Who Done It? On March 12th students from WJHS attended a fascinating presentation by a Wilmette resident, who also happens to be a Special Agent in the FBI.
[Read more…] about WJHS Students Hear from an FBI Agent
Rack*It Bike Rack Public Arts Program
At the start of the 2014-2015 school year, the Foundation’s Fine Arts Committee launched our Rack*It public arts program. Art teachers from all 6 schools incorporated a creative bike-rack design project into their curricula to get K-8 students involved in this new community-wide event.
Spring 2015 Gripp Grants Awarded
The 2015 Spring round of Gripp Grants were awarded on March 26th. This grant cycle the Foundation approved four grants for projects at four different schools.
8th grade teachers Beth Kalish and Beth Cummo will pilot transforming a classroom at WJHS into a flexible learning space. Node desks with swivel seats and built-in stands for tablets, and white boards will be purchased to create a fluid environment. The classroom will be adaptable to suit different learning needs such as small-group work, whole classroom discussions, debates, collaborative work, etc.
At HMS, 6th grade teacher Eric Resis will pilot differentiated seating options with new, adjustable-height desks. The goal is to provide movement to help maintain focus and attention.
The students at McKenzie will soon have reusable water glasses and pitchers to use in the cafeteria thanks to a grant awarded to the McKenzie PTA and principal Denise Welter. This grant teaches the impact of recycling on our environment and the nutritional importance of water.
The final grant this spring funds the Emmy Noether Project at Romona. This 3-year project aims to raise awareness of deeply rooted societal attitudes and practices related to gender bias as it relates to math. Through teacher training, parent education and programming for young girls, one of the goals is to encourage girls to view their math abilities as expandable and improvable.
Visit our Gripp Grant page to learn more.
3rd Annual Trivia Night has a winner!
On Saturday, February 7th, 2015 over 200 friends, neighbors, and trivia buffs formed teams and came to the Woman’s Club of Wilmette dressed according to their own creative theme.
[Read more…] about 3rd Annual Trivia Night has a winner!Fall 2014 Gripp Grants Awarded
The Foundation awarded 5 Gripp Grants this fall, totaling over $4,100. The 4th grade teachers at Romona will purchase automobile artifacts for students to examine during their inventions study using the 5 lenses of the new social studies curriculum. Romona’s Early Childhood Evaluation Team received a grant to create 3 new play scheme boxes to improve their assessment process.
WJHS Drama teacher, Dinah Barthelmess at WJHS will use her grant to conduct a Process Drama unit in her Improv Classes on “Us and Them” focusing on diversity and tolerance through a collaboration with Canadian teaching artist, Margaret Boersma. Also at WJHS, Yiyi Xu, the Mandarin teacher, will purchase an application to help students with reading proficiency and advanced vocabulary.
Lastly, Central’s 2nd grade teacher Susan Morris will use funds for technology to help with “fliperentiation” and cloned teacher mini lessons to reinforce concepts to accommodate the differentiation among students’ capabilities and learning styles. We look forward to seeing these grants in action and how our students will benefit from the innovative ideas of our talented D39 teachers!
Rack*It Public Art Project
The Foundation is excited to announce its plans for a Community Fine Arts Project funded through the Sam Mikaelian Fine Arts Fund during the 2014-2015 school year. With the help of District 39 students, the Foundation will facilitate the fabrication and installation of three artistic bike racks in the Village of Wilmette.
The Rack*It Project will begin in the art classes at all six District 39 Schools this Fall when the children are invited to design a bike rack that represents the community of Wilmette. For Highcrest and WJHS students, if your child does not have Art scheduled during the First Quarter, but wishes to participate in the Rack*It Project, he/she should contact your school’s Art Teachers.
All designs must be submitted by October 31st. Each school will review the designs submitted by the children and select five designs to submit for consideration. A Design Committee, comprised of teachers from the District 39 Art Department, Foundation members, cycling advocates and community stakeholders will choose three designs from those submitted by all six schools. After the bike racks are fabricated, we will host an “unveiling” presentation for the community in May.