Last Call for Graduation Signs

LAST DAY TO ORDER GRADUATION SIGNS IS FRIDAY, MAY 6th!

Signs come with a lawn stake and are suitable for outdoor display to celebrate graduating seniors.  Order now for only $15. Signs can be picked up starting May 13th at the Spirit Shop.

Visit www.events.org/graduationsigns to order your today!

Highlights and Successes:

• Congratulations to Coach Brian Newby and the  Boys Water Polo Team on  winning the MSL Conference Championship!
• Congratulations to Coach Ray Roth and the Girls Water Polo Team on winning the MSL Conference Championship!
• Congratulations to Coach Bob Hanson and the Girls Badminton Team on winning the IHSA Sectional!
• Congratulations to the following medalists at the State Journalism Tournament:  Emma Davies - 4th place Broadcast News and Emma Milojkovic - 6th place Yearbook Copy Writing.
• Congratulations to this week’s Viking Pride winners:  Yunju Cho, Gina Choi, Rebecca Davis, Shion Fujimori, Margaret Griffin, Sydney Hill, Ava Jennings, Gabrielle Lytle, Dayana Mena Perez, Arinze Okammor, Rebecca Ratajczyk, Rebecca Rutkowski, Esther Shim.

Upcoming Home Activities and Varsity Events

May 6	Girls Track & Field Conference @ Buffalo Grove H.S. - 4:30 p.m. Boys Baseball @ Elk Grove H.S. - 4:30 p.m. Girls Softball vs. Schaumburg H.S. - 4:30 p.m. Boys Track & Field @ Lockport Township H.S. - 5:00 p.m. Girls Soccer vs. Barrington H.S. - 6:30 p.m.
May 7	Prom - The Renaissance - 6:00 p.m. Boys Tennis @ Crystal Lake Central H.S. - 8:00 a.m. Girls Water Polo Triangular @ FHS - 9:00 a.m. Boys Water Polo Triangular @ FHS - 9:00 a.m. Boys Baseball DH vs. Warren Township - 9:00 a.m. Boys Lacrosse vs. Glenbrook South H.S. - 1:00 p.m. Boys Gymnastics Sectional @ FHS - 2:00 p.m.
May 9	Girls Softball @ Hoffman Estates H.S. -4:30 p.m. Boys Baseball @ Barrington H.S. - 4:30 p.m. Girls Lacrosse @ Huntley H.S. - 7:00 p.m.
May 10	Boys Baseball vs. Stevenson H.S. - 4;30 p.m. Girls Soccer Crossover @ FHS - 4:30 p.m. Girls Softball @ Rolling Meadows H.S. - 4:30 p.m. Girls Lacrosse @ Nequa Valley H.S. - 5:00 p.m. Boys Volleyball @ Barrington H.S. - 6:00 p.m.
May 11	Girls Water Polo Sectional @ FHS - 4:30 p.m. Girls Softball vs. Conant H.S. - 4;30 p.m. Boys Water Polo SEctional @ FHS - 4:30 p.m. Boys Baseball vs. Barrington H.S. - 5:00 p.m. Girls Soccer MSL Championship @ FHS - 7:00 p.m.
May 12	Boys Tennis Conference @ Prospect H.S. - 3:30 p.m. Boys Water Polo Sectional @ FHS - 4:30 p.m. Girls Water Polo Sectional @ FHS - 4:30 p.m. Girls Track & Field Sectional @ Buffalo Grove H.S. - 4:30 p.m. Boys Volleyball vs. Schaumburg H.S. - 6:00 p.m. Girls Lacrosse vs. Warren H.S. - 7:00 p.m.

For a more complete list, please visit our Athletics Page.

Staff Spotlight

Grattoni's Math Team is competing at State on Saturday

Name: Christopher Grattoni

Position: Math Teacher, Head Math Team Coach, and Math Test Prep Sponsor

Years at Fremd: Teaching - 9, Student - 4

Life Before Fremd: I graduated from Fremd High School in 2001, so it would be more accurate to talk about “life between Fremd” rather than “life before Fremd.” I went to Northwestern University for my undergraduate degree (class of 2005), where I double-majored in Mathematics and English Literature. During my time at Northwestern, I worked as a computer lab tech, a librarian’s assistant in the Northwestern math library, and a Blackboard support specialist for Northwestern’s Academic Technologies department. After undergrad, I earned a master’s degree in Mathematics and the Foundations of Computer Science in 2006 from Oxford University and a master’s degree in secondary education from Northwestern University in 2007.

Hobbies/Interests: I enjoy doing recreational mathematics and programming. I love learning about new technologies and finding new or interesting ways to apply mathematics. Every year, I look forward to final projects in Multivariable Calculus because I am always so impressed by the creative and mathematical ability of my students. Here are some published projects from some of my former students: http://demonstrations.wolfram.com/search.html?query=fremd.

I also enjoy gardening, cooking, going on bike rides, hiking, reading, and watching reruns of Star Trek: The Next Generation.

Insider Tip for Parents: Fremd has a lot of free ACT/SAT prep opportunities for students! We have after-school prep classes, as well as a half-period ACT/SAT math prep course the runs during lunch periods.

Ask the Principal

Q: What are the rules for parking lot pick-ups? When (if ever) can we use the bus lane?

A: When we reconfigured the parking lot last year, we considered a drop-off lane, but when we weighed that against the possibility of losing roughly 30 parking spots in order to accomplish this we knew we had to strike a balance. (Those of you who have tried to obtain a parking pass understand the importance of every square inch out there!) Consequently, student drop-off hasn’t changed substantially over the years. Here are the “best practices” I can suggest:

• The bus lane is for buses only--at all times of the day. I know it looks convenient, but it also brings increased traffic to our front door where the majority of students enter/exit the building. While you can predict the bus arrival times (6:45-7:30) and departure times (2:45, 4:00 and 5:25) there are often field trips and school events that require buses to use the lane at unpredictable times.
• Pull into an open parking spot and wait for communication from your student before you drive to the main through lane in front of the school.
• No open parking spots? Consider waiting away from the building in the far corner of the lot. There is less traffic out there. Pull up to the front when you receive communication from your student.
• The school remains the safest way for your student to get to/from school. More bus riders also means less traffic in the lot to overwhelm novice drivers.

Are you curious about something at Fremd but have never asked? Email me at ktenopir@d211.org. If your question is pertinent to a wider audience, I will include it in the next blog post.