THE BEYESTANDER

M A Y 2 0 1 6

WILLIAM BEYE ELEMENTARY

Mr. E by Isobel S.

It Seems Like Yesterday....

MAY 2016 THE BEYESTANDER

Not long ago we were gathered on the play-ground for the first day of school, and yet here we are, preparing for the end of the year–the Tribute to Excellence on June 1st , the 5th grade event on June 6th, the end of the year picnic on June 7th, and the last day of school on Wednesday, June 8th. Please remember that the last day of school will be a FULL DAY. Since it’s a Wednesday, we’ll dismiss at 1:55 p.m. as per usual. If you’d like to stop by for our closing assembly and the teachers’ last day dance, that’ll be on the blacktop at 1:15 pm.

The School Improvement Team has been busy this year! Sharing 5 Essentials Survey results, starting the Cats & Dogs homework club with OPRF volunteers, encouraging anti-bullying presentations for students and parents, helping

to sponsor the Research for Better Teaching parent workshop series, rolling out the Learn-Storm math competition and sharing MAP growth data were all efforts of the team. This summer we’ll be making LearnStorm available to all students/ families who’d like the chance to keep their math mind sharp. We are also looking for new members! Please drop me an email if you’d like to help Beye improve and grow next year. The team meets monthly before school and always needs new people bringing fresh perspectives and ideas.

We know heading into next year that we’ll have an additional homeroom for our cur-rent second graders, meaning we’ll have three homerooms at every grade level. The cohort moving from second to third grade has grown each year and finally will be divided into three

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sections for 2016-17. We also know that we’ll have a new instructional coach next year, someone who will support teachers in growing their craft and implementing new curricular initiatives.

Those curricular initiatives will mean Eure-ka Math will be our program for grades K-5. Eureka is built upon Engage New York, which was already in use at a number of grade levels in D97. Eureka is a Common Core-aligned program that has been built from the ground up to teach toward the standards and to grow deep mathematical understanding. Writing instruction is something that can unintention-ally fall off the table as other areas get more and more attention. We know that writing is a key language arts skill, and starting next year it will be explic-itly taught using Lucy Calkins’ Units of Study in Writing. Developed at the Teachers College Reading and Writing Project, UOS is built on best practices and proven frameworks devel-oped over decades of work in thousands of classrooms across the country and around the world, Lastly, we’ll be implementing a Social Emotional Learning Program for all D97 stu-dents. Second Step was developed by the Com-mittee for Children and is designed to teach children how to understand and manage their emotions, control their reactions, be aware of others’ feelings, and have the skills to prob-lem-solve and make responsible decisions.

This year’s teachers do most of the hard work putting together balanced, diverse classes for next year that will maximize learning for everyone. I encourage you to trust in their knowledge of your learner and their class-mates, and to trust that students benefit from having a variety of teachers, with a variety of styles and approaches. If you feel you need to, you may send me a letter or an email before the end of the school year with additional informa-tion for me to consider as I finalize homeroom assignments for the 2016-2017 school year. Please keep the focus of your letter on your learner, their strengths and weaknesses, and not on requests for a specific teacher. Unless

you ask me too, I will not share any information in your letter with next year’s teacher. Assignments are finalized in Au-gust, when we’ll have a clearer picture of our enrollment for next year.

I’d like to pause to say thank you to

those individuals who have served all year long as school leaders, helping to make things happen and helping us to continually strive to improve. PTO co-presidents Troy Koch, Kelly Simkowski, Treasurer Stephanie Kloster and the entire executive board have all given their time, their energy and their creative spirit over the course of this year. Jocelyne Adkins, Laura Derks and the Green Team have continued to help us change our attitudes and our habits to become better global citizens. A special thank you also goes to Sara Neuner, Jennifer Alten

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PTO News......Racing toward the Finish Line

and Blake and Lindy Novotny for getting the Beyestander out to you each month. I hope you will join me in letting these folks know how much we appreciate the load they have shouldered on behalf of the entire Beye School community!

As we look toward the summer, the office will be open most days from 8:00-4:30pm. I’ll be taking some vacation days at the end of July, spilling over into the start of August. Other-wise, I will be around and in the office most days. Please call, drop me an email or stop by to tell me about your summer adventures or to talk about next year.

As this year and this column come to a close, allow me to thank you for supporting, chal-lenging and encouraging your child, your

teacher, and your principal. We have accom-plished a lot this year, and we still have much to do. Thanks for everything, and have a great summer!!

Jonathan EllwangerPrincipal

PS- Mark your calendars: the 2016-2017 school year begins on Monday, August 29th!

PPS- Congratulations to Aidan B. on being se-lected as the Outstanding Young Philanthropist of 2015 by the OPRF Community Foundation for his work organizing a diaper drive!

As we move to the end of the year, we always love to reflect on the accomplishments of the year and thank those that have given their time and talents to making Beye School great. As always, the parents and staff came together this year to provide exciting opportunities for our children. Over the past year, our kids have experienced several field trips, assemblies, and activities brought to them through the efforts of your PTO. The students will cherish the memories made for their lifetimes.

Our congratulations go to Mr. Ali and Mrs. Harlan for surviving their first year and becoming part of the Beye family. It's been a pleasure getting to know them and seeing their unique perspectives influence on activities and the culture of Beye this year.

To our graduating 5th graders, congratulations and best of luck in your journey. See you at Julian next year!

To all, enjoy your summer and we look forward to seeing you in August!

Troy Koch and Kelly SimkowskiCo-Presidents

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FOOD TRUCKS

Live Band!

Tues, June 7.....Rain or Shine.....Field & Playground

5:00pm-8:00pm

ICE CREAM TRUCK

Or bring your own food and have a picnic dinner with your familyon the Beye school grounds (no alcohol please)

With summer fast approaching, Beye’s Green Team wishes to acknowledge the environmental accomplishments made over the 2015-16 school year via our cafeteria-based waste reduction pro-grams. Every school day Green Team parent volunteers assist stu-dents in sorting lunch waste in the cafeteria. Beye takes advantage of the Village of Oak Park’s composting and recycling programs to help conserve valuable environmental resources. The chart below presents results of Beye’s most recent, one-day waste audit. The audit suggests that each school lunch period produces about 80 pounds of waste; 94 percent of which is diverted from the landfill. This translates into nearly 13,235 tons of waste being diverted from the landfill this year!

In addition to food sorting, the Green Team organizes Waste-Free Wednesday (WFW) events. Parent volunteers work directly with students one day a month to reduce food and landfill waste in school lunches. After completing their meals—and en route to the food sorting area—students are encour-aged by volunteers to check in at a WFW table to co-determine whether their lunch is waste-free (i.e., contains only reusable, compostable, and/or recyclable items). The below figure shows that the share of waste-free lunches increased dramatically over the year with May (at over 42 percent) yielding our strongest performance.

The eco-challenge quiz is another important component of Waste-Free Wednesdays. Classes with highest number of zero-waste lunches and correct answers to the eco-chal-lenge are eligible to win eco-friendly prizes such as reus-able water bottles and food containers. This year, winning students were announced via the school’s public address system by Green Team Ambassador and Beye 4th grader, Nora D. Thanks to Nora, all of the Beye students and staff (especially Ms. Cooper, Mrs. Harlan and Mr. Plaza) for your continued interest and participation toward improv-ing the environmental performance of your school.

Lastly, thanks to all of the parent volunteers who donated their time to carry out Beye’s cafeteria waste reduction programs, namely: Betsy Maddox; Gina Ulrich; Stephanie Weller; Kandy Shapiro; Wendy Dolipschi; Laura Derks; Kim Becker; Ariel Schick; Suzanne Cronacher; Inga Simitz; Lisa Kozinski; and Katrina Sifferd. It wouldn’t have happened without you!

Submitted by Scott Smith

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Beye’s Green Team Takes Strides to Reduce Cafeteria-Based Waste

Figure 2. Total and Share of Waste-Free Lunches by Month, 2015/2016 School Year

Figure 1. Quantity and Percentage of Disposed Food by Waste Stream

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Beye Discovery is an enrichment program of the Beye PTO that offers children opportunities for exploration and growth, through creative project-based learning in art and science (during the school year).

To register, please contact Jocelyne Adkins, Program Director at beye.discovery@gmail.com

"Distribution of information by a community group in accordance with District 97 policy does not imply, directly or indirectly, that the group's program(s), event(s) and/or service(s) is sanctioned, sponsored or endorsed by the district, the Board of Education or the superintendent."

Summer Adventures Camp with Beye Discovery Join us for a thrilling start to the summer as we venture into “Playful Art & The Art of Play”, inspired by artists both past and present; the natural world; and our own experiences, interests and dreams. Through painting, drawing, printmaking and sculpture, children will develop their skills and imagination to create unique works of art. Weather permitting, some projects will be created outdoors. Classes are facilitated by Jocelyne Adkins, MAAE, School of the Art Institute, Chicago and a teaching assistant.

Beye Discovery Camp Schedule (For children grades K-5, half day & full day options):Students may register for 1 week, 2 weeks, or 3 weeks. Each week will offer new adventures!

Location: Beye School, Room 302Week 1: Monday, June 13th - Friday, June 17th Week 2: Monday, June 20th - Friday, June 24th Week 3: Monday, June 27th - Friday, July 1st

Summer Program Options:Morning Sessions: 8:30am - 11:30am ($125 per week) Afternoon Sessions: 12:30pm - 3:30pm ($125 per week)Morning & Afternoon Sessions* (please pack a lunch): 8:30am - 3:30pm ($290 per week)

*Extended day option from 3:30-6pm: Session fee + $80 per weekPlease note, minimum enrollment is 4 children. Should this minimum not be met, caregivers will be notified by May 11th. Also, early drop off option at 8 am for an added fee of $25 per week.

Additional Information:

Come create with us this June!

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2016/17 School Year

Enroll now!Space is limited

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After School Enrichment Program, Beye PTOOur mission is to offer elementary school children opportunities for exploration and growth through creative project-based learning in art and science

What: A fun program to encourage creativity When: Every school day until 6pmWhere: Beye School, Room 302Cost: $25 per day, Wednesday $33 per dayOther: 2 need-based scholarships available

Benefits to Students:1. Students will learn how creativity and keen observation lead to new discoveries2. Students will work with numerous art media and dedicated visiting professionals3. Students will develop problem solving and social skills through collaborative work4. Students will engage with nature to gain inspiration from our natural world5. Students will engage with the larger community through exhibitions and workshops

Answers to Frequently Asked Questions:-Flexible enrollment options include 1-5 days per week -Students who register, participate for 1 or more Trimesters (there are 3 Trimesters per year)-A 5% discount is awarded to families for a 2nd child enrolled in the program-Students who attend an after school activity may participate in Beye Discovery following their scheduled activity-Students eat snack and have outdoor play (weather permitting) at the start of every session-Homework time is encouraged as projects/activities come to a close, approximately 5:15pm-Suggested pick up time is bt. 5:30 - 6pm, during free play (Legos, Citiblocks, and imaginative/sensory play items)

For detailed information or to register, please visit: http://goo.gl/forms/94y92XW2BQQuestions? Contact Jocelyne Adkins, Program Director at beye.discovery@gmail.com

"Distribution of information by a community group in accordance with District 97 policy does not imply,directly or indirectly, that the group's program(s), event(s) and/or service(s) is sanctioned, sponsored orendorsed by the district, the Board of Education or the superintendent."

Curriculum:The curriculum is organized by weekly themes or topics. Through student-centered and process-based projects and activities, students learn by doing and make discoveries along the way. Multiple points of view are valued and we emphasize that there are numerous ways to solve a given problem or to approach an activity/project.

Our scheduled Field Trips and Visiting Professionals allow us to enhance and connect our learning in the classroom within our community. Excellent local resources include The Field Museum, The Art Institute of Chicago, The Oak Park Conservatory, The Garfield Park Conservatory, and The Trailside Museum and Nature Center. Back in the classroom, we invite visiting professionals who have a strong passion for what they do and a desire to share their knowledge with children.

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BEYE DISCOVERYBeye PTOAfter School Enrichment Program with a Focus in Art and Science For information about Beye Discovery, please visit http://www.beyeschoolpto.org/beye-discovery.html or contact Jocelyne Adkins, Program Director, at beye.discovery@gmail.com.

Even though the school year is gearing down, there is still so much to stimulate our minds and our creativity! A special highlight in Beye Discovery this May was our field Trip to OPRF High School. Artist and educator Lindy Novotny led a fantastic printmaking workshop, inspired by the “exquisite corpse” parlor game. Using precut “tiles” exhibiting various heads, torsos and legs made by OPRF students in Mr. VanDuinen’s class, our students had a great time making prints with imaginative and com-ical combinations of body parts!

We would like to acknowledge and thank those at OPRF who contributed their talent, time and energy to this exciting workshop! This includes Ms. Novotny and her four dedicated high school students, Nick Drain, Rebekah England, Jarek Moorman & Grace Smart; and Mr. Van-Duinen, an incredible artist and educator who facilitated the making of these carved tiles with his high school class and generously shared them for this workshop with Beye Discovery. The students’ prints are currently on display in the main hall, just outside the Beye office. Please stop by to enjoy the work when you visit the school for your end-of-year activities.

Another highlight this month was the comple-tion of Beye Discovery’s Coral Reef Display,

currently on view through June 8 at the Oak Park Main Library, children’s area. Numerous brightly colored corals and the sea life that live there are represented. Students also created an educational component, using speech bubbles to share information about the coral reefs. If you are visiting the library, please take the time view this beautiful, collaborative, and informa-tive display. Also, a reception is scheduled for Tuesday, May 31st from 4:30 to 6pm, so feel free to join us then!

This week, we are learning about insects. We began the week with butterflies, often the most magical and inspiring of creatures. For our project, we envisioned ourselves as butterflies and invented colorful markings that represent special things about us. We also identified adaptations that would protect us from pred-ators, inspired by examples of butterflies that use camouflage, mimicry and “poisons” to keep them from becoming an animal’s dinner.

Did you know that in North America, for every square yard, there are approximately 20,000 insects, and that for every human on earth, insects outnumber us, one million to one? With those numbers, we were eager to see how many insects we could find at Beye. Our search was concentrated at the front of our school, and while we did find a number approximate-

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ly 12 different insects including rolly pollies, bees and millipedes, we had anticipated find-ing much more insect activity. We encouraged our students to spend time in their own yards observing insect life throughout the summer. What will they find? What may they learn? How may these insects be helpful?

On that note, bee keeper Harry Patterson visited Beye Discovery on Wednesday, May 25 to share his knowledge of honey bees. Honey bees are beneficial insects that pollinate ap-proximately 30 percent of our food crops. Mr. Patterson shared with our students the tools of the trade, the roles of honey bees in their colony, the importance of the queen & how honey is made. At the end of the presentation, Mr. Patterson kindly shared honey made by his bees. Life is sweet! Thank you so much Mr. Patterson!!!

We look forward to an upcoming visit by Oak Park Artist Michael Bochner. He will teach our students how to create artistic mazes with col-ored pencils. Earlier in the year, we made very large mazes from post-it notes, spanning long tables and covering much of our floor space. It will be cool to see how the smaller scale of these mazes, made with different materials, will open new doors.

Should you wish to open some doors with Beye Discovery, consider joining us this June for our Summer Adventure’s Camp and our After School Program this fall. Space limited to 20 students, so register early to reserve your child’s space. You may send an email to Joce-lyne Adkins, Program Director, at beye.discov-ery@gmail.com or register directly via the links provided:

Summer Adventures Camp for 1 to 3 weeks beginning June 13th - July 1st:http://goo.gl/forms/Suh4IRCF4G

2016/2017 school year, 1 to 5 days per week:http://goo.gl/forms/l1SPwRDtrudMn1Td2

Beyestander articles, highlighting our stu-dents' accomplishments this year:http://www.op97.org/beye/dp/ Beye Discovery is an enrichment program of the Beye PTO that offers children opportunities for exploration and growth through creative proj-ect-based learning in art and science. It is facili-tated by Jocelyne Adkins, Program Director, and Emma Bochner, Teaching Assistant.

For additional details and information about Beye Discovery, including our most recent flyers, please email Jocelyne Adkins, Program Director at beye.discovery@gmail.com

Yusef, Salma, Ed, and Tariq

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Anika with Print Bee Honey with Mr. Patterson

Ashley, Insect Search Beye Discovery Group Shot

Barret, Phillip, Joel Inking Print Blocks Caroline with Print

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Ella, Coral Reef Fish

Beekeeper Barry Patterson

Zander, Coral Reef Fish

Morgan and Lindy

Tariq, Pillar Coral

Valen and Clean Up

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Every year, the Oak Park Education Foundation and Beye School form a collaborative learning community. OPEF provides innovative enrichment programs to D97 students with hands-on pro-grams delivered through partner-ships with enthusiastic experts in Science, Art, Architecture, Engineer-ing and Technology.

A few of the programs the students participated in last month include the following: Gretchen Junker, OPEF’s Geared Up Coordinator, held a Geared Up Land Yacht Race; Karen Light, Art Start Artist, completed a story quilt based on the underground railroad; and Dr. Melanie Pivarski, Science Alliance, taught conditional probability.

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• Registration for OPEF’s Sum-mer BASE Camp is now open. Go to http://www.opef.org/base-camp/ to register, a few spots are still available.

• OPEF is looking for a Beye School parent link for the 2016/17 school year, if interest-ed please email kandyshapiro@sbcglobal.net.

For more information on this organization that reaches every student over his or her time in District 97, go to www.opef.org.

Submitted by Kandy Shapiro

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Get a head start for the 2016-2017 school year and order your school supplies now! School supply kits remain on sale until June 17th. Instead of scrambling the last few days of summer to buy your child’s school supplies, order them online and save yourself time and energy. The kits are well priced, support the PTO and save you lots of last minute hassle. Simply go online, click, pay, sit back and relax. The kits will be delivered to your child’s classroom for their first day of school. To order, please visit www.carlsonschoolkits.com. Se-lect Oak Park, Beye Elementary and your child’s upcoming grade. Note that some grades differentiate kits by gender. This simply means a “boy” kit may include gallon size plastic bags whereas a “girl” kit may include sandwich size bags. There are no color or branding differentiators. So check off that future “To Do” now and visit www.carlsonschoolkits.com.

For further questions please reach out to Lori Browder at labrowder@comcast.net.

Sponsored by Beye PTO

GET A HEAD START AND ORDER YOUR 2015-2016 SCHOOL SUPPLIES TODAY!

Beye School Supply Kits 2016-2017*  

Grade Price Kindergarten $37.00 1st Grade $43.00 2nd Grade $43.00 3rd Grade $45.00 4th Grade $45.00 5th Grade $45.00

Required items not automatically included in

kits, as they can be reused year to year. Optional add-ons.

Headphones K-3 $7.00 Art Smock k-1 $3.00 Earbuds 4-5 $4.50

*Backpacks are not included in kits

Please check school website for the complete list of supplies needed

Place your online order by June 17, 2016

For Easy Online Ordering visit www.carlsonschoolkits.com  

(1) Under city, click “Oak Park” and select “William Beye.

(2) Visa, Mastercard, Discover & American Express accepted. Online orders are subject to sales tax.  

 KITS WILL BE DELIVERED TO YOUR CHILD’S CLASSROOM FOR 1ST DAY OF SCHOOL. Please contact Lori Browder at labbrowder@comcast.net with any questions.

Save  time,  energy  and  gas.    

Avoid  the  crowds  and  order  online!  

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Playful and prepared, Eric Molas is always burn-ing with ideas and plans. Lucky for his family, including Emerson of the 5th grade Penthouse and his wife Andrea, they are quite a competent crew! Eric grew up on the South side of Chicago. He lived on the North side until 2010 when they moved to Oak Park. Eric is drawn to the stellar learning opportunities in the Oak Park area, but also finds plenty of time for adventure. The Molas family summer plans may in-volve a number of va-cation shorts: moun-tain climbing, roller coaster riding, cycling, and a lot of swimming in between. Read on for more about Eric:

What do you do for work? And for play?“I’m a software engineer in the financial industry. For play, games of all kinds – board, computer, and card games. I love ping pong and try to play at lunch most days. Water parks, amusement parks, arcades. I'm pretty much a big kid.”

Spring is here! What escalates in this season for you?“The amount of bike commuting I do to work downtown, for sure. During the winter, I still try ride a few days, but once spring kicks in, I shoot for every day it’s not 40 and rainy. Spring is tryout season for hockey and soccer for Emerson, so all the stress/excitement/busyness associated with that escalates.”

What is the most utilized piece of equipment in your home? Why?“Discounting things like the fridge or furnace that are in constant use, it’s likely our phones/iPad , or Emerson’s hockey stick. Like many folks, we tend to get most information and much of our entertainment through our phones/iPads. And Emerson can’t go a few hours without retreating to

the basement or garage to practice stick-handling or shooting.”

If you had a large room full of 5th graders for a generous period of time, what would you do?“Maybe I’d put together a live Hunger Games (would have to be a *big* room); I did that once for a group and the kids loved it. Or maybe a game of “were-

wolf ”, whereby each student is assigned a secret role (werewolf, townsfolk, seer, vampire, etc… ) and the townsfolks attempt to eradicate the secret wolves in their midst. If I had the resources, maybe I’d help the kids put together some VEX robots… I love games and love imparting that love on kids.”

Your Beye School engagement has come to an end. What stands out as especially memorable?“Emerson’s first day of school, the Halloween parades, Olympic Days, The Mayflower, the Tur-key Trots, the Spelling Bees, every last day of the year (especially Mrs. Fencl’s last day), the Science Project Fair, and school concerts. So many great memories.”

Submitted by Wendy Negron

Featured Friend.......Eric Molas

VOLUNTEER AT BEYE: Big or small, there’s a role for everyone!

Beye School’s PTO fundraising team is looking for volunteers! Time commitments vary. Get involved as much as you would like. Meet new people and show your kids your school spirit. Visit the PTO home page and scroll down to the bottom of the page to indicate your interest(s). http://www.beyeschoolpto.org/. For detailed descriptions on open positions, visit the volunteer page at: http://www.beyeschoolpto.org/volunteer.html.

ABOUT THE BEYESTANDERThe Beyestander is an online newsletter of Beye School that is distrib-uted monthly in an effort to highlight activities and events that have already occurred at Beye School – both in the classroom and outside the classroom. Articles may be written by Beye School parents, community members, teachers, and students. All articles should be submitted to beyestander@beyeschoolpto.org.

BeyeBytes Newsletter: If you are not currently receiving BeyeBytes email newsletter and would like to be added to the list, please send an email to beyebytes@gmail.com.

Editors: Jennifer Alten and Sara Neuner

Graphic Designers: Blake and Lindy Novotny

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