FAMILY BINGO NIGHT

Our first family BINGO Night was a huge success. All of the tables were filled with gamers, some luckier than others, but all of the players had a great time.  Prizes ranged from Legos, to gift cards to cash (for the adults).  

The PTA sponsored the event and many parents and teachers came out to volunteer.  Tickets were sold for each game.  Some players stayed for just a couple of games while others hung in there for the entire night.  

                                           

We even had former student Dylan Plug come out to help.  Popcorn, water and pizza were available for sale for our hungry gamers to eat while they played.

We welcomed several guests to serve as BINGO callers including Mr. Plug, Fire Tim McCoy, Mrs. DeRoo and Mrs. Kotwica along with several children who called a number or two.  Mr. Piazzisi carefully monitored the BINGO numbers posting them as they were called out and checking the winning cards.

There were many lucky winners, some are shown below. Our top cash prize in the 50/50 game was $85.00 and generously split again by the adult who won and given back to the PTA.  Even those who didn't win walked away smiling asking when the next game night would be.  Thanks to those who organized the event, the volunteers, and to all of those who joined in the fun!

Glenbrook's PTA and the Annual Spelling Bee

This week I had to highlight both the Parent Teachers Association and our Spelling Bee Champions. Both groups are amazing, talented people and I couldn't leave either out!

Pictured above, from left to right are Diane Plug, Treasurer, Cari Adams, Vice President, Joy Ballenger, President and Jill Piwko, Secretary. All 4 of these ladies have been active PTA members and Glenbrook volunteers for several years. Without them many of our events and fundraisers would not be possible. Thank you ladies for your time and talent!

Thanks to our partership with the Jump Zone, 1261 Wiley Road, Schaumburg, we were able to hold this month's meeting while the children enjoyed a "Glow Party,"  Thanks to all of the parents who joined us.  The children had a great time bouncing and jumping by the the glow of dark lights and glow sticks.  Jump Zone is also offering discount birthday parties to all families from Glenbrook by simply mentioning that you are a Glenbrook Elementary family when you call 224-336-5441.

Joy shares information about the PTA, upcoming events and information about where our funds are spent.  All of our fundraising goes back to the children and is spent on resources for math, literacy, Battle of the Books T-Shirts, 6th Grade end of the year activities, free books for our 2nd Book Fair, assemblies and other events throughout the year.  Anyone interested in helping or joining the PTA should contact our membership coordinator Nichole Martinez at bellamarie1022@yahoo.com or our secretary Jill Piwko at jillmpko@sbcglobal.net.  The next meeting will be held on February 15 at 7:30 pm. (Location to be determined.)

This week PTA also sponsored a dining out night at Chuck E. Cheese, one of our most favorite places to eat and play.  Chuck E. Cheese is also one of our very generous partners in that they donate a portion of the proceeds from ALL sales that night to Glenbrook no matter if the sales are from Glenbrook families or not.  Thanks Chuck E. Cheese, we appreciate your support!!!!! Thanks to all of the families who joined us.

 

Annual Spelling Bee

Glenbrook's annual all school spelling bee was held on Friday, January 20.  The competitors were the classroom champions from grades 4 - 6.  All of these brilliant spellers did a superb job spelling out loud in front of an audience of adults and peers. Not an easy thing to do. Thanks to Mr. Whitmer who sponsored the event.  Our All School Champion was Gurshaan Singh who won with the final word of "Burglarious."  Gurshaan will proceed to the next round late February at Dundee Middle School where he will compete against students from other Kane County Schools. 

Classroom Winners:

4th Grade:  Natalie Vences (Reza), Filip Kowalski (Whitmer), 

                   Aaditya Sanghavi(Smith)  Vanessa Romero (Chellberg)

5th Grade:  Alyssa Rothenberg (Whitmer), Martis Prialgaus (Lucas), Victoria Bailey                       (Dimitrakis), Gurshaan Singh (Dauksavage) 

6th Grade:  Alika Shelton (Bury), Samantha Dzik (Chandler), Iliana Prado                                         (Diaz-Blanco), Arjun Sivansankaron (Jagielski)

Congratulations to our DARE Graduates!!!

We are very proud of our 5th grade students for their hard word and dedication to the DARE program.  Streamwood is one of the few communities who continue to provide Drug Abuse Resistance Education for all schools and we love it! The program has evolved over the years putting the emphasis on increasing self-confidence to make good decisions within all of life's experiences.

Officer Matt Stastny, Glenbrook's DARE officer is a regular fixture at our school.  He spends 1 full day a week working with all of the 5th graders to help them understand the importance of making good choices.  He has become a trusting friend, confident and role model to all of our students, often dropping by other classrooms as well. We know that Officer Matt will visit often even though DARE is over for this school year, as he is never far.  Thanks for all that you do for us Officer Matt!!!

Village Mayor Billie Roth is a strong supporter of DARE, Glenbrook and all U-46 schools. She believes in our young people and supporting them any way she can. We can always count on Mrs. Roth to join us for important events and to inspire our students to  push themselves to become strong leaders in the community.  Thank you Mrs. Roth for supporting the DARE program and Glenbrook Elementary!

Police Chief Ed Valente wouldn't miss a DARE graduation or time to congratulate our students for a job well done. He along with all of Streamwood Police Officers are extremely supportive of our school and community.  They visit often and are always willing to lend a hand or give advice when we need them. Safety for our young people is a top priority for Chief Valente and we couldn't appreciate him more.  Thank you Chief Valente for your support!

What more proof do you need that these students have developed some strong self confidence then the fact that they got up in front of hundreds of people to dance!  Here students share their "moves" with Officer Matt and fellow DARE Officer Ed Polaski.

For their final graduation requirement, students write a "Letter to their future self" about what they learned and want to remind themselves about DARE.  The teachers and DARE Officers chose 4 students to share their essays with the audience at the DARE graduation.  The readers did an excellent job delivering their powerful message of safety, self-confidence and self-pride.  Although not all students had a chance to read, every one of them did a great job with their essay.

Each student received a graduation certificate and a handful of gifts as they heard their name read during graduation. It was a proud moment for them and their families.  They worked hard and proved that they are now ready to take on a new leadership role a Glenbrook and throughout the community!