Maverick Fall 2012

Fall 2012

Maverick

Want To Know More?Scan the code with your smart phone to take you directly to our website. Here you’ll find more information about St. James programs as well as up-to-date calendar information.

Date: Thursday, November 15, 2012

Time: 6:30 p.m.

Location: United Classrooms of St. James

Travel Plans: Brazil (gr. 1/2), Greece (gr. 3/4), Japan (gr. 5/6), Ghana (gr. 7/8)

Tour of NationsUnited Classrooms of St. James

Take a Trip Around the World.

Thursday, November 15

6:30 p.m.

Visit Brazil (gr. 1/2), Greece (gr. 3/4), Japan (gr. 5/6)

and Ghana (gr. 7/8).

ContactsSenior Pastor Rev. Robert B. Donovan Jr.

[email protected]

Principal Joy [email protected]

Education Counselor Warren [email protected]

Communications / Admissions Kate [email protected]

Business Manager Martha [email protected]

Office Manager Ellie [email protected]

Youth Ministry Rev. James [email protected]

Children’s Ministry Jennifer [email protected]

St. James Lutheran School2101 N. Fremont St.

Chicago, IL 60614

Phone 773.549.1615Fax 773.326.3645

www.stjames-lutheran.org

Special thanks to Vision Integrated Graphics Group for printing our magazine. www.visionps.com

I love the season of fall. I like how the cooler breezes chase off the summer heat, and how the colors paint a magical picture of change. I like the celebrations as Halloween invokes the feeling of mystery and Thanksgiving brings me to remember blessings past and present. And who doesn’t like the joy of Christmas where families pause to celebrate God’s greatest gift of grace, the birth of the Father’s son as a child to be our promised Savior.

What I don’t like is the ease with which I can get caught in the detail, and burdened with many tasks of celebration like parties, and shopping and obligations at church. What I want is an opportunity to reflect on God’s grace in my life and ask how He will work through me to “Share the Gift.” I think you do to.

This season we will work together to Share the Gift as we join in a bigger and bolder and joy filled campaign to raise scholarship money to Share the Gift with children who need tuition support.

As you read through these pages, notice how our school touches children with love and builds Christian character.

See how God is shared with every child in simple and profound ways. His love and forgiveness is the greatest gift imaginable, and our work as a community to support God’s mission is a joyful task.

The cost of m a i n t a i n i n g a school with high academic standards and a commitment to retain quality teachers and staff is greater than the tuition charged. It is our objective to keep tuition reasonable and fund the gap through the generosity of the congregation and the people of our community. And, for 155 years, we have been blessed.

Please begin to prayerfully consider how God has given you the gifts and blessings that bring joy into your life. Remember the times His love has

been shared by a friend or a family member when you needed support. Give thanks for all He has done to hold you in His arms and comfort your sorrows.

After such reflection, let the Holy Spirit open your heart to Share the Gift; the gift of hope, the gift of peace, the gift of joy, and the gift of love – that is the gift of Christ. Watch for more details as we get closer to Thanksgiving. May the peace of Christ be with you.

Preparing Students for Success 1

Share the GiftBy Rev. Robert B. Donovan Jr., Senior Pastor

One of the most frequently asked questions by parents is “What is a typical day like in preschool?” Take a look this overview provided by St. James preschool teachers.

Skill Development and Assessment

Teachers work with students individually, in small groups, and as a class to carefully develop and assess progress in several skill areas. Developmentally-appropriate activities are designed to maximize each child’s growth. Students are “stretched” through this early childhood form of differentiated instruction. A portfolio is kept to demonstrate student progress throughout the year. It includes examples of math and literacy growth, writing samples, projects, and a variety of other ongoing assessments.

Everyday Mathematics

Our math program is designed to develop the child’s problem solving skills. We employ the Everyday Mathematics program in an effort to build a strong foundation for each child. An integrated approach creates learning opportunities based on the child’s innate curiosity and play.

Handwriting Without Tears

This writing program focuses on the child’s curiosity and joy of learning. Activities include playing, singing and building letters to develop proper handwriting habits. Applying these habits naturally and automatically to all writing experiences paves the way toward future mastery of the mechanics of writing and the art of written expression.

Letter of the Week

Each week there will be a variety of learning experiences revolving around a new letter (see Handwriting Without Tears). Children will learn about the sound(s) each letter makes prior to developing skills in both writing and signing each letter. Activities include guessing items that begin with the letter of the week hidden in a Mystery Bag, listening to a “Sound Box” book, and searching for items at home which begin with the letter of the week.

2 Fall 2012

Preschool Overview

Daily Activities

Table Activities Table activities change daily. Examples include puzzles, play dough, trains and tracks, small cars, doll houses, stringing beads, pegs, felt people and houses, small animals, etc. These activities encourage self-directed play, sharing with others, developing fine motor skills, following simple directions, and making good choices and decisions. Table activities also provide tactile experiences and allow children to explore their classroom environment.

Morning Meeting The class discusses the calendar, days of the week, weather, job helpers, and schedule for the day. Morning Meeting is a time to help children focus and prepare for the transitions and activities of the day.

Craft is different each day. It always relates to the theme of the week or to the Jesus Time lesson. Craft time utilizes a variety of different media for self-expression including paint, chalk, markers, crayons, paper, glitter, sequins and more!

Exploration Students play learning games, read stories relating to the theme, sing songs and dance. Exploration leads to cognitive development as students develop speaking and listening skills, grow and learn through songs and finger plays, share information with classmates, and develop the ability to question and problem solve.

Jesus Time Students learn about God’s love for us through Bible stories, songs, drama and crafts. Loving our neighbor becomes our expression of joy for our gift of a Savior.

Free Choice Children play with the blocks, large trucks and cars, the kitchen, the book area, dress-up clothes, dolls and doll clothes, etc. Centers change throughout the year. They provide the opportunity for children to play with one another, learn about their world through hands-on sensory experiences, develop the concept of problem-solving, demonstrate and gain knowledge through dramatic play and block play, use building materials for expression, and develop large motor skills.

Centers Children participate in both teacher-directed and student-directed small group activities. Centers include large floor puzzles, small table puzzles, games and small group activities. Centers give children the opportunities to problem solve together, share classroom materials, and further develop more concrete academic skills. The small group arrangement

allows teachers to work with smaller groups of children on specific skill sets, assess specific concepts and growth, and further develop children’s cognitive learning.

Enrichment

In addition to the daily activities previously mentioned, early childhood students participate in weekly library, chapel, music and Spanish.

KindergartenKindergarten is the year to transition from preschool programs to becoming ready for first grade. Children at this age still learn through play-based activities covering all the learning areas of mathematics, handwriting, reading and Bible stories. Their schedule begins to assume a little more discipline and transitions as the year progresses to prepare them for first grade.

This is generally the year when skills for reading begin to blossom. In the fall, children are assessed to see at what level they are reading. The teacher will meet with children individually or in small groups to read through a level appropriate text and work with them to develop their skills as needed. This text will then be sent home with the child, and they are encouraged to read it to at least two people. In kindergarten, the focus is mainly on decoding skills, while comprehension is addressed more during whole class read alouds.

For more detail about our Kindergarten program please visit stjearlychildhood.blogspot.com.

Preparing Students for Success 3

OverviewThe 2012 Admission Season begins with an Open House on November 13 for prospective families. Hosted by Admissions Ambassadors, our Open House is an important element of matching St. James to future members of our community. Parents will hear from Rev. Robert Donovan, Senior Pastor; Warren Gast, Education Counselor; and two of our teachers. Additionally, they will have an opportunity to tour the school with an ambassador and ask questions.

Please pay careful attention to the dates and deadlines included on this page.

Re-enrollmentCurrent St. James parents will receive re-enrollment contracts on January 13. To secure space for the 2013-2014 academic year, contracts need to be signed and returned to the office in March. A deposit is not required for re-enrollment. Any parent wishing to set-up an observation of the upper grades may contact Kate Donovan, [email protected].

November 13Open House

Applications are Released

December 14Early Decision

Application Deadline

January 13Re-enrollment Contracts

Sent Home

January 24Get Schooled Parent Event

Application ProcessApplications for new student admissions will be released on November 13. To apply we need a completed application, a copy of the prospective student’s birth certificate, a report card (if applying to grades 1-8) and a $400 deposit. The deposit will be applied to tuition when a student is accepted into a program, returned if a child is not accepted and forfeited if acceptance is declined for any reason. To be considered for Early Decision please turn in all materials before December 14. Early decision applicants will receive notification in January.

St. James Lutheran School enrollment is open to students of any race, color and ethnic or national origin. Acceptance to a class is determined by the Admission Committee on the basis of the optimum class profile. Members of the St. James fellowship, returning students and siblings of current students are given priority in the admission process. Admission is subject to St. James being able to meet the educational needs of a student.

AmbassadorsAdmissions ambassadors are St. James school parents who volunteer their time to serve the school by helping with admissions events and educating potential new families about St. James.

Dates and Deadlines

4 Fall 2012

Admissions and Re-Enrollment

We’re sending parents back to class! On January 24, we invite current St. James parents to “Get Schooled” on what’s happening in grades 1-8. This evening is specifically geared toward parents with students in grades K-7 to gather information on our elementary and middle school programs. Between 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. eight different mini lessons will be taught four times. Parents can choose which they’d like to attend. Each lesson will be followed by a question and answer session with the teacher.

Preparing Students for Success 5

Get Schooled

What is MAP testing?

MAP, or Measures of Academic Progress, is a battery of computerized tests that are adaptive and offered in reading, language usage, mathematics and science. This form of online achievement testing is used throughout the U.S. and is gradually replacing traditional paper and pencil assessments. When taking a MAP test, the difficulty of each question is based on how well a student answers all the previous questions. As the student answers correctly, questions become more difficult. If the student answers incorrectly, the questions become easier.

How long does it take to complete a test?

Although the tests are not timed, it usually takes students about one hour to complete each MAP test. MAP for Primary Grades tests take about 15-30 minutes to complete.

When will my child be tested and how often?

St. James students in grades 1-8 are tested three times a year in the fall, winter and spring. Kindergarten students are tested in the spring.

Do all students in the same grade take the same test?

No. MAP assessments are designed to target a student’s academic performance in mathematics, reading, language usage and science. These tests are tailored to an individual’s current achievement level. This gives each student a fair opportunity to show

what he or she knows and can do. The computer adjusts the difficulty of the questions so that each student takes a unique test.

What are NWEA assessments used for?

MAP assessments are used to measure your student’s progress or growth in school. You may have a chart in your home on which you mark your child’s height at certain times, such as on his or her birthday. This is a growth chart. It shows how much he or she has grown from one year to the next. MAP assessments do the same sort of thing, except they measure your child’s growth in mathematics, reading, language usage and science skills. The scale used to measure your child’s progress is called the RIT scale (Rasch unIT). The RIT scale is an equal-interval scale much like feet and inches on a yardstick. It is used to chart your child’s academic growth from year to year.

How do teachers use the test scores?

MAP tests are important to teachers because they keep track of progress and growth in basic skills. They let teachers know where a student’s strengths are and if help is needed in any specific areas. Teachers use this information to help them guide instruction in the classroom. By using MAP testing, teachers know precisely where each student needs

6 Fall 2012

Measures of Academic Progress

additional instruction and how students may be grouped for a more effective learning dynamic.

May I discuss my child’s score with a teacher or administrator?

Yes! Testing results are generally available 48 hours after all students have been tested. An appointment may be scheduled with Mr. Gast for a brief explanation and the reception of your child’s scores. Testing results may also be discussed with your child’s teacher after he/she has an opportunity for likewise consulting with the administration. How do St. James students score on MAP tests?

Most of our students do very well on MAP tests, especially if they have attended St. James for a number of years. Assessments in kindergarten and first grade are colorful and upbeat. The format is very enjoyable for students and removes the stress and anxiety often associated with formalized testing. In second grade and beyond the format involves more reading, but students generally score well ahead of the national averages (national norms are re-established every three years). Scores tend to be more consistent in the upper grades as students develop and refine their test taking skills.

What is the advantage of MAP testing over traditional standardized tests?

• Testing is done in three short sessions (Oct., Jan., and May). This replaces the traditional plan which included a week of testing once a year. The MAP schedule is far more effective in measuring and comparing ongoing student progress in a timely manner.

• Results for MAP testing are available in 48 hours. Traditional testing can take 2 months.

• In addition to generating student scores, MAP provides administrators and teachers with a variety of reporting instruments to facilitate differentiated instruction in the classroom.

• MAP testing is far more user-friendly. Students in grades K-2 wear headphones with audio instructions supporting the written explanations. Questions appear on the screen one at a time, reducing visual distraction.

• MAP testing is designed to create an individualized test for each student. Copying, cheating, etc. are eliminated and students are tested at their own unique level.

Tips for Parents from Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA)

Ways to Help Your Child Prepare for Testing

Meet with your child’s teacher as often as needed to discuss his or her progress. Ask the teacher to suggest activities for you and your child to do at home to help prepare for tests and improve your child’s understanding of schoolwork. Parents and teachers working together benefits students.

Provide a quiet comfortable place for studying at home.

Make sure that your child is well rested on school days and especially the day of a test. Children who are tired are less able to pay attention in class or to handle the demands of a test.

Give your child a well-rounded diet. A healthy body leads to a healthy, active mind.

Provide books and magazines for your child to read at home. By reading new materials, a child learns new words that might appear on a test. Ask your child’s teacher about a suggested outside reading list.

Ways to Help Your Child with Language

Talk to your child and encourage him or her to engage in conversation during family activities.

Give a journal or diary as a gift.

Help your child write a letter to a friend or family member. Offer assistance with correct grammar usage and content.

Have a “word of the week” that is defined every Monday. Encourage your child to use the new word throughout the week.

Plan a special snack or meal and have your child write the menu.

After finishing a chapter in a book or magazine article, have your child explain his or her favorite event.

Continued on page 9.

Preparing Students for Success 7

From September 24-26 middle school students attend Walcamp for a unit on outdoor education. Walcamp is a Lutheran camp in Kingston, IL with an Outdoor Education program that includes hands-on activities, community building and daily devotions. In addition to learning about nature first-hand, this trip encourages students to build a sense of community that cannot be gained from classroom interaction.

Under the direction of Language Arts teacher, Mrs. Kim May, students were to write from the perspective of something in nature. Many, like the Lorax, ‘spoke for the trees’; others were more specifically branches or leaves. We even heard from a rock. Here is a sampling:

Eve ate fruit from me; a cross was made out of me; I change every season.I shaded you when it was hot. I am there for you to burn in the winter.Children think I am toy and climb all over me.People carve their names into me.I have been here since the beginning of time.

Zsahney Sanford, Eighth Grade

I stay in the same place most of my lifeFish swim by Water crushes over meI feel heavy and strongYet gentle and peacefulAll at once

Daniel Gomez, Eighth Grade

The clawing of hopeful hands brush my surface. One of the dreadful blows set me adrift. Once the current slides past me, I am moving. I see children fishing. I see the stable body of a monstrous branch. I crash into it. The wind blows me to land. My moss covered surface is starting to turn brown. I curse the clawing hands of the child. This is what happens to my kind.We are ripped from our homes while they are cut down. I hear tremendous thumping; The child who tore me off comes and picks me up. The child drops me right next to my home again; I am now content.

Rachel Gorcyca, Sixth Grade

8 Fall 2012

Walcamp

Ways to Help Your Child with Reading

Provide many opportunities for your child to read books or other materials. Children learn to read best when they have books and other reading materials at home and plenty of chances to read.

Read aloud to your child. Research shows that this is the most important activity that parents can do to increase their child’s chance of reading success. Keep reading aloud even when your child can read independently.

Make time for the library.

Play games like Scrabble, Spill and Spell, Scattergories and Balderdash together.

Work crossword puzzles with your child.

Give a magazine subscription as a gift.

Ways to Help Your Child with Mathematics

Spend time with kids on simple board games, puzzles and activities that encourage better attitudes and stronger mathematics skills. Even everyday activities such as playing with toys in a sandbox or in the tub at bath time can teach children mathematics concepts such as weight, density and volume.

Encourage children to solve problems. Provide assistance, but let them figure it out themselves. Problem solving is a lifetime skill.

The kitchen is filled with tasty opportunities to teach fractional measurements, such as doubling and dividing cookie recipes.

Point out ways that people use mathematics every day to pay bills, balance their checkbooks, figure out their net earnings, make change and how to tip at restaurants. Involve older children in projects that incorporate geometric and algebraic concepts such as planting a garden, building a bookshelf or figuring how long it will take to drive to your family vacation destination.

Children should learn to read and interpret charts and graphs such as those found in daily newspapers. Collecting and analyzing data will help your child draw conclusions and become discriminating readers of numerical information.

Steady and strong. Living, breathing ever so slowly.Silent.Rough and powerful,Gentle and loyal.Reaching up towards the sky,Straining for sunlight.Stretching deep into the earth,Hanging on, not letting go.Always is and always will be.

Maddy Greve, Eighth Grade

I am ancient.I am immense and powerful.Fire burns and people chop, but still, I remain.Millions of creatures live and die Within me To fee the next generation.I exist across the world. I am more than the sum of my parts.The short-lived beings Clamber across my hands and feet,Cutting and carving, but still,I live on,My hands and feet feedingOn the earth.I will remain.

Walker Cox, Sixth Grade

I grow high up, but you still see me.Everyone of us is different, but that doesn’t change who we are.We gently blow off our mother’s arms, And die during harsh, bitter, snow-filled seasons.Then we are reborn to our mother’s arms;We travel through the circle of life.

Jack Larson, Fifth Grade

Preparing Students for Success 9

St. James offers a challenging curriculum in an effort to develop the skills, critical thinking and understanding needed for future academic achievement. By acknowledging that we have a diverse group of learners, we attempt to meet each learner where he/she is and then guide them forward through engaging lessons, scientific labs, activities, field trips and simulations.

Here is a sampling of our curriculum and its benefits to our students:

Mathematics

Our middle school math is an extension of the elementary Everyday Mathematics program. The grade five track continues with the spiraled curriculum approach as problem solving skills are further refined. Students are then organized into small groups for optimum teacher-pupil ratios. Some students will begin with Transitions, a course designed to

genotype frequencies of a human trait using the Hardy-Weinberg equation.

As part of their environmental study, students recently learned how naturally occurring microorganisms break down oil and observed this process through an in-class lab investigation. To supplement and enhance their learning about erosion and how it shapes our earth, students visited the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum to participate in a hands-on lab activity under the direction of their staff.

English Language Arts

Our English/Language Arts curriculum is also enhanced by the opportunity to learn beyond the classroom by attending stage productions of the novels we read. Seeing a stage production gives life to a novel, and allows students to engage in conversation to compare and contrast the play to the book. It also gives students an opportunity to discuss how and why directors and actors make the changes they do. Students have attended Adventure Stage Chicago’s production of The Giver and The Odyssey, CYT’s production of Narnia, and The Goodman’s production of A Christmas Carol.

Recently, students in grades seven and eight attended a writing workshop at Open Books, Chicago. Working with supportive writing coaches, students wrote and read as a whole group, in small groups, and as individuals. They read sample work aloud, discussed it as a group, and wrote their own poetry. At the end of the session, they shared their writing with the class (while wearing The Pencil Costume!). Students returned to school with blank journals and a book of their choice from the award-winning Open Books store. A week later, they received published copies of the entire class’s work, illustrated with photos of the day, to keep and share.

bolster the foundation laid during grades K-6. Algebraic and geometric concepts are introduced. Other students will skip ahead to Pre-Algebra where problem solving, number theory, and algebraic concepts are the main focus. Next comes Algebra followed by Geometry. Both courses offer hardworking students the possibility of gaining high school credit for their efforts. Each student’s math achievement is annually reviewed to determine course placement and to project appropriate high school course selection upon graduation from St. James.

Science

Mrs. Gorcyca brings real life application to the study of science through interesting hands-on labs and field trips. Biology students recently created plant mazes to observe phototropisms and compared germination rates of seeds. A planned genetics lab investigation involves determining the frequency of occurrence of some human traits and calculating the

Middle School students listening to a guest from Lutheran Bible Translators about his upcoming move to Sierra Leone.

10 Fall 2012

Behind the Scenes: Middle SchoolBy Kim May, Middle School Language Arts

Social Studies

Our social studies curriculum seeks to immerse and engage students through simulations, activators, debates, and other hands-on activities. Students learn essential critical thinking and life skills that they will use throughout their education.

This year students in grades five and six participated in a Pioneers simulation where they faced many challenges and had to make numerous individual and small-group decisions in order to survive the frontier. Students learned about the supplies pioneers took west, reasons people went west, the effect of nature on pioneer life, and obstacles that pioneers faced.

To learn more about government in action, our students in grades seven and eight visit both Springfield, IL, and Washington, DC, during their middle school years. These trips take students to the very hearts of our state and federal governments so they can learn about our country’s history and political process.

Christian Vocation

Our purpose for religious instruction at St. James is to prepare our students to be citizens of two kingdoms. They learn how to be followers of Christ while living in the world that has a non-Christian worldview.

In grades five and six students learn about the ethics of Paul’s letters to the churches in the first century as they dealt with many issues facing us today. Issues like how we should behave as Christians, how we should feel about others who are different from us, and what forms our knowledge of character and informs our behaviors.

In grades seven and eight, students

participate in a series of weekly seminars that cover current events, Bible study, missions in the world and opportunities for us to support the mission work of Christ. Additionally, an overview of the history of Christianity with specific focus on other religious traditions and denominations is covered.

Health

Health is an important part of our curriculum that is often integrated with science, physical education and Christian vocation. Our students are learning about healthy lifestyles and healthy decision-making in five areas: physical, emotional, mental, spiritual, and social health. Students also learn how the five areas are interrelated. They learn that being healthy means much more than simply the absence of disease. Students still have daily physical education, Christian vocation and science classes. However, once a week they have the opportunity to ask questions and dig deeper into significant health issues of today, particularly those affecting preadolescent and adolescent children.

Music

For those who are interested, we offer an exciting band and choir program. Our music director, Mr. Macaione, believes that music education should inspire each student to have a lifelong connection with music whether as a vocation or avocation. He believes that each student has a musical ability and

it is his goal to foster those talents to their full potential. This motivation, hard work, and positive attitude can then be applied to other aspects in the students’ lives. To see our music program in action, plan to attend the band and choir concerts on January 10 and April 11.

The middle school years are challenging, but they can also be exciting. Students at this age have a natural curiosity and are looking to make sense of the world around them. In addition to understanding and supportive parents, a positive middle school environment helps shape and guide adolescents into happy, life-long leaners.

St. James strives to offer a safe and supportive environment for every student. Small class sizes make it difficult for a student to be ignored or overlooked. Every student is encouraged to actively participate in the classroom; various athletic

and music offerings provide opportunities to possibly uncover new interests and talents; teachers instill the values of forgiveness and

reconciliation in students’ peer

relations.

It is our goal to prepare each student to live confidently and comfortably as children of God in high school and beyond.

Preparing Students for Success 11

We’re Wild About St. James! What better way to show our enthusiasm for our students, families and teachers than a community celebration?

Our annual auction, the Traveler’s Gala, is our biggest event of the year. It is our opportunity to celebrate the mission of St. James Lutheran Church and School. Funding a quality education requires more than just tuition; it requires the support and generosity of the whole community. Auction proceeds provide valuable support for the success of our mission from scholarships to education enhancements to technology.

This year, we’re going on safari! The event will be held on Friday, May 3, 2013 at Cafe Brauer located in the Lincoln Park Zoo. Guests will enjoy live and silent auctions, dinner and dancing.

Supporting our annual Traveler’s Gala is a great way to get involved. This spectacular event raises funds for our education program and supports education expenses including technology, scholarships, staff development and classroom materials.

This year’s event is lead by Courtney Mohr, Courtney Sigmund, Kim Larson and Kate Donovan. They will need your help securing donations for the live and silent auctions, organizing mailings and providing support. Please contact Courtney Mohr, [email protected], to get involved.

Our annual auction is called The Traveler’s Gala after our namesake, St. James the Traveler. Tradition claims that St. James took up his walking stick and a leather pouch and set out to share the good news of Jesus. Fearlessly, he spoke of the coming of the Messiah until he was martyred for his faith.

Just as St. James ventured across the miles to spread the gospel, we, too, are constantly striving to move forward—to grow in our faith and service and to spread God’s joyful message of love and salvation “to the ends of the earth.”

St. James the Traveler

Wild About St. James

12 Fall 2012

As Thanksgiving approaches we asked St. James third grade students what they’re thankful for. Here’s that they said:

The third grade class on their recent field trip to the Morton Arboretum.

Preparing Students for Success 13

Give Thanks

Christmas FestivalDecember 1 10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.

December 2 11:30 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.