Peirce School Family Newsletter

Haga clic aquí para el español

As we enter the month of November, there is much to give thanks for - I thank all of you for your commitment to Peirce School, from allowing us to spend 7+ hours a day with your child to your ongoing volunteering, fundraising and behind the scenes work which supports the development of IB students. I am fortunate to be given the opportunity to create a school culture and environment that supports student, parent and community involvement.

November has several days off - please note the school calendar and make sure to have children in school, on-time each day that school is in session. Our goal for the year is 97%, as of October 31st, our attendance is 97.14%, please help us meet our goal. There is a weekly competition in place at each grade level - the classroom with the highest percent of attendance for the week receives the "traveling trophy" with Pickles the Panther. In addition, there will be a series of random perfect attendance raffles throughout the year.

The IB Learner Profile attribute of the month is Knowledgeable, you can help your child be knowledgeable at home by allowing them to explore topics of interest, set goals and track progress while also monitoring grades in parent portal, take family field trips and explore the outdoors.

Below are a few highlights from the month of October:

• Peirce students elected their peers to represent them on Student Council. This year, Student Council will be represented at each LSC meeting, complete preliminary approvals for student fundraising, participate in a focus group with the school administration and make recommendations for increasing student voice in school-wide decision making.... among other things!
• Thank you to all Peirce Families and Staff who participated in the Edgewater 5K race - this is a great community event which supports local schools in the 48th ward.
• Peirce School re-instated the Student of the Month Ceremony and it was great to hear from our students as they reflected on why they were selected as the Student of the Month for their classroom.
• Thank you to Friends of Peirce for organizing a very successful "Harbor Night" the event brought in approximately $17,000 - money raised goes towards activities such as arts programs, sports and after school programs, teacher stipends and much much more!
• 7th & 8th grade students participated in the annual High School Fair at Senn High School, we are fortunate to have a wonderful High School within walking distance of Peirce School, over the years we have seen an increase in the number of students attending Senn HS and seeing Senn as a school of choice - see below for a video which highlights the accomplishments of Senn.
• Our Parent Advisory Council & Bilingual Advisory Council hosted a workshop titled "Creating Safe Spaces for LGBTQ Youth", presented by AJ and the Illinois Safe Schools Alliance. If you were unable to attend, see here for the presentation slides.
• Thank you to Ms. Hopkins, Peirce Teachers and Parents who supported the annual International Reading Night - many Pirates were seen wandering the halls of Peirce.
• Mr. Richie & Ms. Zawayta co-taught a math research lesson - continuing our work with Lesson Study.
• Thank you to Ms. Andrade & Ms. Keiner for spearheading the work of our Makers Space - we are at the beginning stages of implementing the Makers Lab with students and parents making the lab carts.
• The PSO hosted a very festive Halloween Dance and students and families gathered around the turf on Halloween for another year of parading and the new addition of our Thriller Flash Mob - thank you to Ms. Migas & Ms. Moritz for leading this work!
• Our Cross Country Team made it to the city finals!

Have a wonderful November and Happy Thanksgiving.

Warmest Wishes,

Lori Zaimi,

Principal

Please be reminded that no dogs or other animals are allowed on school grounds. Please make sure to keep dogs off of school property. Thank you for your help!

Peirce School is currently rated at a Level 1 and considered to be in Good Standing. Our school rating last year was a Level 1+, this year our rating took a slight dip. See the file below for the State of the School Presentation which lists specific school data points for the 2016-2017 school year. 42.5% of our school rating is based on student growth on the MAP test in 3rd-8th grades, 20% is based on attendance - these are the 2 areas that Peirce School was most affected by on our school rating. As a school we continue to work towards increasing student attendance along with supporting our students to meet their growth targets. Teachers have been working on balanced assessment & grading as a part of our school improvement plan and differentiating instruction to support all learners. Please reach out to Ms. Zaimi with any questions as it relates to our school rating LZaimi@cps.edu

Every 5 years, our IB program will be evaluated, this year the MYP program is scheduled for an evaluation site visit on November 8th. Representatives from IB will visit Peirce and Senn, meet with teachers, tour the building and talk with students and families. Stay tuned for more information on the feedback received from the site visit.

Picture Re-Takes will take place on Monday, November 6th.

Process for re-takes

• Proofs will be sent home 3-4 days after pictures and will have 1 week to complete purchase.
  
• Pictures will be available during the first week of December.

It is never too early to begin talking about promotion to the next grade level. In CPS, students in 3rd, 6th and 8th grades must meet the CPS promotional policy in order to move on to the next grade. Please read here for more information on the policy and consider attending an informational session during Report Card Day at 4pm on Wednesday, November 15th.

8th Graders, activate your account now!

To begin the account activation process, visit this page: http://go.cps.edu/

If you have misplaced or did not receive your Activation Code, please contact the Office of Access and Enrollment’s call center from a telephone number on your child’s CPS student information file to have it reissued. The call center can be reached at 773-553-2060 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Peirce Parents host a potluck lunch for teachers during Report Card Day. Please consider signing up here to bring a dish to share with Peirce staff.

PYP and MYP students will participate in student-led conferences. We believe that having students lead their conference encourages them to take ownership of their learning. Therefore, students are highly encouraged to attend the conference with their parents/guardians. Please come prepared to spend a minimum of 45 minutes at Peirce for Student Led Conferences. If parents have confidential questions for the teacher, please ask to set up an additional meeting outside of the student-led conference time.

We are still finalizing the times for Report Card Day and will send home a letter around Monday, November 6th with final details.

Dear 48th Ward families,

As you and your family review options for your child for high school, please consider the great option we have in our neighborhood -- Senn High School, 5900 N. Glenwood. Senn is a Level 1 school with a distinguished arts program, wall to wall IB program, and a partnership with Loyola University.

Please take a minute to watch this video about Senn high school and the programs offered: https://vimeo.com/231601512

Senn is hosting an Open House this Saturday, November 4, 10:30am - Noon. Please stop by to learn why Senn is a fantastic option for your child's high school career.

Molly Roudebush, Peirce Parent has supported the school's garden for many years alongside of Ms. Baumgarten and other parents and staff. She is currently looking for help with the garden (no experience needed). If you are interested and would like to learn more, please reach out to Molly at runkittyrunrun@yahoo.com.

Nov 2 - End of Quarter 1

Nov 3 - No School

Nov 6 - Picture Re-Takes

Nov 7 - Garden Closing Activities

Nov 8 to 10 - MYP Site Visit

Nov 8 - Student of the Month, 8:15am, Gymnatorium

Nov 8 - Dad's Night Out at Lady Gregory's, 6pm

Nov 10 - Learning Celebrations

Nov 10 - Math Parent Workshops (sponsored by PAC & BAC committees), 8:15am

Nov 13 to 17 - Book Fair

Nov 14 - Friends of Peirce Meeting, 6:30pm, Fieldhouse

Nov 15 - Student Led Conferences (Report Card Day) & No School for Students

Nov 16 - Local School Council Meeting, 6:00pm, Gymnatorium

Nov 17 - Peirce Service Organization Meeting, 8:00am, Field House

Nov 18 - 48th Ward International Fest, Broadway Armory

Nov 22 to 24 - Thanksgiving Break

Nov 28 - Wooden Spoon Fundraiser, Friends of Peirce

Nov 29 - Box Top Collection

Nov 29 - Prospective Parent Open House, 8:30am, Gymnatorium

Dec 1 - 5th Grade Musical, 9:00am & 1:30pm

Dec 8 - PAC & BAC Meeting, 8:15am, Fieldhouse

Dec 12 - Friends of Peirce Meeting, 6:30pm, Fieldhouse

Dec 13 - Student of the Month Ceremony, 8:30am

Dec 13 - 5th Grade Exhibition Parent Meeting, 5:00pm, Gymnatorium

Dec 15 - 4th Grade Barrel of Monkeys Performance, 10:00am, Gymnatorium

Dec 19 - 48th Ward Winter Show, 3:30 - 5:30pm, Senn High School

Dec 21 - Winter Concert, 9:00am & 1:30pm

Dec 21 - Local School Council Meeting, 6:00pm

Dec 22 - Student Council Pajama Day

Dec 25-Jan 5 Winter Break

Email: lzaimi@cps.edu
Website: peirce.cps.edu
Location: 1423 W Bryn Mawr Chicago, IL
Phone: 773-534-2440
Facebook: facebook.com/peircecps