Share your views on the Variety Show

  In recent years, the Brookdale PTA has sponsored a Variety Show that encourages students to explore and showcase their talents in the performing arts. Students develop their acts, audition and rehearse, then perform for their peers, teachers and parents.
  Traditionally, students have performed one show for their classmates during the school day and a second show in the evening for parents and the Brookdale community. Often, the daytime show has included a performance by staff members as well as a selection of students, while all of the participants have performed in the evening show.
   We would like your opinions on a proposal for the Variety Show that would differ significantly from the recent tradition.
   Under the proposal submitted to the PTA Executive Board, students would perform only an evening show and the event could be in the auditorium at Metea Valley High School rather than the gym at Brookdale.
  The daytime show allows staff to be involved and for staff and students to see the show, but it requires additional planning and additional volunteers. Some may see performing the evening show on the high school stage as an opportunity for a higher-level performance experience while some students may be intimidated by the setting.
  Please consider these options and how changes may affect your family and share your opinions via this survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/VarietyShow. 
  If you are interested in coordinating the Variety Show or becoming a co-chair, please see additional information on our Get Involved page or contact Vice President Susan Corrigan-DeLucio at susan@corrigan.com.

Please join the Brookdale Community Discussion

  On Thursday, Dec. 1, the Brookdale PTA will host a Brookdale Community Discussion. The event aims to begin the conversation among all parents - PTA members and non-members alike - about the education and experiences they hope their children receive through the school curriculum and PTA-sponsored activities, especially relating to the presentation and inclusion of our various cultures in lessons and activities.

  To open the discussion, representatives will discuss the roles of the PTA, school administrators and a school-centric Parent Diversity Advisory Council in supporting our children’s educational environment and experience as well as how culture is shared by each group. 

  Following the presentation and the opportunity to ask questions, parents in attendance will meet in small groups to discuss the question: “How can activities at school best reflect the students at Brookdale?” After a period of discussion, the groups will be mixed so ideas can be exchanged with different people. 

  Although this is a PTA event, District 204 PDAC Chairwoman Sandra Charles will facilitate the round-table discussion process, which is similar to the PDAC’s World Café format. The idea is that the conversations link and build upon each other as people move between groups, cross-pollinate ideas, and discover new insights into the questions or issues that are most important. After the small-group conversations, participants will reconvene as a whole to identify common themes highlighted in the small-group discussions.  

  We hope the evening will provide insight into what parents believe is appropriate and desirable in the learning environment at Brookdale and serve as a guide for future planning decisions. We don't expect the event will generate definitive answers, but rather will be the beginning of the process.

  The event begins at 7 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 1, at school and should conclude around 9 p.m. An RSVP is requested, but not required to attend. Reservations for childcare must be made by Monday, Nov. 28.

  To RSVP or make childcare reservations, please use the following link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/BrookdaleCommunityDiscussion.

Eating pie raises extra money for school, could win your class a prize

Who’s ready for a delicious contest in which everyone who enters gets pie?

By buying pies through a special Market Day promotion in November, we can earn extra money for PTA programs. Our goal is to sell 100 pies, which would generate $420 for Brookdale in addition to the proceeds from our regular grocery sale. With more than 400 families in our school, the goal is within reach.

Teachers will collect pie order forms through Wednesday, Nov. 9, (online ordering for grocery orders is available through Friday, Nov. 11). The class that sells the most pies will win a $50 gift card to spend as a classroom.

So be sure to order one (or two or three) for home, and ask your Thanksgiving hostess how many pies you can bring for dessert.

Pies will come in with the regular grocery sale on Tuesday, Nov. 15. Pickup is 9:45 to 10:15 a.m. in the Multipurpose Room. Please enter through Door 2 at the west end of the building rather than through the main entrance.

Remember, those who place two orders of $40 or more between October and December will receive a free insulated bag when they order in January.

The grocery program offers quick, healthy and convenient meals and snacks. Foods are delivered frozen and many can go from the freezer to the table in 30 minutes or less without even pausing to thaw.

Market Day gives 10 percent of the money you spend back to the PTA to fund programs for our kids and contributions to our classrooms.  

All items are guaranteed; just return the unused portion to the coordinator, who will arrange a refund. Market Day accepts LINK card payments.

Contact Coordinator Tricia Smith with questions at triciasmith825@att.net. She is happy to deliver pre-paid orders.

Advice for keeping your kids safe online

Do you have questions about your kids' video game systems, computer or cell phone?
Did you know at least 11 percent of kids younger than 7 have chatted with strangers on the Internet?
What does your kid know that you don't know?

The answers to all of these questions will be presented at the Internet Safety and Technology Workshops sponsored by the Indian Prairie Parents' Council.

Presenters from the Naperville Police Department will join Mark Krieter, Indian Prairie Unit District 204's director of instructional technology, will discuss how we can keep our children safe as they explore technology.

"Get On Board Before Your Kids Get Online" is from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at Scullen Middle School, 2815 Mistflower Lane, Naperville. The event is free. 

For information, email ippcpta@gmail.com.

PDAC: Strengthening the Home and School Bond

The District 204 Parent Diversity Advisory Council (PDAC) invites the Indian Prairie Unit District 204 community to the meeting on Oct. 18, when the discussion will be about “Strengthening the Home and School Bond.”
 The PDAC welcomes the following speakers to the discussion: Dina Lohman, president of the Indian Prairie Parents’ Council; Jean Donovan, DuPage West region director for the Illinois PTA; Matthew Rodriguez, diversity chair for the Illinois PTA; Nore L. Hare, national service representative for the National PTA. 
Discussions and presentations will focus on the alignment of local, state and national PTA diversity initiatives, and the support PDAC can provide in realizing PTA objectives. Together, the PDAC and PTAs can partner to increase parental involvement in every school. Many helpful strategies will be shared for building the home-school bond with your PTA, as well as the PDAC.
All PDAC meetings are free and open to all District 204 parents, teachers, administrators and staff. The meeting begins at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 18, at the Crouse Education Center, 780 Shoreline Drive, Aurora. Please contact Sandra Charles, PDAC chairwoman, at pdacinfo@gmail.com or Brookdale's PDAC representative Saily Joshi Moorthy at saily@aol.com with any questions.

Meanwhile: Mark your calendar for the second annual PDAC World Cafe and Equity Champion Recognition from 7 to 9 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 15, at Waubonsie Valley High School, 2590 Ogden Ave., Aurora. During the session, District 204 parents, school staff, district administrators and community members engage in small group dialogue about academic achievement for all students.

Parents can help District 204 enhance STEM lessons

By Alka Tyle

Founder, STEM-204

Economies today are driven by scientific and technological innovations that historically have led the United States to prosperity and world leadership. Our children will not inherit this leadership and prosperity unless we equip them to out-innovate and out-compete other nations in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) fields.

Excellent STEM education allows students to learn communication, collaboration, creativity, critical thinking, and quantitative skills that are transferrable to any career. Every student benefits from STEM education. Math is the language of science, and the sooner a student gains proficiency in it, the better. The following statistics show the importance of STEM education:

· The top 10 highest paid bachelor’s degrees in 2010 were in engineering and technology;

· The mean wages for most STEM occupations are significantly above the U.S. average;

· Healthcare, technology, and technician jobs are in demand, well-paying, require STEM skills and a 2-year degree;

· Only 29 percent of the ACT-tested 2010 graduates are considered college-ready in science, and only 43 percent in math;

· Only 17 percent of undergraduate degrees are awarded in STEM fields, threatening U.S. global leadership in innovations driven by technology and science;

· There is a severe shortage of women and minorities working in STEM fields.

  I am a Gregory Middle School parent and former Indian Prairie Unit District 204 board member. I believe an excellent, well-rounded education consists of a strong core of English, math, science and social studies; of learning global awareness, life, career, and media skills; and of cultivating one’s interests and talents in the arts and athletics.

I founded the STEM-204 Group a year ago to increase awareness about STEM education in our district, to provide a forum for sharing resources and information, and to create a STEM community of parents, students and staff who value excellence in STEM education. I am involved in STEM initiatives in our district and at the state level.

I believe we urgently owe our students an excellent, comprehensive STEM education program, and that parent-led STEM support at each school (such as math night, science fairs, chess club and robotics competitions) can make a substantial and immediate impact on the quality of our children's education.

Taking steps for our Bobcats

Do you know exactly how many steps your little Bobcat took this weekend?

We hope so. It means your child enjoyed the inaugural Bobcat BLAST! on Friday, that he or she is still having a good time with the pedometer and — maybe without knowing it — is getting a little extra exercise every day.

After all, fun and exercise were two of the many goals the PTA had for the BLAST.

On Friday, students headed out by grade level onto the field near the gym where the Get Movin’ Crew had set up a running track marked with colorful flags. After lining up by class for photos with Movin’ Max, the children danced to get warmed up. A flag-bearing Crew member led the children on their first lap, then let the students go at their own pace.

For the better part of half an hour, students ran, jogged or walked. They moved at their own pace or teamed up with friends. They timed their steps to the beat of popular music playing over the speakers or they moved to their own rhythm. At times, they were joined by Principal LeCrone, their teachers and parents who had volunteered to help or who had stopped by to see the fun for themselves.

After a Crew member brought out the checkered flag, students ran one more lap before heading back inside with their class to record their steps on a memory page.

The BLAST, of course, was a PTA fundraiser. Students were encouraged to ask family and friends to pledge money for their participation in the fun run. By late Friday, the pledges totaled more than $10,400 and the number continues to rise. Families may pledge online at http://www.thegetmovincrew.com/sponsor.php through Friday, Sept. 30.

“I’m really pleased at what I see coming in — a huge range, a lot of cash donations, $2 from this person, $5 from that person,” event Chairwoman Barb Peterson said. “I love that because it just shows kids are getting out and people are encouraging them to be active and supporting their schools. I’m really glad to see the diversity of people jumping in and getting involved.”

Students were rewarded for collecting more than $8,000 in pledges with music at the start of the day and the ever-popular “round table lunch.” Rather than sitting at long, linear tables with their classes, students were able to sit at any of the round tables with any of their friends from their grade level.

The PTA paid the Get Movin’ Crew $3,144 to run the event for us and manage online pledging. After costs for water, cups, signs and other incidentals are deducted, the fun run already has generated $7,000 to support the educational opportunities the PTA provides.

Because the PTA strives to offer opportunities for every child at Brookdale, we wanted to find a way to raise money through an activity that would likewise include each student. Regardless of whether a child’s family pledged no money or hundreds of dollars, everyone ran with their friends, everyone received a pedometer, everyone took home a memory.