Week of March 11
No School - Tuesday, March 15, Teacher Institute Day
Robotics Team Dominates State Competition
The Robotics State Tournament took place in Batavia last Saturday. This year's event "Nothing but Net" really put our teams to the test but all 10 of them made it into the finals.
Highlights and awards of the day included:
Energy Award: Lime Lizards
Amaze Award: Kryptonite
Build Award: Mint-E-Fresh
Design Award: The Mighty Pinkies
Tournament Alliance Finalist: Kryptonite
Tournament Alliance Champions: Red Hoopz
We also had the top two teams in Robot Skills Competition with Kryptonite and The Mighty Pinkies feeling the wind in their hair with 112 and 88 points respectively, we took the top 5 positions in the Programming Skills Competition with Fist Puma leading the charge with 113 autonomous points!
This year was the strongest showing that the OPEF’s Julian VEX robotics club has ever had at the State Competition. The Julian teams demonstrated tenacity in the face of adversity, outstanding group dynamics, and maintained poise and grace under pressure from all sides. Congratulations to our students and coaches on a job well done!
Jazz Ensemble Qualifies for State Contest
This past weekend, the Julian Middle School Jazz Ensemble competed at the Illinois Grade School Music Association District Organizational Contest at Hester Junior High School in Franklin Park. They received 3 nearly perfect scores from all three judges to give them an overall rating of 1. This qualifies them for the State Contest on May 7th. The kids performed expressively, maturely, and represented the school with great pride!
LOST and FOUND will be Donated or Discarded on March 24
Clothing, lunch boxes, and other items left on the lost and found tables in the commons will either be donated or discarded on the afternoon of Thursday, March 24 at 4:15pm. We cannot leave lunch boxes and remnants of food in the commons over spring break. This would attract rodents to our building. We will be reminding our students daily to take home their belongings. Feel free to stop by the building before March 24th, if you would like to have a look for yourself.
Respect the Mic: The 2016 OPEF Spoken Word Poetry Slam
On March 18 at School of Rock from 6:00-8:30 PM, the Julian and Brooks Spoken Word club members will perform original poems for an audience of family, friends, and supporters at the first annual event. The evening will also include bonus group piece performances and special guest performers and judges. This exciting night will be emceed by talented Chicago spoken word poet, D97 alum, and OPEF teaching artist Dan “Sully” Sullivan.
Space is limited so reserve your spot at the show. Tickets are FREE! Learn more about the Oak Park Education Foundation and Spoken Word.
Spring Break
Spring Break is Friday, March 25 through Friday, April 1. School will resume on Monday, April 4.
Sincerely,
Dr. Todd T. Fitzgerald
Principal, Percy Julian Middle School