Newsletter, March 2013 1 to Teach, to Educate, to Form

To teach, to educate, to form

EAST LAKE ACADEMY March 2013

NNEWSLETTEEWSLETTERR Virtue of the Month: Perseverance

www.eastlakeacademy.org

EAST LAKE HAPPENINGS

IN THIS ISSUE

2013 East Lake Happenings 1 Summer Program 1

Student Perspective 2 Make your plans now for an entertaining and educational summer! Admissions Update 2 Spanish Heritage Day 2 Create unique crafts Play exciting games Prepare delicious snacks Science Fair 3 Apostolic Update 4-5 This year the summer program begins on Music Update 5 Principal Update 6 and runs through Monday, June 19 Friday, August 16 Classroom News & Views 6

Science Phun Day 6 JOIN US FOR... Just Catholic 7

 Inspiring academics  Exciting field trips  Afternoons at the beach In the Spotlight 8 Community News 8

Our Town - Favorite Authors - Cooking The Rainforest - Animals - Cooking Upcoming Events: Please mark your calendars.

 04/26 - Holy Hour - 8:30 am

The Science of Music - Math Fun - Art Baby Sitter Training - Sewing - Math  04/26 - PreK Mass - 10:45 am  04/26 - Pizza Lunch  04/26 - STRIVE Boys Club 6:30 pm Spend the afternoon at Lake Bluff’s Olympic-sized pool or relax on the shore of Lake Michigan  04/26 - STRIVE Girls Club 6:30 pm at Sunrise Beach.  05/03 - STRIVE Boys Club 6:30 pm Summer Field Trips  05/10 - May Crowning

Shedd Aquarium Orbit Skate Rink Grandparents Day Sci Tech Museum Scaumberg Bloomer’s Game  05/10 - Progress Reports Distributed  05/10 - STRIVE Boys Club 6:30 pm This Year’s Themes Safari  05/13 - Signed Progress Reports Star Wars Returned Retro  05/15 - Prek3 & 4 Open House 7:00 pm  05/16 - Prek3 & 4 Open House 9:30 am For information or to sign up contact: Barbara Campanella 847-247-0035  05/17 - Pizza Lunch  05/22 - Schoolbelles Uniform Sale

8:00 - 9:30 am ELA Gym  05/24 - Holy Hour - 8:30 am  05/24 - PreK Mass - 10:00 am  05/24 - 11:00 Dismissal Teacher Appreciation Luncheon  05/27 - No School Memorial Day  05/31 - End of 4th Quarter  05/31 - STRIVE Girls Club 6:30 pm

East Lake Academy Newsletter, March 2013 1 To teach, to educate, to form

Student Perspective

PADS TRIP SPEEDY SERAPHIM By: Max Calk By: Hanna Kiernan

“It is not how much we give but how The East Lake Academy Track much love we put into giving.” – Mother season is underway with about Teresa. thirty students joining us.

When some of my classmates and I Headed by our Principal and head went to the PADS shelter on Saturday, coach Mrs. Patel, and our other April 6, we helped to feed homeless and hungry people. coaches Mr. Burkett, Dr. DiCara, and Mrs. Finlayson, it is sure to be a winning group fifth through eighth grade PADS is a shelter which gives homeless people beds to sleep students. on and food to eat. After placing and making pads to serve as beds, we helped put out the food. We also served the Practices are afterschool until four o’clock. The meets people. When we received smiles back, it gave me a nice are separated between fifth and sixth, and seventh and feeling. After dinner we cleaned the counter while Mr. Kow- eighth graders. Unfortunately, our first 3 meets have alski, our chaperone, gave us updates on the March Madness been cancelled due to the bad weather! games. This experience was fun because I did it with friends that make me laugh and keep me in a good mood. The championship meet will be held on May 11th at 9am for all 5th-8th grade athletes. As Mother Teresa said, “I put all my effort into giving the less -fortunate my time”, which added to my good mood. The meets are all held at Lake Forest Academy.

And, of course, dinner at Culver’s afterwards was great too! Hope you can come out and cheer on the Seraphim!

ADMISSIONS UPDATE SPANISH HERITAGE DAY

The Open House was rescheduled for February 21st Save the Date! In spite of threatening weather…again, all went smoothly and attendance was On Thursday, May 2, 2013 fantastic! East Lake Academy will celebrate Spanish Heritage Day Admissions is very busy with many dis- for grades Pre-K –Grade 3. cerning families. Please keep all pro- spective families in your prayers as we Songs & Skits continue to grow in our mission at East are on the horizon for a morning of fun! Lake Academy. Mrs. Elizabeth Simutis Director of Admissions The activities will begin at 9:30 a.m. If anyone you know missed the open followed by a light snack. house and would like a personal tour, please have them call me to schedule one. Please join us for this fun-filled activity and watch as

this wonderful group of students show off their Spanish The best way to learn DON’T MISS OUT OUR NEXT skills. about the mission of PREK OPEN HOUSE

East Lake is to witness May 15th - 7:00 p.m. the teachers and stu- & ¡Nos vemos allí! dents in action. May 16th - 9:00 a.m.

In Christ, Sra. Gonzalez y Sra. Finlayson Elizabeth Simutis

East Lake Academy Newsletter, March 2013 2 To teach, to educate, to form

Science Fair Mr. Nuccio

All Judges are in Agreement: ELA’s Science Fair a Huge Success!

On Wednesday, April 10th, East Lake Academy held its annual Science Fair.

Students in grades 5 – 8 exhibited the results of months of scientific inquiry, experimentation, and investigation by filling the gym with their impressive displays. That afternoon, students presented their projects to a panel of judges com- prised of current and former East Lake parents, friends of current families, and even a few teachers (thanks, Ms. Kinzler and Mr. Stack!).

The children thoroughly impressed the judges with their maturity and good manners, and several judges spoke highly of the students’ ability to explain their experiments with clarity and confi- dence.

Later that night, parents were invited to come and see the projects and to cele- brate the culmination of months of hard work on the part of their children (and themselves!).

After having the opportunity to survey projects for a while, students and parents gathered in the middle of the gym as the moment of truth was at hand: It was time for Mrs. Fuller to announce the top places in this year’s Science Fair. Here are the results:

2ND PLACE WINNER 3RD PLACE WINNER 4TH PLACE WINNER

Allen Mons Max Calk Kiki Ogbuefi 5th grade 7th grade 7th grade

TH OVERALL WINNER 5 PLACE WINNER

Isabelle Haser Karina Kavanagh 8th grade 8th grade

Congratulations to all participants, as this year’s scores were the highest they’ve ever been.

Well done, young Newtons! Saint Albert the Great, patron of scientists, is proud of you!

East Lake Academy Newsletter, March 2013 3 To teach, to educate, to form

APOSTOLIC UPDATE Maureen Kowalski

We are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus, to do good work. Ephesians 2:10

The students have completed their Lenten Apostolic Projects.

Most notably, the snack donations offered for Beacon Place were so appreciated! On behalf of Barb Karacic, Director of Beacon Place, and the children she serves, THANK YOU!

Volunteering at Feed My Starving Children was a moving experience for all who participated!

Grades 3-8 fed hundreds of starving children in Haiti, We’re grateful for the many parents who offered their as they joyfully hand-packed meals for the severely time to chaperone and serve alongside us! malnourished.

Grades 5, 6, 7, and 8 have enjoyed their opportunities to volunteer at PADS this year.

They made beds, served dinner, and washed dishes for the PADS guests. Even grades K-4 indirectly “volunteered” by making spiritual placemats, which the PADS guests LOVED!

They’ve never received such personal and lovingly made items, when moving from shelter to shelter.

Because the shelter we volunteered in is a family shelter, many of our students were moved from serving homeless chil- dren who are their own age. This PADS shelter only operates during the months of October-April.

Please keep the families who rely on these PADS shelters, in your prayers.

East Lake Academy Newsletter, March 2013 4 To teach, to educate, to form

APOSTOLIC UPDATE Maureen Kowalski

We are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus, to do good work. Ephesians 2:10

Currently, the students in grades K-8 are visiting retirement homes this month.

Grades K-2 visited Winchester House

The residents received such pleasure from praying the rosary with our students and listening to them sing a few songs.

Grades 3-5 will be going to Little Sisters of the Poor-St. Joseph’s Home to attend Mass with the residents and to entertain them with delightful songs, while grades 6-8 will be heading to Queen Convent at Resurrec- tion Health Center. The residents at this location are looking forward to praying the rosary with our students.

Looking ahead, the apostolic committee is eagerly planning a very fun afternoon, on Sunday, June 2nd, at 2:00, for our girls who have been growing their hair long in anticipation of donating 10”-12” ponytails. Touche Salon in Liber- tyville has graciously agreed to support our endeavor and will be cutting the ponytails that will be donated to Wigs for Kids. They have also offered a free professional cut and style to each girl who donates! Your encouragement, as these girls enter their final months of growing their hair, is truly appreciated! (Specific details will be forthcoming, to those who’ve already given their intent on participating.)

The apostolic committee is incredibly grateful to our parents who assist us in apostolic formation! We could not plan these meaningful, hands-on experiences without your willingness to transport and chaperone for our excursions! Thank you!

East Lake Academy of Music Update

The East Lake Academy of Music piano program, directed by Dr. Hector Rasgado is flourishing. We thank him for his great commitment to the musical growth of nearly 40 students including a few parents.

The spring concert will be held on Sunday, June 9th at 2:00 PM at the MYA Center located at 878 Lyster Road, Highwood

Everyone is welcome!

East Lake Academy Newsletter, March 2013 5 To teach, to educate, to form

Principal Update

Many of our 8th grade students recently made their Confirmation.

I was honored to be chosen as a confirmation sponsor by one of our students.

Mr. Stack (our 8th grade homeroom teacher) was honored 3 times over, as he sponsored 3 different candidates for Confirmation!

I have worked closely with these students Mrs. Patel over the last three years and watching them Principal make this sacramental step in their Faith jour- ney was a true joy.

Baptism, First Holy Communion and Confirmation make up the 3 Sacraments of Initiation into the Catholic Faith. Although our Faith formation needs to be ongoing through the teen years and into adulthood, in the eyes of the church, after making our Confirmation, we are fully initiated into the Catholic Faith.

If you never had the opportunity to make your Confirmation, most churches offer RCIA programs (Rite to Christian Initi- ation of Adults) throughout the year. This is a class well worth taking because you learn so much about the Catholic Faith. It is always a beautiful thing to learn about our Faith alongside of our children and truly journey towards heaven as a family!

CLASSROOM NEWS & VIEWS

SCIENCE PHUN DAY Miss Campanella

In March for Science Phun Day, we discussed polymers, which are formed when special molecular "building blocks" called monomers connect together like links In a chain.

Many different materials are polymers, including hair, spider silk, rubber, silicone, amber, rayon, and plastic. The stu- dents came up with several parallels between these molecular building blocks and the idea of "building" in the Faith: Noah built the Ark; Joseph was a carpenter; we are all called to build up the Kingdom of God.

For some hands-on phun, we mixed white glue with a Borax and water solution to get pieces of the polymer to link to- gether to make slime! Here is the recipe:

1. Borax solution: Measure 1 teaspoon of Borax (found in grocery store near laundry detergent) and put it into a small container. Fill the container with about a cup of water and mix t dissolve.

2. Mixing slime: In a separate container, pour in white glue. The amount glue will determine how much slime you end up with. Next, pour a small amount of Borax solution into the glue, mixing it together with a spoon or craft stick. After stirring, if slime is still sticky, add a bit more Borax solution. Note: your slime may come out differently depending on how strong your solution is and how much solution you mix with the glue. That's okay! You can even experiment with different amounts. 3. Have Phun!

East Lake Academy Newsletter, March 2013 6 To teach, to educate, to form

JUST CATHOLIC

Pope Francis is the first Jesuit Pope. The Jesuits are just one out of a multitude of different religious orders, each offering unique spiritual path for living out the Catholic faith.

Are these hundreds of spiritual paths really necessary?

Wouldn’t it be much simpler to live a general Catholic spirituality following the teachings of the Church? Does the Church really need... Franciscans Dominicans Jesuits Missionaries of Charity Do we really need movements like... Opus Dei Regnum Christi Br. Brett Focolare Neocatechumenal Way

Can’t we just be Catholic? To dig a little deeper, let’s try to imagine plain vanilla Catholic life that was never touched by the influence of religious orders. There would still be dioceses and parishes where all seven Sacraments are celebrated. There would be a Pope, bishops, priests, and deacons. Priests would say Mass and give homilies. People would be baptized. Couples would be married. The deceased would have funeral Masses. Priests would hear confessions. There would still be the Bible and the teachings of the Church. We would still have prayers like the “Our Father” and the “Creed”. It would seem like we would have all the bases covered.

So what might be missing? We would have to imagine a much different type of prayer life. Without the...  Dominicans, we would not pray the Rosary.  Franciscans, we would we have Eucharistic Adoration, Stations of the Cross, or the Angelus.  Cistercians we would not have the Memorare prayer which we recite daily at school.  Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy, Saint Faustina Kowalska would not have given us the Chaplet of Divine Mercy.  Benedictines we would not have the Come Holy Spirit prayer or the Hail Holy Queen prayer.  Jesuits there would be no spiritual exercises.

Great projects would never have come into existence.

 There would be no Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, nor any  Philosophy and Theology would not have been developed. Gothic architecture anywhere else.  The first universities would never have been founded.  There would be no Catholic churches in Americas, sub-Saharan  Few hospitals would have existed before modern times. Africa or the Far East.  Our Lady of Guadalupe might never have appeared to Saint  The Church’s contributions to the development of modern sci- Juan Diego in Mexico if he had not first received the faith from ence would have been very few. Franciscan missionaries.

These are just a few practical examples of how the special gifts of religious institutes have benefited the Catholic Church as a whole.

Religious orders are more than just a practical necessity for the Church. Pope John Paul II emphasized that religious orders in the Church “can never fail to be one of her essential and characteristic elements…The idea of a Church made up only of sacred ministers and lay people does not therefore conform to the intentions of her divine Founder.” (Vita Consecrata 29) In other words, religious institutes are an essential part of Christ’s plan. The Church needs brothers, nuns, and consecrated men and women. Our primary mission is not to staff institutions, but rather to make present in the Church the mystery of Christ’s poverty, chastity, and obedience. The gifts that the Church has received through religious orders all come from the mystery of Christ and they lead to a deeper union with Him.

The word “Catholic” does not mean simple or generic. “Catholic” comes from the Greek word that means universal. Christ does not call all people to become involved with a religious institute, but he calls all religious to share their spiritu- al gifts with the whole Church. Being Catholic means being open to the gifts of the Holy Spirit, and being willing to share those gifts with the whole Church. Pope Francis does not need to stop being a Jesuit now that he is the Pope. Rather, the spiritual gifts that he has received as a Jesuit are now at the service of an even greater mission.

Yours in Christ, Br Brett Taira, LC

East Lake Academy Newsletter, March 2013 7 To teach, to educate, to form

Our Mission The specific mission of East Lake Academy is summa- IN THE SPOTLIGHT rized in the motto, Integer Homo (Latin for "the whole man"); that is, providing its students with an integral formation. Our educational program consists of three COMMUNITY NEWS essential elements: teaching, educating, forming.

To teach means to provide the student with the intellec- Many blessings and miracles come from our school on a daily basis. Praise God tual capabilities, content and skills needed to respond for all the good news! to the demands of today's society.

To educate means to train the student in the habit of intellectual rigor, structured reasoning, and in the appre- ciation of beauty; it means to cultivate sensitivity, memory, imagination; and finally, to develop the art of communication and the ability to express oneself clear- ly and elegantly. Avery John Lagman

To form is to lead the student to become a person for Born others, with an upright ethical code, sensitivity toward the needs of others- especially the most disadvantaged April 5th 2013 at 10:34 pm. - and an openness to human and spiritual values. . Weight 3 lbs 2 oz height 16 inches.

In this way students are prepared not just for profes- sional success, but also for their self-realization as per- Proud parents sons and authentic Christians in the various facets of Geraldine and Errol their personal and professional lives. .

Proud big sister Administration Aralynne Mr. John T. Calk President Mrs. Jennifer Patel Principal Mrs. Rosario Echavez Dean of Academics Mrs. Elizabeth Simutis Admissions Director Mrs. Anne O’Donovan Administrative Assistant . Mrs. Kathleen Calk Parent Association Fr. Matthew Kaderabek Chaplain

Faculty

Mrs. Maureen Kowalski PK-3 Mrs. Barbara Campanella PK-4 Mrs. Denean Gorman PK-4 Miss Mary Sponseller Kindergarten Congratulations to the Mrs. Geraldine Lagman 1st Grade Miss Carolyn Munda 2nd Grade Christoffel Family Miss Elizabeth Friers 3rd Grade Mrs. Julie Biasco 4th Grade On the birth of their new son Mr. Matthew Nuccio 5th Grade & Grade 4th Spanish Miss Sarah Kinzler 6th Grade Homeroom, Middle School Language Arts & Religion Peter Mrs. Loredana Fuller 7th Grade Homeroom, Middle School Science & Math Mr. John Stack 8th Grade Homeroom, Middle School History, Religion & Math Ms. Marianela Gonzalez Spanish (Grades 3-8) Mrs. Maritza Finlayson Spanish (Prek3-2nd Grade) Miss Katie McCarthy Art & After-Care Director Mrs. Julie Handrich PK-4 Aide & Physical education Mrs. Debbie Sapienza PK-3 Extended Day Miss. Danielle Campanella PK-Aide & After-Care

East Lake Academy Congratulations to the 13911 W. Laurel Dr. / Lake Forest, IL 60045 Kahn Family (847) 247-0035 and big sister Haadiya Kahn (Kindergarten)! www.eastlakeacademy.org Mr. and Mrs. Kahn welcomed the newest addition to their family, a beautiful daughter, over spring break.

We look forward to enrolling baby We welcome your comments, questions and sug- gestions regarding this newsletter: Amira Kahn in the years to come! [email protected]

East Lake Academy Newsletter, March 2013 8