31 in Pictures
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August 18th - Our First Entry.
With my Friends
With my Friends
I have always hated pictures of myself. This may be the only one posted showing yours truly, but now you can recognize me when seen, whether inside or outside the school building.
Look here for a pencil
Look here for a pencil
If you forget your pencil, you will need to pray to Pope Leo first before getting one. Room 31 will always provide writing options so no excuses will ever and I mean EVER work!!
Colleen is always with me
Colleen is always with me
We lost Colleen in 2004. She was a very special kid, and I miss her so much. Since then, she has always been placed next to every teacher's desk I've had.
Her brother took over for me as the Director of Technology, where I retired. I love you, Colleen.
August 19th - First Day 😭
Welcome Back
Not even the storms can stop the first day of school
Class of 2027
All smiles for the first day 😂
Welcome to Room 31
My introduction really got the kids excited🥱
Welcome part 2
The other side of the room was not much better 😔
August 19th - Day 2 🤣
Welcome to Room 31-Day 2
My speech did not impress the 8th Grade 😕
Welcome to Room 31-Day 2
Or this 8th-grade class 🥺
Candy Found
Of course they woke up quickly for candy 😁🍫
Welcome to Room 31-Day 2
6th grade followed their older classmates 🧐
Welcome to Room 31-Day 2
So did the other section 🥱
August 22nd - 2025 Back to School Bash 🥳
August 27th - 2025 Curriculum Night 📚🏫
Getting ready to meet parents at Red Robin in Skokie.
Yes, I am having a small salad with fries spread all over the table.😳🍟
So Proud!!
Not part of Curriculum night, and yes, I hate pictures of myself, but I had to share this one with my High School Girls from St. Ed's. My original classes are now Jr's and Sr's. These girls are just awesome. Plus, their Flag Football team won 59-6 ❤️
September 2nd - A day at lunch 🍞🍎
September 2nd - A perfect 8-0 game ⚽
September 3rd - The joys of indoor recess A bunch of truth or dare! Please bell ring!!! 😳😖
September 8th - Our 7th-grade trip to Camp Duncan. Plus, it's so awesome that CD is aligned with so many special needs groups, especially the one closest to my heart, the ISBA (Illinois Spina Bifida Association) 🏕️⛺♥️
September 10th - We're always adding and trying to improve room 31. Here are some examples. (Hopefully you see our promotion flyer to help the 5th grade raise $$. Room 31 loves chocolate 🍫💲💰
September 11th - A way to check any Math room is to look at the recycle bin. A healthy class has a full or even overflowing bin. 31's requires a pickup 😀 ♻️ 🚮
September 12th - Altar serving training. While I'm sure they want to serve God and the parish, I think missing class was much more fulfilling (except mine 😀) ♰ ⛪
September 12th (Bonus) - Before mass began, I grabbed a few quick pics with our kindergarten buddies/friends. While I dislike pictures of myself, I will ALWAYS love hugs from them!! ♥️ 🧒
September 15th - Arrived at school this morning to see that the carnival for Oktoberfest has arrived. I am a funnel cake and corn dog fan so I'll be breaking the diet a few times. 🫢😋
September 18th - Our first all school assembly. The 7th grade was ready. 😀
September 19th - 21st - My first Oktoberfest, and the rumors are true, the rides made me very sick Friday night. 🤢 🤮 Thank you to everyone who helped me that night to get home. I recovered and thoroughly enjoyed Saturday and Sunday. It just proves that all of us can get knocked off our feet at times. The important part of the story is to get back up! 👍 🤸
Enjoy all the pictures. 📸
September 23rd - A few new additions to Room 31. Including our new carnival won friends, now named Joshmole and Guccamolly, in honor of the kids who won them from my game sponsorship. 🏆
September 29th - Had a great time at the "Rose" game featuring our 8th graders. Fun to root for both sides from midfield. 🌹⚽
September 30th - I had to share this experience. This picture was staged, but it followed what happened for real.
After doing Times-Tables and now going in reverse with division of facts, I always ask the class, "Who wants to read" the answers. The first day or so of the school year, NO ONE wanted to.
Today, every hand popped up with excitement and confidence in their work. This felt so good. ♥️ 🟰
October 1st. Room 31 has begun getting ready for Halloween and our Math Extravaganza that will take place on the 31st. The event will be for all classes, including prizes and "scary" events. 🎃👻🧛🧟🍫
October 3rd. Our annual Walkathon. Students from all grades were ready to go, including our SJB Jaguar 🚶🚶
October 3rd. Our annual Walkathon - part 2. However, Molly and the "Four Senoritas" did act a little tired at the end, compared to how they started. 💤 😩 🥱
October 3rd. Our annual Walkathon - part 3. Plus, to be fair, the "Senoritas" had the sun in their faces. Here is how awesome they are up close. The sun is still an issue, but they are just so much fun to teach and have days like today. 😎
October 4th. Mrs. Nitti-D'Aquila and I attended the The Niles Art Market & Street Fest. We promoted SJB and gave away some cool stuff. The only problem was that the sun melted some of the candy. 🥵 🫠🍫
October 7th. It was a sad day as we had to say goodbye to Avery in Mrs. Starczewski's class. Mrs. Starczewski and I tried to make her last day here at SJB a great memory. Avery is such a great kid, and hopefully we can stay in touch. 😢 🫂 🍪
October 9th. So proud. We started with almost no one wanting to post their math work, to EVERYONE wanting to post. We now have multiple postings covering the entire outside wall of Room 31. SO COOL!! 😎 👏 😃
October 11th. Big playoff win. On to the next. ⚽
October 13th. Hard-fought loss played at Notre Dame CP, but still an AWESOME season. Still losing with grace and dignity is part of any sport and a true characteristic of a REAL champion. Way to go, Jaguars!! ⚽ 🏆
October 18th. The annual "Spooktacular" was a lot of fun. Took too many pictures, but as you will see, the kids and adults had so much fun it was hard to stop. Enjoy!! 🎃👻 🧟
October 25th. SJB Parish Celebration of Cultures. Our school hosted the USA table and served our all-American hot dogs, Nachos, and Candy. Just like at any ballpark in the USA. 🌭 🇺🇲
November 2nd. Halloween over, shoes up on the wall hopefully forever. Room 31 is ready for Thanksgiving and lessons involving fractions as we deal with serving sizes, later this month. 🦃
November 10th. I wanted to share with everyone how math is everywhere in our lives, even when we travel. Even as Mr. Incredible said in The Incredibles 2, MATH is MATH!
From the flight and its on-plane mapping software to the park games and STEM references. Then to science and the beauty of nature, and the way God shows his glory with his "Birds of Paradise." Of course, the score was mine as I was the winner this round. 😎
November 13th. Finally had the camera out for a Room 31 Birthday. Plus, Aturina was so touched by the artwork another 7th grader made for her. This was so classy and a proud moment for me, as while math is the best class, being a great friend is much more important. 👭 😁
November 14th. First basketball game for the season for me. The best part of BB games is that they are indoors. Plus, the girls use math in their routines, as when they prepare to start a new cheer, to get into their set position, each captain starts with 5-6-7-8, even though one of the girls was less than excited for our picture (zoom in & look to the far right 😄). 🏀 📣 🔢
November 18th. Today, we prepared meals for "Feed My Starving Children" at their Libertyville location. The focus today was on kids in Haiti. Of course, the main focus was helping and caring for others, but math is clearly involved. The numbers below speak for themselves, along with the measuring directions using the Metric system. ♥️ 🍚 📦
November 20th
Room 31 students shared their index cards with me, which they had prepared for an upcoming test. 🔎
Talking about making a lot fit in a little place. 😀
I'll be honest, I had to use my phone and zoom in to read what they wrote. I guess we will see how they did when the results come back. 📲
November 21st. Today, due to the funeral for Danny and the PTC next week, we had to celebrate Thanksgiving, or as it has now been renamed - Mathgivings (per Olivia), a little early. While we can't serve the favorite bird, we choose to substitute the light and dark meat with chocolate and glazed munchkins, as well as CC and sugar cookies. At the same time, kids used the numbers and counts from these treats to practice fractions, ratios, decimals, and percents. 🦃🍪🍩➗
December 4th. Room 31 is in the Holiday mood and getting ready for Math-the-Halls. 🧑🎄 🎄 🎁
December 8th. 8th-grade BB Rose Game. While the boys won with ease, the girls' routine was beyond cool!! 🌹🏀 📣 😎
December 12th
Finally had to refill pencils this morning. Plus added my Lurie's Mug as more was needed to house the demand. Math = Pencils. A true axiomatic statement. ✏️ ➗ 😜
December 18th
Our 7th-grade gift exchange was a lot of fun. Even have two students becoming math lovers just like me. Happy Holidays. 🌲🎁
December 19th
In the 6th and 7th grades, we completed volume 1 of the math series. I am extremely proud of the work the kids did, and we are right on track to complete the entire math curriculum for this year. Volume 2 will begin once we return.
These books are consumable and for the most part, are discarded as students write in them and then cannot be reused. This is how these books are designed. I thought a fun way to celebrate this awesome accomplishment would be to have them enjoy this "destruction" by doing it themselves.
As you can see, this was a lot of fun for them. By far, 6th grade wanted to make sure they were totally destroyed, while 7th grade was more controlled, but extremely complete. Enjoy!! 📗😄
December 19th
Merry Christmas, 7th Grade. See you in 2026 🥳
🏈 GO BEARS 🏉
🏈 GO BEARS 🏉
January 20th
It was so hard to see the season end. The kids had their Friday BEARS dress day, plus the staff took part as well. Yet, many of the staff shared texts back and forth, going through the ups and downs of the final game, especially in the 4th quarter. Below is a sample of this experience, as teachers are people too, and kids need to understand we are all in this world together.
Science Fair Day
Science Fair Day
January 21st
As all the kids waited for their turn in the judging, they got somewhat creative in their methods for dealing with the stress. Actually, it was fun to be part of and help them. 😧 🔬
Lego Team
Lego Team
January 22nd
The girls came up with this idea during one of our assemblies. Each time we have indoor recess (and if they can), they work on the current design we picked out. It started small (400+ pieces) with our newest tulip arrangement, taking them less than 4 - 20 minute recess periods. So impressive!! Now we have three completed projects. 🧩 👏
On to the next. I'll visit the Lego store to find one to really challenge them in the next few days. 🛒
January 23rd
January 23rd
As every day where the weather becomes an issue, the choice to have school is always a 50-50 option. However, I have always felt that those who chose to come deserve a little special treat (even if parents forced.) 😉
In addition, for the first time since 1966, we had a Mass in the school gym. We learned that the gym was the old church, but it has not had a Mass there in 60 years. That made today even better.
Plus, with small numbers that usually happen, it actually is a fun day as we find ways to enjoy the day. 🤣 🍩 🍫
Below are some pictures of 7th grade playing "Grounded for Life" that I got when I traded with Ritta.
January 25th
January 25th
Open House
In room 31, we had an outstanding response. In fact, it was so busy, I never got a chance to take any pictures of the visitors. All I have are the setup shots. Well over 75+ participants as we went through all the cereal set out, prizes were gone by 12:15, and we played at least 20 rounds of our Math Bingo. I've included additional pictures below.
January 27th
January 27th
Volleyball season began with a game at St. Monica Academy. All teams played very well, and while losing is never fun, it is clear this year is going to be very exciting.
Yes, their gym is very small. I did love the upper-level seating as I could get some great pictures. See below.
February 4th
Caught the first 8th-grade boys VB game last night, along with three other games. All the teams were extremely competitive, but the 8th-grade team put on a show. As mentioned before, this VB season will be a lot of fun.
February 23rd
In honor of Team USA winning Gold in hockey, both in the women's and Men's divisions, the middle school had an Olympics Celebration Day. It included trivia, watching the greatest US Olympic wins, and other events.
FYI, after watching 5 possible events, the 6-8 students overwhelmingly voted that the best was Kerri Strug's 1996 win with torn ligaments in her ankle. 🇺🇲 🥇
February 24th
Both 7th-grade VB teams had dominating performances last night. They are playing very strongly and are playoff-bound. Yet, for this game, the girls own the bragging rights with a slightly better score. 🏐 👏
February 25th
A mom took this picture last night at the game. Again, I am not fond of pictures of myself, especially fighting this cold. Much more importantly, I am very fond of these young ladies. I am so proud of them and who they are becoming, both in the classroom and in life. Thanks, Mrs. A. 🥲 🦚
March 9th
March 9th
On Saturday, I visited the teams at the Regional Science Fair. Before I was kicked out, so that judging could occur, it was fun to see our teams have their booths ready and all the last-minute prep they were doing.
Plus, two teams will be going on to the State round. Congrats to all teams!!
As a ps, when I realized I took no pictures, I went back, but one 8th grade team was missed as the judges were already at their spot and the kids were fully engaged, so a picture would have been a distraction. Sorry to that team.
March 13th
Lego Team - Update
The girls finished the Batmobile a few days ago. I have always wanted one, but the work it took overwhelmed me. Not true for these awesome ladies. Over the cold weather, which forced indoor recesses and some additional days, the team brought this wish of mine to a reality.
These girls are just awesome. 🤩🤩🤩
March 13th
Lego Team - Update, part 2
The boys also completed a Lego project this winter. C-3P0 got finished in mid-February. The boys worked as a team to get it done rather quickly. The next one I may look at adding is its partner, R2D2.
The boys are also awesome!! 👍👍👍
March 25th
A few random pics of events of the week. First, Onita, in 6th grade as of Monday, owns our Times-table speed board. Every current time, she is a part of.
Then, the 7th-grade girls and I rooted on the 8th grade girls at their playoff game. It was so fun to cheer right with them. These girls are so much fun. (Yes, I cropped my self out, but a little of my hair remained. 🧑🦳
March 27th
I learned that our own Ms. Batorowicz not only ran in the 2026 Shamrock Shuffle, but also in the 2025 Chicago Triathlon. She stopped by when the kids were relaxing between Stations of the Cross Performances to show the medal. It is very (and I mean very) cool. It is also heavy and contains the Chicago skyline. So impressive. I've already added her 2026 Triathlon date to my calendar to cheer her on. GO SARA!!!!! 🏃 🏊 🚴
March 30th
The playoffs for volleyball were last weekend. Both Boys and girls played so well. In the end, the Girls 7th-grade team and the Boys 8th-grade team made it to the finals. The girls played every point, but in the end, they fell short, finishing second. The Boys had a great game, winning 1st place in two sets. Congrats to all teams on a season so much to be part of. 🏐 🏅
In a scheduling quirk, I was only able to see the girls for the most part. Here are some of the pics from the weekend.
March 31st
The 8th-grade had their all-star game at ND. 8 players from the boys and girls teams were honored. They, along with all the players from all teams, really played well. Again, it was so much fun to watch and officially end the volleyball season. 🏐
Plus, our own Terezka enjoyed taking pictures. All the pictures below are from her. 📸
March 31st
Plus, for me, it was all their classmates who came to support and cheer that made the night special. The 8th-grade girls even made a two-sided sign (and the only one I saw) celebrating these athletes. We even had some fun with a little 7th-grade vs. 8th-grade fan rivalry. Just another great night. 😭
April 19th
April 19th
The girls began their first-ever Flag Football season. Both the 7th and 8th grades played very hard.
We even designed some plays to use for future games using their VB nicknames.
April 21st
With all 7th-grade boys on a shadow day, we had a ladies' day. Of course, they came up with a game that I know I will regret. 🫣
May 1st
Kids Fest was a lot of fun. The prize table was very active; however, the pie in the face was the main event. It seemed every middle school student threw one, plus staff as well. 🥧
May 5th
A group of us went to the Cubs game. Mrs. Fitzy organized it all for us and made it so easy and, of course, so much fun. As a bonus, Jeremiah Paprocki, the Cubs' PA announcer, visited and spoke to us for a few moments. The Cubs won, but Mrs. F never did get a ball. ⚾ 🤪
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