Garden of Eden at Hendricks

That's me with Miss Alice last Wednesday at a wonderful urban oasis just southwest of Hendricks Academy (you can see the sign from the Hendricks parking lot).

Turns out one of the Hendricks teachers and her husband started this block-long nature center and plant a vegetable garden for the community every year. Bus loads of students from schools around the city come to visit and enjoy the peaceful setting.

Be sure to stop by next time you're in the neighborhood.

Dog Safety Ambassadors

As part of our new 4th grade pilot program at Hendricks Academy teacher, Jen Platz, had the opportunity to award three students the title of "Sit Stay Read Dog Safety Ambassador".

The winners were Josh, Tashun, and Kalvin. Both Tashun and Kalvin are familiar to Hendricks volunteers as they've been in SSR since second grade but Josh is new to the program. All three were excited to be chosen.

Using photos, dog puppets, and the SSR curriculum these students shared their knowledge of dog safety with the 1st grade class. As you can see from the big smile on this 1st grader practicing how to greet a dog, everyone had a great time learning how to be safe around dogs!

The Maestro's Visit

The excitement level was high at Hendricks Academy yesterday as the students eagerly anticipated a visit from the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra. Maestro Allen Tinkham read Jake the Philharmonic Dog to more than 100 students and brought along a string quartet to help him bring the story to life.

The kids especially enjoyed learning the ages of the student performers and how much time they spend practicing every day--an impressive 3-4 hours! Seen left to right on stage are: Emma Steele on violin, Marisa Sheppard on violin, Jaimie Sachay on viola, and Mira Luxion on cello.

The Hendricks students even had a chance to learn how to conduct an orchestra. The final photo shows them practicing their conducting skills along with the maestro.

As if that wasn't enough, all the students received CD's to take home so they could share the experience with their family and friends. Many thanks to the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra for a memorable day and a wonderful introduction to classical music.

Principal For A Day

I was very excited to be Principal For A Day at National Teachers Academy today! Although Shandy couldn't participate (bummer), it was great to spend time at our partner school and learn more about the wonderful opportunities they create for the students.

It was obvious that a lot of thought and care went into today's program. Many thanks to (real) principal, Amy Rome, and Sarah Mayeda of NTA for a memorable experience. I especially enjoyed getting a tour of the school from eighth-graders, Natasha and Darryn. They were wonderful ambassadors for the school and I hope to see these bright stars again and hear which high schools they test into.

After spending the morning at their respective schools, all the PFAD's were invited to a luncheon at the Hilton Hotel. The photo here shows the ballroom dancers from Hamilton Elementary entertaining the crowd at the luncheon. If you look closely, on the right hand edge you can see Mayor Daley and celebrity PFAD, David Schwimmer.

Wish I had photos from the school to share but I was so caught up in the activities that I forgot to take pictures.

Shandy at School

Shandy and I were a sub dog team this week and had a wonderful time.

When Shandy sees her Sit Stay Read bandanna she knows it's time for school and she can't wait to get there.

She's always loved kids (that's why we got started in therapy dog work) but combine that with getting treats and she's in heaven. Here she's listening to a second-grader read Pizza For Sam. Shandy can totally relate because she loves cheese.

The second photo shows our great new classroom posters designed just for us by Jeff Carlson (who is happily owned by a French bulldog named Sammy Davis Jr. Jr.) Be sure to check-out more of Jeff's work on his website mandrawspicture.com

Columbus Park Photos

Here are the photos from yesterday's tour of the Columbus Park refectory (Did you know that a refectory is a dining hall, usually in a monastery? Me neither.)

If we can persuade the powers that be, the dogs would be in the outdoor pavilion area and the hall would be for lunch and the school program Reading Rewards presentation. It would be great to have such a nice place for the kids to celebrate. Keep your fingers crossed!

A Walk in the Park

Hope you're enjoying this wonderful weather. Shandy and I went to Columbus Park today and enjoyed a lovely walk down their nature trail.

I went for a tour to see if the refectory there might be good for our first all-school Reading Rewards celebration and Shandy went along for the ride. It's a gorgeous place and I'm hoping it will work for us. I must admit, I didn't realize how much room we'd need to host all 250 of our school program kids. Wow. It will be a lot of work but it's going to be such fun.

Tomorrow I'll post some pix of the facility.

Teacher Orientation

Today was Teacher Orientation at the office so Shandy was a busy girl. She got to see her old friends and meet teachers from this year's two new schools.

In addition to being the official greeter, there were the snacks to watch over. She kept hoping for a piece of cheese to fall on the floor but she had to settle for a dog treat instead.

The teachers were nice enough to pose for a photo for Shandy's blog. Many thanks. Shandy and her friends look forward to being back in your classrooms again!