On Wednesday, June 4, 2008, 21, students in Zio Perez’s pre-k class lined up — each with a giant bag of supplies and goodies — and in assembly-line-format, filled colorful mesh backpacks for students in South Africa. Their teacher will distribute the backpacks, along with other supplies, when she and fellow teacher, Megan Whitney (of Audubon School) return to the Masakheni Fox Educare Centre in Khayelitsha Township this July.

The two women will also do some teacher training and oversee the purchase and installation of new plumbing for the one-room school. Then they will travel on to Swaziland, where they will conduct a training program for teachers at Moya Centre, an educational organization for orphans.

The backpack supplies were purchased and donated through a fundraising project the children have been working on for about a month. To date, they’ve raised over $450, primarily from “presentations” they’ve given to each class in their school.

To learn more about this project, including how to donate, visit http://rainbowteam.givemeaning.com

View the video of the backpack assembling.

Read about the campaign in Skyline.

See more photos.

At Nettelhorst, we’re always learning new ways to care for our environment. We actively participate in “green” events, like Waste Not Wednesday when our sixth graders did a daily trash audit for an entire week.

We also participated in Celebrate Earth Hour. And we were one of the first Chicago public schools to have a Healthy Eating Program, so we also learn about keeping our bodies healthy.

If you haven’t seen our wonderful outdoor artwork on Melrose, you’re missing a treat. Everything is constructed from recycled elements. Our bicycle tree is made of old bicycle parts. Our “glitter tree” is shiny and silvery and beautiful. Made from a donated dead tree limb, it’s decorated with recycled items and birdfeeders (also recycled). Not only is it a treat for people walking through our neighborhood, but it’s a gathering place for hungry birds.

No, the red ribbons gracing the tree on Melrose did not sprout overnight! Nettelhorst students tied them on to wish their mothers Happy Mother’s Day. Hope everyone had a good one.

The new April 2008 Nettelhorst Newsletter is out! You can read it online here or you can download a PDF of the newsletter here.

The new April 2008 Nettelhorst Newsletter is out! You can read it online here or you can download a PDF of the newsletter here.

Nettelhorst Community Group is revolutionizing the bake sale in Lake View. Can the same thing happen in other communities?

By Ben Myers
Editor

Wednesday, April 02, 2008

The transformation of Lake View’s Nettelhorst School from deteriorating facility to vibrant community landmark has been well-covered.

In the summer of 2002, a group of Lake View parents, who met each other as their toddlers played in neighborhood parks, approached Nettelhorst principal Susan Kurland about improving the school-the parents did not want to send their kids to magnet schools or move to the suburbs.

Kurland responded with a simple question. She asked what it would take for the parents to send their kids to Nettelhorst. The parents took it as an invitation to dream, and backed up their requests with action.

“They came back within a day and they had a really long list of all this stuff, and none of it was unrealistic,” Kurland said. “I remember saying ‘Well ladies, roll up your sleeves, you’ve got a lot of work to do.’” (more…)

L & R Anixter Foundation Awards Generous Gift to Our  School

Nettelhorst Dreams is becoming Nettelhorst Reality!

We’ve received a wonderful gift of  $50,00 from Chicago’s L&R Anixter Foundation.  With this donation, we’ve raised well over 50% towards our goal of $230,000 — in just under three months — with no publicity until now!

“We were impressed the moment we walked into the school. The atmosphere was much different than I would have expected in a public school…lots of warmth and the feeling that there were many components at work to enrich the kids’ lives. We found a very dedicated group of teachers working with equally dedicated parents to ensure that their kids are getting the best education possible. L&R foundation is happy to support activities that are going to benefit children in the area.”
Steven Anixter,  L&R Anixter Foundation

Named after Lester and Rosalie Anixter, the L & R Anixter Foundation is a family foundation dedicated to charitable giving.

The new March 2008 Nettelhorst Newsletter is out! You can read it online here or you can download a PDF of the newsletter here.

The spring schedule of extra-curricular offerings for children from toddler & pre-school to 8th grade is here. The Jane’s Place Spring session runs from March 24th – June 6th. Jane’s Place classes will not run on days when CPS schools are not in session.

Payment for classes should be attached to the registration form or placed in a sealed envelope and dropped into the Jane’s Place box in the front office no later than Wednesday March 12th. Many classes fill up fast and we will do our best to accommodate you and your child. Enrollment will be processed upon receipt so earlier is better than later!

If you have questions about a particular class, registration, or scholarship options- please contact Jane Cornett at (773) 534-5817 or nettelhorst_afterschool@yahoo.com.

Nettelhorst received a brief, but very honorable mention, in Education Reporter Stephanie Banchero’s front page story in the Chicago Tribune, February 26, 2008.

The article focused on the dilemma of Chicago area parents who are trying to get their children into “the best magnet, private and parochial schools in the city”. Nettelhorst was cited, along with Ray Elementary School in Hyde Park, as one of two regular neighborhood schools where the number of children on waiting lists outpaced openings. Read the article: Parents face cut-throat competition — for kindergarten