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To teach, to educate, to form

East Lake Academy Newsletter, May 20011 1

EAST LAKE ACADEMYEAST LAKE ACADEMY

NNEWSLETTEEWSLETTERR www.eastlakeacademy.org

May 2011

Virtue of the Month:

Courage

EAST LAKE HAPPENINGS

Upcoming Events: Please mark your calendars.

Summer Field Trips

06/15 - Volo Bog and Sunset Foods

06/22 - Brookfield Zoo

06/29 - Art Institute

07/06 - Triton College Space Center

07/13 - Chicago Children’s Museum

& Boat Tour

07/20 - Discovery Museum Milwaukee

Lakefront

07/27 - North Wall Rock Climbing

08/03 - Morton Arboretum

08/10 - Randall Oaks Farm

08/17 - The Museum of Science

& Industry

PRESENTATION OF THE MURAL TO THE SCHOOL On behalf on the eighth grade class, we are excited to present the school

with it’s very first mural in the Gym in thanksgiving for all the formation, ed-ucation, memories, friends, teachers and staff members God has blessed us

with.

Now that we are starting a new journey in life, we will take with us all that

we have received from our years here at East Lake Academy.

Thank you for creating a “second family” atmosphere for us. We will not for-get where we came from.

With love,

The Class of 2011

IN THIS ISSUE

East Lake Happenings 1 Presentation of the Mural 1 Our Future Growth 2 Deans Update 2 Wonderful Wednesday Field Trips 3 May Crowning & Grandparents Day 4 Language Arts Night 5 Middle School Field Trip 5 8th Grade Movie Night 5 A Special Note From Mrs. Fuller 6 Presidential Physical Fitness Award 7 Track 7 Classical Piano Recital 7 Apostolic Update 8 Share Your Soles 8 Apostolic Club 8 Boys Middle School Retreat 8 Admissions Update 9 Technology Update 9

Classroom News & Views 10 Pre-K Corner 10 In the Spotlight 11 Community News 11



19 PARAGRAPHS IN PRINT!....

The kindergarteners worked hard all year to develop their reading skills.

Now that the year is coming to a close, Miss Sponseller’s class finished reading

their 2 texts for the year – Little Angel Readers A and B.

To put their reading skills into action,

the kindergarteners made their own books – from cover to cover!

The students came up with their own

story line, created their own charac-

ters and plot, wrote and illustrated their own story from start to finish.

Good work, Kindergarteners!

Thank you to Miss Sponseller for all your hard work!

In Christ,

Mrs. Echavez

DEAN’S UPDATE

Mrs. Rosario Echavez

Dean of Academics

OUR FUTURE GROWTH

On April 27, 2011 ELA has closed on its acquisition of

the 16,000 square foot building immediately adjacent to the school. This purchase is a true milestone in our

school history. It sets the stage for our future growth.

Immediate plans are two fold:

1. Begin a detailed architectural plan/study of the

new building. Our goal here is to engage parents, faculty and staff in a detailed plan of how we may

best use the facility for our future wants and needs. In addition, it is our hope to create a "build

-out plan” that will allow for a step-by-step expan-sion into the space over a three year period. East

Lake has always been prudent in its growth plans

and we intend to act in the same judicious manner during this process. Please look for emails solicit-

ing your profession help in this process.

2. We will merge the two parking lots, update land-scaping and match Saliba’s façade to mirror the

look of our existing building. We expect this work to be complete by the end of the coming summer.

East Lake would like to offer its tremendous thanks to those parents and board members who have already

sacrificed so much to make this expansion possible. It will truly provide us the means to continue our im-

portant mission:

“To transform society by forming tomorrow’s

leaders”



WONDERFUL WEDNESDAY FIELD TRIPS

...If you are looking for some summer excitement, ELA has the perfect solution! Join us for one or all of our fun filled

field trips! One low price includes adult supervision, bus and entrance fees and great memories!

To sign up contact:

Barbara Campanella ([email protected])

June 15 - Volo Bog and Sunset

Foods

Volo Bog State Natural Area is Illinois' only remaining open-water quaking bog, a very sensitive habitat. Walk the trail over a wood-en boardwalk taking you through all the stag-es of bog succession. In the afternoon take a behind the scenes tour Sunset Foods in Liber-tyville. The tour ends with a delicious treat fresh from the bakery.

June 22 - Brookfield Zoo

Interact with animals in the big red barn and visit hawks, snakes, and reindeer. Other ex-hibits include the Fragile Desert, African Sa-vannah, The Rain Forest and Great Bear Wil-derness. You are sure to find your favorite animal here!

June 29 – Art Institute

Experience how the sense of touch can enrich your appreciation of art in the Touch Gallery, see what happens when something really big becomes really small in Bigsmall, and in the Arms and Armor exhibit see full suits of ar-mor, pole arms, cannons, and a knight on horseback.

July 6 - Triton College Space Center

The Cernan Earth and Space Center has a number of Earth and space exhibits including an Apollo 10 space suit, spacecraft models, and Doppler weather radar. We will see the show Our Place in Space and a laser show in the dome theater.

July 13 - Chicago Children’s Museum

& Boat Tour

Build a fort, be a paleontologist or make a splash as you explore the hands on exhibits at the children’s museum. Then cruise on Lake Michigan as you learn about Chicago's colorful history and famous landmarks.

July 20 - Discovery Museum Mil-

waukee lakefront

The museum focuses on innovation and tech-nology, as well as Great Lakes education and conservation. Its building is filled with interac-tive exhibits. We will visit the TechnoJungle, explore Les Paul’s House of Sound and inter-act with sea life at the Touch Tank

July 27 - 2011 North Wall Rock

Climbing

Meet the challenges of indoor rock climbing. Even if you are a first timer, you are sure to have a great experience at this complete rock climbing facility with courses for all levels and

abilities. Staff will be on hand to assist climb-ers make it to the top!.

August 17 - Museum of Science &

Industry Visit one of the largest science museums in the world, The Museum of Science and Indus-try. Experience hands-on exhibits and live science demonstrations sure to "spark" your interest!

August 10 - Randall Oaks Farm

A guided tour the restored Centerville School will allow you to see what it was like to go to school in the 1800s. A picnic area and take the opportunity to pet and feed the barnyard animals.

August 3 - Morton Arboretum

Get lost in the maze garden, experience the engaging interactive activities, and be aston-ished by the towering 250 year old oak tree. The arboretum is a great destination to get close to nature.

mailto:[email protected]



MAY CROWNING/GRANDPARENTS DAY Mrs. Campanella

Students enjoyed giving their Grandparents a glimpse of their day at East Lake Acade-my. The visitors were greeted by Miss Haggerty and poetry presentations by the

middle school students. Grandparents were then welcomed into the classrooms to

visit with their grandchildren. Mass was held in the school gym, followed by the May Crowning. Grandparents were also invited to stay for lunch.

Mrs. Elizabeth Simutis spoke about the integral formation of our students and Mrs. Alli

Walsh, explained how we keep grandparents informed through regular mailings.

Classroom visits gave our guests a chance to see

their favorite ELA student at their best. Pre-k stu-dents prepared songs, kindergartners demonstrated what they know about the human

body and 1st graders worked on writing a draft of their “how to” article. The 2nd graders discussed the Blessed Mother and created Rosaries. 3rd through 5th grade

presented Social Studies, Religion and Language Arts skits. Middle school students

studied grammar, The Great Depression and Quadratic Formula.

Immediately following the Mass,

Miss Munda’s class processed to Our Lady. Carolina Sokes and

Ryan Elia crowned Mary and the class led everyone in prayer to

honor our Blessed Mother.

Middle school students Ryan Molloy, Alida Blendonohy, Kelsey Dziak , Anne Horcher, Eric Elia, and Ryan Kowalski, recited poems they

learned in Miss Kinzler’s Language Arts class. Grand-parents were awed by the self-confidence and poise

of their presentations.

The gym was then trans-

formed into a lunchroom with assistance from our

middle school students.

A pizza lunch was served by parent volunteers Mrs. Ling, Mrs. Erpenbeck, Mrs. Makowski, Mrs. Samra and Mrs. Vlies.

Students enjoyed visiting with their grandparents as they ate. After lunch, students thanked their grandparents for coming and

returned to class. Thank you to everyone who attended!

Fr. Jason Brooks celebrated Mass. During his Homily he spoke of Our Lady of

Fatima and the young children She appeared to, Francisco and Jacinta and Lucy. The Offertory gifts were presented by second graders Eden Kavanagh and Brendan DeLeon. The second graders led the offertory song El Pesca-dor de Hombres in both English and Spanish.



EAST LAKE ACADEMY’S 1ST ANNUAL

Miss Kinzler A Standing Ovation !

On Friday, May 6, East Lake

Academy held its 1st annual language arts night that featured the

literary talents of the middle school stu-dents.

From an exhibit gallery reflecting the lan-guage arts curriculum to the diverse poetry

presentations, the middle school students exemplified their dedication and knowledge

of various literary skills and concepts.

Commencing the evening, held in the gym,

Miss Kinzler articulated a brief synopsis of the curriculum, where she stressed the importance of an inter-disciplinary approach in addition to highlighting the scaffolding process of critical, literary comprehension through a PowerPoint

presentation.

Afterward, the students recited poetry. Based on the poetry unit from class, the students

recited the following:

8th Shakespearean sonnets, 7th classic, and 6th holistic. The 6th graders also illustrated

their poem for the exhibit. A few of the classic poems from 7th grade included Robert Frost’s Stopping by the

Woods on a Snowy Evening and Shel Silverstein’s I Cannot Go to School Today.

A few originals from 6th grade included Alida Blendonohy’s Life is a Ferris Wheel, a

metaphor, and Hanna Sutkowski’s Tennis, a part-of-speech poem. Again, congratula-tions to all the middle school students for their exuberant performance and hard work!

MIDDLE SCHOOL FIELD TRIP On Thursday May 26th the middle school got

to participate in a “Plan B” version of their field trip!!

Due to the inclement weath-er conditions, the students

participated in various indoor activities such as using the

ActivBoard, Knock out, egg race, steal the bacon, and they topped the activities

with a Piñata!

The sixth and seventh graders got to enjoy their Culver’s lunch they

earned by meeting their gala goals

while the eighth graders got to go out to Taco’s El Norte and order their

meal completely in Spanish!

Lots of fun memories were made this day!

8TH GRADE MOVIE NIGHT On Saturday, May 21st the eighth graders host-

ed a movie night featuring the film Tangled. Thirty families participated in the event, where

they got to enjoy watching the film while sitting

on blankets or lawn chairs. They also got to enjoy delicious treats!!

The eighth graders hosted

this evening in order to raise

money to put up a mural in the gym.

Language Arts Night



Dear East Lake Academy,

In gratitude, I’d like to thank you as a whole for allowing me the privilege

to teach here at East Lake Academy. The past four years have been the

most rewarding and I have had the honor to be able to work with such a

fine group of students, staff members, and parents. Being a part of East

Lake has allowed me to witness so many miracles including those that have

happened in my own life. Before being here, I thought I had my whole life

planned out and knew exactly what was going to happen. In the Spring of

2007, my world was changed by the encouragement of my old babysitter,

Mrs. Lisa Wernli to check out what East Lake was all about. I was hes-

itant at first, but after touring the school on my interview with Ms. Noel

Dowd, I knew that I just had to be here. Although I was hired to be the

teacher, I felt and still feel like I’m the one who is doing most of the learn-

ing!! Each of the students and families who are a part of this school are

formed so wonderfully in the faith that it has given me a solid example of

how I want my family to be. The staff members here at school are more

than just people I interact with every day, no, they are my best friends! Each of them show so much love and genuine encouragement towards not on-

ly me, but my family as well! I’d like to personally thank Mr. John

Calk and his family for all of the sacrifices, love and support they show to-

wards East Lake Academy. Without your love for Christ, my life would not

be what it is today. Thank you for always loving me and I look forward to

always being a part of East Lake Academy.

With lots of love in Christ,

Mrs. Loredana Fuller

A Special Note from Mrs. Fuller



TRACK Coach Haggerty

You can’t find a rainbow without first enduring stormy weather. We ended our first year of track doing a victory lap around the Carmel High

School track and we felt as if we had found the rainbow we had been

waiting to see all season.

Originally on the schedule were two 5th/6th grade meets, two 7th/8th grade meets and to finish off the season, a championship meet for eve-

ryone. However, due to practically non-stop cold and rainy weather, almost half of those meets were cancelled. The ELA athletes were ea-

ger to compete and it showed as they gave it their all on the track dur-

ing that final championship meet.

Outside of the running and jumping, the camaraderie that the students built with one another was quite memorable. With daily runs and

meets in the rain, the athletes shared many laughs and helped one an-

other constantly.

The parent support was tremendous as well. Coaches Kavanagh, Handrich, DiCara and Crittendon were a huge help throughout the

entire season. Many thanks to the Murphy family who sponsored the track t-shirts for the year. We are all looking forward to next season!!

2010-2011 PRESIDENTIAL PHYSICAL FITNESS AWARD Mrs. Handrich

This is the highest honor given by the Presidential Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition to encourage a healthy lifestyle through a variety of physical activity.

All ELA students participated in the fitness testing as part of their Physical Education class. Participants must achieve at least the 85th percentile in all five activities: sit-ups, shuttle run, sit & reach, endurance run and push-ups. The standards are based on National School Population Survey's and nationwide samples. These students demonstrat-

ed superior fitness in a range of ability and skills. Not only are they fast, strong and flexible, but their endurance in un-surpassed.

Congratulations to this year's recipients of the 2011 Presidential Physical Fitness Award:

2010-2011 National Physical Fitness Award Participants in this award must achieve at least the 50th percentile in

all five activites: sit-ups, shuttle run, sit & reach, endurance run and flexed-arm hang. These students also demonstrated a wide range of fitness from speed and agility to strength and endurance.

Congratulations to the following students who qualified for the National Fitness Award:

Classical Piano Recital

The East Lake

Academy students

who are currently taking classical pi-

ano lessons from Dr. Hector Rasgado

shared their talents at the Spring Piano

Recital that took

place on Saturday, June 11th, 2011 at 2pm.

The concert was once again be held at the Midwest Young Artists Center located at 878

Lyster Road in Fort Sheridan.

Many of the ELA students will continue their

piano lessons with Dr. Hector Rasgado over the summer.

ANYA KAVANAGH (4th grade) TALIA DICARA (5th grade) MARY BETH MURPHY (8th grade)

COLEEN ANN KOWALSKI MICHAEL SANTANGELO DARIA WERNLI

EDEN KAVANAGH EMMA LINDEMANN COLIN MCDERMOTT SYDNEY JOHNSON COURTNEY CARRIERA KAITLIN ZELINSKI

KIKI OGBUEFI MATTHEW KOWALSKI MEG MURPHY

KARINA KAVANAGH ISABELLE HASER MARY KATE CALK ANNE HORCHER ELYSE JOHNSON MIA DICARA



APOSTOLIC UPDATE Miss Haggerty

BOYS MIDDLE SCHOOL RETREAT Father Matthew

With 6 excited middle-schoolers seated anxiously in the home theater of the Kiernan’s house, Fr. Matthew led the opening prayer for the 2011 ELA Middle School Boys Retreat.

The theme for the day was “Being a Soldier for Christ.”

Br. Dustin led the boys in a reflection

on Eph. 6:11-: “Put on the armor of God…” This was followed by a few se-

lected scenes from JRR Tolkien’s “The fellowship of the Ring” from which the group drew some parallels to the spir-

itual combat.

After this the group head outside to pray the rosary together; then

Mr. Stack’s team took on Fr. Matthew’s team in an intense football game.

Next, the group prayed the Stations of the Cross and there was some time for confessions. After a few large pizzas, Fr.

Matthew gave the closing talk. Amidst his army stories from his training days in Death Valley he encouraged us, as good Christian Soldiers, to grow in and stand up for our faith in Christ. Finally, to top the day off, we headed back to

school for a middle school mass.

257 PAIRS OF SHOES were collected during our recent shoe drive for Share your Souls!

SPECIAL THANKS TO...

APOSTOLIC CLUB...

To end the years apostolic projects, the Apostolic Club had their first “Springfest” for the girls of the Chicago Youth Pro-

gram on Saturday, June 4th, 2011. ELA girls in grades 4-8 were hard at work planning activities such as water balloons, relays, freeze dance and various other games! The twelve or so girls from the Chicago Youth Program arrived at

10:30am and stayed until 1:45pm.

As the boys of the Conquest group hosted a Christmas gathering with a group of boys from the Chicago Youth Program,

the girls of the ELA Apostolic Club also wanted an opportunity to share in the fun. Mary Beth Crittendon and Katelyn Moroney helped the ELA girls organize this event. Mary Maher was there on the day of the event as well.

Miss Haggerty

Principal

The 3rd grade class for their help in sorting through all the shoes.

The Johnson family (Sydney, Elyse and Mrs. Johnson) for jumping in

last minute to neatly pack up all the shoes.

Mr. Haggerty (Miss Haggerty’s father) who graciously drove 100 miles

round trip to deliver the shoes to the warehouse!

Miss Friers has been in charge of all the Apostolic projects this year

and has done a phenomenal job. We are grateful for all her hard work.



Another wonderful faith-filled year at East Lake Academy is near its completion. All around the

school I experience growth in the children.

It is edifying to witness so much joy and accomplishment from the East Lake Students who with confidence know they are well prepared for next fall.

I thank the Pre-K team for all their hard work preparing a tremendously successful Pre-K Open House this month; it was one of the largest attended spring open houses. Sharing the East Lake

Academy mission with prospective families is truly a highlight of my role as the Director of Ad-missions. If your friends or family members missed the open house we offer tours right up to

the last day of school, June 3rd. Admissions is rolling year round so I welcome anyone to call me even after school is out. We welcome many new students and their families for next fall. This new student list contin-

ues to grow week by week and in some classes space is limited.

I keep all the friends and families of East Lake Academy faithfully in my prayers for a safe, happy summer.

Yours in Christ,

Elizabeth Simutis

ADMISSIONS UPDATE

TECHNOLOGY UPDATE Mrs. Fuller

The ActivBoard is installed and ready for use for the next school year!!

The teachers all got to participate in a training where they got to learn all the

neat features the board has to offer. East Lake Academy’s students are in for a real treat when they return in the fall.

As of now, the board is currently installed in the Spanish room, so all the stu-

dents will have the opportunity to use it next school year. We look forward to all the exciting lesson plans the teachers have to offer using this board.

Mrs. Elizabeth Simutis

Director of Admissions



CLASSROOM NEWS & VIEWS

PRE-K CORNER Mrs. Campanella

Transition Into Kindergarten

Pre-K 4 students got a taste of kindergarten recently. The students were matched

up with a kindergartner from Miss Sponseller’s class.

Pre-k students were amazed to sit at a desk that opens! Inside the well-organized desks they found tool boxes containing pencils, erasers and crayons, Little Angel

Readers, math books, Spanish books, handwriting books, folders, and agendas.

When they were done exploring, the children enjoyed hearing Miss Sponseller read the book Look Out Kindergarten Here I Come by Nancy Carlson. The book helped to reassure the pre-k students that kindergarten is not such a scary place.

After the story, students reviewed the short vowel sounds. The kindergartners were great role models for the pre-k students, listening attentively as Miss Sponseller

went over the directions for the short vowel sounds activity.

When they were done, pre-k4s had a great summer picture to take home.

The kindergartners told me they

learned number facts, reading with their Little Angel Reader,

doubles facts, Mr. Germy and things they see in the summer. Then they matched Activity with mentor, Coloring and matching short vowel, Thank

you notes, Boys wear ties, students change for gym Hard to believe the year has gone by so quickly!

Pre-K four is ready for kindergarten!

Here are some of the things the pre-k students look

forward to in kindergarten:

Robby – Learn how to paint right.

Angie – I will do math and homework.

Ali – We get to have our own desk.

Mary – I will learn what the plusses are, keeping your hands to yourself, and how to spell.

Ona - I will learn how to sing Yankee Doodle and to put my toolbox in my desk.

Raluchi – I will learn to write about sharks.

Hudson – I get to wear a tie!

Learned in pre-k4

Robby - Writing numbers, Checking your own work

Angie – Make pictures frames for our dad

Ali – Do sight words and letters

Sean – Learned to draw and how to do math and learn to write

Mary – The letter sounds, how to read, how to draw

Ona – Words, math and coins

Raluchi – Painting, cutting, how to make a bunny, saying goodbye to my teacher



We welcome your comments, questions and sug-

gestions regarding this newsletter:

[email protected]

Our Mission The specific mission of East Lake Academy is summa-

rized in the motto, Integer Homo (Latin for "the whole

man"); that is, providing its students with an integral

formation. Our educational program consists of three

essential elements: teaching, educating, forming. To teach means to provide the student with the intellec-

tual capabilities, content and skills needed to respond

to the demands of today's society.

To educate means to train the student in the habit of

intellectual rigor, structured reasoning, and in the appre-

ciation of beauty; it means to cultivate sensitivity,

memory, imagination; and finally, to develop the art of

communication and the ability to express oneself clear-

ly and elegantly.

To form is to lead the student to become a person for

others, with an upright ethical code, sensitivity toward

the needs of others- especially the most disadvantaged

- and an openness to human and spiritual values. . In this way students are prepared not just for profes-

sional success, but also for their self-realization as per-

sons and authentic Christians in the various facets of

their personal and professional lives. .

Administration

Mr. John T. Calk President Miss Jennifer Haggerty Principal Mrs. Rosario Echavez Dean of Academics Mrs. Elizabeth Simutis Admissions Director Mrs. Allison Walsh Director of Development Mrs. Anne O’Donovan Administrative Assistant Mrs. Kathleen Calk Parent Association Fr. Matthew Kaderabek Chaplain

Faculty

Mrs. Rosario Echavez PK-3 Mrs. Barbara Campanella PK-4 Miss Mary Sponseller Kindergarten Mrs. Geraldine Lagman 1st Grade Miss Carolyn Munda 2nd Grade Miss Elizabeth Friers 3rd Grade Mrs. Julie Biasco 4th Grade Mr. Matthew Nuccio 5th Grade & Grade 4th Spanish Miss Sarah Kinzler 6th Grade Homeroom, Middle School Language Arts & Math Mr. John Stack 7th Grade Homeroom, Middle School History, Geography & Math Mrs. Loredana Fuller 8th Grade Homeroom, Middle School Science & Math Ms. Marianela Gonzalez Spanish Miss Katie McCarthy Art & After-Care Director Mrs. Julie Handrich PK-4 Assistant & Gym Mrs. Maureen Kowalski PK-3 Assistant

East Lake Academy 13911 W. Laurel Dr. / Lake Forest, IL 60045

(847) 247-0035

www.eastlakeacademy.org

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

COMMUNITY NEWS Many blessings and miracles come from our school on a daily basis.

Praise God for all the good news!

Mr. Stack received two Certificates of Recognition in May. The first is

from State Representative Carol Sente of the 59th Legislative District. The second is from Dr. Dan Condon, Director of the Center for Econom-

ic Education at Dominican University. These Certificates congratulate Mr. Stack on becoming an award-winning teacher in the 2010-2011 Econ Illinois Economics Poster Contest. Preya and Pete Tarsney on the arrival of their twin boys,

Sahil James Tarsney - 5 lbs., 8 oz. & 20 inches Rohan Joseph Tarsney - 6 lbs., 1 oz. & 20.25 inches

Eleanore van Marwiik Kooy, an ELA 7th grader who was baptized on

Saturday, May 7th at St. Frances De Sales Church in Lake Zurich. Elea-

nore made her First Holy Communion here at East Lake Academy at the all school Mass on Wednesday, May 11th.

Noel and Erik Klebosits on the arrival of their first daughter, born on Monday, April

18th at 4:49 p.m. Elizabeth Anne - 8 lbs. & 6 oz.

20 inches long

Mr. and Mrs. John Stack who were wed

on Friday, May 27, 2011! We are all thrilled for our 7th grade teacher, Mr. Stack and our

former Admissions Director, Mrs. Cori

(Ambrozic) Stack.

Do you have exciting news you’d like to share?

Please let us know by emailing Ms. Haggerty at:

[email protected]

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