A magical evening

Almost anything could happen when the lights come up on the Brookdale variety show.
Surely there will be dancing, a little comedy, a lot of applause – and a few surprises.
But whatever happens, the “Bobcats of Brookdale Place” will be magical.
All told, some 90 Brookdale students will take the stage in the annual variety show, which draws its theme from the Disney Channel’s “The Wizards of Waverly Place.” The curtain goes up at 7 p.m. Friday, March 18, in Brookdale's Gym.
The evening will showcase the talents of third-, fourth- and fifth-graders in 37 acts. The lineup includes an array of dance and lip-synch routines as well as a number of brave instrumentalists who will perform on the piano and one who will play the violin.
A few students will test their chops with comedy skits, targeting the students in the audience with their humor. Several singers plan to perform solo and one will be accompanied on guitar.
Among the more unusual entries this year are a martial arts demonstration, soccer ball tricks set to musical accompaniment and a ballroom dance.
In addition to the onstage performers, 20 fourth- and fifth-graders are working to create the backdrop for the performance, and a troop of Brookdale Scouts will perform a flag ceremony to open the show.
Fifth-grader Nicholas Watkins will perform “The Star-Spangled Banner” following the flag ceremony.

The slate

In this afternoon's PTA meeting, the Nominating Committee announced its slate of candidates for the Executive Committee for the 2011-12 school year.
The panel recommends:

• President: Judy Nagel-Conley
• Vice President: Susan Corrigan
• Secretary: Christie Willhite
• Treasurer: Beth Siwicki

Members will vote for officers at the meeting at 7 p.m. April 21. Anyone who has been a member for 30 days can nominate themselves for any of the positions at the April meeting.
Thank you to the members of the Nominating Committee - Melissa Winchester, Jennifer Flood, Amy Hausman, Saily Joshi, Karen Lankisch and alternate Amy Erickson - for your work in recruiting and selecting candidates.

Help, in the name of science

We know it's short notice, but if you have some time on Friday and Saturday and some interest in science, there's an opportunity to volunteer that may interest you.
Scullen Middle School is hosting the Regional Science Fair Paper Session on March 18 and 19. The event is similar to a science fair, except students present their work through research papers rather than experiments and displays.
Adults and high school students are needed to help out from 4 to 6 p.m. on Friday and again from 7:30 a.m. to noon on Saturday at the school, 2815 Mistflower Lane, Naperville. Also, fifth- and sixth-grade students are invited to serve as runners.
For details or to volunteer, e-mail Radhika Bhandari at radhikamb@msn.com.

On the agenda ...

The Executive Committee has just released the agenda for tomorrow's meeting. Highlights include presentations by the third-grade and fifth-grade teaching teams, who will talk about how they're using the intervention time period to enhance and enrich learning.
The Nominating Committee will present its recommendations for the offices of President, Secretary and Treasurer for the 2011-12 school year.
We'll also hear updates on planning for the Spring Fling/Silent Auction and the Fifth-Grade Social.
See the full agenda here.

Winter Family Night will be a blast from the past

Go ahead, parents, admit it.

Sometimes when your children ask for help on their grammar worksheets, you find yourself singing “Conjunction Junction.” When they’re multiplying by three, you can’t help but tell them “Three is a Magic Number.”

And given our relatively collective childhood, it’s only natural that every news story about Congress makes us think of poor Bill, sitting on the steps hopin’ and prayin’ that someday he will become a law.

Whether or not you’ve shared your love of  1970s musical cartoon lessons with your children, the whole family is sure to enjoy “School House Rock — Live!” when it’s presented from 7 to 9 p.m. Friday, March 11, at Brookdale for Winter Family Night.

Kidz Kabaret will perform the show for us as a warm-up to it’s public run the following weekend. The theater troupe  is a no-audition performance opportunity for children, allowing kids to experience being on stage without the anxiety of being cut. The Naperville-based not-for-profit offers classes and workshops in all areas of stage production.

Admission to the performance is free and no tickets are required, but organizers ask that families bring  a non-perishable food item to donate to Loaves and Fishes Community Pantry in Naperville. Light refreshments will be served after the performance.

Questions? E-mail Beth Reiman at bethoreiman@gmail.com.

Yearbook orders, submissions due

Years from now, your child may want to show her children the teacher who taught her the times tables or the classmate he traded lunches with in kindergarten.
What better way to relive memories than by flipping through the Brookdale yearbook?
Yearbook orders and pride line message submissions are due Thursday, March 3. Yearbooks are $12 each, and pride lines are $3. Checks payable to Brookdale PTA should be submitted along with an order form, available on the Forms page.
March 3 also is the deadline to submit photo from this year’s school events. E-mail photos to brookdaleyearbook@yahoo.com and send printed pictures to school in an envelope marked “Yearbook Photos.”
Questions? Contact editor Janet LaRocque at janetlarocque@yahoo.com.

Visiting artist helps our students explore history, culture

Some students heard the Native American legend of a woman falling from the sky and creating Turtle Island on the watery Earth.
Others explored their sense of self, creating imagery that explained what makes them unique.
Others looked back at the ancestors who came before them.
All were inspired by Edgar Heap of Birds, a Native American artist who visited Brookdale for two days in late February. His visit was funded by a grant secured by art teacher Deb Gelso and supported by the Brookdale PTA.
Heap of Birds’ lessons for students were equal parts art experience and exploration of Native American culture.
Meeting with two classes at a time, he introduced students to tribal history and words in Tsististas, the language and name of his tribe, known in English as the Cheyenne.
Students learned how his tribe values the number four, with four “big chiefs” just as there are four seasons, as well as the importance of the circle — a lesson that played out in each project he led.
Young students heard the legend of Turtle Island, in which the woman who has fallen from the clouds walks in circles on a turtle’s shell to make it grow into a land where people could live. After listening to the story, the children drew their interpretations. Heap of Birds encouraged the students to add details, like the circles on the turtle’s shell.
Middle students and some younger children learned that teepees are round for practical reasons — to better withstand wind — as well as for cultural reasons. A circle is egalitarian, he said, and every person in a circle has an equal right to be heard regardless of age or rank.
Several classes created teepees, decorated with symbols reflecting their interests. Each was added to a circular village in the gym, facing east in tribute to the nurturing sun, Heap of Birds said.
Fourth– and fifth-grader considered the idea that we are more closely influenced by our family’s past than linear history would indicate. Students wrote names of family members in colorful spirals to show that though generations may have passed, we are shaped by our family’s experiences.
The LMC purchased a copy of Heap of Birds’ book so students can learn more about Native American history and see more examples of his work.