Steeple Run Elementary School - Naperville Community Unit School

Super Star News!
Steeple Run Elementary School
May 2014
From The Principal
Margaret Mead once said, “Never
doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed people can change the world; indeed it is
the only thing that ever does.” As I sat reflecting on how to write my last Steeple Run newsletter, the idea of change came to mind. Thinking about the past six years at Steeple Run, I
can honestly say that together; students, parents and staff have brought about some wonderful changes in Steeple Run.
First, the physical appearance of our school has
changed, especially in the last year! Construction on our new multi-purpose room and
office space is well under way and scheduled to be completed by September of
2014! This new construction will provide
flexible learning spaces for all learners. It
will allow for all day kindergarten, a change
we are welcoming in the 2014/15 school year.
Our new office space will provide direct line of sight to the
front entrance and added security. In addition to our current
project, thanks goes also to
Home and School and District
203, as our beautiful new playground was dedicated last year,
bringing a splash of color, joy
and fun to the children of Steeple Run. A new marquis was
also supported by Home and School and is an
important communication tool for our parents.
Our student population has changed over the
past six years, and will continue to change in
the coming years. We welcomed the addition
of Beebe School students. After many welcoming events such as Family Tours, Family Picnics, and pen pals, our former Beebe
students are now Steeple Runners at heart.
Dual Language opened in our school to assist
our native Spanish speakers in their learning.
Next year we will begin to see students joining
us from Arbor Trails, a new subdivision across
Maple Avenue. We look forward to meeting
our new families and helping them to be part of
our wonderful school community.
Curriculum and programming have changed
with a new literacy and math curriculum centered on Common Core Standards (CCS). Our
teaching staff is strong and they welcomed the
changes and have embraced CCS and the rigor
of learning that will prepare students for college and careers. Family Reading and Math
nights, supported by our SFCP involved parents in learning about the new curriculum and
standards. Clubs were started to enhance the
curriculum including Chess Club, Math Club,
Study Stars, Math Stars, Spark, and Student
Council to give students a voice in our school.
As well we implemented Title One Jump Start
Program last year and created a Title 1 Morning Math Support Program. To address students’ social emotional needs, Steeple Run became a Nurtured Heart School,
making expectations clear for
students and recognizing the
strengths of our students and
bringing out their inner wealth.
Second Step, a research based
program was implemented to
explicitly teach social emotional skills and competencies.
Home and School helped to
fund the purchase of Second
Step kits for classrooms. There are changes
coming in how we use assistants, moving assistants closer to the actual learning taking place
in the classroom and allowing all students to
receive enrichment or remediation just in time
as shown by their learning progress and needs.
It will be exciting to see how this change benefits all students.
All of these occurred as we maintained a balance of activities and experiences that help to
build a strong cohesive learning community.
(Continued on page 2)
Our track was built and dedicated to a past much loved PE
teacher and we enjoyed many Turkey Trots on that track.
Birthday books purchased by Home and School allowed
me to get to know each student in a more personal way.
Two All School Books brought our community together
as we read and enjoyed the books about Humphrey and
Tia Lola! Tia Lola taught our students about Spanish language and culture that is a an important part of our school.
Home and School bought every teacher and child a spirit
wear t shirt and we proudly wear them to this day. Family
Picnics brought many families out to meet and greet one
another. Cultural Fairs and World Performances brought
our beautifully diverse school together as we celebrated
our talents and skills from our own backgrounds. I could
go on and on about our welcoming community events.
There are many!
innovative programs and materials that have benefitted
our students.
NEF support has enriched our school in
many ways.
Change and innovation have been prevalent at Steeple
Run School as we have collaborated to create a school
environment that supports students and their families. Together we have brought about these changes and we can
be proud of all we have accomplished! I can’t wait to
hear more about the future of Steeple Run as we are lead
into a new beginning for our school. Thank you for a
great six years and the privilege of leading change and
working with the most wonderful students and families in
all of Naperville! It has been a great six years and I will
be forever grateful to end my career in such a positive
way at Steeple Run.
The Naperville Education Foundation has provided over
$30,000 for grants written by our staff members. These
grant were initiated by staff and parents and brought us
IPads, Coaching for Nurtured Heart, classroom books, a
Parent library, Parent Education Program for ELLs, materials for social emotional learning, and a variety of other
Fondly,
Karen Currier
Principal
Month At A Glance. . . .
5/2:
HALF DAY!
NO PM Kindergarten Classes
AM Kindergarten attends 8:15 – 10:45
D/L Kindergarten & 1st – 5th grade attends 8:15 – 11:35
5/2:
5/5 – 5/9:
5/7:
5/8:
5/8:
5/8:
5th Grade Endurance Challenge
Climbing Wall.
SFCP Meeting at 3:00 pm in the LRC. Children welcome to come.
School Nurse Day. Take a moment to thank our wonderful nurse, Pam Breslin,
and our Health Tech, Kathy Oliver for taking care of our students.
5th Grade Parent Orientation Night at the Jr. Highs.
Market Day pick up. Please use door #15 located off of the service drive behind
the gym.
5/9
5/14:
Ice Cream Social from 6 – 8:30 behind the school.
District Orchestra Festival at Kennedy Jr. High at 7:30 pm.
5/15:
5/19:
5th Grade Music Program. 6:30 pm
H&S Meeting at 9:30 am on the stage. All parents welcome. Principal and
President to give school and District updates. Voting on Budget and Wish List
items for next school year.
5/20:
5/21:
5/26:
5/27:
6/5:
Olympic Day – 2nd, 3rd and 4th grade (Rain date 5/22).
Olympic Day – K and 1st grade (Rain date 5/23).
Memorial Day - NO SCHOOL.
5th Grade Party. (Rain Date 5/28).
Last Day of School! Full Day.
H&S President’s Letter
Thank you!
Eight years, 2 children, 6 committee chairs, 1 year
Secretary, 1 year Vice-President, 2 years President, 2
Principals, 4 Assistant Principals, numerous benefits, fundraisers, and meetings… all coming down
to my final months as President and one more year
at Steeple Run.
They say that it takes a village to raise a child, but it
also takes a village to run a school. Steeple Run has
been an amazing village that has helped me to raise
my children and to excel as a community contributor. Every parent that has volunteered, come to a
meeting, donated to the school, or even sent a note
of thanks to a teacher or staff member, has helped
to make Steeple Run the amazing school it is today.
Every one of those people has propelled me forward
to want to do my best for our children’s school. It
has not always been easy, it has not always been
fun, but it has been a wonderful, wonderful journey; one that I will miss. Thank you all for your
support and input over the years.
the help of Ms. Currier and Ms. VanNess. The
work that they do for our students and the school
goes far above and beyond! Thank you both for all
of your support and encouragement.
I would also like to thank my wonderful husband,
Paul Rosenberg. Without his support and encouragement over the last 4 years, I would not have
been able to give all that I have given. (And these
newsletters might have had a lot more typos.)
Each month, you get a newspaper full of information thanks to the hard work of Victoria Kosirog.
We have three ongoing fundraisers throughout the
year that brought in money as well as provided services to the community. Joy Cleary and Sherri
Petrucci kept us in a variety of foods with the Market Day program. Erin LaPointe and Kathy Wirsing
kept us in fresh fruits and veggies with our first
year trying out Door to Door Organics. And
I don’t think that most people know how much time Heather Stade coordinated Benefit Nights, many
the Executive Board puts in each month to help
with a healthy or activity based twist. Thank you all
Home & School run effectively and seamlessly.
for your monthly hard work!
Each of these individuals has worked tirelessly
Many of you have come out weekly over the year to
throughout the year, not only on their assigned dube Partner Readers, Math Stars, and LRC helpers.
ties, but on other projects as well. Their hard work,
There are too many to list, but you know who you
dedication, and willingness to step up to the plate
are and what a valuable service you provide, not
whenever needed, has made my time as President
just to the school, but to the individual students
not only easier, but a lot of fun! Thank you,
that you work with.
Jennifer Norbut, Joy Szymczak, and Michelle
Banas. Thank you to Dora Kolody and Liz Hall for And finally, two people who do not get enough
credit for all that they do for the school, as well as
stepping into the role of President and VicePresident next year and to Joy and Michelle return- Home & School, Ms. Jacobs and Ms. Gossler. In ading to their positions; I know that I am leaving Exec dition to helping manage the school, they offer an
unending supply of support to the Home & School
in good hands.
Association.
I want to take this moment to thank Jeanne
As we wrap up the school year, I will have to thank
Zabel and her Nominations committee (Lisa Reid,
everyone that helped out at school in April along
Heather Stade, Fontaine Nordman, and Tana
with everyone that will be helping in May. I will do
Williams) for helping us nominate our new Executive Board. Jeanne also worked very hard to help us my best to catch you all, but as many of the activities are still in the early planning stages… well, I
fill our open committee chair positions for next
thank all of you in advance for any help that you
year. Thank you, in advance, for all 2014 – 2015
will be giving.
chair-people for returning or stepping into new
positions!
(Continued on page 4)
I wish I could thank each and every person that has
helped out at the school in any way, but I think that
my article would be longer than the whole paper if I
did that. Instead, I will start with thanks to some
people that help me every month, but never make it
to the Thank You portion of my column.
I would not have had such a wonderful year without
The Volunteer Breakfast was once again a great
success thanks to the efforts of Debbie Rembis
and Anne Gasperec.
band or orchestra next year, or if you or someone
you know is looking to buy or sell an instrument,
please come! Details will be coming home shortly.
Teacher Appreciation Week was a ton of fun for the
teachers thanks to Anne Gasperec and Dora
Kolody as well as their team; Beth Sauders, Karen
Lindflott, Julie Krueger, Christie Roos, Jami
Jewitt, Tara Holman, Nicole Rorke, Christina Tian,
Theresa Brady. Special thanks to Karen Lindflott
for organizing the Teacher Lunch sponsored by the
5th grade parents.
And last, but certainly not least, our annual Ice
Cream Social! Our committee chairs, Sandy
Gonzales and Kylee Loatman, along with help
from Joy Szymczak, have been working hard for
months to make this a great event. It will take 100
volunteers to make this evening run smoothly; so if
you can, please volunteer to help out for a shift at
this event!
The Yearbook will be coming home soon with the
help of many hands. A big thank you to our chair
person, Tara Holman.
Next Meeting
As we have our last Climbing Wall of the year, I
would like to thank the dad’s that coordinated all
of the volunteers; Scott Gray, Tom Wirsing, and
Brian Duewel. And of course, thank you to all of
the parents that helped the students belay throughout the year.
Our final meeting of the year will be
May 19 at 9:30 am. There will be voting
for next year’s budget and teacher Wish
List items.
Thank you ALL!
Have a great summer!
Karen Rosenberg
School Supply and Star Dollars (MANNA) are both
run by Tammy Sullivan and Tracy Sciabica. They
have been working hard to help provide these end
of the year services.
The 5th grade party is coming up, thanks to Karen
Lindflott, Michele Blomquist, and Kristin Wilson
and a whole lot of 5th grade parents!
The Used Instrument sale is happening May 21st
thanks to Theresa Brady and Barb McCarthy. If
you have a third grader that will be playing in the
Home & School Executive Board
Karen Rosenberg, President
(630) 778-9862
karen@cdapp.com
Jennifer Norbut, Vice President
(630) 548-0230
janorbut@yahoo.com
Joy Szymczak, Treasurer
(630) 428-9330
joy@pivetcorp.com
Michelle Banas, Secretary
(630) 548-3992
mlbanas@comcast.net
"2014-2015 School Supplies"
The forms will be sent home via backpack mail the week of Monday, May 12th.
If you wish to place an order please return your order forms by Friday, May 30th.
Extra forms will be in the lobby Kiosk and the Steeple Run Web Site.
If you choose to shop on your own for your school supplies, and have a child going into grade(s) 3-5,
you will need to purchase an assignment notebook at supply pick-up, or the first week of school.
* Individual supplies, such as pencils and folders, will no longer be available at the school store *
Contact: Tammy Sullivan - email sullivan.tam@comcast.net or 630-428-3742
Volunteers are still needed to make sure the Ice Cream
Social on May 9th is a success! Please complete the
sign up form and send it in! Or email Sandy Gonzales
gonsandy@gmail.com or Kylee Loatman,
theloatmans@yahoo.com. THANK YOU to all who have
volunteered already. Food, Game, and Raffle Tickets
will be on sale at the event for those who did not preorder tickets.
• Lisle Park District/Sea Lion Aquatic Park for the raffle
basket donation,
• Prizm Financial Services in Wheaton for the White Sox ticket
donation,
• Kennedy Junior High School Home and School Assocation
for the spiritwear donation,
• Badger Sporting Goods for the Jefferson Junior High spiritwear donation, and to
• Dairy Queen and Jet’s Pizza for offering discounted food
pricing to help H&S raise funds for our many
H&S sponsored programs.
THANK YOU to:
• Sodexo for the donation of hot dog buns and condiments,
• the Crew Family and Hebrew National for the hot dogs
donation,
• the Wilson Family for the American Girl Doll raffle basket
donation,
• Brownie Troop 50627 for the rain barrel raffle basket
donation,
• Cub Scout Pack 504 for the Scouting raffle basket donation,
An extra special THANK YOU to all Steeple
Run Staff and to all Steeple Run Families,
Friends, and Alumni for donating your time
at the event and for the baked goods donations. We welcome any feedback that you
have from the event to help us plan for next
year; please send feedback to Joy Szymczak,
H&S Treasurer, via backpack mail
or joy@pivetcorp.com.
ICE CREAM SOCIAL
Updates On Art from Ms Dostal
To learn more about what students are studying in art, please follow me on twitter
@msdostal. Please remember that this is just for parents to see what students are doing, and that kind comments are welcome!
Fifth Graders Rock!
Come celebrate the end of their time at Steeple Run at the Fifth Grade Party, Tuesday, May 27th!
Lunch, games and a lot of fun will be on the agenda for the afternoon.
Parent volunteers are needed to help plan and run the party.
If you are interested in helping out, please contact Karen Lindflott at karen_bala@hotmail.com,
Michele Blomquist at micheleblomquist@hotmail.com or Kristin Wilson at kristinkwilson@gmail.com.
Orchestra News
All Steeple Run orchestra students will be participating in one more concert this school year.
The District 203 Elementary orchestra festival , which includes 4th and 5th grade students from
Steeple Run, Meadow Glens, Ranch View, Highlands, and River Woods schools, along with the
6th graders from Kennedy and Madison, will be held on Wednesday, May 14, at 7:30 p.m. at
Kennedy Junior High School. Students need to arrive at 6:15 for a brief rehearsal. They
should bring their instrument, music, and a folding music stand and should wear their Steeple
Run school orchestra uniform (blue Steeple Run Music polo shirt, black pants/skirt, black
shoes and socks).
Summer is coming soon, and District 203 provides the opportunity for all orchestra students to
continue their music education and have fun during summer orchestra. All students are encouraged to sign up, and registration is done by mail. The program runs from June 9 to July 2
for one hour each day, and there is a concert for families on the final day. For more information
about times and fees, please go to www.naperville203.org and click on “Music”.
Steeple Run Annual Band and Orchestra Instrument Sale
Sponsored by Steeple Run Home and School
Held at Steeple Run Elementary School
6S151 Steeple Run Drive
Naperville, IL 60540
Telephone: (630) 420-6385
Due to Construction at Steeple Run Elementary we are asking visitors to park in the side lot at the east side of the
school and enter through door number 8. There will be signs posted
For further information: visit our sale website:
http://sites.google.com/site/steeplerunbandinstrumentsale/
Seller Sign Up:
Monday, May19
Wednesday, May 21
6:00PM – 7:30 PM
4:00PM – 5:30 PM
Instrument Sale:
Wednesday, May 21
6:00PM – 7:30 PM
Seller Pick Up:
Wednesday, May 21
7:30 PM – 8:00 PM
Sellers: Band or orchestra instruments no longer being used? Bring in your instruments, set your price with the help
of our historic price list, and pick up your check or your unsold instrument on Wednesday. Instrument Must be in
playing condition
Buyers: Looking for an instrument for a student just starting band or orchestra, or looking for a spare? Stop by
Wednesday night and band and orchestra directors from District 203 will be on hand to help you make a good buy.
Come early for the best selection. Numbers for buyers are handed out starting at 5:30 Wednesday. Checks only- made
payable to “Steeple Run Home and School”.
Sellers Receive 75% - School receives 25% Sponsored by Steeple Run Home and School
Music updates from Ms. Derybowski
Musical Form is the pattern of how sounds are put together to create a larger piece of music. This usually refers to
several different chunks of music and what order they are put in to create a song. Again this concept is spiraled from being very simple, to very complex as students progress.
In Kindergarten and First Grade, students learn how to recognize musical sounds that are the same and those
that are different. For example, first they will sing a song out loud with hand motions, and then they will think it inside
their heads with the hand motions. The children recognize that the two parts of the song are different because one is
sung, and one is silent. Later they label the different parts as the “A section” and the “B section.” Then they can start to
make patterns with their songs, such as A-singing the song B-thinking the song A-singing the song.
In Second Grade, students will learn about songs that have a “Call and Response” form. This means that there is a
leader who sings the “Call” part of the song, and the group sings the “Response.” An example of this is “The Green Grass
Grows All Around” which all of the second graders know!
In Third Grade, students learn about “Elemental Form” this is where they will label the order of smaller rhythmic
and melodic phrases. Elemental forms include “a-a-b-a” or “a-b-c-a.” Here the students are looking and analyzing in a
more detailed way. Third Graders also learn about the “Introduction” which is a little bit of music that comes at the beginning of a song. The “Interlude” which comes in the middle of the song. And the “Coda” which comes at the end of the song.
In Fourth Grade, students start to make music using the “Question-Answer” form.
This is an excited step because now the students are interacting with one another. One student will create a “Question” rhythm or melody, and the other has to listen and respond with
a new rhythm or melody that uses a little portion of what the first students plays. It forces
the kids to be listening, analyzing, improvising, and composing all at the same time. This is
quite high level thinking!
Finally in Fifth Grade, students perform music in a “Rondo” form which is when the A
section returns over and over again during the course of a song. For example, A-B-A-C-A-D-A
-E… and so on. They also start to learn about “Theme and Variations” where a “Theme” melody is played and then is changed slightly or “Varied” on every repeat.
I hope you were given a little insight into another corner of the music classroom!