FROM THE OFFICE OF
Christopher Martelli
PRINCIPAL
May Whitney Elementary School
100 CHURCH STREET LAKE ZURICH, ILLINOIS 60047
PHONE: (847) 438-2351 FAX: (847) 438-2696
9/3/13
Dear May Whitney Community,
Thank you to everyone who was able to attend our Curriculum Nights last week. We
had a full house both evenings, and I was extremely impressed with the parental support
that was shown on those two evenings. We hope you found the information our teachers
shared to be informative. After hearing the presentations, if you have any questions, please
don’t hesitate to contact me or your child’s teacher. If you were not able to attend last
week’s presentations, I wanted to share with you a bit about what I discussed with our May
Whitney community.
At our Curriculum Nights I did share that I will be hosting Parent Coffees throughout
the school year. The first Parent Coffee will be on Thursday, September 19th from 6:30-7:30
in the May Whitney library. At this meeting I will look to gather information from you as a
parent community in regard to our school. In general, I’m looking to understand what you
are most happy and proud of here at May Whitney and in what areas we could improve.
This conversation will be very similar to the conversations I had with our staff over the
summer as I looked to better understand some of the practices and procedures we have in
place. Most importantly, it helped me to better understand the culture of May Whitney
from a teacher’s perspective. However, this is only part of the equation. I’m looking to
gather more information from you as a community. If you are able to come on the 19th, that
would be wonderful. If not, I will have some of the feedback questions available in the
office. You are welcome to pick one up and complete it at your leisure.
As part of my introduction to the staff, I did share a little of what now shapes my
thinking as an educator. The bullet-points below are what I shared on our institute day. I
thought it would be important to also share this with you as a parent community.
• Schools that focus on both cognitive (reading, math, etc.) and non-cognitive
(persistence, character, etc.) skills
• Schools that are academically rigorous – Instruction that is interesting, engaging,
and purposeful
• Schools that create emotional safety for children – behavioral consistency & treating
students with dignity
• Schools that work as an interdependent, collaborative team – the shared wisdom of
the team is always deeper than the individual’s
• Schools that focus on high expectations for ALL (students & staff) and work
collectively to ensure those expectations are met
Throughout the school year, if you ever have questions or concerns about your
child’s education, please don’t hesitate to contact your child’s teacher or me. We are here to
work with you in providing the best possible educational experience we can for your child.
Lastly, the District 95 Foundation is having their annual 5K and 1Mi Back to School
Fun Run Event on September 15th. This is a wonderful school/community event: so if you
are interested, I have included the website. http://district95foundation.org/2013-5k-1mile-fun-runwalk/
Thank you and we look forward to a fantastic school year!
Sincerely,
Chris Martelli
Principal
May Whitney
Elementary School
100 CHURCH STREET
LAKE ZURICH, ILLINOIS 60047
VOLUME 1 SEPT 2013
W
ELCOME BACK! We hope you had an awesome
summer vacation!
We had our first PTO meeting Tuesday, August 27 in the school
library at which more than 25 parents/teachers attended to gear
up for a fresh start to the new school year. Our new principal, Mr.
Martelli, gave us an overview of what exciting new direction and
goals he and the staff have in the works for the new school year.
This year, we will be having themed
PTO meetings which will include 20minute presentations/open discussions
on topics that are relevant to our families, as well as a Principal’s report and brief PTO committee
reports. We will kick off this style of meeting at our next meeting
on September 24 at 7:00 pm in the school library with an INTERNET SAFETY NIGHT theme.
Texting, Facebook, YouTube. What are kids doing on the Internet? And who are they talking with? Come to our PTO meeting
and learn about social networking, texting, and how to keep your
child safe online. You’ll learn about:
• The importance of learning about the sites and applications your child uses
• How kids are using mobile devices like smart phones,
tablets and e-readers
• Social networking sites and how to help your child use
them wisely
• What to do if your child is the victim of online bullying
• Objectionable content, how to block it, and what to do if
your child views it
• Online gaming
We look forward to seeing you Tuesday, September 24 at 7:00
pm in the school library!
By the way, if you are NOT receiving emails from our PTO,
please register online to be added to our distribution list at:
https://www.groupvine.com/may-whitney-elementary/@@
apply
Sincerely,
Claire Slattery & Kristen Rymarcsuk
Co-Presidents
Mark Your
Calendar!
September
15 17
23
24
24
27
D95 Educational Foundation 5k
Early Release
Picture Day
PTO Meeting, MW Library
Market Day
No School, Institute Day
October
1
11
14
22
Dine & Share - SmashBurger
Early Release
No School, Columbus Day
Market Day
Stay tuned for details on Freaky
Friday and Spooky Saturday!
Get Your May Whitney Gear!
Check out our many
new items not only for
students but for parents
and faculty! Some items
can be personalized.
SpiritWear orders are due Sept. 27!
Join the School District 95
Educational Foundation on
September 15!
The School District 95 Educational Foundation 5K and 1Mile Fun Run event will be
held on Sunday, September 15 at Heritage
Oaks Park and Hawthorn Woods Country
Club Community. Registration will begin at
7:30 a.m. and the race at 9:00 a.m.
$30 to Run/Walk in the 5K
$15 for the 1 mile Fun Run/Walk
Registration and more info available at
http://district95foundation.org/2013-5k-1mile-fun-runwalk/
After 3
Enrichment Programs
Renaissance Knights chess club
and Young Rembrandts art
classes will be available after school
this fall at May Whitney! See pages 5
and 6 for more information.
Save your Labels for Education UPC codes and earn
money for May Whitney! Send your collected labels
in to school via backpack mail or drop them off in the
MW front office. Be sure to include your student’s
name and teacher.
FALL FUNDRAISING UPDATE
Due to overwhelming success,
the Fall Fundraising Committee
is bringing back the No Stress
Fundraiser!
Between September 20 and
October 11, please consider
making a cash, check, or credit/
debit card donation to the May
Whitney PTO. That’s all… plain
and simple!!! No cookie dough,
no wrapping paper, no unneeded
purchases. Donations are tax
deductible.
Look for more details coming
soon!
The PTO Needs You!
We are looking for volunteers to
chair or co-chair the following committees:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Freaky Friday/Spooky
Saturday (October)
Fall Conference Dinners (November)
Auction/Bingo Night
(February)
Spring Book Fair (April)
Field Days (May)
Teacher Appreciation Week
(May)
School Supplies (April/May &
August)
For more information or to
volunteer, email Merry Reed at
mwptovicepresident@outlook.com
LUNCH/PLAYGROUND
HELP NEEDED!
Have a few hours to spare each week and
looking to make a few extra dollars?
Contact Sonja in May Whitney’s front
office for details.
Don’t forget - you can help May
Whitney by shifting money that
you spend at the grocery store to
your school. Up to 20% of every
order supports your child’s education! Order online at www.marketday.com. Orders can be picked up
at May Whitney on our designated
Market Day dates from 2:50-3:30.
Working parent? We can work
with you to arrange pick up. Email
Jill Eckland at galenjill@att.net for
details.
MAY WHITNEY’S STAGE
TO RECEIVE UPDATES!
Thanks to the BIG IDEAS
that came in after last year’s
no-stress fundraiser, we are pleased
to announce that this fall the May
Whitney stage will receive new curtains,
wireless mics, a new soundboard and
a thorough cleaning and update.
Thanks to all who submitted ideas
and voted for our BIG IDEA, as well as
every family that participated in
our no-stress fundraiser!
Freaky Friday and Spooky Saturday are coming
in October and we need a lot of help to make it a success!
Information will be sent home
soon with details on how to
sign up to volunteer through
Sign Up Genius. Just a few
hours of your time can help
make these events the best
ever for our kids!!
Dine & Share!
Our next Dine & Share is
October 1 at SmashBurger
in Kildeer. See page 4 of this
newsletter for more
information!
Buzz Book Drawing Contest
The deadline to enter the Buzz Book Cover Drawing Contest is September
16! Winners’ drawings will be published on the cover.
Drawings must be submitted to teachers on unfolded 8-1/2 by 11 paper
in black and white and feature the title “May Whitney Buzz Book 20132014.” Entries will divided by grades and first and second place winners
will receive prizes.
Please save this flyer and present i t a t the Kildeer
location (20771 N. Rand Road) on
10/01/13
from 5:00pm
to 8:00pm and $ 1 from every entree that you buy will be
donated to May Whitney.
AT MAY WHITNEY
Building strategies - Instilling confidence
Developing academic & Life Skills
Wednesdays
September 18 – November 20, 2013
10 Classes
LET YOUR CHILD BE A PART OF THE FUN TODAY!
Whether your child plays already, or wants to start, our classes cater to all levels of chess ability
Class Information:
Time: 3:00 – 4:00 PM
No Class: N/A
Room: Library
Class Fee: $110 by Sep 13
$100 for additional siblings
Fee increases $10 after 9/13
Registration & Payment:
www.rknights.org under “classes”
or use form below & mail a check
Upcoming Session(s):
Session 2: Dec 4 – Mar 5
Session 3: Mar 12 – May 28
Develop your child’s intellect through the royal game of chess! Research has shown chess enhances
cognitive development in children, improves math and verbal skills, and increases all levels of academic
performance. Also, chess has been proven to enhance children's motivation, concentration, focus, social
skills, and creativity.
More Info: Website: www.rknights.org Phone: 773-844-0701 Email: renknights@aol.com
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May Whitney session1– do not bring to school
MAIL TO: PO Box 1074, Northbrook, IL 60065
Student Name:______________________________________ Grade:_________ Teacher:_______________________
Email:___________________________________________________________ Student can walk home yes / no
Who can pick up student___________________________________________________________________________
Emergency Contacts name(s) and Phone #(s)___________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
We are Illinois’ premier chess organization providing affordable, fun, & quality chess education programs
For grades K-5
Young Rembrandts
at May Whitney School in the Art Room
A Different Kind of Learning. A Powerful Kind of Fun!
Young Rembrandts teaches drawing with a see-touch-do
method that all kids can succeed with, learn from and love!
Watch your child reach a brand new level of confidence
and potential with this engaging, award-winning program.
Classes Held
Thursdays
1
3:00 PM- 4:00 PM
9/26/2013- 12/12/2013
No class 10/31, 11/28
Our Students Can Expect
- A new exciting lesson every week
- Improved core art skills
- To have fun!
Our Parents Can Expect
- Increased attention to detail
- Improved fine motor skills
- Discipline, persistence, and patience
2
3
Tuition
$95 for a 10 Week Session
Payment Options
ENROLL ONLINE at
www.youngrembrandts.com
HOW IT WORKS:
We provide all classroom supplies and a qualified and trained
instructor. Classes are held immediately after school. Parents are
responsible for transportation at class end.
Young Rembrandts
847-564-1315
fax: 847-564-1528
Save your time and a stamp. ENROLL ONLINE at: www.youngrembrandts.com
Classes are at your school at the end of the school day.
Transportation is not provided.
ENROLL ONLINE
Use your Debit card, Visa, or MasterCard to enroll online!
To enroll go to www.youngrembrandts.com and click on “Find a Class”.
To enroll by phone, call us at 847-564-1315.