Sept. 27 Board Meeting - FY 04 Audit Report

A presentation of the audit report for FY 04 was made at this Board meeting. The audit showed that the District is on Regulatory Basis, due to the fact that we don’t adhere to GASB (Governmental Accounting Standards Board) 34 standards. This is not uncommon for school districts; many other districts have not adopted these standards either. The audit report did suggest, however that GASB 34 standards will likely be required by the State of Illinois some time in the future.

The audit showed that, overall, the accounting looked good, though we do not use GAAP (Generally Accepted Accounting Principles). If, or when, Illinois requires the District to use GASB 34, we will also have to start using GAAP.

The audit showed the District running a deficit of $550K across funds for FY 04 due to McHenry County’s late distribution of tax funds. It also showed that the Education Fund would have run a deficit even if the funds had been distributed on time.

Board President Paula Zasadil asked Supt. Hill if the District is compiling a list of fixed assets. Hill responded that the appraisal company, Industrial Appraisal, would charge the District $5,600 to compile this list, and the District decided against going forward. He said the District does have a list of where computers in the District are located, and that he has never been in a school district that used a fixed asset system. President Zasadil asked Hill to compile quotes for building a fixed asset system, and to present the quotes to the Board at next month’s meeting. The auditor agreed that a fixed asset listing is a good idea, as items are often added to ad hoc lists over the years but never removed, and that fixed asset listing would be required by the GASB 34 standard.

The audit also showed that the Social Security fund had gone into a negative balance, which was not allowed by Illinois law, even though the late tax distribution was the cause of the deficit. Supt. Hill remarked that the Board approved an interfund loan during this meeting, but the auditor cautioned that such loans should be made before the fund goes into deficit, while acknowledging that this is not always able to be done due to the meeting and tax distribution timelines. Hill noted that, though they knew the county would be late with the distribution, they thought they would be getting more money than they did at this time.

The Board approved the audit report on a vote of 7-0 (all members present).

Sept. 27 Board Meeting - FY 05 Budget Hearing

Supt. Hill noted that the various funds maintained in the budget are kept in a general Money Market account. Separate accounts are kept by the District.

FY05 (Fiscal Year 2005) shows a balance of $194,000 in District 3. The last 3 years showed deficits in the hundreds of thousands, which, Supt. Hill noted, was done intentionally by the Board so as not to cut student programs. Supt. Hill also remarked that the FY05 balance may grow to $250,000 if we have a mild winter and energy costs are low.

Board Member Bob Nunamaker noted that the FY05 balance is still 3.5% over expenditures, so the Board will still have to monitor the budget and expenditures very closely.

Supt. Hill remarked that we’re not out of the woods yet, but we are on the way. Board Member Gerry Blohm stated that the budget balance is a tribute to Supt. Hill and his work. Supt. Hill further noted that the balance is a tribute to the community, which came out and supported the schools (with the referendum approval).

Board Member Pat Hughes asked Supt. Hill if he foresaw any large ticket expenditures over the next two years. Hill stated that, while he couldn’t trust his crystal ball, he said the school district buildings are in good shape. We have a 10-year roof replacement plan, and the middle school may have to replace one or more of its roof’s three sections in the next two years, but no replacement is currently scheduled. Algonquin Road School has two roof sections, and neither is scheduled for replacement, either. The boilers at ARS are 5-6 years old.

Hill also noted that there are 271 computers in the District, which will soon be nearly 10 years old. This is a long time for the average computer life span. When new computers are acquired, the newer computers would be placed in the Middle School Computer Lab and the older computers would rotate to the ARS classrooms, where they would be adequate for running the educational software used there. A plan for acquiring 40 new computers a year is in preparation and will be presented to the Board in the Spring.

The $121K tech budget was cut this year to $50K. If the plan is approved an increase in the tech budget to $65K or $75K may be needed.

At this time, Supt. Hill does not foresee any imminent big-ticket expenditures.

The Board approved the FY05 Budget by a vote of 7-0 (all members in attendance).

Sept. 27 Board Meeting - Treasurer's Report

Supt. John Hill presented the Treasurer’s report at the meeting. He noted that the property tax cycle for McHenry County was moved back 2-3 weeks due to the date of the election. So the Board would need to approve Tax Anticipation Warrants to cover some funds that would otherwise go into deficit. These warrants are loans that the Board makes to itself from one fund into another fund, so that the funds stay in balance. Supt. Hill stated that some other Illinois counties were able to receive more timely tax payments, but he was not sure why, when McHenry County would have to wait. He also noted that Anticipation Tax Warrants would be needed for the next few years, but hopefully, the amount warranted would be less each year.

Supt. Hill also shared that the goal of the district is to increase by 3% the fund balance overall each year, until we reach approximately $2M. He said that, if the economy improves, we could achieve a 25% fund balance in 5 years.

It was also noted that enrollment is projected to decrease next year, but should stabilize in the years afterward.
The Board approved the Tax Anticipation Warrants by a 7-0 vote (all members in attendance).

Sept. 27 Board Meeting - Public Comment

No questions or comments were presented to the Board at tonight's meeting. Remember, if you are unable to attend the Board meeting, but would like to pose a question or present a comment, you can submit your remarks to this group, by sending e-mail to the e-mail list (Dist3_PartnershipForSchools@yahoogroups.com), or to us at webmaster@partnershipforschools.org. (You can call me if you like, but I'm leery about putting my phone number on the Internet.)

School District 3
PTO Newsletter
Fall 2004

From the PTO President
Cindy Pilz

The PTO is off to a great start this year! Thanks to our Hospitality Committee, we have already enjoyed two successful Back to School Nights and a lovely Room Mothers' Tea. The funds that the Room Moms received will provide for this year's class parties. Membership has signed up many parents and teachers and distributed hundreds of PTO Directories. We'd like to say a special thank you to Steve Knar of Excel graphics for the fantastic printing price he gave us, making the directory more profitable than ever.

Another round of thanks goes to Lars Rikardsen, who has almost completed a brand new shed for storing PTO "stuff" behind ARS. This is his Eagle Scout project, and we are honored to be his benefactors.I am happy to say that our 2004-2005 budget was approved at our first general meeting. The teachers have received a nice stipend to offset the out of pocket expenses incurred to set up their classrooms and curriculums. Mounted TV-VCR-DVD's are being installed in several classrooms thanks to the hard work and generosity of our school community last year. Fundraising has commenced with the annual Entertainment Book Sale. The top seller at ARS will be "Principal for a ½ Day" and the lucky winner at the Middle School will be first in the lunch line for the rest of the school year!

Upcoming events include Kindergarten/new student fingerprinting, which is made possible by the Fox River Grove Police Department. Our first Market Day is scheduled for September 22 and will include a voter registration table. Family portraits will be taken on October 5 and 6 at the Village Hall; this is a great deal at only $10. The Teachers' Wish List will kick off soon. This fund enables teachers to choose books, teaching aides, or classroom equipment that enhance our children's education. Due to this year's substantial budget cuts, this program is more important than ever. After-school enrichment classes are slated to begin in October. You can expect more information on all these opportunities in your e-mailbox soon!

Please shop and sell from this fall's fundraising catalog, beginning September 16. We rely on this event to generate much of the year's revenue, so take some time to start your holiday shopping early.

The Electronic Revolution continues! Please visit the PTO page on the District 3 website (http://www.dist3.org) for meeting agendas and minutes, a list of board members, the most recent edition of our bi-monthly "Newsflash," meeting dates, and our by-laws and current budget. Feel free to e-mail me at cjpilz@ameritech.net with your questions or ideas.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart to all of our dedicated volunteers of the past, present and future. Consider sharing your time and talent with us, whether you chair a committee or sign up to help out at the last minute. There are tasks that can be done from home if it better suits your schedule. The PTO is an all-inclusive organization, welcoming every District 3 parent to participate in the betterment of our school district, and ultimately, our children's lives.

Kindergarten News

The kindergarteners have come marching into the brand new school year! Our fall agenda will be busy with many activities. We have been working to review basic relationships (up, down; over, under; top, middle, bottom), shapes (circle, square, triangle, rectangle, oval), colors, and number recognition 1 - 10. September brings Johnny Appleseed's birthday and a whole unit on apples. We'll be needing your help with this soon!

On September 24th, we will be taking our first (walking) fieldtrip to the FRG Library where we will be introduced to the library. In October, we will be welcoming fall, studying bats, and, of course, taking our second fieldtrip to the Goebbert's Pumpkin Farm. More information will be coming your way soon! November brings Parent Teacher Conferences on the 1st and 2nd. Please contact your child's teacher if you have not yet scheduled a time. November is also a time for us to be thankful for our school friends. We'll be celebrating this friendship through a Friendship Feast on Tuesday, November 23rd.

Mrs. LeGrand
Mrs. Randle-Hayes
Mrs. Slater

1st Grade News

Welcome to the first grade "kennel club!" Our pound puppies are learning a bunch of "new tricks." They have a paws-itive attitude and are producing tail-waggin' good work. If you haven't guessed by now, our theme this year is dogs. Students are enjoying the fiction and non-fiction stories about these canine cuties. We even had a visit from a service dog trained by Canine Companions for Independence. Thank you Mrs. Hatfield (Jackson's mom) for organizing this visit.

Other theme related topics we will study this fall are fire safety, our country's history (Christopher Columbus, Native Americans, Thanksgiving) and weather/seasons. In spelling/phonics, students will have covered all short vowel sounds independently and will begin lists with mixed vowels and consonant blends. In Language, students will focus on a sentence unit, which will cover parts of a sentence (naming part and action part), telling sentences (end with a period), and asking sentences (end with a question mark). For math, students will be working on addition facts up to 12. Students will also begin taking timed tests (one/two minutes) on basic facts +0 and +1. Please use flash cards to help reinforce this skill.

Parent/Teacher conferences will be held on Monday, November 1 and Tuesday, November 2. If you have not scheduled a time, please call your child's teacher to make an appointment. Remember to check out the first grade website. It is full of information to help you and your child have a "dog-gone" good year.

Kathleen Cooker
Paulette Nichols
Kathy Wagner

2nd Grade News

We are off to a great start this year. The students love seeing old friends and meeting new ones.

The students are enjoying our first unit in science. It covers plants and the plant life cycle. We've discovered and discussed the parts of a plant and what's vital for its growth.

We are reviewing statements and questions using appropriate punctuation.

All the children have written their first basic paragraph beginning with a graphic organizer and then a written main idea sentence, detail sentences that tell about the main idea, and finally a closing sentence. We will be writing many paragraphs throughout the year.

We'll continue developing the skills presented in PeaceWorks that your child was introduced to as a first grader. PeaceWorks widens the students' acceptance of themselves and others.

Our web page is up and running. Periodically there will be updates added to the site.

It was great to see so many of you at Open House. Call to sign up for a conference if you haven't yet. Please continue to keep in touch.

Mrs. Bebber
Mr. Knapp
Ms. Tietz

3rd Grade News

Third grade is wonderful!

Our annual trip to the apple orchard and Apple Day were great successes, thanks to our parents. The boys and girls learned so much about the growing process and pollination at the orchard. We want to thank all of the parents who donated pie shells or caramels, chaperoned the field trip, helped us bake pies, made caramel apples, painted T-shirts, and assisted with all the various apple activities. We couldn't have done it without you!

Don't forget to call the homework hotline each week. Often, in addition to homework assignments, we will include news about upcoming events or reminders.

Also, check the third grade website for important announcements, spelling lists and sometimes even pictures.

We want to welcome our new students:
* Corey Pacini
* Ben Sloat
* Stephon Singleton
* David Santos
* Aleksandra Stevens

Mrs. Beebe
Mrs. Patterson

4th Grade News

The 2004-2005 school year is off to a wonderful beginning!

The children are adjusting well to the fourth grade curriculum. For starters our math book is providing the students with a quick introduction to place value and a review of addition and subtraction concepts. We can't stress again how important it is for each student to be able to quickly recall the basic math facts. If your child is having difficulty, please bring out the flashcards for additional practice.

In reading we are all enjoying the charming antics provided by the characters in E.B. White's novel Charlotte's Web.

In science we are learning about plants and animals. We have our first field trip planned to Brookfield Zoo on Wednesday, September 22. The purpose of this field trip is to provide the children with similar experiences to refer to as they write their narrative essays and also to generate ideas for topics when they write their research papers on animals.

We have all been working hard in our spelling books, beginning with Unit one. Also in language we are learning about subjects, predicates, and different types of sentences.

Finally we have a new social studies curriculum. This year the publisher has given all the children free access to the online book. Notes were sent home with your child's password and user name. We encourage all of you to please use this service. We are looking forward to a productive and fun-filled fourth grade year. As always, if you have any questions, please feel free to contact us.

The Fourth Grade Team

5th Grade News

Our new 5th graders have made a wonderful adjustment to their new school!! They have fit in beautifully and have even mastered the art of locker combinations! The entire 5th grade is currently reading the novel, Tuck Everlasting, which ties in with our Peace Works program and health unit on self, peer pressure, friendship and loyalty. These themes will be discussed and stressed throughout the year.

We are so pleased to see how hard the students are working. Your help in checking assignment notebooks daily and making sure that their homework is done (and brought back to school!!) has insured your child's early success in 5th grade. We do appreciate all of your help and thank you for it. Their mid-terms and report cards have a very different format than it did at ARS. They are done on a program here called Grade Machine so they will look very different to you. Also, please note that spelling is no longer a separate grade -- it is incorporated into their reading grade.

We are thrilled to see the wonderful and positive attitudes that your children come to school with every day. We know this will be a very productive and rewarding year for them and we thank you for all of your support and concern. Feel free to reach us at anytime either via e-mail or voice mail.We look forward to a great year with your children!!

Mrs. Foley
Mrs. Szybowicz

The Sixth Grade Team

Rachael Bell
Stephanie Barham
Rob Holton
Greg King
Don Lewan
Mary Beth Miller
Cindy Shaw
Dave Warwak
Brian Wetherbee

The year has kicked off to a great start! We enjoyed seeing many parents at our Open House, where we shared our curriculum and guidelines. The transition from 5th grade to 6th grade has been relatively smooth.

All sixth grade students have Info Skills during the first quarter. This program is taught in three-week increments, with rotating teachers. Subjects covered include: assignment organization (Mr. Warwak), study strategies and electronic research (Mr. Holton), and organization and study habits (Mr. Wetherbee).Goals for our team include incorporating the PeaceWorks program across the curriculum, continuing to have great home-school communication via email and phone conversations, and providing an enriching, safe, and positive setting for our students.

Please feel free to contact any of the sixth grade team members by phone or e-mail. Don't forget to check the team website and homework hotlines for daily assignments and upcoming tests and quizzes.

7th Grade Team

Well, well, well, fall is here and winter is just around the corner. The seasons just seem to be changing so fast. In 7th grade we are off to an excellent start.

Reading
Mrs. Bruns & Mr. Merkel
In Reading, we are finishing reading The Trouble With Lemons by Daniel Hayes. The students are learning about growing up and the changes that happen as you grow older. They have also had a great time discussing peer relationships including bullying. The Trouble With Lemons allows students to use deductive reasoning to try to solve the novel's secrets. Our next book will be The Devil's Arithmetic by Jane Yolen.

Language Arts
Mrs. Bruns
In Language Arts, the students are finishing up their unit on sentences and their Biography project. We have also started learning about subjects and predicates including complete and simple. We have started our weekly spelling and vocabulary units. Remember that spelling/vocab quizzes will be held every Friday.
Science
Mrs. Grosse & Mrs. Miller
The 7th graders have been busy practicing their scientific process skills. Next we head outside to study the environment. We'll be spending the next few weeks studying interactions between organisms, diversity of living things, and looking at how our behaviors impact the Earth.

Math
Mr. Holton
We have just concluded our first chapter covering Number Sense, Patterns and Algebraic Thinking. We will be focusing on the following chapters for 1st quarter: Decimal Operations and Data and Statistics. Once the 1st quarter has concluded we will move into Number Patterns and Fraction Operations. I hope everyone has had an opportunity to look through our textbook. I think it is a great book that is more user friendly and easily readable for all involved. The students have done an excellent job this quarter being prepared and turning in their homework. You should have already received my first newsletter prior to midterms. Included within that letter are any informational notes that I need to pass along to all of you as well as a progress report pertaining to your student. If you haven't picked up a CD-ROM of our book, please contact me so you can. This way the book doesn't need to be taken home as often and a student cannot say they forgot their book at home. As always, I want to continue to work with all of you in making 7th grade math a successful year. If you have any questions, thoughts, concerns, or comments please let me know either through e-mail holtonr@dist3.org or by phone call (847) 462-2312. My homework hotline number is (847) 462-2366. Thanks and have a great fall.

Pre-Algebra
Mrs. Wagner
See 8th grade news for Pre-Algebra information.

Social Studies
Mr. Danley & Mr. King
The students are in the process of witnessing the earliest explorers of the Americas struggles and successes in the new land. Looking ahead, we will see the trials and tribulations of the earliest settlers and their relationships with the Native Americans. Colonization will be coming soon.

Info Skills
Mr. Holton, Ms. Kussin, & Mr. Warwak
Info Skills will be taught this quarter in three 3-week sections. The sections are as follows:

1. Career Exploration - Mr. Warwak
a. Students will develop skills that will promote awareness of various careers as well as understanding themselves as they begin to look at "life career".

2. Getting the Main Idea - Mr. Holton
a. Students will develop strategies in the area of reading that will create a student who is able to summarize a source of material.
i. Facilitating ideas from Kathryn Ransom

3. Writing Workshop - Ms. Kussin

a. Students will focus on writing strategies that promote an effective communicator as well as those strategies that help students to be successful in fulfilling ISAT requirements.
i. Narrative, Persuasive and Expository writing strategies will be emphasized.

7th Grade Computer Class

Mr Holton
Seventh grade classes will begin by reviewing keyboarding skills using the Microsoft Office 2000 program and the Ultra Key Program. They will work in groups using the Internet to investigate and research several topics during this quarter. The research will be presented to the class using the classroom projector.

They will also review and learn more features in the Word and Excel Programs. They will create a PowerPoint Presentation including supporting documents in Word and Excel. This project will be presented to the class and evaluated.

The daily homework for every student is to practice keyboarding at least twenty minutes every day to improve accuracy and speed. This practice should continue throughout the year.

8th Grade News Pre-Algebra Classes (7th & 8th) - Mrs. Wagner

The Pre-Algebra classes are off to a good start. We finished a chapter on Exploring patterns in math. In Chapter 2 we will learn some basic algebraic equations and inequalities and how to solve them. Then in the third chapter we will learn integers and how to add, subtract, multiply and divide positive and negative numbers.

Please make sure that your student is completing his/her math homework every night. Assignments are on the homework hotline (462-2370) every night. Mrs. Wagner has a web site that is accessible from the district web page (http://www.dist3.org/) and it lists all the assignments for the whole chapter as well as the dates of upcoming Quizzes and Tests. Extra math help is available during study hall every day. Every student is capable of succeeding in Pre-Algebra if they are willing to work.

Algebra Class (8th grade only) - Mrs. Wagner

The Algebra class is working hard on mastering high school algebra skills. The next chapter we will study deals with the properties of real numbers. Then Chapter 3 involves solving linear equations and using negative and positive numbers to solve equations.

There is homework every single day in Algebra class. Please make sure that your student is completing his/her Algebra homework every night. Assignments are on the homework hotline (462-2370) every night. Mrs. Wagner has a web site that is accessible from the district web page (http://www.dist3.org/) and it lists all the assignments for the whole chapter as well as the dates of upcoming Quizzes and Tests. Extra Algebra help is available during study hall every day.

8th grade Reading - Ms. Kussin

The 8th graders are currently reading The Giver by Lois Lowry. Expect to see homework every day. Students will have chapter questions and vocabulary words to look up every night. There will be a final test at the end of the novel.After that, they will read The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving. Homework will be assigned nightly. Students will complete a large-scale drawing as a final project to the story. This project grade will be equivalent to a test grade. Students will have close to a week to work on the project during class.

All classes have had two library check-outs and everyone should have an Accelerated Reader book. Students log books with the teacher and keep track of their points. Expect a mid-term progress report on AR. The AR list is available on our middle school library website. Check it out!

Language Arts - Mrs. Bruns & Mr. Merkel

In language arts, the students have hit the school year running. We have already completed our review of nouns, pronouns, and adjectives. Next up in grammar are the ever-complex verbs. We have created personal resumes, and have begun working on the first quarter project "The How-to Paper and Presentation." Weekly spelling and vocabulary tests continue to play an important part in our weekly curriculum.

Social Studies - Mr. Danley

Our 8th grade social studies started out the year with a geography unit and are now reviewing the unit's covered in 7th grade. Our first major unit will cover the beginnings of America through the Civil War. These topics will take about the first month of school before we move ahead in history.

Science - Mrs. Grosse

In science the 8th graders have just finished a unit on plants and life processes. Instead of moving on to cell division, reproduction, and reproductive health (we'll return to them after weather), we're going to change gears and study wind and ocean currents and their affect on climate and weather. The recent series of hurricanes are providing us with some great examples to study.

8th grade Spanish - Ms. Kussin

Spanish classes are working on their conversational skills- que divertido! Expect homework every night in this class. All students have a textbook with a very useful glossary as well as maps, and other lessons. A test will be given around mid-term time, and a final assessment will be done at the end of the quarter.

8th grade Computers - Mr. Holton

Eighth grade classes will begin by reviewing Microsoft Word and Excel programs. They will research several topics during this quarter. The research will be presented to the class using the classroom projector.

They will create a Web Page design using FrontPage including supporting documents in Word and Excel. This project will be presented to the class and evaluated.

The daily homework for every student is to practice keyboarding at least twenty minutes every day to improve accuracy and speed. This practice should continue throughout the year.

Diagnostic Reading Center/Title I Reading
Miss Yester (with Mrs. Diller and Mrs. Roche)

We have begun our regular schedule out here in the Diagnostic Reading Center. First graders will be with us all year. Second graders will be with us through December. Kindergarteners will take the place of the second graders after Winter Break. We will soon be pretesting kindergartners on their letter recognition and phonemic awareness skills, and we will check their skills again right before they begin their regular schedule with us.

We would like to welcome Mrs. Diller to the Diagnostic Reading Center. Mrs. Diller, Mrs. Roche, and I, work in the Reading Center all morning. First and second grade teachers become the fourth teacher in the room when they bring their students for Diagnostic Reading time.

My afternoon time is spent with my Title I students. (The Reading Center is also my classroom.) Third and fourth grade Title I students will work on a variety of reading skills such as vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension. I will explain these activities more fully in my Title I newsletters.

Early Childhood Education
Ms. Scherzer

The ECE class is off to a wonderful start. We have spent this first month getting to know our new friends and class routine, and everyone is doing GREAT! We have also been working on an apple theme: we have painted apples, cut out paper apples, and even learned to use an apple peeler. We are looking forward to starting our fall theme soon. The children and I would also like to thank all the families from the community that donated toys to the program this year. The children have really enjoyed them!

ARS Art News
Mrs. Bebber

Kindergarten and first grade art students first explored the design element of line. They did a "line hunt" in search of a variety of lines, first in the classroom, then while looking at a wire sculpture by Alexander Calder. Students created their own line sculpture in wire and clay. We next focused on circles in art. Thanks to all the parents who sent in lids for our project. The lids were used to form craters on our cardboard moons. A layer of aluminum foil completed our silvery moons. Students have begun assembling cut paper raccoons, using ovals as our main shape. The inspiration for this project was the story Raccoons and Ripe Corn.

*We are now collecting these discards: Styrofoam and plastic egg cartons, and ribbon scraps made of fabric.

Second and third graders focused on Joan Miro, the Spanish Surrealist, in our first drawing. Students searched a variety of Miro's work to discover the imaginative lines and shapes he used to create fantasy figures. They created their own fantasy figures using new combinations of his lines and shapes. The young artists next learned about the art of Australian Aboriginals. They combined 2 traditional art forms: stenciled hands and bark paintings, to create a unique composition using metallic colors on black paper. Students are beginning to draw insects while carefully studying each one to get every detail. They will use these insects in a crayon resist work.

Fourth graders started the new school year by practicing their drawing skills. Their first project tied into the patriotic theme of this year's fourth grade. Students used craypas to draw a realistic portrait of an eagle. They added a background of stars and stripes. Fourth graders next took turns posing for gesture drawings in charcoal. These quick drawings help the students to see action and proportion in the human figure. They are now creating metal sculptures of the figure while learning about the figure sculptures of the artist Alberto Giacometti.

Middle School Art
Mr. Warwak

5th grade art students have been honing their drawing skills. They made incredible contour line drawings of hands. Other grade level students are amazed to discover the drawings hanging in the hall were made by 5th grade art students. The students will get to use their drawing skills more freely as they create abstract paintings featuring people and animals. Painting is a lot like drawing; instead of holding a pencil, we hold a brush. The 5th graders are currently working on computer generated fish renderings using Adobe Photoshop. Starting the 5th graders out early on this advanced industry standard program will help them excel beyond others who learned the program later in life.

The 8th grade art students are finishing their ceramic sculptures. After our initial bisque firing, the students will use stains to decorate their creations.

Music Notes from Mrs. O'Reilly-Greene

Kindergarten Music
Kindergarten music class has been busy singing hello every day. They also learned how to sing hello in different languages. The students acted out the story of Wee Willy Winky who runs through the town and were introduced to the songs "Johnny Works With One Hammer," "Wake Me, Shake Me," and "Letters and Names." Some concepts we have focused on include steady beat, different types of voices, using your singing voice, and soft/loud.

1st Grade Music
1st Grade has been singing up a storm in music class and has been using their imaginations as well! They learned a new hello song that we sing every day. 1st grade also learned about steady beat and no steady beat, and learned how to say hello in different languages. Some of our fun songs have included "All Around the Kitchen," "Grizzly Bear," "A Tisket, A Tasket" and "The Old Gray Cat." Students have used their imaginations to become the characters in our story songs including bluebirds and coyotes and the grizzly bear. Some concepts we have focused on include steady beat, different types of voices, high/low and fast/slow.

2nd Grade Music
The 2nd Grade music class has been singing and moving to many new songs including "Song Time" and "If You Need a Buddy." They have been working hard on beat and rhythm and the difference between them, and also have been singing every day. 2nd graders also reviewed the quarter and eighth notes (and even made human music notes!) and composed their own rhythmic patterns to be played on rhythm sticks.

5th Grade Music
5th Grade music has been busy taking a short trip around the world. They experienced a stone passing game from Africa, performed processionals from all around the world and just finished a recreation of a Philippine gong ensemble. Along the way, with a focus on beat and rhythm, 5th graders composed and performed a short rhythmic song and have played many instruments.

8th Grade Speech-Drama
8th Grade Speech and Drama class has been working since the beginning of the quarter on understanding and using communication skills. Some of these include verbal/nonverbal communication, expressive speaking, types of communication, interviewing and group discussion. They are now in the process of writing an autobiographical speech to be presented in class about an event or topic important in their lives. This includes work on speaking skills as well as writing, outlining and brainstorming. Along the way, students have been trying their hand at improvisational acting, games and scenes.

Chorus
Thank you to the chorus for a job well done marching in the parade and singing at the Fox Fest on September 11. All chorus members worked hard to learn new songs and choreography for this event. Our rehearsals will continue as we now prepare for our concert December 1. Some of our fun new songs include "Christmas in About 3 Minutes," "Gloria Fanfare" and "Carol of the Bells." Thank you also to those music parents who volunteered to help with our music contest we are hosting in March. We will be contacting you soon about an organizational meeting.

LIBRARY NEWS

Laura Richards and Penny ColeReminder: AR test list available online:A list of all the AR tests available at the Middle School, along with point values and reading levels, is available at the district's website (http://www.dist3.org/library/FRGLibMain.htm).

Adopt-a-Book: On behalf of our students, we are grateful to the Kassel, Hagedorn, Cunningham, and Sturtecky families for their Spring donations to the library. Cindy Pilz donated a book to the ARS library in honor of Holly Szeliga for her work as PTO president.

Library Volunteers: Noreen Carr is back again as our bulletin board artist. Mary Lu Seidel shelves books in the ARS library.

ARS Library Classes: Kindergartners and 1st graders enjoy selecting books to take home to share with their families. Second graders are learning about how to use the computer book catalog to find books that interest them. Third graders will practice finding information in dictionaries, encyclopedias and atlases. Fourth graders are preparing for their animal reports by working on a mini-animal research report in their library classes.

Checkout:
· Kindergarteners and first graders check out 1 book for 1 week.
· Second graders check out 2 books for 2 weeks.
· Students in 3rd through 8th grade check out 3 books for 2 weeks.
· Children with overdue books or magazines will not be able to check out until the items are returned or paid for. We will refund your money if the book is found and returned to the library.

ARS P.E.

Once again, I am pleased to have the opportunity to teach your children physical education.

First, I want to thank the PTO for supplying our department with new fitness games for each grade level. The children will be working with one of the following activities to enhance overall fitness:
* Fitness Circle
* Alphabet-A-Cise
* Spell and Run
* Tic-Tac-Toe Fitness
* Math-A-Cise

This year as always, special attention will be given to the fitness level and well being of each student. All groups have started with power walking to encourage a healthy heart; we will lead up to running age appropriate laps. The children do warm-up exercises daily to shape and develop their bodies.

Over the last few weeks, most of us have watched the Olympics. To connect with this great event, our younger students will work on a safe target throwing activity. The older group will work with a soft form of Archery equipment. Both units develop eye-hand coordination and encourage teamwork.

As the fall season approaches, all students will work on kicking and throwing activities in a variety of creative games.

The children and I are all strengthening our physical fitness levels, and enjoying our positive start to this new school year.
Mrs. McAtee

PTO Secretary Found! Another Position Open!

Again, from Cindy.... Thank you, Debbie Randle-Hayes!

Steve

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Happily, Debbie Randle-Hayes has stepped up for the secretary position. Now we are looking for a PR co-chair to work with Kimberly Gallant, who is new to the district with a kindergartener. This person would share Newsflash, bulletin board, scrap book, photography and publicity tasks with Kimberly and attend monthly PTO meetings. Thank you all for your assistance!

Cindy Pilz

Open PTO Position

This message from Cindy Pilz came in this afternoon. If you can help the PTO, or know someone who can, contact Cindy at

cjpilz@ameritech.net

Thanks!

Steve
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Dear Friends, I just found out that the new PTO Secretary is stepping down. This is my previous position and I honestly enjoyed it. The primary function is taking the meeting minutes, then typing and distributing them, mostly via e-mail, and sending them to Brian Sawyer to post on the web. One secondary duty is Dist. 3 staff birthday cards (which, sadly, I abandoned out of sheer business during the pre-referendum time last spring). It is important to be committed to attending the monthly PTO meetings, but this is NOT an overwhelming job at all. Thank you for considering this job and/or helping recruit someone for it!

Cindy Pilz