Judson Summer Music Camps

Received via email from an enthusiastic past-participant:

Fox Valley Music Camp{RE}Mix at Judson University

Monday, June 24th – Friday, June 28th

Overview

Established in 2006, The Fox Valley Music Camp at Judson University offers an enriching, fun-filled week of music-making for students in grades Kindergarten through High School.

Young students (K-2nd grade) come for a half-day camp and focus on music basics, play fun games, make crafts and sing songs. They enjoy performing on the stage in a group recital at the end of the week.

Elementary aged students (3rd-5th grades) explore music fundamentals, learn to play simple instruments like chimes and recorders and have the option to take private lessons if they are already studying an instrument. Campers prepare for a recital at the end of the week.

Older students (6th-12th grades) have 2 private lessons on their instrument of choice (or voice), participate in small ensembles and explore music theory/composition and history. Students elect either a Classical or Contemporary Worship Track. An IMEA Audition Prep program is available for all instrumentalists (9th -12th grades) intending to audition in the fall of 2013. A recital caps the week.

Faculty mini-concerts conclude each day, to which camper families are invited.

Details

Entering kindergarten – 2nd grade half day camp

9:00am – Noon

Younger students will focus on having fun with music – from playing in a rhythm ensemble to making crafts, playing musical games and singing together in a choir that will perform for family and friends at the end of the week.
Cost: $125

Entering 3rd – 5th grade full day camp

9:00am – 4:00pm

This age group will have a time of experimentation and discovery as they explore various instruments at an instrument “petting zoo.” Students will sing in a choir, play in a chime ensemble and be introduced to the recorder. Optional private lessons are also available for students studying an instrument (additional $50 for two 30-minute private lessons). A recital will conclude the week.
Cost: $225 including lunch ($275 if private lessons elected)

Entering 6th – 12th grade full day camp

9:00am – 4:00pm

Older students will develop skill on their chosen instruments through two 30-minute private lessons and ensemble work – with time to make some friends along the way! Students will elect either the Classical Track or the Contemporary Worship Track.

  • Classical Track
    For students in grades 6-12 interested in pursuing a traditional band/orchestra instrument, piano, percussion and ensemble work. Also for IMEA Audition Prep* students. Music theory/composition and history will be studied.
    *IMEA Audition Prep
    Includes mock auditions and preparation of audition material through both ensemble rehearsals and instrument-specific assistance in sectionals. This program is open to 9th – 12th grade musicians (any instrument) who intend to audition for District and All-State Competitions in the fall of 2013. Professor Joanna Newby will again be directing this successful program.
  • Contemporary Worship Track
    For students in grades 6-12 interested in forming a worship band with instruction in electric or acoustic guitar, electric keyboard or piano, vocals and drums. Song writing and an opportunity to use the Recording Studio will be offered.
    {RE}Mix: classical instruments like violin, cello, flute, sax, brass etc. are welcome!

Camp Cost: $275 (including lunch and two private lessons)

Questions? Please e-mail FVMC@judsonu.edu or call (847) 628-1110.

Registration Deadlines

Early Bird Discount: Friday, May 24, 2013.
Final: Friday, June 14, 2013

Financial Aid

A limited amount of financial aid is available to campers in need, on a first come, first served basis. Contact Cheryl Richardson at 847.628.1110 or FVMC@judsonu.edu for more information.

Click here to Register Online for the Fox Valley Music Camp.

Click here to view the brochure or fill out the print registration form instead.

Science class in Elburn for 5-7 year olds

Science In Your Own Backyard

Who: Boys and Girls ages 5 – 7 (The class is limited to 15 students – first come first served)

What: Science Fun

When: 9:00 Am – 11:00 am

May 15, May 22, May 29, June 5, and June 12

(Please plan to attend all sessions!!!!!!!)

Where:  Elburn, IL 60119 (please contact coordinator for specific address)

Why: To provide young children with the opportunity to think like a scientist and to explore their environment.

Please email Dr. Figgins at: lfiggins@quixnet.net to reserve your student’s spot in the class. Call 630-319-7913 if you have questions.

Please plan to pay $5.00 per session at the first session ($25). The fee covers materials and the cost of hiring a K-2 specialist (Dr. Carolyn Riley) to help with these experiences.

Because the children are so young, we would like for you to stay with your student. This will provide needed support, but more importantly, allow you to follow up at home during the week – which will make the sessions even more valuable.

Materials that will be provided for your student:
Science Notebooks
Hand lens
Seeds, etc. to grow plants at home, too
Other materials as needed

Fishing at Blackwell

So thankful to see more outdoor activities cropping up that don’t involve snow or sand-bagging!

Fishing Clinic for Beginners

Location: Blackwell
Friday, April 26, 2013
4 p.m. – 6 p.m.Learn fish ecology and identification as well as techniques and regulations. Ages 6 and up; under 18 with an adult. Free. Registration begins two weeks prior. Call (630) 933-7248.

Check out their website for more details on this and other events. http://www.dupageforest.org/Calendar.aspx?id=4682&startdate=2013-04-26T21:00:00

Co-op Open House in Oak Park

Received this helpful information via email:
Our Community Coop is having an open house on Friday, 4/26.

The Community Co-op is a family-oriented resource for homeschool families
located in Oak Park, Illinois, serving Chicago and its surrounding suburbs. We
are a non-profit organization officially founded as the “Community Organization
for Near West Homeschoolers”, but affectionately known as the “The Community
Co-op” or “Co-op” for short. Our group offers homeschool enrichment activities
for homeschooling families once a week, for a day of friends, fun and learning.
Our mission is to create an environment for educational enrichment where
homeschooling families can work co-operatively in an atmosphere of mutual
respect and interest-driven exploration, while maintaining our personal learning
styles and sharing them with the group at large.

Visit our website at: http://nearwesthomeschoolers.org/

Coop Open House
Friday, 4/26 from 6:30-8pm
Parkview Presbyterian Church
641 S Oak Park Ave
Oak Park Il

Upcoming plays for youth at Pheasant Run

Spring & Summer Field Trips 2013 Tickets: $8

Charlotte’s Web: The Musical
May 10 & 17, 2013; 9:30am & 11:30am

June 19, 2013; 9:30am & 11:30am
For Grades K – 5 ; Running time 55 minutes

This is a beautiful, knowing musical about friendship that will give your students an opportunity to see one of the best children’s books of all time come to life!

The BFG

May 13, 2013 @ 9:30am & 11:30am
June 28, 2013; 9:30am & 11:30am
Running time 45 minutes

When orphan Sophie is snatched from her bed by a Giant, she fears that he’s going to eat her. But the Giant has no intention of harming her. He is THE BIG FRIENDLY GIANT! Together, they’ll have to come up with a plan to defeat the other nasty giants and save the children of England from getting eaten like popcorn. Adapted from the Roald Dahl book,

The Diary of Anne Frank

May 15, 2013 @ 9:30am & 11:30am

For Grades 5-8; Running time 1 hour

This important book is brought to life in this moving play. Your students will get to hear Anne’s words first hand in this important part of your Holocaust studies.

The Giver

April 22, 23, 24, 26, 2013 @ 9:30am & 11:30am  |  May 9, 2013 @ 9:30am & 11:30am

For Grades 5-8; Running time 75 minutes

In a utopian community where “love” , “choices”, and “pain” are things of the past, 12-year-old Jonas is chosen to become the new Receiver of Memory, the one to bear the collective memories of a society where “Sameness” is the rule. He discovers the lie that his community is built on, and decides to rescue himself and Gabriel, the new child trusted to his care. Based on the prize-winning book by Lois Lowry.

Fractured Fairy Tales

April 29, 2013 @ 9:30am & 11:30am
May 6, 2013 @ 9:30am & 11:30am

July 10, 2013 @ 9:30am & 11:30am

For Grades K-8; Running time 50 minutes

Jack and the Beanstalk, The Emperor’s New Clothes, Henny Penny, The Tortoise and the Hare, and three other stories get the Chicago-style improv treatment in this wild and wacky show!

The Jungle Book

May 1 & 8, 2013 @ 9:30am & 11:30am | For Grades K-4; Running time 1 hour

This exciting new musical full of Music, Dance and Percussion will introduce your students to Rudyard Kipling’s Classic Tale.

50 States in 60 Minutes

May 3 & 14, 2013 @ 9:30am & 11:30am

For Grades 3-8; Running time 1 hour

Hold on to your hat for this breakneck tour through 500 years of America’s story! Columbus, the Pilgrims, the Salem Witch Trials, the founding of the Republic – and everything since then gets covered in one energetic fun-filled hour.

Number the Stars

April 30, 2013 @ 10:00am| For Grades 5-8; Running time 55 minutes

When Nazis start rounding up Jewish families in Copenhagen for relocation, 13 year-old Annemarie Johannsen finds her courage tested as she and her family work to smuggle Jewish families out of Denmark into Sweden. An adventure story based on real-life history, adapted from Lois Lowry’s book.

Fabulous Fable Factory  – NEW!

May 3 & 14, 2013 @ 9:30am & 11:30am| For Grades K-5; Running time 55 minutes

July 12, 2013 @ 9:30am @ 11:30am

The Fabulous Fable Factory tells the story of Monroe; a 12-year-old boy who wanders into an abandoned factory and accidentally trips a lever activating the living factory of fable creators owned by Aloysius A. Aesop.  Monroe must help Aesop find a “Moral Maker” in order to recreate some of his famous fables including “The Ant and the Grasshopper,” “The Tortoise and the Hare,” and “The Lion and the Mouse.”

The Wizard of Oz

July 26, 2013 @ 10:30am| For Grades K-8; Running time 60 minutes

Prepare to be transported “over the rainbow” by the FVR Youth Ensemble! Join Dorothy and Toto on their quest on the Yellow Brick Road to see the wizard. You’ll see all of your favorite characters including the Tin Man, Cowardly Lion, and Scarecrow brought to life on stage.

Call Now for $8 Group Tickets

Your affordable field trip includes:

  • CHAPERONE ticket(s)
  • FREE PARKING for buses
  • Printable STUDY GUIDES (for select shows)
  • Optional interactive STUDENT WORKSHOPS

Call Morgan at 630-770-7699 or email sales@foxvalleyrep.org for reservations!

Don’t see a date/time that works for you? Please call to discuss flexible scheduling.

Scholastic’s big sale

Scholastic Book Fairs BIG EVENT Warehouse Book Sale 25% to 80% OFF EVERYTHING! Most items discounted at least 50%
Register online to receive additional savings coupon. $10 OFF your $50 purchase OR $25 OFF your $100 purchase.
You’re invited to our exclusive Big Event Warehouse Book Sale. 25% to 80% OFF EVERYTHING!

Register now and receive a valuable coupon for an extra $10* or $25* off!

Visit our special book sale exclusively for school and district employees, homeschool directors and teachers, Book Fair chairpeople, and school volunteers. You’ll find deep discounts on selected hardcovers, paperbacks, and school supplies.

Take an extra 50% off permanently reduced red tag items!
Maximize Title I funding and purchase order dollars.
Hundreds of items $2.00 or less.
Great way to refresh school, home, and classroom libraries!
Save more with Build-a-BOX!** Fill a box with books from a specially selected collection. Pay only $24.95 plus tax for each box you build.
Find a Sale Near You &
Get Additional Savings!
* $10 off your $50 purchase or $25 off your $100 purchase.
**Participating locations only. While supplies last. Locations participating in Build-a-BOX are identified with a symbol. Preferred payment methods: credit cards, checks, purchase orders, and Scholastic Dollars. Note: Items purchased with Scholastic Dollars do not qualify for further discount pricing and will sell at the full cover price.

Review: What I Wish I Knew at 18

As tired as the adage is, people who have “been there, done that” have lots of helpful advice to offer if you are willing to hear it.

Dennis Trittin is writing to a tough crowd, older teens who often feel like they already have all the knowledge they need. However, he writes in a way that they would stop and take notice of though. His book isn’t preachy or demeaning, just packed with friendly words about the road ahead.

He makes sure to cover the major issues weighing on young adults including chapters on character, relationships and communication, spiritual life, college, careers, marriage, finances, and other miscellaneous areas. His book definitely accomplishes his goal in setting out, to “serve as a life coach for you, giving you practical before-the-fact ideas that will help you along your journey.” While he does offer lots of answers, he doesn’t guarantee an easy road. He has a realistic perspective in preparing kids to launch into adults. Life will not come easily. But, having these tools in advance will make it easier, and help them not fall into common, and often avoidable, snares.

I especially appreciated that the book is made to interact with. It is a comfortable read, but also makes you stop and think. Peppered throughout the book readers find “Take five” sections that have questions to reflect on and offer time for self-examination. Likely, students will find encouragement as they identify areas of strength, and also plenty to think about in areas they had not yet considered.

Trittin also approaches this bridge to “real” life grounded in faith. He accurately points out how important a firm grounding in faith and a religious community is at this transitional time in life. Many teens get off on their own and quickly distracted from the faith they grew up in. What I Wish I Knew at 18 warns against the danger of this and encourages them to make it a priority to stay connected to God and other believers. It is one of the shorter chapters in the book, so he doesn’t belabor the point, but does make a solid case for this important area.

He didn’t just write a book and leave it at that. He also created study guides to go along with the reading of the book which would be helpful in either a group or one-on-one setting. He also has made it available in a number of formats for those that would prefer it in a more mobile package. Be sure to check out his website for all of the different resources and information that he shares there as well.

This would make a fantastic graduation gift! I was thinking I would like to use this as a one semester course on life skills for my high school students. It covers a little bit of everything and opens wide the doors for dialogue about all those life lessons that we need to make sure we cover before they head out on their own. I’m sure you can think of someone in your circle that would benefit from this book.

Check out all these resources for more information, especially the website where you can read a sample chapter as well:

Websitehttp://www.dennistrittin.com

Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/dennistrittinfan

Twitterhttps://twitter.com/dennistrittin

Bloghttp://www.dennistrittin.com/blogs.aspx

Newsletterhttp://www.dennistrittin.com/newsletter.aspx

About Dennis Trittin
Dennis Trittin is a successful investment manager, educator and mentor committed to helping young adults reach their full potential. Now retired from managing over $30 billion in assets, he devotes his life to promoting leadership and life management on a global basis. Trittin serves as an advisor to several charitable groups and as a speaker with national and local educational and community organizations. Dennis and his wife Jeanne are parents of two young adults and reside in the Seattle area.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

SWAP!

FREE Swap Shop coming to Elburn

Please plan to come and share the information with anyone you think might be interested or in need.

Swap Shop gives area families a chance
to bring in items they no longer need
and swap for items they can use.

They accept everything in good usable condition. Nothing to swap?
Please come anyway and be blessed with God’s provision.

Would you like to volunteer to have a chance to pre-shop?
Other questions? authenticmoms@gmail.com

Drop off: May 3, 10 am – 7 pm
Swap: May 4, 9 am – 3 pm

Who organizes the Swap Shop ?

This event is hosted by Authentic Moms, a local Christian mom’s group.

Our desire is to follow 1 John 3:16-18, to love with actions & truth,
not just words.

Location:

Elburn Community
Center Gym

525 N. Main Street,
Elburn, Illinois

Homeschool showcase in Naperville

Naperville Public Library

The Naperville Public Library will be hosting a Homeschool Showcase

When: May 6 from 7:00pm – 8:30pm at

Where: Nichols Library, 200 W. Jefferson, Naperville IL.

What: This is an opportunity to “show us your stuff”. We invite homeschooled students to display any projects they have worked on. Set up time will be any time between 5:00 and 7:00. The program is not advertised in the library’s program guide, but will be open for all library patrons to visit.

Please invite your family and friends to visit your display.

Please contact Anne Bultman, abultman@naperville-lib.org or 630-637-6106, by April 30th if you are interested in displaying your work. Also, we ask that each family bring a snack either as part of your display or to put on a snack table. Work may be displayed by small groups, families or individuals. Please help make this a success by forwarding this information to other groups you may belong to that serve the Naperville area.

Also coming up in Naperville: .Curriculum Share Night on Monday June 3rd will allow homeschoolers to get together and show curriculum materials they like and talk about how they used them. This will be a great opportunity to network with other homeschoolers and learn from their experience as well as help the librarians know how to better assist homeschoolers.

Robots in Elgin

got robot? - FTC Team #5037 - Elgin, IL

got robot? – FTC Team #5037

The team “got robot?” is the feature demonstration for a Pop-Up Art Exhibit in downtown Elgin to promote the new Artspace Lofts, 51 S. Spring St. Elgin.

The promotional flyer from “Calling All Robots, A POP-UP Art Exhibit” lists the following information:
Opening Reception.
Friday, April 5, 6pm-11pm.
First Friday Special Event
(The only evening that the exhibit is open to the public.)
Unique mix of 2-D and 3-D art from local, regional & international artists. Displays of vintage and reproduction robot toys, refreshments and much more…)
Robot Parade.
Saturday, April 6, 10am-1pm. Have your child bring in his own 2-D or 3-D robot creation as we celebrate a fun day for kids. Kids are encouraged to show up in their own robot costume. Not sure how to make a robot creation or costume? (Check out links in the details of the event page www.facebook.com/CallingAllRobots )
Event sponsored by the City of Elgin and the Elgin Cultural Arts Commission.