

The private schools in our area are excellent and I continue to attend the open houses in January and reevaluate our family's choice on a yearly basis. Choosing a school for my children caused me so much anxiety and maybe those of you reading this know a thing or two about this! For me, information is the anti-anxiety medication. Here are some tips to help you choose the best educational option for your family:

1. Go to the Open Houses. Most of the Catholic Schools have open houses on Jan 27th. Make appointments to tour other private schools that do not have scheduled open houses.

2. PLEASE, call your local public school and make an appointment to visit classrooms and meet with the principal. Do what I did and organize a group. You'll be surprised by the questions that others ask that you may not have considered. Follow these links to get the name and number of your local public school's principal:

North Berwyn: http://www.d98.cook.k12.il.us/web/index.htm

South Berwyn: http://www.bsd100.org/

3. Do some research and bring a checklist with you. There are many available on the web, but I found the greatschools website to be the most helpful.

4. Consider forming an informal playgroup with other families in your immediate neighborhood. These are the children that your child may end up sitting next to for the next few years! Get to know each other. Share your concerns about education. Brainstorm what you each individually envision as an ideal school. Then see if any of the private or public schools in the Berwyn area offer that. If not, can that vision be made into a reality through your group?

Could you be agents of change?
It is probable that, in the end, a group like this will make different school choices, but the experience will help form a sense of community among families in your neighborhood and you will all be confident in your school choice because you will have gotten all of the information necessary to make that choice. If you are interested in starting a playgroup in your neighborhood, I can help you organize. I'll post contact information on this blog and include your playdates in the "Upcoming Events" section.

5. Post your experiences on this blog. Let's hear about those visits. I'd also ask that if you've been through the process of choosing a school, share your advice with the readers of this blog. Just click on "comments".

Happy New Year and Good luck with all of the important decisions you make in 2008!

Sunday, January 6, 2008

It's not too late!

Thanks to all who supported Berwyn teachers through donations (small and large) to The Berwyn Challenge on Donorschoose.org this Holiday season!

7 of the 14 proposals in The Berwyn Challenge have been fully funded!

Our thermometer is not reflecting that for some reason. I think that only donations given directly through the Challenge page are counted. If a donor clicks on the individual proposal and then donates, it won't count toward our thermometer. No matter, as long as the funding gets to the classrooms. Here is the link directly to The Berwyn Challenge:

http://www.donorschoose.org/donors/viewChallenge.html?id=17655

It is not too late! The BerwynCARES committee will be choosing proposals to fund using the money we raised from the Kids Concert, but new proposals are being added just about every week and there is more need than we have funds. The Challenge will remain active throughout the spring. Please consider making a donation to a classroom proposal through The Berwyn Challenge. Together, we can make a difference.

After taking a break in December, the CARES Board of Directors will be meeting in late January to plan our spring activities. Check back on this blog or our website for the latest news and happenings in education in Berwyn. Happy New Year!