U-46 school news

Here is what's in the news at Elgin Area School District U-46 schools. To learn more, visit the Web site at www.u-46.org.

Spring recess

Friday is the beginning of spring recess. Classes will resume March 31.

Bartlett High

• On Tuesday at 7 p.m., the Bartlett High School Honors Orchestra students will present a recital.

• On Wednesday, Academy Parent Night will be held from 7 to 9 p.m. in the auditorium, 701 Schick Road.

Elgin High

• On Tuesday, Honors Night will take place at 7 p.m. in the Elgin High School auditorium, 1200 Maroon Drive. A reception for students and their families will follow in the library.

Larkin High

• On Tuesday, the Larkin High School Career Center will host a Career Fair from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Students will be invited to talk informally with career representatives from a variety of fields.

South Elgin High

• Kenyon Woods Middle School and South Elgin High orchestra students will perform an orchestra concert at 7 p.m. Monday in the South Elgin High School auditorium, 760 E. Main St.

Streamwood High

• On Tuesday, a music faculty recital to celebrate Music in Our Schools Month will be held at 7 p.m. in the Streamwood High auditorium, 701 W. Schaumburg Road. Admission is $1 per student, $2 per adult or $6 per family.

• On Thursday, a Band Extravaganza will take place at 7 p.m. in the auditorium. Canton Middle School students will play with the Streamwood High band. Tickets are $1 per student, $2 per adult or $6 per family.

Larsen Middle

• On Tuesday, the Larsen Middle School teacher/student volleyball game will take place from 6 to 8 p.m. at the school, 665 Dundee Ave., Elgin. All are welcome. Admission is $1.

• On Wednesday, the band will present a Spring Concert at 7 p.m. in the auditorium.

Centennial

• Today through Thursday during school hours, the Scholastic Book Fair will be held in the Centennial Elementary library, 234 E. Stearns Road, Bartlett.

Creekside

• Creekside Elementary School students in third through sixth grade will present their Spring Sing at 7 p.m. today at the Larkin High School auditorium, 1475 Larkin Ave., Elgin.

Liberty

• On Tuesday, the third-graders will demonstrate their musical talents in a concert at 6:30 p.m. in the Liberty Elementary School gym, 121 Naperville Road in Bartlett. The fourth-graders will present their concert at 7:30 p.m.

In other news

• Congratulations to Darlene Castelvecchi's English class at Larkin High School in Elgin, who won the Freerice.com competition with a top score of 155,000 grains of rice. For each correctly matched vocabulary word, 20 grains of rice were donated to the United Nations Food Bank for developing countries. Four thousand grains of rice will feed one person, so the class was able to feed 38 people.

• Families whose children will attend District U-46 as a kindergartner for the 2008-09 school year can attend kindergarten orientation between April 10-25 to pre-register for classes. Children who will turn 5 years old on or before Sept. 1, 2008, are eligible to register.

Families are asked to register at the school that their child will be attending. For those who are unsure of which school serves their address, visit the district Web site at www.u-46.org and use the school information pull-down to view the online database. If you need further assistance, call the communications office at (847) 888-5000, ext. 5040. In addition, the entire kindergarten orientation schedule will be available on the district Web site in the coming weeks. Parents or guardians must bring the child's birth certificate and proof of residence in the district. Parents can apply to the county clerk in the county where the child was born to receive a copy of the birth certificate. Registration forms, immunization requirements and other materials will be distributed at the orientation.

• In the past decade, society's focus has become more global. It is not enough to just understand the U.S., it is important that the students have a deeper understanding of the cultures and experiences that shape the view of citizens in other countries. Students at Larkin and Bartlett high schools are learning this lesson firsthand. They have the opportunity to share their school, city and Chicago area with exchange students from Germany. Twelve German students from the Humboldt Gymnasium in Vatterstetten, Germany, are staying with Larkin High families from March 3-21. Sixteen students from Munich, Germany, will be visiting Bartlett from May 1-21. The German students will accompany their American counterparts to classes and participate in several field trips. This summer, the U-46 students will spend time in Germany living with families, attending school, and visiting the sites, as well as soaking up the culture. The opportunity to experience life in a foreign country firsthand will certainly help our students develop a global view.