In case the stimulus money for the Promethean Active Boards doesn't pan out, maybe Pleasantdale can make their own, since they have no money for the the real thing...
Low-Cost Multi-touch Whiteboard using the Wiimote
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Sunday, June 14, 2009
I'll Never Survive Summer
My kids no longer require sleep. It's bizarre. Everyone has really stuffy noses too, so I can hear them sniffling all night long, yet they don't sleep in and they don't nap and they don't go to bed at night.
I never left the house yesterday. I didn't wash my hair. The kids weren't sure what was going on, because we go somewhere every day. After spending so much time in my house, I've determined my house is a mess and it should be burned down.
The kids run from room to room to room and destroy stuff and it's like watching a constant train wreck.
"Let's dump all the robots out and play with them for 2 minutes."
"Let's get out yarn and the hole punch and glue and paper and scissors and 200 crayons and all the markers and let's play with that for 1 minute."
"Let's eat three bites out of each nectarine and leave it."
"Let's play paper dolls and make new clothes for them and cut a trillion tiny pieces of paper and leave them all over the floor."
"Let's take all the cushions off the couch and pile them in the corner."
"I know! Let's change our clothes AGAIN."
"Let's read and take every single book off the bookshelf."
"I want to play the computer. No I do. No I do. No I do."
"Let's get out our Dora house, our Little People house, our Barbie house and let's make a city where the Barbies play with the Little People, and c'mon in boys and bring the robots AND their cars."
"Let's add all the stuffed animals TOO!"
"Wait. Weren't we cutting stuff up? Let's leave this and go do that again!"
"Let's take out our tents and bring out all our play food."
"I'm hungry, let's rip open the side of the wheat thins and have them explode all over the floor."
"I know. I know. Let's poop in the toilet AGAIN and not flush it!!!!!"
No wonder my grandmother used to throw us outside in Phoenix when it was a 115 degrees out. I feel you, Grandma. I threw mine out yesterday two or three times. All I know is that I'm never going to survive the summer. When do summer classes start again? Oh wait, when does SCHOOL START????? Was I all sad or something a couple days ago? I'm already over that!!!!
Reprinted with permission from Michelle at Triplets Plus One = Four Times The Fun
http://fourtimesthefun.blogspot.com/
I never left the house yesterday. I didn't wash my hair. The kids weren't sure what was going on, because we go somewhere every day. After spending so much time in my house, I've determined my house is a mess and it should be burned down.
The kids run from room to room to room and destroy stuff and it's like watching a constant train wreck.
"Let's dump all the robots out and play with them for 2 minutes."
"Let's get out yarn and the hole punch and glue and paper and scissors and 200 crayons and all the markers and let's play with that for 1 minute."
"Let's eat three bites out of each nectarine and leave it."
"Let's play paper dolls and make new clothes for them and cut a trillion tiny pieces of paper and leave them all over the floor."
"Let's take all the cushions off the couch and pile them in the corner."
"I know! Let's change our clothes AGAIN."
"Let's read and take every single book off the bookshelf."
"I want to play the computer. No I do. No I do. No I do."
"Let's get out our Dora house, our Little People house, our Barbie house and let's make a city where the Barbies play with the Little People, and c'mon in boys and bring the robots AND their cars."
"Let's add all the stuffed animals TOO!"
"Wait. Weren't we cutting stuff up? Let's leave this and go do that again!"
"Let's take out our tents and bring out all our play food."
"I'm hungry, let's rip open the side of the wheat thins and have them explode all over the floor."
"I know. I know. Let's poop in the toilet AGAIN and not flush it!!!!!"
No wonder my grandmother used to throw us outside in Phoenix when it was a 115 degrees out. I feel you, Grandma. I threw mine out yesterday two or three times. All I know is that I'm never going to survive the summer. When do summer classes start again? Oh wait, when does SCHOOL START????? Was I all sad or something a couple days ago? I'm already over that!!!!
Reprinted with permission from Michelle at Triplets Plus One = Four Times The Fun
http://fourtimesthefun.blogspot.com/
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Commentary on the Pleasant Dale Park Board and the Interim Director
In order for children to grow up to become law abiding productive members of the community, parents instill important messages in them while they are young. These messages include knowing right from wrong, making good choices, suffering the consequences of bad choices and setting a good example for others.
Unfortunately, at the Pleasant Dale Park District our children are learning some very different messages.
The messages are that it is okay to use and sell illegal drugs, to lie, hide a felony conviction, make false representations to the government and endanger the lives of children. And hey, if you want to violate Illinois State Statutes, that’s okay too!
On May 22, park commissioners Brad Martin, Wade Brewer and Colleen Pettrone hired a new interim park director. She has an office at the main park building. She is expected to move into the district owned house on park property at the end of the month. She has been working at the park just about every day since then. Yet she has not had a background check.
According to Illinois State Statute 70 ILCS 1205/8-23, “No park district shall knowingly employ a person for whom a criminal background investigation has not been initiated.” Why then is the Pleasant Dale Park District sending the message that it is okay to violate this law?
Katherine Parker, Pleasant Dale Park District’s new interim director, made some poor choices in her past. As a result, she was convicted of a felony for using and selling illegal drugs, placed on probation for five years and disbarred from practicing law in Illinois.
According to court records, “Her criminal conduct was greater than the crime with which she was charged.” and while Ms. Parker was partaking in her drug using and distributing lifestyle, she was also a practicing attorney - a state’s attorney! She knew better, yet she had no problem breaking the laws she was entrusted to uphold. In addition, according to court records, she was pregnant or had young children during this time, most likely endangering their lives with her illegal behavior.
Katherine Parker made bad choices and sadly, bad choices have consequences. This is something that we, as parents, try to instill in our children on a daily basis. Unfortunately, the message that park commissioners Martin, Brewer and Pettrone are sending to the children of our district is ‘don’t worry, because twenty years from now, all will be forgotten. In addition, you will be rewarded with a free home and a high paying job overseeing parks, children’s recreational activities and millions of dollars in tax money.’
It is said that people can reform, they can change their ways, and I believe that to be true. I recently met Ms. Parker. She was a pleasant woman with a warm smile. I believe Ms. Parker has turned a new leaf from her drug dealing past and this is evidenced by the reinstatement of her law license. I have no problem with Katherine Parker working and earning a good salary in the private sector, but please, not at our park district. For the sake of our children, don’t let her be a role model of what poor choices will bring to your future. I don’t want my children to learn that you can break the law by committing a felony and then be rewarded with a free house and a high paying job for which you have no experience.
I am calling on the residents and government officials of the local municipalities that are served by the Pleasant Dale Park District to say enough is enough and to put an end the detrimental messages that Pleasant Dale Park Commissioners Martin, Brewer and Pettrone are sending to the children of our community!
Unfortunately, at the Pleasant Dale Park District our children are learning some very different messages.
The messages are that it is okay to use and sell illegal drugs, to lie, hide a felony conviction, make false representations to the government and endanger the lives of children. And hey, if you want to violate Illinois State Statutes, that’s okay too!
On May 22, park commissioners Brad Martin, Wade Brewer and Colleen Pettrone hired a new interim park director. She has an office at the main park building. She is expected to move into the district owned house on park property at the end of the month. She has been working at the park just about every day since then. Yet she has not had a background check.
According to Illinois State Statute 70 ILCS 1205/8-23, “No park district shall knowingly employ a person for whom a criminal background investigation has not been initiated.” Why then is the Pleasant Dale Park District sending the message that it is okay to violate this law?
Katherine Parker, Pleasant Dale Park District’s new interim director, made some poor choices in her past. As a result, she was convicted of a felony for using and selling illegal drugs, placed on probation for five years and disbarred from practicing law in Illinois.
According to court records, “Her criminal conduct was greater than the crime with which she was charged.” and while Ms. Parker was partaking in her drug using and distributing lifestyle, she was also a practicing attorney - a state’s attorney! She knew better, yet she had no problem breaking the laws she was entrusted to uphold. In addition, according to court records, she was pregnant or had young children during this time, most likely endangering their lives with her illegal behavior.
Katherine Parker made bad choices and sadly, bad choices have consequences. This is something that we, as parents, try to instill in our children on a daily basis. Unfortunately, the message that park commissioners Martin, Brewer and Pettrone are sending to the children of our district is ‘don’t worry, because twenty years from now, all will be forgotten. In addition, you will be rewarded with a free home and a high paying job overseeing parks, children’s recreational activities and millions of dollars in tax money.’
It is said that people can reform, they can change their ways, and I believe that to be true. I recently met Ms. Parker. She was a pleasant woman with a warm smile. I believe Ms. Parker has turned a new leaf from her drug dealing past and this is evidenced by the reinstatement of her law license. I have no problem with Katherine Parker working and earning a good salary in the private sector, but please, not at our park district. For the sake of our children, don’t let her be a role model of what poor choices will bring to your future. I don’t want my children to learn that you can break the law by committing a felony and then be rewarded with a free house and a high paying job for which you have no experience.
I am calling on the residents and government officials of the local municipalities that are served by the Pleasant Dale Park District to say enough is enough and to put an end the detrimental messages that Pleasant Dale Park Commissioners Martin, Brewer and Pettrone are sending to the children of our community!
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Free Entertainment!!
There's a new form of entertainment in our community these days - local board meetings. Let us share some of the highlights of the last five local board meetings we attended.
At the Pleasantdale School board meeting on April 15, superintendent Mark Fredisdorf attempted to explain why 35% of the students in the fourth grade are in remedial reading by stating they most likely have social/emotional issues and unsavory home lives – shifting the blame for a shoddy reading program away from the school district and onto the parents.
At the Willow Springs village board meeting on April 16, the head of public works and an administrative assistant were let go because they applied for a federally funded grant aimed at building sidewalks and installing traffic calming measures in order to help children walk to school. Apparently the school district and the village board did not want attention drawn to the dangerous streets that line the routes to school or they were afraid that someone else might get the credit for trying to make things better for kids.
On May 6, it was the Willow Springs’ Planning and Zoning Commission’s turn for political antics. At that meeting, commissioner Schmidt accused committee head Tom Kaptur of making deals on the side without the knowledge or consent of the entire board. Kaptur quickly adjourned the meeting, against the village attorney’s wishes, to stave off the accusations being hurled against him. Now it seems, they will have to reconvene the meeting and taxpayers will be footing the bill.
The icing on the cake came at the last two Pleasant Dale Park District board meetings. On May 12 in front of a packed house we learned that the new board members Brad Martin and Wade Brewer had themselves sworn in before the actual meeting which raised many eyebrows. We were enlightened on the hostile work environment at the golf course which has caused several employees to quit. We watched the two new board members and existing member Colleen Pettrone take over the meeting and the board much to the chagrin of everyone there. We heard a resident ask Martin how he got her unlisted number to solicit her support during the election. Finally, we learned that a commissioner may have broken the law by forging a letter on park district stationary for her son and his accomplices to get out of performing court ordered community service.
At the June 9th meeting, with over 40 residents in attendance, we watched park board president Brad Martin refuse to allow public comment at the beginning of the meeting as it has been done for the last 20 or so years. This did not seem to be a very smart move. The meeting lasted over two and a half hours and was filled with snide comments, boos and jeers from the audience. If public forum had taken place at the start of the meeting, the room most likely would have cleared out soon afterward. Instead, those in attendance got an earful and saw first hand how our park board has been hijacked and the district appears in shambles.
We learned that the interim director Katherine Parker Parker, who has no experience managing a park district, has been on the job 17 days yet had not had a background check. According to Illinois state statute, this must be done prior to employment when working with children or money. When Commissioner Moon made a motion to bar her from working at the park until the state obligation was met, commissioners Martin, Pettrone and Brewer declined to do so violating state law. Pettrone stated that "we haven't discussed her salary so we don't have to do a background check," even though Parker has already been on the job 17 days. In addition, an audience member brought up Parker's shady past.
https://www.iardc.org/rd_database/rulesdecisions.html (Search Parker) (pg. 6, 3/1/1991)
http://www.pioneerlocal.com/westernsprings/news/1614750,western-springs-pddirector-060909-s2.article
It was also revealed that the matter concerning the commissioners' sons and the forged letter satisfying a community service obligation was taken care of in executive session. With a 3 to 2 majority vote, one can only surmise how that was handled.
During the consent agenda, Moon questioned an invoice in regard to why the park district recently hired a locksmith to change one lock to the tune of $107 when they employ a full time maintenance staff. A nice waste of our taxes.
Audience members questioned who the president of the board was as Martin and Brewer sat there in silence while vice president Pettrone ran the meeting. Another audience questioned why Brewer wanted to be on the park board yet did not open his mouth once during the meeting.
A former park commissioner stated he was appalled that board president Martin called a special meeting at noon on the Friday of a holiday weekend, purposely so that the public could not attend. We also learned that Martin, Brewer and Pettrone violated the open meetings act by conducting their own meeting to discuss firing the former director, replacing the park attorney and hiring Parker despite any formal vetting process taking place. We heard that the former park director was dismissed quite abruptly and the taxpayers will be footing the bill for any litigation that will likely come out of this. Things went from bad to worse as the meeting went on.
This new form of entertainment is much better than any soap opera on TV these days. You really can’t make this stuff up. We look forward to the future meetings of these local boards because you never know what might happen! We also encourage all district residents to follow the political antics of these boards as well.
It's fantastic entertainment, and best of all, it’s free!!
At the Pleasantdale School board meeting on April 15, superintendent Mark Fredisdorf attempted to explain why 35% of the students in the fourth grade are in remedial reading by stating they most likely have social/emotional issues and unsavory home lives – shifting the blame for a shoddy reading program away from the school district and onto the parents.
At the Willow Springs village board meeting on April 16, the head of public works and an administrative assistant were let go because they applied for a federally funded grant aimed at building sidewalks and installing traffic calming measures in order to help children walk to school. Apparently the school district and the village board did not want attention drawn to the dangerous streets that line the routes to school or they were afraid that someone else might get the credit for trying to make things better for kids.
On May 6, it was the Willow Springs’ Planning and Zoning Commission’s turn for political antics. At that meeting, commissioner Schmidt accused committee head Tom Kaptur of making deals on the side without the knowledge or consent of the entire board. Kaptur quickly adjourned the meeting, against the village attorney’s wishes, to stave off the accusations being hurled against him. Now it seems, they will have to reconvene the meeting and taxpayers will be footing the bill.
The icing on the cake came at the last two Pleasant Dale Park District board meetings. On May 12 in front of a packed house we learned that the new board members Brad Martin and Wade Brewer had themselves sworn in before the actual meeting which raised many eyebrows. We were enlightened on the hostile work environment at the golf course which has caused several employees to quit. We watched the two new board members and existing member Colleen Pettrone take over the meeting and the board much to the chagrin of everyone there. We heard a resident ask Martin how he got her unlisted number to solicit her support during the election. Finally, we learned that a commissioner may have broken the law by forging a letter on park district stationary for her son and his accomplices to get out of performing court ordered community service.
At the June 9th meeting, with over 40 residents in attendance, we watched park board president Brad Martin refuse to allow public comment at the beginning of the meeting as it has been done for the last 20 or so years. This did not seem to be a very smart move. The meeting lasted over two and a half hours and was filled with snide comments, boos and jeers from the audience. If public forum had taken place at the start of the meeting, the room most likely would have cleared out soon afterward. Instead, those in attendance got an earful and saw first hand how our park board has been hijacked and the district appears in shambles.
We learned that the interim director Katherine Parker Parker, who has no experience managing a park district, has been on the job 17 days yet had not had a background check. According to Illinois state statute, this must be done prior to employment when working with children or money. When Commissioner Moon made a motion to bar her from working at the park until the state obligation was met, commissioners Martin, Pettrone and Brewer declined to do so violating state law. Pettrone stated that "we haven't discussed her salary so we don't have to do a background check," even though Parker has already been on the job 17 days. In addition, an audience member brought up Parker's shady past.
https://www.iardc.org/rd_database/rulesdecisions.html (Search Parker) (pg. 6, 3/1/1991)
http://www.pioneerlocal.com/westernsprings/news/1614750,western-springs-pddirector-060909-s2.article
It was also revealed that the matter concerning the commissioners' sons and the forged letter satisfying a community service obligation was taken care of in executive session. With a 3 to 2 majority vote, one can only surmise how that was handled.
During the consent agenda, Moon questioned an invoice in regard to why the park district recently hired a locksmith to change one lock to the tune of $107 when they employ a full time maintenance staff. A nice waste of our taxes.
Audience members questioned who the president of the board was as Martin and Brewer sat there in silence while vice president Pettrone ran the meeting. Another audience questioned why Brewer wanted to be on the park board yet did not open his mouth once during the meeting.
A former park commissioner stated he was appalled that board president Martin called a special meeting at noon on the Friday of a holiday weekend, purposely so that the public could not attend. We also learned that Martin, Brewer and Pettrone violated the open meetings act by conducting their own meeting to discuss firing the former director, replacing the park attorney and hiring Parker despite any formal vetting process taking place. We heard that the former park director was dismissed quite abruptly and the taxpayers will be footing the bill for any litigation that will likely come out of this. Things went from bad to worse as the meeting went on.
This new form of entertainment is much better than any soap opera on TV these days. You really can’t make this stuff up. We look forward to the future meetings of these local boards because you never know what might happen! We also encourage all district residents to follow the political antics of these boards as well.
It's fantastic entertainment, and best of all, it’s free!!
Monday, June 8, 2009
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Ten Parent Initiative
We are looking for ten parents for the month of June. Please email us if you are available.
Monday, June 1, 2009
The Middle School Talent Show
I just wanted to congratulate the students at the middle school for the awesome performance this morning in the talent show, they were all great.
I have to comment on the final performance. I am still speechless after watching and witnessing what happened this morning.
The final talent was Delaney B. She got up there and did a song from High School Musical. And to my surprise the girls from "Dynamite Dancers" which performed earlier, came out and accompanied Delaney in the background with a dance. I was sitting all the way in the back and I could just see the joy in this little girl's face when those girls came out to back her up. She finished her song and the whole audience stood up and applauded her. It was the most amazing sight.
I know the moms sitting around me did not have a dry eye. It was just so beautiful.
What I want to say is YOU GO Delaney! And I am so proud of that group of girls that came out to support and accompany Delaney. I think that was such a wonderful act of friendship and kindness.
These are the things that I like to see going on in our school.
Hats off to everyone that worked on putting this talent show together! It was awesome!
Patty Gioia
I have to comment on the final performance. I am still speechless after watching and witnessing what happened this morning.
The final talent was Delaney B. She got up there and did a song from High School Musical. And to my surprise the girls from "Dynamite Dancers" which performed earlier, came out and accompanied Delaney in the background with a dance. I was sitting all the way in the back and I could just see the joy in this little girl's face when those girls came out to back her up. She finished her song and the whole audience stood up and applauded her. It was the most amazing sight.
I know the moms sitting around me did not have a dry eye. It was just so beautiful.
What I want to say is YOU GO Delaney! And I am so proud of that group of girls that came out to support and accompany Delaney. I think that was such a wonderful act of friendship and kindness.
These are the things that I like to see going on in our school.
Hats off to everyone that worked on putting this talent show together! It was awesome!
Patty Gioia
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)