When the students are away.......

the teachers will......

Research, Play, and Learn!

Have you ever wondered what the teachers are doing on those "Institute Days" while the kids are at home? This week, our U-46 teachers worked very hard. Take a peek into our 3 days of professional development.

The Glenbrook Staff often works in teams to learn about new materials and ideas that will support the diverse needs of our students. Ms. Lucas shared with the staff some materials that will support our  students in the Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) system.                                                       

With the implementation of Eureka Math, our grade level teams are regularly looking at their assessment data to see how well the students are meeting the learning outcomes expected of them.  As they find areas of strength and areas of concern, instruction is adjusted to match the needs of learners. It is helpful to work as a team to get multiple perspectives.

One of the perks being the 2nd largest school district in Illinois is that we have lots of professional expertise in our own midst.  On Tuesday, Larkin High School generously hosted all of our elementary schools for an internal conference.  Many of U-46's teachers and staff presented sessions to help all of us grow our practices.

Jan Wilcox and Lynda Marquez of Centennial Elementary shared ideas about reflective practices and how these practices can affect teaching and learning.

The new Eureka Math Program has been a big shift for students, parents and teachers in U-46.  Above Ann Alissa Green (4th Grade Teacher) and below Molly Mutschler (IGNITE/5th Grade Teacher) share how to effectively plan a lesson which meets the goals of the Common Core and the needs of all learners within a very diverse classroom.                                                                                     

Teacher Amy Turkot knows that what teachers really need are examples of "how" and "what" superior instruction looks like in the classroom.  Here Amy works with a group of 1st grade teachers sharing video examples of her students during math time. The teachers then had time for a "make and take" so that they too can create useful "kid friendly" tools to use in their classrooms.

Our very own Glenbrook teachers Mrs. Bury, Mrs. Chandler-Roth and Mrs. Romero were thrilled to present a session on "Go Noodle."  Go Noodle is a "get up and move" program that takes as little as 1 minute and gets our students' brain pumping.  Teachers were excited to see a video presentation which included classes participating in the "Go Noodle" games as well as interviews with students that explained how and why "Go Noodle" was good for them.

Specialists often have students with very unique learning needs, so teamwork is vital. The Staff from U-46's Visually Impaired program met for a of day planning and preparation.

Doesn't it look like these teachers are playing a game?  Well.... they are!  It's a tough one though. The teachers took a short break in their planning to practice a very difficult vocabulary game prior to teaching it to students.  The game works on both vocabulary and critical thinking skills. 

Mrs. DeRoo met with the 3rd grade team to discuss the AIM talent development program. The AIM program works on skills that involve critical thinking. This program helps teachers to identify students who may be showing signs of having the ability to "think outside of the box."

6th Grade Outdoor Education

From the time students enter kindergarten at Glenbrook they look forward to the day that they become 6th graders and are able to go to "camp."  Each year our 6th grade students have 2 opportunities to attend an outdoor education experience at Camp Duncan in Ingleside, Illinois.

 http://www.ymcachicago.org/duncan/

Our first trip is just a short daytime trip which has a focus on team building and cooperative group work.  These are essential skills for students.  

Here students use PVC pipes to create words. The winning team is the team that creates the longest word out of the same amount of piping as the other teams.  

PVC pipes were also used to build free standing structures.  The goal? How high can you go? The bottom structure wasn't tall, but it certainly wins points for creativity!












How can this many people stand on a blanket and flip it without stepping off?  Strategizing, teamwork and careful planning does the trick!

This challenge is much harder than it seems!  The students need to get in and out of the box, one at a time in an alternate pattern. The first person goes over the top, the next under, the next over, the next under and so on.  Sound easy?  Now, try getting out the same way?  It's a tight fit too!

You really need to learn to trust your team members in this challenge.  Student "take a risk" and fall into the waiting arms of their classmates who promise to catch them and save them from harm. I'm proud to say the students were all right to trust one another!

Many of the activities involved using strategies, teamwork and problem solving. This was tough!  So many students wanted to just "jump right in" and not "make a plan" or "talk it through" as a team. Lack of the above skills made for lots of failed attempts before a solution was found. What  great learning experience!      

                        

In the end the groups all came together at the center of camp to celebrate the day.  The students can't wait for the spring when outdoor education will focus on science skills and be an extended day program. It will be a great way to wrap up our 6th grade year!  

Glenbrook Students Honor Veterans

November 11, 2015

Although Veteran's Day is a Federal Holiday, in U-46 Schools it is a day of learning. We take advantage of this day to make sure that our students understand the significance of the holiday by honoring all of our military veterans.

"NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim November 11, 2015, as Veterans Day.  I encourage all Americans to recognize the valor and sacrifice of our veterans through appropriate public ceremonies...." Mrs. DeRoo began the day reading President Barack Obama's Veteran's Day Proclamation on the intercom before the entire school took a moment of silence to thank all of our veterans, past and present, for their service.

        Many of our students across grades K-6 wrote holiday cards and letters to soldiers.  These letters were mailed through  and variety of organizations friends/family of our staff. Our kindergartners had a goal of creating 100 cards, and they reached it!

  Our 6th graders were honored to be visited by 2 veterans. Marisa Hauserman's dad served in the US Navy and Mrs. Bury's father served in the US Army.  They shared their experiences and answered questions about their missions.

Teachers read a variety of books, both fiction and non-fiction that depicted stories about veterans and heroes of war.  Mrs. Bury's class "set a white table" as a symbol of the missing place at the table for the soldier who never returned home.  

 The 6th graders in Mrs. Bury's class recited a readers theatre to learn more about what life was like both during and after the war
for our heroes.

Ms. Reiser's class wanted to make sure that they thanked all of our military veterans

for their service and for fighting for freedom for all!