Ghosts of the Past – Oct.29
The Parkside elementary students are participating in an exciting project this month, Ghosts of the Past!
In the spirit of honoring those who have come before and made a positive contribution, the students will choose a “Ghost from the Past” to portray at school on Thursday, October 29th.
The older students are reading biographies and in the coming weeks will write a short report on their chosen character. For the younger children at a beginning reading level, we encourage the families to read the biography to them at home.
Upper Elementary students are required to write a report that focuses on the life and contribution of the famous person. In addition, students will write about why they have chosen this person as a hero or heroine.
On Thursday, October 29th, the children will come in costume prepared to give a very short oral presentation to the community sharing the name, time period and contribution of their Ghost from the Past. The younger students are not required to write a report or give an oral presentation but should choose a famous person, come in costume and be able to say what contribution this person made.
****Parents are invited to attend this elementary event. ***** The three elementary classes will gather in the auditorium to introduce their characters. They will visit the Primary classes later in the day.
Thursday, October 29 8:45 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.
Timeline for older LE students and all UPE students:
Choose a character by October 15th
Rough draft (older students) due by October 22th
Final draft due by October 28th.
Guidelines for choosing a “Ghost from the Past”:
- person is no longer living
- person has made a positive contribution to society (famous verses infamous!)
- children can articulate the qualities they admire and the contribution this person made
We will provide some classroom time for research and development though many children will need further assistance at home. Discussions at home about famous people, your heroes and heroines and the qualities you admire in them will help spark interest and enthusiasm in this project.
The Internet may also be a good resource. Try www.wikipedia.org or other on-line encyclopedias. Please let us know if you find other good resources!
Costume
Simple, homemade costumes are encouraged. Your child’s dress up or toy chest is a great place to begin. Your local thrift store may be another good resource. Sometimes, a simple hat and prop are all that are necessary.
We are looking forward to this exciting opportunity to honor those who have come before.
Sincerely,
Camille, Amber, Erica, Colleen, Catherine, and Melvin
Fall Festival: Oct. 24
Calling all gouls and goblins for a spooktacular good time at the Parkside Fall Festival. Dress in your finest Halloween costume and be ready for a goolish good time.
Location: The Brand’s house
Date: Saturday, October 24
Time: 3:30 P.M – 6:30 P.M.
Come out and enjoy some super fun games, bouncer, super slide, fanciful face painting, yummy food and haunted house designed by the UPE students.
Tickets:
$5 entry per person – $25 per family
$10 “all you can play” wristband for games and activities
$5 food punch cards
Tickets are available in front of the school at pick-up (8:00 – 8:40) and drop-off (2:50 – 3:20) all next week (Tuesday, Oct. 20 – Friday, Oct. 23) or may be purchased at the Fall Festival before entering.
***RAIN DATE for the Fall Festival if needed is SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 1: same time, same place.
Message from Joe “Guitar”
Dear Parkside Parents and Friends,
As many of us have come to know in our lives, the universal language of music can evoke inspiration, deep feeling, social cohesion and joyful experiences. In schools, an enriching music program can add a dimension of joy and creativity fostering latent talent in some students, and giving a means of important personal expression to others.
As noted by Maria Montessori, as humans our most powerful spiritual tools are our hands, language and imagination. Learning to play an instrument helps to refine hand movements and the tremendous neurological benefits ultimately integrate into the brain’s greater structures. Classical guitar lessons are now a valuable part of our curriculum for 3rd through 6th grade students. It is our instrument of choice because guitar is to music what soccer is to sport; anywhere that you go in the world people play soccer and people play guitar.
The ability to have free fun is one of life’s most important skills and playing music with friends is one of the richest ways to achieve this. Parkside is committed to giving our children the opportunity to express themselves artistically and cultivate a hobby that may enrich their lives and the lives of those around them, and this fine arts guitar program is an important building block in that process. We are fortunate to have as our teacher, Tom Echols, who holds a doctorate in classical guitar from the University of Southern California and has studied with some of the great guitar masters of the world.
Last year through donations and fundraisers we were able to raise the $23,000 necessary to cover the music program’s costs. This year we estimate the general cost of our program to be close to $30,000 as we have extended the Upper Elementary lessons to one hour per week per child and added hours to Tom’s schedule so he can spend some one on one time each week with students that need a little extra help.
Here is the challenge we face, our program is not funded. Therefore was ask that as a community we all pitch in to raise or donate the funds necessary to maintain this program and make it a success. Here is how it breaks down; the annual cost of lessons per student is estimated to be $800. If you are a new student to this program (3rd year student or new to Upper Elementary) and received equipment (guitar, stand, footstool, tuner, music stand and book) there is an additional cost of $190. If you have the means to support our program and donate the cost of your child’s portion or make a larger donation we would greatly appreciate it. If this is beyond your means please make an effort to raise the money or participate in planned fundraising. Parkside parent Delia Castillo will be holding small, fun community driven events throughout the year. You can contact her directly if you would like to help out. Her phone number is 444-8434 or you may email her.
As a community we can make this happen. All donations are tax deductible since this is separate from our general tuition and would be considered as supporting our fine arts program.
If you have any questions about this program please contact me. Thank you for your continuing support of Parkside.
Sincerely,
Joe Bruno
