MacArthur’s Planting Day

MacArthur School is growing!
Yes, vegetables, fruit, flowers and herbs.  Our planting day on May 14^thwas a huge success….from seed to plant!  Every grade level participated in building the raised beds, filling in the dirt and planting the seeds and seedlings.  Our enthusiastic volunteers came from Zurich Insurance who also supported our project financially, the American Heart Association  who instituted the program and videotaped our adventure, and the PTA who helped with the plant sale and supervising.  On hand for our dedication ceremony was Mayor McLeod with village trustees, Mary Kay Prusnick from the school board and parents, staff and children.   In addition, Mr. Johnson will be working on a fence to protect our beautiful garden.  We have received a large donation from Schaumburg’s Auto Body Shop to pay for our fence materials.  Please sign up to care for our garden during one week during summer vacation!  We will be looking forward to Harvest Day in the fall!

Wait until we see our plants in the fall!

Mac Update

Dear MacArthur Community,

Thank you so much to our PTA and parents for all the nice treats, fruit, and flowers that make our staff feel so special this week. We are all so grateful to work in such a wonderful community. Many thanks to Mrs. Mangino for running such a great Plant Sale to support the MacArthur PTA.

On Thursday, we held our Second Annual District 54 Speech Contest. Over 80 students entered the contest and there were 12 finalists chosen from six schools in District 54. Everyone in attendance was so impressed with the quality and level of preparation of all the finalists. Congratulations to the following winners from MacArthur:

3/4  Native Speaker

Jessica E.  2^nd place
Lupita O. 3^rd place

5/6  Native Speaker

Sebastian R.  1^st place

5/6 Spanish as a Second Language

Anna M. 2^nd place
Tara S. 3^rd place

MacArthur Alumni, Juan S., Lauren S., Joey T. and Andy H., currently students at Eisenhower Jr. High, were also winners.

We are looking forward to our first planting day on Monday, May 14^th. Please be sure to send your child to school in clothing and shoes that can get dirty because everyone is going to have a part in planting the garden. Our AM kindergarten friends will be planting their seedlings on Tuesday morning after the beds are built and filled. Please stop by the dedication ceremony at 2:30 if you are available.

Happy Mother’s Day to all of the moms in our MacArthur Community. Enjoy a great day.

Danette

Golden Apple Award Winner – Miss Barba

Dear MacArthur Community,

We are so glad to share with you the fantastic news that Miss Barba was awarded the Golden Apple for excellence in teaching. As you know, Miss Barba was selected from over 560 nominees as a finalist for the Golden Apple. Today, members from the Golden Apple Foundation came to MacArthur to surprise Miss Barba with the announcement that she is one of the ten winning teachers. Mayor McLeod, Hoffman Village Trustees, the District 54 School Board and Cabinet along with Miss Barba’s family were there to share in the celebration with the students and staff. Click here for the article in the Trib local for photos and quotes from Miss Barba and for the posting on the School District 54 Website.

On May 17th, the District 54 School Board will recognize Miss Barba for this achievement at the School Board meeting held at 7:00 p.m. at the District Office. Please feel welcome to attend in support of Miss Barba and MacArthur School.

Many thanks to the parents, students and staff who helped us plan this special surprise event.

Danette

Mac News – noticias de Mac – May 4, 2012

Here are the May 4th editions of Mac News and noticias de Mac.

Have a wonderful Spring weather weekend!

noticias de Mac

Mac News

District 54 Annual Spanish Language Speech Contest

District 54 Annual Spanish Language Speech Contest

MacArthur School is hosting a Spanish Language Speech Contest on Thursday, May 10th from 9:00-11:30. Please come to MacArthur to support our finalist!

Congrats to MacArthur finalists: Jessica E., Lupita O., Anna M., Sebastian R., and Tara S.

El Concurso de oratoria es elproximo jueves 10 de mayo de 9:00 a 11:30.

Felicitaciones a los finalistas de Mac: Jessica E., Lupita O., Anna M., Sebastian R., and Tara S.

Celebrate Reading and Writing Night – Tuesday, May 1st – 6:00 PM

Dear MacArthur Community,

Writing, editing, illustrating, and publishing….our students have been hard at work preparing their books to share with you during our Celebrate Reading and Writing Event on Tuesday May 1^st at 6:00 p.m.  Flyers were sent home on Friday with details about all the great events our staff has planned and the entertainment provided by our PTA.

Thank you so much to all of you who donated to our first MacArthur Teaching Garden with your plant sale orders. These funds will help us purchase plants to put into the planting beds that are provided by the American Heart Association that our students will assemble, fill and plant on May 14^th – our first Planting Day. With the help of PTA, we are raising funds for a fence for our garden. If you did not have a chance to donate and would still like to, we will be selling paper pickets for $1.00 on Tuesday evening and at other events to support the fence purchase.

As students continue MAP testing next week, please continue to support your child to be sure that he or she gets plenty of rest and have a  good breakfast. The students have been working so hard to show all that they have learned this year.

As a final note of good news, forty-two MacArthur students are recipients of the District 54 Foundation Memorial Scholarship Grants to participate in enrichment activities over the summer. A big thank you to all the MacArthur staff and especially to Mrs. Janes and Ms. Carabajal for their support in helping families complete the applications.

Enjoy a great weekend.

Danette

Mac Update

Dear MacArthur Community,

It was a showcase week for MacArthur talent. Miss Bamzai led our 3^rd and 4^th grade students in two beautiful concerts these past weeks. Thank you to all the parents and extended families that come to watch and support the students. On Saturday, the primary dance group and folkloric dance group performed at the District 54 – Schaumburg Park District Multicultural Fest.

Please be sure your child gets plenty of sleep on and a good breakfast these next two weeks because we will start MAP testing this Monday, April 23 and continue until May 4. We are all so excited to see the results of the students’ hard work and effort in meeting their goals.

Please be sure to open the attached link for this week’s issue of MacNews. It contains information on upcoming events and activities. We are looking forward to seeing you at Mac soon.

April 23^rd – “ Art to Remember”  orders due

April 24^th – 5^th/6^th grade art night – ceramic tile painting

May 1^st- Celebrate Reading and Writing

May 14^th – MacArthur’s Planting Day

Have a wonderful weekend.

Danette

Newsletter English 042012

Newsletter Spanish 042012

Goodies with Grandparents – This Friday, April 13th

Dear MacArthur Community,

We are looking forward to seeing our MacArthur grandparents on Friday, April 13 for Goodies with Grandparents. Grandparents can enjoy some breakfast treats with their grandchildren at 8:00 a.m. and then visit their grandchild’s classroom. Please be sure to send in your RSVP by tomorrow to let our PTA know how much food to order.

School District 54 and the Schaumburg Park District will present a multicultural fair from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 14, 2012, at the Community Recreation Center, 505 N. Springinsguth Road in Schaumburg. The event’s theme is A Garden of Diversity – Celebrating Our Community’s Cultures. MacArthur’s dance groups and groups of our Spanish Language Learners from our Dual Language primary classes will be performing. We hope to see many of you there.

The Hoffman Estates High School Community Literacy Outreach Barnes & Noble Bookfair is scheduled for April 14th. All proceeds will benefit District 54 literacy programs. To maximize the fundraiser potential we have also coordinated with Fuddruckers for a Books and Burgers fundraiser on the same day. If you are unable to make it the Barnes & Noble Bookfair is good for online purchases, just put in the Bookfair ID when checking out.

Bookfair flyer

Fuddruckers flyer

Finally, we are always so glad to have our PTA and parent volunteers here helping in our building. Please be sure to come into the office  and sign in so that we know you are here. This is for your safety in case of an emergency and necessary for the safety of our students. Also, there is a lunch cart by the front office in case your child forgets his or her lunch at home. Please do not walk down to your child’s classroom to deliver the lunch or put it in your child’s locker since this can distract children from learning and most of our students share a locker with another child. Thank you in advance for your help in maintaining a safe and productive learning environment.

Danette

Principal’s Message – April 5th, 2012

Dear MacArthur Community,

It was so nice to see the students back from Spring Break and hear about their adventures at home or their  travels with family. Thank you so much to those of you who have returned your registration materials for the coming year already. Please remember that they are due by April 13.

In order to reduce the size of our e-mails in your inbox, we are now including a link to MacNews on the MacArthur website. Please be sure to click on the link below to connect to this week’s MacNews for information regarding upcoming events such as Celebrate Reading and Writing on May 1^st and MacArthur’s first all school planting day on May 14^th. We are hopeful that you can support our Teaching Garden by volunteering to help on planting day, by ordering flowers and plants through the PTA plant sale or by donating for the purchase of seedlings.  With this fantastic weather, you may be inspired to start a garden at home with your children whether in your yard or in containers on your balcony or patio.

Please remember that there is no school on Friday, April 6. I hope you all enjoy this weekend with your families.

Danette

MacNews in English

MacNews in Spanish

Spring Break

Dear MacArthur Community,

It was so nice to see so many parents in the building for the Spring parties! This is a day the kids have been looking forward to and they truly appreciate all you do to kick off a great Spring Break.

We are so glad to share the exciting news the Miss Barba, one of our third grade dual language teachers, has been selected as a Golden Apple Finalist. The Golden Apple is a very selective award and Miss Barba was one of thirty-two finalists of over 500 teachers nominated throughout the Chicagoland area! She will be honored at an award ceremony in Chicago on April 21^st.

We have also received word that MacArthur School has received a $250 grant from the Schaumburg CAN (Children, Activity, Nutrition) partnership to support our family fitness nights. This is great news that supports the work of our staff and PTA efforts to work together for the health and wellness of the MacArthur community.

Finally, please check your child’s backpack before hanging it up for the week. Included is information on our class placement process for the coming year along with a request for your input in that process. If you would like to write a letter, please be sure to return it to school by April 9^th.

I hope you all enjoy a wonderful Spring Break with your families and that the great weather continues. Please be sure to find time to read to your children and encourage them to read every day over the break. We are looking forward to seeing you all back at school on Monday, April 2nd.

Danette