A Letter from our Head of School

Dear Friends,

Open House this week was well-attended and well-received by all. We have incredible teachers who

demonstrate the value of being smart, curious, and adaptive every day in their classrooms. The

personal connections they cultivate with their students keep our program important, authentic, and

meaningful for all the children we serve.

Our conversations over the past several months about our need for additional space have caused us

to think about and to articulate what makes Catherine Cook so special. Dr. Pifer’s letter two weeks

ago made reference to the 3 R’s of reading, writing, and arithmetic and the 4 C’s of creativity,

communication, collaboration, and critical thinking. Ms. Stutts letter last week touched upon a fifth

“C” of building good character through “ROARS” and other school-wide initiatives.

As we participate in these rich conversations about what school should be, we struggle to find the

words to adequately describe this magical recipe for a vibrant and healthy learning community. The

alphabet soup of R’s and C’s is really an earnest, yet feeble, attempt to describe an aspirational and

inspirational school that is fearless about implementing what’s new, what’s next, and what’s best for

our students. It is a powerful synergy of many factors coming together that one really has to

experience to be fully understood.

I trust that many of you who attended the Open House caught a glimpse of or felt a moment of the

passion and energy for what school should be in the work of your children, the connection to your

child’s teacher, and the happy faces of our students. We are all working very hard to be “that

school.” Thanks for your belief in us and for your support in helping us get there.

Warmly,

Dr. Michael B. Roberts

My quote for the week: “It is because modern education is so seldom inspired by a great hope that

it so seldom achieves great results. The wish to preserve the past rather than the hope of creating

the future hinders the teaching of our youth.” Bertrand Russell

Cougar Bytes - Mark Your Calendars

Information is listed in chronological order.

Picture Day. Picture Day is Tuesday, October 12, 2010. See the article

below for more details.

Raising Respectful, Responsible, Resilient Children: Enhancing Your

Parenting Skills. Join the four-week parenting course and discover easy-

to-implement, effective parenting tools that help parents deal with

challenging behavior, create peaceful homes with greater cooperation and

feel more joy! Classes start Wednesday, October 13, 2010. Download the

flyer for registration information and/or reach out to Karen Jacobson,

School Counselor for more information.

MS Technology Education Sessions. Middle School parents are

encouraged to join us on Thursday, October 14, 2010 from 6:00 -7:30

p.m. for the Technology Education Sessions. Please complete our online

form to confirm your space and arrange childcare through the school.

Moms’ Club. Their first event will take place on Wednesday, October 20,

2010 from 7 p.m. – 9 p.m. at Pops for Champagne. If you haven't already

submitted your intent to attend, please visit

catherinecookschool.org/momsclub. (Please note: our RSVP system is

much friendly to browsers such as Firefox and Google. Explorer - not so

much.)

Halloween Festivities & Parade. Halloween will be celebrated on Friday,

October 29, 2010. Please read the emails for your room parents, and see

the article below for a wild amount of details.

FEAST. The CCS Multicultural Parents Reading Group invites you to join

them on Friday, November 5, 2010 to explore the world. We have

reserved 30 tickets to the knockout play FEAST performed by Chicago

youth who share stories of their diverse neighborhood through the

experience of food. Download the flyer for more information.

CPR Certification for Parents. An opportunity for parents and guardians

to obtain cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) certification is available on

Tuesday, November 9, 2010 from 6:00 – 9:00 p.m. The course is

$50.00/person, and for an optional and additional $20.00 you can purchase

the companion book to take home. Space is limited to thirty (30) people.

Please contact Jennifer Naponelli, our school nurse, to sign-up.

Moms' Club: Save the Date. Friday, November 12, 2010 is the event

with The Greater Chicago Food Depository.

Sibling Applications Deadline. Sibling Applications are due Friday,

November 12, 2010. For more information on Admissions, visit

catherinecookschool.org.

Open House. Our annual Admission Open House will be on Sunday,

November 14, 2010 from 1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. Prospective families will

have the opportunity to meet Dr. Michael Roberts, talk with our faculty and

administrators, meet current parents, and explore the school! If you know

of anyone interested in joining our community, please invite them to

attend. The entire family is welcome and an R.S.V.P. is not necessary.

If you would like to volunteer for this event, please contact Jill Due in the

Admission Office. This is a great opportunity to share your positive

experiences in the school with prospective families and your help is truly

appreciated.

Moms' Club: Save the Date. Thursday, November 18, 2010 is the

event with Cooking Fools.

VIP Day for SK - 4th Graders. On Friday, November 19, 2010, The

Catherine Cook School will host our annual VIP Day. For more information

please read and respond to the article below and be sure to complete the

VIP Information Form by Wednesday, October 13, 2010.

A note from Bob Riccardino, Director of Facilities … and Traffic:

“Thank you for helping make morning drop-off run smoothly. Although I

can’t always see your smiles through the tint of your car windows, I know

they’re there in the morning. PLEASE HELP SPREAD SMILES ACROSS

THE COMMUNITY BY TURNING NORTH ON WEILAND WHEN

DIRECTED TO DO SO. I promise the CCS folks greeting on that side of

the building are just as kind and helpful! Additionally, it will help traffic flow

more efficiently. Thank you.”

Picture Day - Tuesday, October 12

Inter-State Studio will be at The Catherine Cook School on Tuesday, October 12, 2010 for

our annual Picture Day.

By now, your child(ren) should have brought home information on the picture packages. As

noted in the information, each child will receive a complimentary (both free and flattering)

picture package. The package includes:

Light gray background

One (1) -8x10

Two (2) -5x7

Four (4) -3x5

Nine (9) -2x3

One (1) -Class Composite

You do not need to fill out a picture form unless you’re purchasing additional photos or

options (borders, background, etc.). If you have any questions, please reach out PRIOR

TO PICTURE DAY MORNING to the Rachel Pujol.

VIP Day - Friday, November 19

by Kerri Neis

Director of Advancement

On Friday, November 19, 2010, Catherine Cook School will host our annual VIP Day. The

event is an opportunity for our students grades SK through 4th

to invite the very important

people in their lives to come and visit them at CCS and learn more about their lives at

school. We encourage students to invite Grandparents, but recognize that for some

children this might not be possible. When Grandparents can’t attend, we encourage

students to invite an aunt, uncle, neighbor or other special person in their lives to be their

VIP for the event. Festivities will begin with VIPs gathering in the gymnasium from 12:30-

1:00 p.m. for check-in and greetings, followed by visits to their favorite CCS students from

1:00-2:00 p.m. in their classrooms. Students may be dismissed with their VIP when

approved by their parents or guardians at 2:00 for Thanksgiving break. Alternatively,

students may stay at school until normal dismissal times.

Over the summer all parents/guardians received a Grandparent Form to provide or verify

contact information for Grandparents or Special Friends of the family. There was also an

opportunity to indicate if you would like that (those) person(s) to be invited to VIP Day. If

you did not complete the form, would like a different or additional guest invited, or aren’t

sure if you completed the form, please go HERE to provide us with contact information for

the guest you would like invited to the event. (Please complete this form no later than

Wednesday, October 13, 2010.)

We look forward to this delightful day of smiling faces of our extended CCS family!

Admission Notices & Opportunities

by Jill Due

Director of Admission

Open House

Our annual Admission Open House will be on Sunday, November 14, 2010 from 1:00 p.m. until 4:00

p.m. Prospective families will have the opportunity to meet Dr. Michael Roberts, talk with our faculty

and administrators, meet current parents, and explore the school! If you know of anyone interested

in joining our community, please invite them to attend. The entire family is welcome and an R.S.V.P.

is not necessary.

If you would like to volunteer for this event, please email Jill Due in the Admission Office. This is a

great opportunity to share your positive experiences in the school with prospective families and your

help is truly appreciated.

Applications

Applications are currently being accepted. Prospective families should complete an online inquiry

form, and an application will be mailed to them. Applications can be downloaded from our website or

stop by the Main Office to obtain a printed version.

Sibling Applications are due November 12, 2010

New Family Applications are due January 3, 2011

Please visit the school’s website for more information about applying to The Catherine Cook School.

Parent Tours

Do you know any prospective families that are interested in joining The Catherine Cook community?

Now is the time for them to begin their search for an educational home for the 2011-2012 academic

year.

A Parent Tour is a wonderful opportunity for prospective families to get a glimpse of Catherine Cook

in action. The tour schedule is posted on our website. Parents who are interested in CCS should

contact Jill Due at 312.266.3381 ext. 146 or the Main Office to make their reservation to see the

school.

Catherine Cook Cougars Soccer Update

by Coach Sutter

The 2010 Cougars soccer teams’ season has started very competitively. The Cougars

started the season against a very tough and skilled British School. They played extremely

well, but came up short with a 1-0 loss. Bella Olavarria made 10 unbelievable saves to

keep the Cougars in the match. The Cougars gained their first win of the season in their

second match. They defeated St. Stan’s 7-1 on Patrick Breslin’s four goals. Jack

Laurenson, Dani Schulgasser, and Patrick Leversha also scored their first goals of the

season for the Cougars.

This past week the Cougars played a very competitive match against Lycee, but finished

with a 1-0 loss to another very skilled team. The Cougars also played Near North

Montessori last week. Allie Laurenson scored the lone goal for the Cougars and her first

goal on the year. Their record stands at a very competitive 1-3 on the season. Most games

are played at Pulaski Park on Wednesday afternoons at 4pm. Please show your school

spirit and come cheer the Cougars soccer team onto victory!

TLR is Back – Giving Teachers a Break from the Lunchroom

On behalf of Teacher Lunch Relief Chairs Julie Stamato, Sara Slaughter and Stephanie

Sherman, as well as the entire faculty of CCS, thank you Jane McDonough and Gigi

Lubin for volunteering this week!

"A Little Help from My Friends"

by Preschool Teachers Ms.Carli McKenney and Mrs. Amanda Beights

Last week the preschool classes completed a unit about friends. As a culminating activity,

we worked on a special art project in which the children were able to choose a friend to

paint a picture with. The next day each pair worked with a teacher to brainstorm some

ideas about how they could share the picture so each of them could take it home. The

children engaged in many rich discussions about how they might tackle their problem; of

two friends, and one picture! The children came up with several ideas of how to share their

masterpiece. Some of these ideas included; ripping the picture, cutting the picture, and

sharing a piece with someone else. This activity allowed the children to put some of their

sharing strategies and critical thinking skills into practice!

An Apple for the Teacher and Three for her Students

Part of the first grade’s science curriculum is an in-depth study of life cycles. The children

learn about the development of ants, ladybugs, mealworms, pumpkins and apples.

Through hands-on explorations, non-fiction read alouds and web investigations, first

graders are able to see the many similarities and differences between these insects, fruits

and vegetables.

This week, Mrs. Steinhandler’s children used their four senses to learn more about Red

Delicious, Golden Delicious, and Granny Smith apples. They were asked to describe the

taste, feel, look, and smell of each apple using a list of adjectives created by the class in

their science journal. After, they chose the apple they thought tasted the best and graphed

the results. The children were excited to learn that seven children liked the sour and tart

taste of Granny Smith apples but only four liked the shinny and smooth look of Golden

Delicious apples!

The children are looking forward to furthering their study of apples on their fieldtrip to the

County Line apple orchard.

Art Teacher Barb Dawn Visits Shedd Open House

In connection with our Oceans Project this year, our Art Teacher Barb Dawn visited the Shedd

Aquarium’s Educator Open House to learn more about outreach programs and collaborating with one

of Chicago’s most valuable educational resources for marine life and ocean conservation.

“The Shedd Aquarium has wonderful programs for students and teachers to explore, learn and

enjoy,” said Ms. Dawn.

Included in the Open House was a dive presentation in the Center Caribbean Reef, exploration of the

Local Waters Gallery, demonstrations and learning labs, curriculum and lesson planning with Cross

Curricular Connections to the Ocean, and a wonderful Dolphin show.

To learn more about teacher programs at the Shedd, visit sheddaquarium.org/educators.

To see ocean activities in our art classes continue to check Ms. Dawn’s webpage.

Digital Learning Environments

Our 7th/8th Math Teacher, Mr. Jeff Edmonds, is serving as a guest blogger for Digital Learning

Environments: Tools and Technologies for Effective Classrooms.

Read what he and other educators have to say about teaching with technology at their website:

http://www.guide2digitallearning.com/blog.

HALLOWEEN 2010 at CCS! Overview of Events

The CCS Exhibition of Pumpkins: Any CCS student who would like to decorate

a pumpkin and have it on display at school needs to bring it to the specified tables

in the cafeteria between Monday, October 25 - Wednesday, October 27. Please

label each pumpkin with your child's name and class. We will be creating a

slideshow of all submissions for the morning assembly on Friday, October 29. We

also ask that all pumpkins be brought home by the end of Friday. Any left behind

may show up as ghosts next Halloween!

The CCS Annual Halloween Morning Parade: The parade begins at 8:45am at

the Catherine Cook School main doors and will be led by Dr. Roberts. Parents

and paparazzi are encouraged to cheer along the parade route (under "Parade

Details"). It will then conclude in the school gym where assembly will

begin; however, there will not be enough space to accommodate parents at the

assembly.

The CCS Annual Halloween Afternoon Parade for PS and JK: The parade

begins at 12:15pm at the Catherine Cook School main doors and will be led, once

again, by Dr. Roberts. Parents and paparazzi are encouraged to cheer along the

parade route (under "Parade Details").

Classroom Celebrations: Teachers will decide individually whether to continue

the festivities in their respective classrooms. *Please check with your room

parents if the teacher requires a change of clothing for your child for the rest of the

day following the parade and assembly (morning) or parade (afternoon).*

Parade Details

PARKING: For the safety of the children and optimal viewing, THERE WILL BE NO

PARKING ON SCHILLER DURING THE PARADE. Please find legal parking prior to the

parade.

ALTERNATE RAIN PLANS: Parade would take place in the gym and on the 2nd floor track.

PARADE ROUTE: Begins CCS MAIN ENTRANCE, continues WEST on Schiller, SOUTH

on North Park, EAST on Evergreen and returns to the school traveling NORTH on Wells

back to Schiller. CCS will post parent volunteers (in orange t-shirts) throughout the parade

route to ensure maximum safety.

COSTUMES: Costumes should not include masks or weapons.

Donations and Volunteers

We are accepting (non-threatening) donations for decorating our school! If you have any

materials you think may be useful or appropriate, or if you would like volunteer to help,

please contact the Halloween co-chairs, Julie Fuller and Wendy Roseth.

Friday, October 29th - Halloween Day Schedule

8:00am - 8:30am - Students arrive to school at usual times IN COSTUME and go

directly to their classrooms. Parents should park and line the parade route.

8:45am - THE PARADE BEGINS!!!

9:15am (approx.) - Assembly begins.

9:45am - Students return to classrooms.

11:00am - Morning PS dismissal as usual.

11:15am - Morning JK dismissal as usual.

12:00pm - Afternoon PS and JK students arrive to school at usual time IN

COSTUME and go directly to their classrooms. Parents should park and line the

parade route.

12:15pm - THE AFTERNOON PARADE BEGINS!!!

12:45pm - Afternoon PS and JK students return to classrooms.

Afternoon dismissal for all grades as usual.