Last Friday 8th grade students attended an all day ropes course and team-building workshop at The Outer Edge in Bensenville. Students participated in rope swings, tight rope walks, and wall climbing. It was a great experience for students and staff, and we are all excited to start off this year in high spirits!
This week, 8th grade students participated in a Scavenger Hunt in throughout the downtown loop area! Students worked in groups through an online game, Urban Adventure Quest, to decode ciphers, navigate the streets, locate landmarks, and find answers to trivia questions. They earned points along the way, and competed against each other to victory. Congratulations to the winning team members: Brenden D, Elliot D, Fidel R, Miles D, and Wally S!
Nine students in 7th and 8th grade just returned this week from a 2 week trip to France! Students stayed for 9 nights with their host families in the town of Angers, about 2 hours outside of Paris. Students explored the town in depth, visiting museums and castles for which this region of France is well known. They also got to shadow classes with their French exchange students! The trip was topped off with a 48 hour whirlwind tour around Paris to the Louvre, Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, Sacre Coeur, and more. Once everyone catches up on sleep, be sure to ask them all about their incredible experience!
On March 22nd, the preschool students went to Children’s Museum at Navy Pier. We explored many hands on exhibits and had a wonderful time.
6th grade students visited the Windy City Fieldhouse last month and competed in a fierce competition of games including Dodgeball, Kickball, Pillow Polo, and Relay Races. Students were broken up into 4 teams and had to come up with team names, chants, and even team colors to wear on the trip! Everyone had a ton of fun. We were particularly proud of the fact that every student made sure to include all of their team members in the games!
First grade students visited Chicago’s Museum of Science and Industry during the month of December. Students learned about the museums beloved annual celebration of of more than 50 trees and displays representing the holiday traditions from cultures around the globe. Students also experienced thrilling museum exhibits featuring hands-on learning and state of the art technology. Students had an amazing trip and upon return reflected in a writing piece of their favorite tree or display seen during our trip to MSI.
After reading the novel, “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time” in class, the middle school students in 213 went to see the play at Steppenwolf Theater. Following the play, the students were also able to participate in a discussion with the actors. The novel and play were both thought-provoking, funny and sad all at the same time. The experience forced all of us to examine how we “look” at one another and the importance of empathy.
We had the pleasure of hosting exchange students and teachers from Angers, France the last two weeks in October. Sixteen students came from Collège Mongazon to stay with host families at LaSalle II. Since the French students travel back to France the day before Halloween we decided to throw them an American Halloween-themed going away party. The students dressed up in costumes and celebrated an early Halloween with their American host families. It was such a wonderful experience for the French and American students to learn more about one another’s cultures and we cannot wait to visit their school in April!
The Chicago Blackhawks offer a “First Stride” program for students in 4th and 5th grades. The program is split into two parts. One part introduces students to ice-skating. The second part has students working on Chrome books using STEM activities. Students and teachers had a wonderful time and were treated to skating with Jamal Mayers; a member of the 2013 Stanley Cup Blackhawks. Mr. Mayers sat and spoke with each child signed t-shirts and photo cards.
Students learned the basics of ice-skating including how to fall and get back up. They played games, had races and were pushed around the ice by the coaches. Some of the highlights of they day included watch Corey “Crow” Crawford warm up as we entered the building. Next the students saw the ENTIRE Blackhawk team on the ice practicing for the exhibition game that evening. Finally, Ethan H. was chosen to “Shoot the Puck” during the game that evening. Ethan was on the ice at the United Center between periods.
It truly was a wonderful day for all students and staff involved. We look forward to having the coaches out to LaSalle II later this year to work with more Falcons.
For the second year in a row, our 7th grade students attended a team building workshop at the Loyola University Retreat and Ecology Center (LUREC) in Woodstock. They played games, took on physical challenges, and learned to work collectively. The teachers’ favorite part was when students were unknowingly split into groups that paired them with students they do not regularly hang out with. This was a fun way to slightly ease the stress of this important year, and students are looking forward to next year when they will get to do the high ropes course!
