upcoming events

Maroons team sport camps registration

12:45 p.m. author visit: Deb Caletti

3:45 p.m. final meeting for French trip

5 p.m. Rites of May, Blaine Courtyard

7 p.m. 5th grade band concert

8 p.m. Rites of May play, A Midsummer Night’s Dream

NO SCHOOL grades N-K, Parent/Teacher Conference Day

5 p.m. Rites of May, Blaine Courtyard

8 p.m. Rites of May play, A Midsummer Night’s Dream

11 a.m. Rites of May, Kenwood Mall

8 p.m. Rites of May play, A Midsummer Night’s Dream

6 p.m. Parents' Association multicultural committee meeting

7:30 p.m. High School band & orchestra concert

7:30 p.m. grades 7–12, choral music concert

8 p.m. Senior Prom

NO SCHOOL, Memorial Day holiday

8th grade class trip

4th Grade rock climbing trip

contact info

>All Schools contact information here

>Submit news that Lab parents can use here

in the halls

		Grandparents and Grandfriends Day draws hundreds On May 2, Nursery, Kindergarten, and Lower School students welcomed nearly 500 grandparents and grandfriends to Lab for one of the Schools' newest traditions. These special family members came from as far as Munich, Germany to learn more about Lab and to spend time in the classroom with their student. A special thank you to our host committee, principals, teachers, and volunteers, whose time and enthusiasm made this special day possible! Take a look at photos from the day.
		On the Same Page Director David Magill talks about the gifts our community gives to Lab and their importance to all of us. Read On the Same Page >>
		U-Higher has a second op-ed published; this time by LA Times The Los Angeles Times ran an op-ed story on May 8 written by junior Tom Stanley-Becker. His piece, "Bursting the AP bubble: Advanced Placement courses, once a model for learning, are mere memory tests now" tackles a growing concern that AP programs, administered by the College Board, are too limiting. In February, the Chicago Tribune ran Tom's op-ed piece, "Safety vs. civil rights: Be wary of broad limits on teenagers' freedom,"
		Teacher Seminars–energizing faculty for fourteen years Each month, a group of teachers takes time (a commodity in short supply) to sit with peers and discuss a text—maybe excerpts from Susan Sontag's 2003 commencement address at Vassar or William J. Cromie's "Which comes first, language or thought?" These are the Teacher Seminars that have been taking place since Darlene McCampbell started them more than fourteen years ago. The seminars offer teachers the opportunity to talk informally about anything related to their work. Continue >>
		August back-to-school mailings go electronic This summer, Lab embarks upon a "greener" and, we hope, more efficient system for distributing back-to-school mailings. Instead of the multiple packets that arrive in the mail, parents will receive instructions for downloading forms directly from the Schools’ website. Only one mailing will go out through the U.S. mail and will include information about your child(ren)’s placement/schedule, detailed instructions for the online process, a letter from the director, and the 2008-09 Lab calendar. Continue >>

n/k & lower schools

This year a number of Nursery/Kindergarten and Lower School faculty will be retiring after having served Laboratory Schools' children and families for many years. They are Mary Bolton, Carol Brindley, Joyce Carrasco, Jennifer Gates, Diana Ginsburg, Jean Herbert, and Yolanda Scheunemann. Together their service totals almost 200 years!
Continue >>

Parents of students who will enter kindergarten, first grade, or third grade in the 2008-09 school year are invited to attend transition meetings to learn more about these grade levels. Teachers and the principal will provide information and answer questions about developmental changes, curriculum, special activities, and projects planned for next year. The meetings will be held in Judd Hall, Room 126, 5835 S. Kimbark as follows:

Tuesday, May 20 at 7 p.m. for parents of students entering kindergarten
Thursday, May 22 at 7 p.m. for parents of students entering first grade
Thursday, May 22 at 8 p.m. for parents of students entering third grade

We look forward to seeing you.

Forms are available at the Blaine Reception Desk for the Illinois State Board of Education’s Transportation Reimbursement Program. The deadline is June 12, 2008.

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middle school

We have rescheduled the sixth grade to seventh grade transition meeting. This event will take place in Judd 126 on Monday, June 2 at 1 p.m. Parents of "rising seventh graders" (students who are in sixth grade right now) are welcome to attend.

We have the permission form, emergency contact information form, medical information form, student contract, and packing list for this year’s Washington, D.C. trip available online. Please have all forms completed by Friday, May 16.

Students may sell their used textbooks to MBS Direct, Lab's new textbook provider, at this year's textbook buyback from June 10–13 in Belfield Gym (BD 141). To learn more about how the buyback will work, please visit our website for more details. This buyback, staffed by volunteers from the Parents' Association, will replace the Parents' Association textbook buyback. E-mail questions or contact Margie in the Bookstore, 773-702-2599.

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high school

This week the Registrar’s Office will mail students' preliminary schedules for next year. Students should review their schedules and, if they wish to make changes, they should do so with their high school counselor during the next week of classes. As a reminder, counselors are divided among students as follows:

Asra Ahmed—students with last name A-F
Camille Cunningham—students with last name G-M
Ron Tunis—students with last name N-Z

Students’ final course schedules will be mailed in the back-to-school mailing.

The Sherwood Conservatory of Music awarded three of its four Memorial Scholarships to U-High juniors. Catherine Zhou took first place and Erica Jordan and Monique Johnson placed second and third, respectively. Read more about these talented musicians.

U-High will have two music concerts next week. The first will be a performance by the band and orchestra on Tuesday, May 20 at 7:30 p.m. in Mandel Hall. The second is the choral group, joined by the seventh and eighth graders, with a performance in Mandel Hall on Thursday, May 22 at 7:30 p.m. All are welcome at both evenings of fine music.

Aimee Lucido and Elisabeth Morant are recipients of the National Center for Women & Information Technology (NCWIT) annual award for women in computing. The NCWIT is a non-profit organization that recognizes women in computing in order to increase the presence of women in the IT world. With the honor comes a computer, a cash award, and a trip to the annual awards event in North Carolina. Both students have taken the AP Computer Science class with teacher Baker Franke.

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community

With the last day of school inching ever closer, Summer Lab 2008 would like to remind you that it’s not too late to register for Summer Lab 2008. Limited spaces are available within Summer Lab’s Summer School, Adventure Kids Day Camp, Sports Camps, and Summer Lab on Stage programs that begin on Monday, June 23. If you haven’t claimed your spot, register online today. Call 773-834-7766 to check availability or for more information.

The annual Rites of May play opens on Thursday and runs through Saturday starting at 8 p.m. This year William Shakespeare visits Blaine Courtyard in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. It is sure to be a great opportunity to see live theater in a wonderful setting. Tickets can be purchased for $10 in Blaine Lobby.

Since our last E-News update, the Diversity Task Force’s committees have met and are developing recommendations for the Board of Directors consideration. Task Force members want to ensure that Lab’s communications, programming, curriculum, professional development, and student recruitment and retention initiatives all express and demonstrate a strong commitment to creating and maintaining a welcoming and inclusive community. The Task Force will meet again in late May and hopes to provide the Lab community with a detailed update at that time.

Greenfest, one of the country's largest environmental expos, returns to Chicago on May 17–18 at Navy Pier. Attendees can hear speakers, do some green shopping, and learn about natural living. More info at is available online.

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