|
|
December 20, 2007
Volume 1, Issue 4
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
IN THE NEWS
College Counseling
Dear Parents,
'Tis the season for early college admissions notifications, and, as a result, the time year for the media to fan the flames of already anxious parents and students. I am referring to articles like the recent "How to get into Harvard" which appeared in the Wall Street Journal. The article tracked 7,000 freshmen from the "best" eight colleges (Harvard, Princeton, MIT, etc.) to find out where they went to high school. The author proceeded to rank how well those high schools did at "getting kids in" to such universities. Although the reporter from WSJ contacted us to participate, Latin is not on that list--for many reasons. First, we felt strongly that the topic of the article contradicts our philosophy about the college counseling process. We also felt the methods used for collecting the data were entirely unscientific given the number of factors that go into college selection and admission. Lastly, we do not wish to foster, in any way, the fears and anxiety of our students and their families at such a sensitive time.
Two organizations to which we belong, the NAIS (National Association of Independent Schools) and the ACCIS (Association of College Counselors in Independent Schools) both submitted letters to the editor of WSJ in response to this article which shared our concerns. Click here to read those responses.
Have a wonderful holiday,
Don Firke
Facilities Update
Following are some of the changes that have taken place in the US and LS buildings as a result of the new MS opening:
Upper School Changes:
- The Admissions staff has been consolidated into a new office suite on the second floor.
- The Summer at Latin staff moved to a vacated office on the 5th floor.
- The High Jump staff that were off-site have moved back to Latin and are located on the 5th floor.
- Several rooms were made into conference rooms--bringing our total to 10. This allows faculty and staff the opportunity to have private meetings or phone conversations with parents, students and other individuals.
- Two faculty offices were added on the 5th floor.
- The Upper School Deans now have private offices.
- The Upper level of the cafeteria is being converted to a cyber café. New soft seating and tall tables with stools will be put in place during winter break.
- Tim Cronister, Director of Student Life moved into a new office at the back of the cafeteria.
- Frankie Brown, Dean of Multicultural Affairs moved into a new office on the 3rd floor.
- We created a new faculty lounge and a larger work room.
- Upper School gained an additional nine classrooms, including a computer lab, when the Middle School moved.
Lower School Changes:
- Creating new conference rooms in the former Admissions office space and the former Office of Multicultural Affairs space bringing the LS total to five.
|
EVENTS
Middle School Mural Installation
 Please join us for a reception on Tuesday, January 22, to celebrate the installation of the mural "Layers of History, Layers of Meaning" in the Middle School lobby. The reception will be from 4-6 p.m. Meet the artists and get a glimpse of the process that brought this work into being, from the artists working with Latin fifth and sixth graders to their discovery of a rusty iron heart.
RSVP to celebrate@latinschool.org or (312) 582-6040.
Math Contest
Registration for Latin School's 9th
annual math contest is now open. This contest is open to 5th, 6th, 7th,
and 8th graders from all schools in the Chicago area. It will be held
on Saturday, January 26, 2008, from 8 a.m. to noon. Please contact
Warren Hawley, Meet Director, for details.
Scholarship Dinner
Save the date - February 23, 2008 - for Latin's biennial Scholarship Dinner! The Scholarship Dinner committee is already hard at work to ensure that it is a fabulous evening for all and that we reach our goal of raising $800,000. You can learn more about Latin's Scholarship Program and the Scholarship Dinner online. If you have any questions or would like to volunteer, please e-mail Carrie Scott in the Development Office at cscott@latinschool.org.
|
ACADEMICS
US Parents' Council Roundtable: Discussion of Curriculum Issues with Latin's Academic Program Consultants
Learn about curriculum options to help your teen through the curriculum selection process. Join us on Monday, January 14, in the Upper School Library from 6:30-8 p.m. to discuss curriculum issues with Anil Chopra, Dave Fript, David Marshall, Jeff Windus, Ted Graf and Jeff Walkington.
Middle School Science Day - Seeking Volunteers!
 Science Day at Latin Middle School takes place this year on Wednesday, February 13, from 12:45 - 3:25 p.m. Science professionals will share their passion and knowledge of science with the whole Middle School in a series of small workshop sessions.
If you or someone you know would like to volunteer as a presenter, please contact Matt Casey, Chia-Chee Chiu or Christine Tantoco for more information.
Some examples of professions we seek are:
- Geneticist, Physicist, Chemist
- Forensic scientist/detective
- Engineer (mechanical, electrical, environmental, biomedical)
- Software and hardware designer
- Pharmacist, Astronomer
- Nurse, Medical doctor (any specialty)
- Veterinarian, Wildlife conservationist
- Science researcher, Epidemiologist/Infectious Disease researcher
|
STUDENT LIFE
Five Environmental Holiday Tips (from the City of Chicago and Latin's environmental clubs)
- Encourage your children to color brown paper bags for the gifts they give;
- Decorate your tree and/or home with holly, cedar, berries, fruits, and nuts;
- Consider buying a live Christmas tree and planting it in the spring;
- Recycle your cut Christmas tree at various Chicago parks on Jan. 8 and get a year's supply of blue bags (for park locations call 311);
- Buy reusable mugs as holiday gifts in the Spirit Shop.
7th Annual MLK Day of Service
As part of this year's events to honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., we will have a toiletry drive from December 4 through January 19. Our goal is to present 500 guests of the Uptown Baptist soup kitchen with gift bags on January 21.
Drop your items off in the bin near the US reception desk. We hope that everyone at Latin will participate!
We need at least 500 of each of the following items:
- Toothbrushes
- Soap
- Disposable Razors (Goal 1,500: 3 per bag)
- Shampoo
- Toothpaste
- Deodorant (Very Important Item)
- Lotion
- Socks (Very Important Item: new, unused)
All small to mid-size containers, please. (No giant lotion and shampoo containers, no toy cell phones, no knee braces, old coats, pocket knives, or United Airlines headphones. Thanks!)
Donate Your Used Cameras
As many of you know, Latin has a wonderful photography program, darkroom, photography magazine, VIDI, and a Photography Club. As enrollment in photo classes has been increasing, we are asking for donations of used cameras. Please consider donating your used Polaroid, 35mm or larger film cameras and any functioning digital cameras. With proper documentation, gift-in-kind letters will be provided for tax donation purposes. Feel free to contact Latin School's photography teacher, Betty Lark Ross, at bross@latinschool.org or (312) 582-6332.
|
RECENT EVENTS
Ellis Island Project
 On December 13,
Latin School second graders participated in their annual Ellis Island
simulation. Wearing clothes from many different parts of the world, the
students carried bags and suitcases filled with only their most
precious possessions. They spent the morning standing in lines,
undergoing mock physical examinations, being checked for lice, and
answering questions from surly immigration officials-played by parent
and faculty volunteers.
They learned about how harshly immigrants were often treated, the
confusion many of their ancestors must have felt coming to a new
country, and how they often ended up in unexpected parts of the United
States with new names they had been assigned.
|
|
|
DECEMBER
Friday, Dec. 21
12 p.m. Winter Break begins
JANUARY
Monday, Jan. 7
Faculty in-service: No classes
Tuesday, Jan. 8
Classes resume
Thursday, Jan. 10
College symposium, alumni panel
Friday, Jan. 11
8:15 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. Parents' Council Executive Committee Meeting
Monday, Jan. 14
5:00 p.m. Board of Trustees meeting
6.30 p.m. US Roundtable
Wednesday, Jan. 16
1:30 p.m. M/US MLK Assembly
6:30 p.m. College symposium for 11th grade parents
|
PHOTO GALLERY
View photographs and videos of past events in our photo gallery.
|
SUMMER AT LATIN
Registration for Summer at Latin opens in early January! Catalogs are coming soon. Sign up early!
|
|
BLUE BOOK CHANGES
To view changes in the Blue Book (BB), please visit the Head of School section in Edline. Please e-mail registrar@latinschool.org with changes in the printed information. Unauthorized Use of Blue BookMany families have reported receiving unsolicited business mailings to their addresses listed in the Latin Blue Book. Please remember, as noted on page one of the Blue Book, "This publication is solely for communication of school-related matters among members of the school community. Its use for any other purpose, particularly solicitation or commercial matters, is not authorized ...." Thank you for following this important school guideline. |
The Latin School of Chicago
info@latinschool.org
|
|
|
BUY A BRICK!