Upcoming Events!

Culture Fest will occur in February. World Culture Committee is currently working on receiving food and gift donations. This is a wonderful event for the entire family! Keep checking back with us to see more details.

If you are interested in making a food or gift donation please email Mrs. Metzler at kmetzler@cicsnorthtown.org

What is World Culture Committee up to in quarter 2?

Our goal for Quarter 2 is to plan Culture Fest. After a successful ice cream sale, our club is ordering T-shirts. These T-shirts will help our club members be taken more seriously when asking members of the community for donations; also, the T-shirts will help spread club awareness to the Northtown community. We recently split the club into five sub-committees: public relations, secretary, treasurer, and directors. These sub-committees are taking responsibility for different parts of the Culture Fest planning; this will help students take ownership and leadership over specific, manageable pieces of the production. At the end of Quarter 2, our plan is to host auditions for Culture Fest and begin to collect donations from the neighborhood and school community.

What is the debate team up to in quarter 2?

During 2nd quarter, the debate team will focus on honing the speaking and researching skills they learned first quarter. Students will reflect on their performance at the first two tournaments to improve their teamwork with their partner and their debating at tournaments. Students will also continue to learn new debate strategy, and apply their new skills at upcoming tournaments.

What is the science club up to in quarter 2?

During the second quarter of this year’s Science Club, we plan on furthering our understanding, as well as others, about the “Going Green” phase. We plan on creating a display case to present articles, pictures, as well as other visuals to help illustrate how effective “Going Green” can be on changing, if not saving, the environment. Also, we plan on having various fundraisers to promote better recycling habits by using the funds to purchase more recycling bins, and creating posters to hang throughout the school to promote a healthier living environment. Overall, our focus is essential “self awareness”—awareness of the outcome of our actions, how to be environmentally friendly, and how we can help in preserving the environment.
As aforementioned, to accomplish these goals, our club has decided to use a display case to present our illustrations and projects which show how “Going Green” is the right choice for our generation. For instance, in the display case we plan on placing a faux “Smart Car”, along with facts about how they are a much better choice for the environment. Also, we plan on placing facts and examples about how other modes of transportation, such as hybrid buses or the new CTA “Zip-Cars” can be environmentally friendly as well. Our focus, in regards to the parents of our student body, is insuring that they too understand the movement towards “Going Green,” as well as how making small changes in their home lives can make massive impacts in the environment.

What is Greek club up to in quarter 2?

Contact community professional Greek dancers to discuss the possibility of coming to NT to teach the club some Greek dances. The club would like the dance group to dance at Culture Fest as a professional group and dance a number with the members of Greek Club. Sponsoring other fund raisers and sharing/making Greek good are other projects for 2nd quarter.

What is hitting club up to in quarter 2?

1. This quarter hitting club plans to focus on proper swing technique and if that is accomplished then we will move on to creating a more powerful baseball and softball swing. We plan on holding batting practice for 2 hours each week either in the morning or after school where tips will be exchanged between players for swing improvement techniques. Some weeks drills will be implemented to teach specific skills when the club members seem to be struggling with a particular area.

What is Girls on a Run up to in 2nd quarter?

The purpose of the Girls on a Run at Northtown is to create a well-rounded idea of body image by focusing on mental, physical, and emotional health. During Quarter 2, we will strengthen a community of runners. At the end of quarter 1, Girls on a Run members should be able to run 25 minutes without stopping, have a working knowledge of the elements of running (pre- and post-run stretching, breathing, pacing, sprinting, jogging, form, clothing), feel comfortable discussing running issues with the moderator and other members, continue their journals in which they have documented runs and their growth as athletes, and run a 5-k (Santa Shuffle).

To accomplish these goals, girls have the opportunity to run three days a week: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday. They must pick two days to run. Each time they run, they will be expected to participate in stretching and whatever running technique we will work on that day. Once girls have finished the run, they will reflect in a journal about how they did and their growth as a runner. We will use this time to prepare for our 5-k both mentally and physically.

Because of the cold weather, we have moved two of our practices indoors. Girls will learn how to exercise without weights and how to use simple activities that that can do at home to keep fit. This quarter, we will include plyometrics, yoga, stairs, relays, and games in our workouts which will build strength to aid in running.

What is art club up to in quarter 2?

We are working on two goals, one is teaching the club members how to sew. We will then begin to make small projects like a tote bag and bubble letter pillows. The second goal is painting murals on the community room walls to brighten up the space and illustrate the mission of the Student Service’s area. We work on these goals by meeting twice a week, a few club members learn about the workings of the sewing machine, while others create designs for the mural.

What is Zumba up to in quarter 2?

This quarter Zumba plans on focusing on healthy eating habits and maintaining a healthy lifestyle in conjunction with exercising.We plan on exercising for 45 minutes long and returning to the classroom to learn new ways to maintain a healthy lifestyle by eating the right foods for ones body. Students will be introduced to a food journal in which they will track what they are eating every three to four hours. Our club is currently working on exercising and toning. We have started to look at different foods that are good for the body. However, this quarter we will create a list of foods that the students will be encouraged to eat.

Meet the Science Club Members!

What is GSA up to in 2nd quarter?

Northtown’s Gay Straight Alliance (GSA) continues to share information about important resources available to teens. As always, the club functions as an essential refuge of support and information for all members and for the school community. At the Club Fair, held during Puma Pride, club members answered a lot of questions about the purpose of the club and how we can make Northtown a safer place of learning for all students. We also held an “extra” meeting in October so that we could host a Halloween party for more nearly 40 members of the community.
Northtown’s GSA has been busy. We participated in the city-wide Youth Leadership Summit at Walter Payton College Prep High School in October. Two of our upcoming meetings will feature guest-speakers: Marco A. Hidalgo Research Study Coordinator of the “My Peeps” Study at Howard Brown Health Center, and Christopher Johnson, the Youth Drop-In Coordinator at the Center on Halsted Street.

What is Literary Journal up to in 2nd quarter?

The second-quarter goal of the Literary Journal is “quality.” More experienced members are leading by example: taking time to revise and improve their work before submitting. The club advisor provides examples of published work to inspire club members to aim high. Already students are creating work that they are eager to share with the world.
Literary Journal continues to attract more than 20 members to each meeting. We have discussed many, many examples of the students’ work. Currently, we are also planning the Winter Reading for December, an open-mic event that invites all members of the Northtown community to gather and share their work. Club members host the event and provide free refreshments to all participants.

What is Book Club up to 2nd quarter?

The second-quarter goal of the Book Club is to read and discuss great books. We accomplish this goal by selecting books as a group, reading them independently, and meeting at the end of each month to discuss them together. At our meetings, we are joined by Dr. Melanie Koss, a professor Children’s and Young Adult Literature of Northern Illinois University.
So far, the club has read and discussed The Burn Journals by Brent Runyon, a memoir about a Virginia teenager’s suicide attempt, and My Most Excellent Year by Steve Kluger, a light-hearted story set in Boston about friends and first loves. Our next meeting will be Wed, November 18, when we will discuss Killing Mr. Griffin, a classic YA horror story by Lois Duncan. We are also busy selecting a “theme” for in-depth study during our January - May meetings.

What is Animal Rights Club up to in Quarter 2?

Animal Rights Club will be working on a few activities during 2nd quarter. Our goal is reduce animal cruelty and to educate the public about the cruelty involved in raising animals for food. In order to educate the community, we will be going to Northeastern University to leaflet (distribute literature on the pain and suffering animals endure on farms). We also plan on having a bake sale with animal-free foods to raise money for an organization that supports animal welfare.

What is SIP up to in quarter 2?

The focus of SIP during quarter 2 is two-fold. First, we will continue to work with our current members in reviewing grades, contacting parents, and making plans to improve academic achievement. Second, we will identify new candidates for the program and recommend to the student and parents that they enroll in SIP. This group will be made up mostly of Freshmen. The beginning of the quarter is a chance for a fresh start for many students and we strive to tap into that positive energy and get the students on the right track.

We have been working diligently over the past two weeks to identify those students we need to sit down with and new students we would like to recommend for the program. During this week, we will begin contacting those students, setting up parent meetings, making phone calls, and filing appropriate paperwork. We will have our first SIP session when the students have their first early dismissal day.

What clubs are in the Community Grant?

The following groups are in the Community Grant for 2009-2010. There are many returning groups as well as newly formed groups that have attracted many students.

Zumba*

Girls On A Run*

Literary Journal

Debate

SADD

Arts and Crafts

World Culture Committee*

AP Bio*

Animal Rights

Science Club

Hitting Club*

Yearbook

SIP*

Book Club

GSA

*denotes new additions to the Community Grant

Welcome!

Welcome back! We hope that your summer was relaxing and enjoyable.

The Community Grant Clubs will be begin meeting the week of August 24th, 2009. Keep your eye out for all of the wonderful clubs that NTA has to offer.