December 2006 - Norman Bridge Elementary

S p e c i a l Wi n t e r Ho li d a y Is s u e
V o l um e 4 4 , I s s ue 1
D e c e m be r , 2 0 0 6
BRIDGE BUGLE
A CPS ―Rising Star” school, a “School of Distinction”, an
―Bruno‖
“Autonomous Management Performance School” (AMPS) and
An Illinois Honor Roll of Schools ―Academic Improvement Award” & ―Spotlight School Award” Winner
INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
Brake’s Take
2
December Calendar
3
Students of the Month
5
ISAT Results
6-7
Perfect Attendance
8-9
Honor Roll
10
30,000 Challenge
30
BRIDGE SCHOOL’S PARTNER
- T H E C H I C A G O B OA R D O F T R A D E DONATES
30 NEW DELL COMPUTERS!
Special points of interest:
• CBOT Computers
• Career Service Day
• Science Fair
• Tons of Student Articles
• Photos, Photos, Photos…
• Lots of Other Great Stuff!
Happy
Holidays!
Our ―Principal for a Day‖ CBOT President/CEO Bernie Dan and Bridge students give
the big ―thumbs up‖ to our new Dell computers. More details on pages 20, 22, 23 &29
You’re not a failure if
you don’t make it.
You’re a success because you tried.
-Susan Jeffers
Santa Shop
December 11th-15th
10:00-1:00
Page 2
V o l um e 4 4 , Is s ue 1
B RAKE ’ S T AKE
Students/Teachers
Staff/Parents
Would you like to
have a poem, article,
short story, event, or
other item of interest
published in the
Bridge Bugle?
Submit your item to
Dr. Brake
on computer disk
(Microsoft Word format preferred)
no later than the third
week of the month for
publication in the next
month’s school newspaper.
Happy
Holidays!
To all the Bridge School Students, Staff, and Families!
Best Wishes,
Dr. Christopher Brake
Don’t Forget:
CPS Professional Development 1/2 Day
December 8, 2006
11:30 AM Student Dismissal
Winter
Vacation
Do you have any
ideas, suggestions,
or comments on
ways to improve our
school and the services that our children receive? If so,
please call, write a
letter, or see me to
share your ideas.
Your input is greatly
appreciated.
Thank You!
Dr. Brake
December 25th - January 5th
School Resumes 1/8/07
Happy Holidays to all the
Bridge School Family!
Tag Week is Back!
December 18th-22nd
Buy a Tag
Don’t Wear Uniform!
December 2006
Happy Holidays!
Sun
3
Mon
Tue
4
5
Wed
6
Thu
7
Picture
Re-Take
Day
10
11
12
13
14
18
19
20
21
Sat
1
2
8
9
1/2 Day
Professional
Development
11:30
Dismissal
15
Santa Shop This Week—10:00-1:00
17
Fri
16
Family
Movie
Night
22
23
Winter
Music
Assembly
LSC/PTA
NCLB PAC
Meetings
5:30 PM
Tag Week—Tag Week—Tag Week—Tag Week—Tag Week
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
Merry
Christmas
Winter Holiday—No School
31
New
Year’s
Eve
Indicates day of non-attendance for students
School
Resumes
Monday
1/8/07
Indicates After-School Program day
Bridge Family
Movie Night*
© MGM/UA
What: “A Christmas Story‖
When: Friday, December 15th
From 6:00 PM—
Who: Bridge School Students and Families
only! Students must be accompanied by an
adult parent or guardian. Seating is limited to
the first 300 people.
Where: Bridge Auditorium
How Much:
Free!
-Copyright Royalty Licensing fees paid to Movie Licensing USA-
*Family Movie Night is held on the third Friday of every month.
December Students of the Month
Veronica Smialkowska
Carmela Pesole
Katherine Gacek
Selina Guevara
Elisa Coronado
Jose Rivera
Kamil Piotrowski
Thomas Green
Patrycja Dobosz
Christina Pecoraro
Nicolas Pesole
Damian Jaje
Artana Sherifi
Christian DeJesus
Briana Green
Peggy Knapp
Savannah Gonzalez
Zbigniew Pasierbek
Nicholaus Cappy
Bartosz Kozminski
Kenneth Watkins
Gabriela Jaje
Aleksandra Ryndak
Patrick Szczecina
Melissa Koenig
Izabella Janczur
Bridge Elementary School Students of the Month are selected for their outstanding attendance, academic performance, and conduct.
ISAT Reading Percent of Students who Meet or Exceed State Standards—All Grades*
100
90
+46.4%
5-Year Gain!
80
87. 9
71. 8
70
64
60. 2
60
53. 2
50
41. 5
40
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
City, Area, and School Summary
2001
%
City
85,902
35.5%
88,098
38.2%
91,501
42.3%
83,871
47.2%
85,170
46.0%
2006
#
%
170,413
64.0%
Area
7,275
55.9%
7,218
60.7%
7,635
64.4%
7,370
68.5%
7,423
69.0%
15,396
82.9%
195
41.5%
190
53.2%
200
64.0%
161
60.2%
188
71.8%
372
87.9%
#
School
2002
%
#
2003
%
#
2004
%
#
2005
#
%
ISAT Math Percent of Students who Meet or Exceed State Standards—All Grades*
100
90
+27.1%
5-Year Gain!
80
82. 5
71. 8
70
65. 8
63. 2
63
60
55. 4
50
40
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
City, Area, and School Summary
#
2001
%
#
2002
%
#
2003
%
#
2004
%
2005
#
2006
%
#
%
City
85,373
39.3%
87,877
41.9%
91,217
41.9%
83,810
46.7%
85,120
47.9%
170,644
59.2%
Area
7,240
57.8%
7,207
61.4%
7,625
60.6%
7,350
65.0%
7,394
66.7%
15,431
76.0%
195
55.4%
193
63.2%
200
63.0%
161
65.8%
188
71.8%
372
82.5%
School
* Preliminary Data
ISAT Science Percent of Students who Meet or Exceed State Standards—All Grades*
100
90
87. 1
82. 5
82. 2
80
70
+28.6%
5-Year Gain!
65. 9
60
59. 6
58. 5
50
40
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
City, Area, and School Summary
City
2001
#
%
57,380
43.5%
2002
#
%
60,396
46.0%
2003
#
%
58,454
47.9%
2004
#
%
58,870
48.9%
2005
#
%
57,438
49.4%
2006
#
%
54,553
63.3%
Area
5,250
64.2%
5,538
67.2%
5,547
64.9%
5,289
72.3%
5,234
72.5%
5,077
81.7%
130
58.5%
138
65.9%
136
59.6%
135
82.2%
120
82.5%
116
87.1%
School
ISAT School-Wide Composite
Percent of Students who Meet or Exceed State Standards—All Grades*
100
90
+34.5%
5-Year Gain!
80
85. 5
74. 4
70
68. 7
62. 5
60. 3
60
51
50
40
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
City, Area, and School Summary
City
2001
%
228,655
38.9%
2002
%
236,371
41.6%
2003
%
241,172
43.5%
2004
%
226,551
47.5%
Area
19,765
58.8%
19,963
62.7%
20,807
63.4%
20,009
520
51.0%
521
60.3%
536
62.5%
457
#
School
* Preliminary Data
#
#
#
2005
#
2006
227,728
%
47.5%
#
395,610
%
61.8%
68.2%
20,051
69.1%
35,904
79.7%
68.7%
496
74.4%
860
85.5%
First Quarter
Perfect Attendance
Room 001
Melayna Allen
Kathleen Corpuz
Alejandro Gonzalez
David Guevara
Nicholas Guy
Ricardo Herrera
Patric Hruswicki
Pawel Kalisz
Alexandra Kania
Eryk Kania
Joshua Lebron
Maciej Myszka
Room 002
Waleed Abughoush
Samantha Ayala
Corbin Bowen
Iliana Cato
Anwar Hussein
Katarzyna Koperny
Kevin Mustafa
Artana Sherifi
Tomasz Snarski
Megan Szajna
Justyna Szczech
Room 003
Juan Anguiano
David Hruswicki
Rafal Kocon
Raye Legarda
Brian Kuczynski
Damian Pikul
Isabelle Santiago
Kamil Siudak
Jessica Tredota
Room 004
Jasmine Ayala
Kienna Bariso
Billy Joe Calayag
Julij Golubev
Evelina Jaje
Daniel Lozeau
David Lozeau
Samuel Martinez
Aleksandra Niemas
Katrarzyna Pukala
Jacob Rokoczy
Juan Sanchez
Safaa Suleiman
James Sobotka
Carlie Vasquez
Room 101
Patrick Bogusz
Nicole Brzys
Kinga Butryn
Karolina Ciepela
Angelica Geletka
Karolina Kaczowka
Patryk Kruszewski
Anna Kulach
Wiktoria Kurc
Brian Kwiatkowski
Nicole Lesniak
Magdalena Naruszewicz
Mateusz Ogorzelec
Sandra Pajda
Zuzanna Pasierbek
Bartosz Walkowiak
Monika Zawislak
Bartlomiej Mendrala
Julia Konieczna
Victoria Kospin
Kamil Obrochta
Paulina Ryndak
Room 102
Morad Deeb
Selina Guevara
Pedro Romero
Leyla Jibawi
Eric Martinez
Quinn Taylor
Jonathan Mejia
Katherine Misterka
Room 103
Samantha Alanis
Patty Amador
Jocelyn Bonilla
Alyssa Galiardo
Ruben Garcia
Iriam Garcia
Alexis Lopez
Christopher Molina
Kamil Piotrowski
Karol Pisanko
Delanie Preston
Michael Rosa
Sandra Santhosh
Emily Swiderski
Brashana Trammall
Carmelo Munoz
Edgar Estrada
Room 105
Samantha Armijo
Sydney Bock
Elisa Coronado
Justin Cruz
Patrick Gillespie
Konrad Gondek
James Ignatowski
Kayla Jurewicz
Eric Platt
Sharon Rodriguez
Shyla Solis
Room 106
Paulina Bauer
Jessica Conneely
Klaudia Dobosz
Anna Pukala
Nara Solis
Alex Gallegos
Mariusz Gorlicki
Omar Ramirez
Marlena Warjas
Kenneth Watkins
Mariusz Wojcik
Jonathan Vasquez
Alexandra Lopez
Ronnie Orlando
Dominik Pikul
Prespa Sherifi
Yasmean Suleiman
Brianna Vasquez
Room 107 a.m.
Stephanie Anguiano
Radek Bobowski
Fernando Caballero
Juliette Drewniak
Sebastian Gembis
Anthony Guy
Daniel Kania
Fabian Martinez
Justin Munoz
Room 107 p.m.
Kelly Conneely
Damian Gawruk
Olivia Harcarik
Robert Hernandez
Alexander Jamroz
Noa Joshua
Maya Konieczna
Allen Namrood
Carmela Pesole
Liamra Voglic
Adam Wroblewski
Alexandra Zugaj
Room 108
Jakub Bigos
Patrycja Dobosz
Nicole Dziedzic
Pawel Gwizd
Marcel Kardas
Monika Staszel
Piotr Szczech
Grzegorz Pikul
Bartek Zadzilko
Room 109
Daniel Delgado
Jessica Figueroa
Sylwia Mieczkowski
Luis Martinez
Theodore Nickson
Nicholas Paprzycki
Karolina Peza
Niedelyn Reyes
Ofelia Romero
Virgil Rotondo
Alyssa Corpuz
Room 111
Rebecca Guerin
Julia Rakoczy
Jose Rivera
Sebastian Cato
Room 114
Nick Acevedo
Dawid Babula
Grzegorz Chlebek
Arlene Gonzalez
Adrianna Goral
Piotr Gorczynski
Natalia Kalamarz
Patricia Kania
Lukasz Kornas
Tamara Lewis
Justin Lozeau
Konrad Michalek
Bartosz Pikul
Marcelina Puc
Tomasz Tutka
First Quarter
Perfect Attendance
Room 202
Francisco Alcantar
Kielvin Bariso
Samantha Calayag
Martha Gebala
Khrystyna Kozak
Jovanee Mejia
Edyta Zadzilko
Azhar Deeb
Gladys Mar
Daniel Mozdzierz
Ian Santillan
Room 203
Nick Armijo
Tamer Fareh
Amy Harenberg
Jenna Jurewicz
Paulina Kocon
Jessica Smith
Luigui Sobenes
Room 205
Alyssa Aguinaga
Anthony Amato
Patrycja Czternastek
Aida Garcia
Sebastian Jaje
Kamil Kieras
Agata Krol
Ewa Pisanko
Hassan Robertson
Nelson Santana
Adrian Skobelski
Martin Banasik
Room 206
Jose Aguinaga
Salima Azzouzi
Taran Bradley
Gilbert Ciezobka
Fadi Fareh
Raul Gonzalez
Brooke Gurnicz
Robert Hanusiak
Nilsa Hussein
Amina Jibawi
Marco Leyva
Eliana Malmin
Tatiana Reyes
Tiffany Reyes
Patrick Szczecina
Room 204
Viviana Atempa
John Balingit
Filip Boksa
Michael Corpuz
Thomas Frackiel
Lukasz Giza
Cinthia Gomez
Seham Hussein
Gabriela Jaje
Syria Shehu
Maritza Tlapa
Room 205
Alyssa Aguinaga
Anthony Amato
Patrycja Czternastek
Aida Garcia
Sebastian Jaje
Kamil Kieras
Agata Krol
Ewa Pisanko
Hassan Robertson
Nelson Santana
Adrian Skobelski
Martin Banasik
Room 206
Jose Aguinaga
Salima Azzouzi
Taran Bradley
Gilbert Ciezobka
Fadi Fareh
Raul Gonzalez
Brooke Gurnicz
Robert Hanusiak
Nilsa Hussein
Amina Jibawi
Marco Leyva
Eliana Malmin
Tatiana Reyes
Tiffany Reyes
Patrick Szczecina
Room 207
Edwin Castaneda
Andrzej Cudzich
Desiree DeJesus
Kevin Salgado
Zbigniew Pasierbek
Ivan Gonzalez
Ryan Harenberg
Jeremy Johnson
Desiree Muniz
Christian Zamora
Nicole Swiderski
Justyna Pikul
Maciej Kalwajtys
Omar Leyva
John Lozeau
Sebastian Mozdzierz
James Orlando
Room 208
Mark Babilonia
Tomek Cylo
Paul Dubicki
Kyle Enriquez
Mateusz Kaczowka
Anna Kielich
Lukasz Pikul
Janelys Vasquez
Victoria Paprzycki
Adam Kornafel
Kamil Kwasnik
Aleksandra Ryndak
Kamil Michalek
Joanna Ogrodnik
Filip Palka
Room 209
Dawid Bobro
Ashley Castillo
Rosie Jurczak
Darek Kwasnik
Edward Molotla
Selma Music
Aidan Preston
Krystian Solowiej
Anna Szczech
Mario Valenzuela
Alex Zbroja
Room 210
Jomana Abuhashish
Patricia Delgado
Jonathan Garcia
Kathy Balicka
Jose Gonzalez
David Vasquez
Damian Twardus
Joanna Jasinska
Erika Santana
Montel Williams
Room 211
Rafal Burgiel
Tomasz Chlebek
Dominika Duda
Jonathan Figueroa
Angel Gonzalez
Bartlomiej Gorczynski
Furquan Muneeruddin
Henry Salgado
John Samek
Kaylee Sherrod
Andrew Williams
Saul Zamora
Room 212
Jeda Abuhashish
Michael Belsan
Ina Bullari
Jacob Castillo
Kris Chlebek
Agata Chojan
Brandon Feliciano
Ilona Kozminska
Arsalan Muneeruddin
Jonathan Pedersen
David Rosado
Sanju Santhosh
Marcin Szczapa
Ethan Santillan
Natalia Twardus
Zinnia Vazquez
GOLDEN
HONOR
ROLL
Room 001
Nicholas Guy
Room 002
Megan Szajna
Room 106
Nara Solis
Room 202
Martha Gebala
Briana Green
Kristyn Krajewski
Mark Miceli
Room 203
Jenna Jurewicz
Paulina Kocon
Jessica Smith
Room 205
Adrian Skobelski
Kamil Kieras
Room 207
Steven Galiardo
Zbigniew Pasierbek
Nicole Swiderski
Room 211
Saul Zamora
F I R S T Q UA R T E R
S I LV E R H O N O R R O L L
Room 001
Patric Hruswicki
Lauren McGuire
Jennifer Quezada
Dana Rudzinski
Wayne Sobotka
Room 002
Daniel Allegretti
Lukasz Boufal
Corbin Bowen
Judmir Bullari
Anthony Jarvis
Artana Sherifi
Kevin Mustafa
Piotr Lesniak
Room 106
Angelica Jaje
Ewelina Krystopa
Alexandra Lopez
Dominik Pikul
Room 114
Remah Abu-Hashish
Christian DeJesus
Adrianna Goral
Patricia Kania
Alyssa Polanco
Marcelina Puc
Jazmeen Rivera
Room 202
Francisco Alcantar
Kielvin Bariso
Azhar Deeb
Angelica Gacek
Khrystyna Kozak
Jovanee Mejia
Room 203
Leslie Aispuro
Nick Armijo
Alison Cappy
Rebecca Feliciano
Amy Harenberg
Ricardo Reyes
Jailene Rodriguez
John Si
Room 204
John Balingit
Ezdhar Deeb
Gabriela Jaje
Room 205
Alyssa Aguinaga
Nathan Bocanegra
Sebastian Jaje
Sophia Mortha
Ewa Pisanko
Esteban Proano
Nelson Santana
Room 206
Raul Gonzalez
Marco Leyva
Eliana Malmin
Paul Si
Patrick Szczecina
Room 207
Ryan Harenberg
Jessika Warjas
Room 208
Paul Dubicki
Kyle Enriquez
Katarzyna Grolle
Congratulations
To Our
Scholars!
Anna Kielich
Lukasz Pikul
Aleksandra Ryndak
Room 209
Dawid Bobro
Michael Sockol
Room 210
Patricia Delgado
Dominick Dworak
David Lopez
Erika Santana
Room 211
Dominika Duda
Filip Duda
Room 212
Michael Belsan
Agata Chojan
Karolina Glowacka
Izabella Janczur
Arsalan Muneeruddin
Dominika Wroblewska
Big Parent Turnout
for
Report Card Pick-Up Day!
Bridge School family attendance at the November
8th Report Card Pick-Up Day was excellent. Over
97% of our parents attended the event. Thank you
for your support!
Career Service Appreciation Day
November 15th, 2006
Thank You!
November
“ B R E A K FA S T
OF CHAMPIONS”
HONORS HONOR ROLL STUDENTS
First Quarter Honor Roll students were treated to donuts and drinks at the first quarter “Breakfast of
Champions”. The event sponsored by the Bridge
Student Council (Teacher sponsors: Mrs. Green/Ms.
Hrenko/Mrs. Iammartino) was held on November
13th to honor those students with outstanding academic performance. Honor Roll students also signed
a big banner that will be hung outside the Bridge
School office. The event is held each quarter to
honor the hardworking students who achieve Honor
Roll status. We hope to see even more students at
the next “Breakfast of Champions”!
N E W A D D I T I O N TO T H E B R I D G E S C H O O L FA M I LY
Mrs. Pamela Swanson, Interim Lunchroom Manager
News From the Counselor
Mr. Metzdorff
B R I D G E H.S . F A I R I N F O R M A T I V E
During our first report card pick-up day on 11/8/06; counselors from a
variety of high schools were available to assist our 8th grade students
and parents with choosing which school they would attend next
year.
Public High Schools
Private High Schools
Steinmetz
Prosser
Lincoln Park
Lane
Guerin
Saint Patrick
Gordon
Resurrection
Lane H.S. Admissions Director, Mollie Hart
How To Build Strong Children
Search Institute offers eight easy ways parents or any adult with children in their lives can help
to build Developmental Assets -- one for each category of assets.
1. SUPPORT young people with your caring and attention -- Children thrive when they receive
encouragement, support, and love from parents and other family members.
2. EMPOWER them to use their abilities to help others -- Adolescents should be encouraged to be
active contributors inside and outside the home, taking on appropriate responsibilities for themselves, their families, their communities and the organizations to which they belong.
3. Set reasonable BOUNDARIES AND have high EXPECTATIONS -- Children need to know what's expected of them at home, at school, and other places they spend time. They also need clear rules
and consequences for what they should and shouldn't do.
4. Help them find activities that make CONSTRUCTIVE USE OF their TIME -- Shared and individual
hobbies, spiritual activities, volunteer work, youth programs, and quality time at home also play
a role in your child's healthy development.
5. Spark their COMMITMENT TO LEARNING -- Nurturing a lifelong commitment to learning begins
with the belief that all young people can learn -- and that all young people have something they
can teach others, even adults.
6. Guide them toward a life based on POSITIVE VALUES -- By talking with your children about
what's really important to your family (such as honesty and responsibility), you help your children develop an internal "compass" that guides their choices.
7. Help them develop SOCIAL COMPETENCIES and life skills -- Every child needs to learn how to
build relationships, make decisions, resolve disagreements, cope with challenges, and get along
with many different kinds of people.
8. Celebrate their uniqueness and affirm their POSITIVE IDENTITY -- A strong sense of their own
power, purpose, worth, and promise helps young people make wise decisions.
News From the Art/Music Department
Mr. Friend
Genesis Opera and People’s Music School Trio performed two wonderful assemblies
at Bridge School November 16th! The musicians included Bereniece Jones – Soprano, Jeffrey
Burrish - Tenor, and Vincent Centeno – Pianist. Students were introduced to ―recitative‖,
which is dialogue performed in opera. A piece from The Magic Flute by Wolfgang Amadeus
Mozart was performed that included two romantic bird catchers, Papageno and Papagena. A
selection from Turandot, by Giacomo Puccini was then performed by Mr. Burrish. Also performed was ―My Dear Marquis‖ from Die Fledermaus (the bat) by Johann Strauss II, that included a sneaky maid who secretly left work to attend a masquerade party only to find but who
at this party? - Her employer! Students were also introduced to vocal training and breathing
techniques, and an informative audience question & answer session at the end.
We look forward to our next concert, February 2, Raices Gitanas, which will
tell the story of Flamenco in song, dance, and music. These concerts are provided to our
school by the International Music Foundation – to whom we give a big THANK YOU!!
Also – mark you calendars “Silver and Gold” winter music assembly Thursday, December
21st.
BRIDGE SCHOOL
P RO U D LY P R E S E N T S O U R
W I N T E R HO L I DAY S H OW
Silver & Gold
Thursday, December 21st
At 6:00 PM
News From the First Grade
Field Trip to River Trail Nature Center
Boys and girls from rooms 101, 102 and 105 spent a beautiful day hiking the trails of
River Trail Nature Center. The children had an opportunity to discover the changing colors of the season. They had a blast observing many different kinds of animals inside the
nature center museum as well as in the open forest. We enjoyed the end of the gorgeous
day by picnicking and playing in the field of ladybugs! The children loved the outdoor
experience.
Trip to See Mrs. Claus
The first, second and third graders are excited about an upcoming field trip to the
Gateway Theatre. We will be celebrating the season on December 15th by viewing an adaptation of the classical tale ―Mrs. Claus‖. The children, as well as the
teachers, are looking forward to this magical trip.
News From the Second Grade
-The Little Red HenThe Second Graders of Room 109 and 103 worked together very hard as a class to perform the
play ―The Little Red Hen.‖ The play was about a hen who asks for her friends help in planting
and harvesting wheat in order to make bread. Each time she asked her friends, they refused to
help, but in the end they were all ready to help her eat it. Since we have been learning about
farming and growing crops in Social Studies and ways of helping out others in Reading, this
was an excellent culminating activity for the students. The children enjoyed themselves and
learned a valuable lesson in the end.
Work is much easier when it is shared.
News From the Third Grade
C is for Christmas on the 25th.
A is for my Aunts coming to visit me.
R is for reindeer on Santa’s sleigh.
O is for the ornaments on the tree.
L is for the lights outside.
I is for ice skating at the rink.
N is for nice surprises on Christmas Eve.
G is for the green branches on my tree.
C is for Christmas, my favorite holiday.
By Isabelle Santiago
O is for ornaments on my tree.
O is for our house where people visit.
K is for the kindness of the season.
I is for the ice on the sidewalk.
E is for the excellent food my Mom makes us.
S is for the Super Surprises we’ll all receive.
By Tiffany Myszkowski
S is for snow in Chicago on Christmas.
A is for the antlers on Santa’s Sleigh.
R is for Reindeer on the North Pole.
N is for the nice toys to play with.
U is for my favorite Uncle in Poland.
T is for the tree in my living room.
D is for the decorations on my house.
A is for my favorite Aunt coming to see me.
O is for the ornaments on my tree.
L is for the lights on my house.
P is for the peace I feel.
H is for happiness all over the world.
By Damian Pikul
By Nathaniel Cadotte
S is for the snowman outside my window.
N is for the new toys to play with.
O is for the ornaments on my tree.
W is for the wishes on my list.
F is for fun with all my relatives.
L is for the love my family gives me all year round.
A is for the angel way up high.
K is for the kids who play in the snow.
E is for the excellent food on the table.
S is for Santa who will visit us soon!
By Julia Troszczynska
News From the Fourth Grade
HOW TO COOK A TURKEY BY ROOM 001
First you hunt the turkey or buy the turkey. Then clean it. Put it in the oven. Put it on
270 degrees Fahrenheit. Cook it for two and a half hours. Take it out of the oven and put
it on a dish and decorate it. And then eat the turkey.
- Matt MyszkaBuy the turkey. Clean the turkey. Put oil on the turkey. Put it in the oven. Then you wait
2 hours. And then you eat it. -Martin BernalStep 1- get a turkey
Step 2- get out your supplies
Step 3- you could put stuffing in your turkey
Step 4- cook your turkey about 4 hours
Step 5- you could put something special in it like butter or dressing
Step 6- eating time
-Joshua LebronHAIKU’S BY ROOM 001
A Haiku is a Japanese three-lined poem that captures a moment in nature or in life. The first
line has 5 syllables, the second line has 7 syllables, and the third line has 5 syllables.
Sky
The sky is so bright
The sky looks so nice like this
I wish I could fly
By Joshua Santos
Flowers
Flowers are the best
Flowers are nice and awesome
I like flowers
By Alejandro Gonzelez
My Fall Days
Every day in fall
I jump in the big brown leaves
It’s a lot of fun
By Patric Hrsuswicki
The Puffling
Watch the puffling fly
Watch him fly high in the sky
Splash! He’s in the lake
By Damian Jaje
More News From the Fourth Grade
Can you guess what kind of sandwiches these students are holding?
They just read the novel Chocolate Fever. It is about a boy who loves chocolate so much that
he pours it over everything he eats. After completing this unit, our students enjoyed their very
own chocolate sandwiches.
Walter Juan
Maley Bernal
Martin Alexandra David
Bernal
Kania
Guavara
News From the Fifth Grade
OPERA!
On Nov. 16, 2006, Bridge students got a special surprise!
Two very talented opera singers came to Bridge. They sang many
pieces of Mozart and answered many questions that we wanted to
know more about. They sang many other pieces from different
artists too. My class enjoyed the wonderful music. Towards the
middle of the performance, all the classes were asked to first
stretch and roll our heads in a circle and then to stand up and to
use our instruments (which were our voices). When she raised her
hand our voices went up and when she dropped her hand our
voices went down. The stories behind the music were interesting
to hear because they were not told like any other story. They were sung out. We all appreciate
the time they took out of their busy schedule to come to our school. We thank Dr. Brake and
Mr. Friend for asking, or we wouldn’t have been able to enjoy this wonderful performance.
Written by Briana Green, Room 202
More News From the Fifth Grade
African Drum Program
In Bridge School, fifth grade rooms 203 and 205 are participating in a drum program with
hosts Doug Brush and Kaylan Pathak from the Rhythm Unity Ensemble. Doug Brush and
Kaylan Pathak will be visiting rooms 203 and 205 for 16 weeks. Both rooms have learned to
play the Djembe, the Djun Djun family, African bells, and the Darbuk. Most of or all of these
drums are from Africa. Funding for this music residency program was provided by the International Music Foundation.
By: Jenna Jurewicz,
th
The Chocolate Story
The 5 grade is learning about the rainforest, and how cocoa is a product of the rainforest. So
we had real chocolate clay in our own hands. We had to make an animal out of the chocolate. It
was really fun. The chocolate got stuck to our hands. Our hands were so sticky, that it felt like
super glue. When we were done with our animal sculptures, we got to eat them. It was so good
that it tasted like a Hershey bar, yummy.
By Nicholas Armijo, Room 203
News From the Sixth Grade
This year Bridge has classes for the fifth grade rooms taught by musicians Doug Brush and Kalyan Pathak. The International Music Foundation (IMF) has funded this music residency program
to Bridge School. This class is about learning about drums and how to play them. When I was in
third grade I had this class at my old school (Stone Academy). I remember playing the drums
and learning the different rhythms. Its fun when you put the rhythms together and it makes a
lovely sound. It’s a good feeling when you hear the great sound that you make by just hitting a
drum with your hands. I loved this class when I was in third grade and I hope that the fifth grade
teachers and students will too.
By Jaleesa L. Medina, Sixth grade, Room 211
The sixth graders are very thankful to the Chicago Board
of Trade and CEO/President Mr. Bernard Dan for the donated computers. They came in perfect timing; we were
starting on our science projects. With the computers, we
have completed most of the work in school. This made it
easier, because our teacher, Mrs. Quintana, could tell you
if you’re doing something wrong; unlike if you were at
home you would have to guess on if it is right or not. For
the most part the computers are very useful to us. I’m
even writing this article on one of the computers! Thank
you very much.
-Filip Duda , Sixth grade, Room 211
Room 207 Visits Room 102 !
On Wednesday, November 22, 2006, room 207 visited 102 to see our first grade buddies. We chose a buddy and read a book to
them. After we read a few books we made a Thanksgiving project. Our buddies wrote what they were thankful for, and made a turkey to put their paper on. It was a lot of fun, for both the sixth graders and their buddies. I hope we visit our buddies soon, because
I’m sure we will have a blast!
By Nicole Swiderski, Room 207
Room 207 visited room 102 and we read to our first grade buddies. We read to them and helped them to make a turkey out of construction paper. They also wrote a paper saying what they were thankful for. I really enjoyed reading to our buddies because it felt
calming and really nice reading to little kids.
Christian Zamora, Room 207
Room 207 visited room 102 and met some new friends. We did all kinds of stuff in there, for example, we helped them write what
they were thankful for, we read a book to them, and then we helped them make a turkey for Thanksgiving. I enjoyed my time with
them, and I hoped they enjoyed me too.
Maciek Kalwajtys, Room 207
More News From the Sixth Grade
Our Field Trip to the Field Museum!
All the sixth graders went to the Field Museum on Monday, November 27, 2006. We
saw mummies, statues, and things that showed how the people in Egypt lived a long time ago.
It was cool to see the stuff after we learned about it in Social Studies class. We saw how big
and how heavy the blocks of granite were that were used to build pyramids. Each of these
blocks was 6,000 pounds and it took 172 men to move it. We saw an example of the Nile River
and papyrus plants that were used for paper.
We also saw different exhibits like the Underground Adventure, Nature Walk, and we
saw Sue the dinosaur. When we went to the Underground Adventure we saw a lot of bugs that
freaked us out. In the Nature Walk we saw birds, seals, and other animals. We saw how big an
ostrich egg was. When we saw Sue we took pictures with him. Our field trip was cool.
By: Dawid Bobro, Edward Mototla, and Mario Valenzuela, Room 209
Poem Review by Room 215: “Casey at the Bat”
This poem was written by Ernest Thayer. It had a lot of
suspense as the author described the anxious crowd and built up
Casey as the guy who would save the game. Casey showed a lot
of pride and confidence, but he also acted very arrogant at times.
In the end, Casey struck out and failed to make the big play. Even
the strongest and bravest people fail sometimes. As long as you
keep trying, you’ll always be a winner.
―Winners never quit and quitters never win!‖ Although a challenge
may look difficult and maybe even impossible, winners don’t back
down.
News From the Seventh/Eighth Grades
Field Museum Pow Wow
On Thursday November 16, the 7th and 8th grade classrooms went to the Field Museum to
watch some Native Americans perform their traditional dances and tell stories of their culture.
They wore bright and colorful costumes and their stories were vivid as well as inspirational.
The ceremony ended with a great traditional dance that featured loud beating drums and a
marching line of colorful costumes. I think we all had a great time learning more about Native
American culture----I’m sure I did!
By Patricia Delgado, 8th grade Rm. 210
CBOT Donates Computers
The Departmental classes have a new addition! Recently, six computers (30 for the
school!), gifts from the Chicago Board of Trade
and Mr. Bernard Dan (President and CEO of the
CBOT), were placed in Room 210 for the 7th and
8th graders. All of them are hooked up to the
printer, so we are able to make good use of them.
So far, the computers have been working
perfectly fine. In Reading class, we were able to
look at pictures of Hannibal Missouri, which is
CBOT CEO/President Mr. Bernard Dan
the setting for the fictional town of St. Petersburg
in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. In Language Arts, we were able to type our thank-you letters for our Thanksgiving project. If it weren’t for Mr. Dan and his generosity, we wouldn’t
have been able to do any of these things. Thank you, Mr. Dan and the CBOT!
By Michael Belsan, Class of 2007
More News From the Seventh/Eighth Grades
Environmental Damage Study
Room 206 is participating in a study sponsored by Northwestern University and BP. The purpose of the study is to determine if road salt affects the environment. Three times this year, we
will collect and test soil samples from around the school for salt content. The first phase began
on November 28th. Our class was divided into seven groups. Each group collected soil samples at various locations around the school. Later this week, we will test the conductivity of
the soil (the ability to conduct electricity). We will complete the second and third phase after
the first snowfall and in the beginning of spring. Stay tuned to see if road salt does affect the
environment.
Eliana Malmin (Room 206)
A Letter from the
Class of 2007
Student Council President
Eric Martinez
November 30, 2006
Dear Mr. Bernard Dan,
On behalf of Bridge school, I would like to thank you for taking your time to be our ―Principal for a Day‖. I hope you
found our school to be a fun and exciting place. Next year we wish that you’ll do it again.
We also thank you for the donation of the computers. I am in Eighth grade and my classmates use them a lot. We really
appreciate you thinking of us.
Once again, thank you.
Sincerely,
Eric Martinez
Science Fair Participants
CONGRATULATIONS
TO ALL THE PARTICIPANTS
OF THE
2006-2007
BRIDGE SCIENCE FAIR!
CONGRATULATIONS TO THE STUDENTS WHO EARNED A SUPERIOR RIBBON!
These three students
will participate in the
Region Fair held at
Wright College in
January
Agata Chojan
Ahmad Deeb
Damian Stachowski
CONGRATULATIONS TO THE STUDENTS WHO EARNED AN OUSTANDING RIBBON!
Edgar Crespo
Joanna Jansinska
Dominika Wroblewska
Kyle Enriquez
Anna Pukala
Sylvia Gebala
Kaylee Sherrod
CONGRATULATIONS TO THE STUDENTS WHO
EARNED AN
EXCELLENT RIBBON!
Johanna Alvarez
John Balingit
Wojciech Bartoszek
Michale Belsan
Patricia Delgado
Dominick Dworak
Michael Grzywna
Brooke Gurnicz
Robert Hanusiak
Dorian Hryniewicki
Izabella Janczur
Amina Jibawi
Olivia O’Donovan
Filip Palka
Ethan Santillan
Damian Twardus
Natalia Twardus
Zinnia Vazquez
Andrew Aldape
Robert Doherty
Paul Dubicki
Katarzyna Grolle
Benjamin Henmueller
Angelica Jaje
Anna Kielich
Karolina Krol
Ewelina Krystopa
Alexandra Lopez
Kamil Michalek
Nara Solis
Marlena Warjas
Brianna Vasquez
Desiree Dejesus
Dominika Duda
Steven Galiardo
Ryan Harenberg
Thomas Jackowski
Bartosz Kozminski
Zbigniew Pasierbek
Jessika Warjas
CONGRATULATIONS TO THE STUDENTS WHO
EARNED AN
HONORABLE MENTION!
Melissa Koenig
David Lopez
Eliana Malmin
Arsalan Muneeruddin
David Rosado
Ezdhar Deeb
Gabriela Jaje
Aleksandra Rynduk
Brisa Vasquez
Dawid Bobro
Nicholaus Cappy
Henry Salgado
Julia Starczewski
Nicole Swiderski
Saul Zamora
News from the Student Council
Mix it up Lunch Day
To add a little more variety to our lunch periods, we had “Mix it up Lunch Day” on November
15 . Mix it up Lunch Day is a day when during lunch you are to sit with someone that you normally do
not sit with. How this is done is: when you enter the lunchroom you would be handed a ticket that is a
certain color. Then you were to sit at a table that matched the color of your ticket and so you would be
sitting at a table with students who had the same color ticket.
Room 105, Mrs. Anderson’s class, had a few comments to say. “It was fantastic,” James Ignatowski said. “We got to meet other people,” said Kayla Jurewicz. “It was wonderful because we met new
friends,” Eric Platt said. Kelly Tarasiewicz said, “It was amazing and I got to sit at a different table.”
Room 109, Mrs. Garcia’s class also had a few words to spare: “I got to sit with my friends from
other rooms,” Jessica Figueroa said. Sasha Aponte said, “I talked to people I didn’t before.” Shannon
McGuire said, “I liked it because I sat next to my friend Alyssa and I also talked to people I usually didn’t.”
As you can see Mix it up Lunch Day was a success and we all hope it will happen again!
th
Sponsored by: Student Council
Written by: Angelica Jaje Room 106
Student Council Vice-President
“November - Mix it up Lunch day “
On November 15, 2006, it was “Mix It Up Day” in the lunch room.
st
The 1 thru 8th graders participated. The purpose for doing this was to bring
the people that have not always associated with each other together. In my opinion
“ Mix It Up Day”, was a great success. People had a chance to talk to people that they had not talked to before.
- Prespa Sherifi
More News from the Student Council
Toys for Tots!
The Student Council at Bridge School is
sponsoring a Toys for Tots drive from December 4
through December 15. If you would like to make
a donation, you can drop off toys (unwrapped) into
bins that will be located by the main entrance. Toys
will be boxed up on Friday, December 15th and de
livered to the fire station on Harlem Avenue. We
would appreciate any drivers who would be willing
to help with the toy delivery on that day. We will
meet at the front entrance at 1:45 to box toys and
load cars. Thank you for your generosity!
POPCORN!!!
Beginning in January, the Student Council will have
several popcorn fundraisers. We will be selling bags of
popcorn for $.50 during lunch periods. Our popcorn sale
will take place on Thursday, January 11th. Thank you in
advance to the PTA who have graciously offered to pop
all of the popcorn for these sales.
Student Council
News from the Technology Department
Mrs. Miarecki
Academic
Computer
Games
Online!
Parents: Do your children spend too much time playing computer
games? Did you know Bridge School has an online computer curriculum that allows students to practice reading and math skills using
computer games? All students have access to this system with their
personal user name and password. The website is:
http://www.Studyisland.com/
If your children like to play computer games, make sure they’re
playing on Study Island! Thank you.
-New Computers!We’re looking forward to important technology improvements in
December, but what a great month November was - especially for
our Technology Department! Thanks to Mr. Bernard Dan and the
Chicago Board of Trade, this Thanksgiving we have 30 additional
DELL computers to be thankful for. The new PC’s have been configured for the CPS network, and are stationed in various classrooms. We now have a mini-lab in one of the upper grade classrooms, and many middle grades have also received an additional computer or two – or
three! All of us can access our network accounts from any of these PC’s as well as from our other DELL PC’s. We
appreciate the generosity of Mr. Dan, and will take good care of our new
equipment! These new PC’s will make it a lot easier for students to get
their work done correctly and on time. Remember – Save! Save! Save
your work!
30,000 Book Challenge
Special Winter Holiday
8,906
Bridge Elementary School
3800 N. New England
Chicago, Illinois 60634
773-534-3718
Principal:
Dr. Christopher Brake
Assistant Principal:
Mrs. Margaret Taylor
LSC
Parent Representatives:
Mr. William Doyle
Mr. Paul Henmueller
Mrs. Martha Kulach
Mrs. Wioletta Rakoczy
Mrs. Pamela Sparks
Mrs. Renata Zabiega
Community Representatives:
Mrs. Yvonne Majewski
Mrs. Pat Walenga
Teacher Representatives:
Mrs. Catherine McGuire
Mrs. Joan Miarecki
Administration:
Dr. Christopher Brake
Room 107
Kindergarten
165
Year-to-Date
373
Room 111
Pri. Sp. Ed.
30
Year-to-Date
110
Room 101
1st/2nd Grade
225
Year-to-Date
457
Room 102
1st Grade
550
Year-to-Date
813
Room 105
1st Grade
577
Year-to-Date
1,168
Room 103
2nd Grade
416
Year-to-Date
1,070
Room 109
2nd Grade
224
Year-to-Date
550
Room 108
2nd/3rd Grade
199
Year-to-Date
462
Room 003
3rd Grade
127
Year-to-Date
351
Room 004
3rd Grade
120
Year-to-Date
260
Room 001
4th Grade
76
Year-to-Date
186
Room 002
4th Grade
95
Year-to-Date
252
Room 114
4th Grade
66
Year-to-Date
157
Room 202
5th Grade
116
Year-to-Date
301
Room 203
5th Grade
147
Year-to-Date
393
Room 205
5th Grade
221
Year-to-Date
493
Room 207
6th Grade
142
Year-to-Date
220
Room 209
6th Grade
55
Year-to-Date
135
Room 211
6th Grade
48
Year-to-Date
146
Room 106
7th Grade
40
Year-to-Date
279
Room 204
7th Grade
24
Year-to-Date
84
Room 208
7th Grade
72
Year-to-Date
249
Room 206
8th Grade
30
Year-to-Date
106
Room 210
8th Grade
43
Year-to-Date
152
Room 212
8th Grade
14
Year-to-Date
139
PTA
President:
Mrs. Lora Niewinski
Vice-President:
Mrs. Karen Dubicki
Secretary:
Mr. Bob Walsh
Treasurer:
Mrs. Jeannie Doyle
NCLB PAC
President:
Mrs. Pamela Sparks
Vice-President:
Mrs. Herlinda Macias
Secretary:
Mrs. Catherine McGuire
Corresponding Secretary:
Mr. William Doyle