100 Days of Learning!

Today we celebrated 100 days of the 2015-2016 school year. Oh how far we have all come!

Jessica managed to find something to worry about in 100th Day Worries  when her teacher asked her to bring 100 items to school.  We hope our little ones didn't worry that much!  Many of our youngest children brought a variety of items to school to count, sort and event eat.  It was a fun way to celebrate being in school for 100 days.

Of course each day that we count the days in our K/1 classrooms, we try to figure out how many ones, tens and hundreds are in the days of school.  Finally today we got to put the 100 block (flat) into the 100's place!

100 day hats were only part of the celebration in Kindergarten today.

 Counting in all different ways (by 1's, 2's, 5's and 10's) are all ways to get to 100.  Playing games while counting makes it more fun!

HAPPY 100th DAY EVERYONE!  Now, let's see what the next 73 hold.  I'm sure it will be fantastic.

A Peek Into 1st Grade

So much happens in first grade at Glenbrook. Students enjoy working in cooperative groups to write, research, partner read, discover, use technology and problem solve.  Take a peek at some of the amazing things that are happening in Mrs. Berensons, Mrs. Rodriguez's and Ms. Scarpino's classroom's this week.

Ms. Scarpino's first graders have become fantastic writers.  They have learned to write both fiction and non fiction pieces of writing and use tools, such as word walls  and charts, to help them with their writing. Below Ms. Scarpino conferences with a student to give her feedback and support with her writing so that she can edit and revise her piece.

 Displaying work and difficult problems on the large screen helps students to better understand concepts.  Students use the "Ipevo" wand to tap on the screen above and numbers appear "like magic."  At the right, teachers are able to use the same tool to highlight, circle, underline and draw directly on word problems as they work through them with the students. 

Teachers often work with small groups to provide extra supports for both enrichment and skill gap instruction.  Here Mrs. Berenson works with a small group of students while below other students practice with some math games.

Hands on exploration is vital for young learners.

Mrs. Rodriguez's Dual Language 1st graders partners to support one another with both math and writing throughout the day.  By working together students can help each other with concepts as well as their English and Spanish language skills which they are working to acquire. 

Our first grade classrooms have older students as their "study buddies." Here students in Mrs. Berenson's room partner with 4th graders in Ms. Smith's room for both reading and writing.

After all of that work the students need a little stretch break with some "Go Noodle" dancing and exercises.

All School Spelling Bee

On Friday we held our annual All School Spelling Bee. The champions from each 4 - 6 grade classroom completed for an all school winner.  Congratulations to Gurshaan Singh, 4th grader from Mrs. Smith's class for becoming this year's all school Spelling Bee Champion!

 

A peek into 2nd grade....

Second grade is a year were we see incredible progress in the students' learning. In addition to mathematics, reading and writing, students are working hard to develop skills of listening and speaking. These skills are a part of major curricular changes in recent years which were put in place to ensure that all students graduate from high school with the skills they need to be successful for college and the careers of the future. 

Mrs. Tucci often displays work on an Elmo document camera to "model" as the students follow along.  This supports each student as they learn new concepts. Notice how in math students are now using authentic "real world problems" in story format. They read, write and often draw to help them solve complex word problems. The document cameras were purchased from funds by our Parent Teacher Association.

It is important that students know the goals of what they are learning along with strategies to help them reach those goals. Teachers  post the goals to remind students of the learning targets and to support them as they work their way toward mastery of their goals.

Mrs. Vargas reads aloud to the children stopping along the way for questioning, discussions and critical thinking. Children always enjoy a good story, but the deep comprehension can be challenging. 

 Below the students chart the answers to questions to several stories the children have read.  They can now compare and contrast stories as well. 

 

Children in Ms. Reiser's class take on the author's chair as they become guest authors.  When the children write they are encouraged to use the complex vocabulary words that they have learned. These words are posted throughout the room.  As children listen they give a "thumbs up" when they hear an author use or read a word that they have learned throughout the school year.

 Teachers read with students one on
one to be able to better assess their
individual needs and growth areas.

In the library 2nd graders have time to read books or magazines of their choice. A favorite choice are the variety of comics and graphic novels that our library has to offer.

All that hard work requires a "brain break" every now and then!  The students enjoy a field trip on "Go Noodle" while they try to balance on one foot and answer questions at the same time!

Practicing independently or with a partner is a great way to master skills.  It won't be long before 3rd grade!

Check out a few pictures from the "Father/Daughter Dance" on Friday Night. Beautiful ladies, handsome gentlemen and great music made for a fantastic "date" night for the girls and their dads. 

Welcome Back! Happy New Year!

Congratulations DARE Graduates!

What a wonderful celebration we had on our first day back to school as our proud 5th graders graduated from the DARE program.  DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education), a nationwide program which began in 1983, brings the Streamwood Police Officers into our building to educate our students not only about the dangers of drugs, but about safety, self-esteem and saying "no" in situations that may be dangerous.  DARE teaches students to problem solve through conflicts and make difficult decisions.

  DARE Officer Matt Stastny encourages our Essay Readers to share their "Letters to My Future Self" by reading them out loud to the very large audience. Congratulations to Ola, Iliana, Rainielle, Ryan, Olivia, and Mikayla; they did an excellent job not only as readers, but as writers summarizing the important lessons of the program.

Darren the DARE mascot stands off to the side and looks on as our readers share their essays. Dareen has been a staple throughout the program.  He is a symbol of strength and bravery for our students.

   

Isabel reads the very emotional poem, "Death of an Innocent." It's a hard poem to listen to, but she did a beautiful job!

Ms. Lucas' Class

Mrs. Dauksavage's Class

Mrs. Diaz-Blanco's Class

Mr. Whitmer's Class

Graduation is over and the classes celebrate with a class photo.  They all wear their matching T-shirts which were donated by our Parent Teacher Organization. 

Glenbrook is fortunate to have the support of the Village of Streamwood. We were very lucky to have Mayor Billie Roth, Police Chief Jim Gremo and fellow DARE Officer Ed Polaski along with may family members join us for our celebration.