Peirce School Family Newsletter

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Happy New Year Peirce Families!

I hope that you had a restful winter break, enjoyed time with friends & family and are ready for a wonderful new year! All of us at Peirce are thankful everyday for the parental support received - we are lucky to have the kindest, most dedicated and loving parent community in Chicago - thank you for your ongoing support of our school community from volunteering to coordinating and attending parent education meetings to fundraising, a warm hug, smile or word of encouragement. I wish you a very Happy New Year!

As we kick off 2019, I wanted to provide a few updates around our 2018-2020 School Improvement Plan (CIWP).

Priority #1: Instruction

• Each teacher developed professional goals and have the opportunity to participate in peer observations and reflective conversations with colleagues around best practices in instruction.
  
• Kindergarten-2nd Grade teachers are working to implement a balanced literacy model with a focus on small group guided reading based on student reading levels.
• Literacy & Math committees meet monthly with a focus on defining our literacy and math blocks for instruction.
• All K-2 teachers have their English as a Second Language Endorsement, and we are close to having all 3rd-5th teachers certified to support English Language Learners.
• Peirce Teachers will host 4 different Math Research Lessons this school year, Mr. Lerner & Ms. Heinlein were selected to attend a Lesson Study Conference in Oakland, California hosted by Mills College.

Priority #2: Multi-Tiered Systems of Support

• Peirce has 1.5 interventionist positions on staff to support individual and small group reading and math interventions for students requiring additional academic support.
• The Response to Intervention (RTI) committee has led the way in training and supporting teachers with progress monitoring using a new tool called AIMS Web - students in Kinder-8th grade are bench-marked in math 3 times a year and students who receive math interventions are progress monitored every 1-2 weeks. Students in 3rd-8th grade are bench-marked for Reading 3 times a year with progress monitoring of students receiving interventions every 1-2 weeks.
• The RTI committee reviews student progress monitoring data and makes recommendations as appropriate for students who they believe should be evaluated to receive special education supports.

Priority #3: Restorative Approaches to Discipline

• Ms. Choe, school counselor created a year-long Social Emotional Learning scope and sequence which aligns Second Step, Restorative Practices and Talking Circles. Teachers implement a Second Step Lesson Weekly and students participate in 1-4 talking circles a week to help develop community in the classroom.
• Mr. Jackson & Ms. Choe held a parent workshop in September and will hold another one on January 2nd - the sessions are geared to support parent understanding of Peirce's implementation of Restorative Practices and school wide discipline.
• We currently have 3 certified Restorative Practice Coaches on site and 5 additional staff members going through the certification process this year. All teachers will participate in professional development as it relates to RP at Peirce.
• All teachers have implemented the Anti-Bullying kit which accompanies the Second Step curriculum and students participated in a series of activities as they related to our month-long theme "United We Stand Against Bullying"
• Mr. Jackson and Peirce staff examined the student code of conduct and revised current protocols for how teachers and administrators should respond to student discipline issues.

Enjoy the last days of winter break - we will see you back at school on Monday, January 7th!

Warmest Wishes,

Lori Zaimi

Principal

Alexandra Wagner will join our team on January 7th and will spend part of the day in 3rd grade, room 201 and part of the day in 5th grade. Ms. Wagner was hired as a result of 10th day budget adjustments/an increase in enrollment this school year.

My name is Alex Wagner and I'm so excited to be joining Peirce elementary's team this winter! I am originally from Marshfield, WI and moved to the Chicago area to get my Bachelor's degree from Northwestern. I recently completed my Master's degree in Elementary Education with an ESL endorsement at the University of Michigan and moved back to Chicago this year to be closer to friends and family. In my free time, I enjoy playing with my 2 cats, baking, spending time outside, and reading books of all kinds.

There are always great things happening that often do not go recognized. Send a shout out to a fellow Peirce Parent or Staff Member to be included in upcoming newsletters! Please submit any shout-outs here.

Below are a few of the shout-outs that were submitted over the last month from fellow Peirce Parents:

• Shout out to Rebecca for organizing Winter Fest - you stepped in to take on a big task and are doing it with grace!
  
• Megan Brand for leading the work with Race & Equity at Peirce - your dedication is inspiring!

Student attendance has taken a dip this year, please note the following school and homeroom year to date attendance percentages. Help boost our school's attendance for the year by having students at school everyday, on time unless they are sick with a fever/other severe medical condition. Remember that attendance is 20% of our school rating policy.

School Goal: 96.3%

Current Year to Date: 96.25%

Last year at this time: 96.71%

Pre-Kindergarten: Room 121 (93.44%), Room 122 (92.73%), Room 123 (92.13%)

Kindergarten: Room 101 (95.08%,) Room 110 (95.5%), Room 126 (94.79%), Room 128 (95.74%)

1st Grade: Room 102 (93.68%), Room 103 (95.88%), Room 104 (96.68%), Room 105 (95.55%)

2nd Grade: Room 223 (96.8%), Room 224 (96.13%), Room 225 (96.22%), Room 228 (96.31%)

3rd Grade: Room 201 (95.95%), Room 202 (96.67%), Room 203 (96.41%), Room 210 (96.59%)

4th Grade: Room 204 (97.45%), Room 207 (97.28%), Room 208 (97.44%), Room 209 (95.9%)

5th Grade: Room 323 (95.72%), Room 324 (96.12%), Room 325 (96.66%),

6th Grade: Room 303 (96.43%), Room 304 (96.74%), Room 307 (96.19%), Room 308 (97.46%)

7th Grade: Room 301 (96.63%), Room 302 (97.02%), Room 309 (95.97%), Room 310 (97.12%)

8th Grade: Room 305 (93.46%), Room 320 (98.35%), Room 321 (95.9%), Room 329 (96.97%)

Peirce students who are enrolled in the Bilingual Program will participate in ACCESS testing in the middle of January. The ACCESS test measures students English Language Proficiency in Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing. Note the following date ranges for each grade level(students will test at various points during the testing window, reach out to your classroom teacher or Mr. Lerner at jdlerner@cps.edu for specific testing dates).

3rd Grade - January 16th-17th

1st & 4th Grades - January 22nd-25th

2nd & 5th Grades - January 28th-31st

K & 6th-8th - February 4th-6th

Comprehensive Sexual Health Information Session

Join Mr. Carbajal & Mr. Leighton on Wednesday, January 9th at 8:00am in the Library to learn more about the Comprehensive Sexual Health Curriculum that is taught to all students Kindergarten-8th grades.

Math Parent Workshop

Join Mr. Lerner on January 15th at 8:15am to learn more about our elementary grades math program with a focus on subtraction strategies.

Parent Workshops: "How Do We talk With Our Children About Race"

• Thursday Mornings, 8:15-10:45 am, Jan 17, 24, 31, Feb. 7, 14, 21, 28, childcare and translation will be provided

• Sundays, 3:30-6:30 pm, Feb. 24, March 3, 10, 17, 24, 31, April 7, pizza might be provided

Just a few spots left! Register today for the Peirce Pilot of SPEAK UP's 7-Week Parent Course: "How Do We Talk With Our Children About Race?" Register here. All are welcome. Childcare and Spanish translation will be provided for the Thursday morning sessions.

Restorative Approaches to Discipline

Join Mr. Jackson, Ms. Choe & Ms. Zaimi on Tuesday, January 22nd at 8:15am to learn more about Restorative Practices and school discipline at Peirce School.

Meet Your Middle Years Program (MYP 6th-8th Grades)

Join Dr. Riemer, MYP Students and Teachers on January 31st from 8:15 - 9:45am to learn more about Peirce's Middle Grades Program and the transition from PYP to MYP. Participants will tour middle grade classrooms and ask questions to students/teachers via a MYP Panel.

Friends of Peirce has several upcoming events to support their fundraising goal of $115,000 - all proceeds go directly back to Peirce School in order to support student programming such as Arts Partnerships, After School Programs, Sports, Teacher Stipends, Technology and more!

• Winterfest! Saturday, January 12th from 1:00 - 4:00pm, crafts, games, activities, bouncy houses, snacks and more!
• Peirce Day @ Jerry's, 5419 N Clark on Monday, January 14th - a portion of all sales go directly back to Peirce!
• Peirce Week @ RAM Art Studio - mention Peirce and 10% goes back to the school (January 28th-February 1st)
  

7th - School is back in session from winter break

8th - Friends of Peirce Meeting, 6:30pm, Fieldhouse

9th - Sexual Health Parent Information Session (Grades K-8), 8:00am

9th - Local School Council Special Meeting, 6:00pm

10th - School Spelling Bee, 8:30am 3rd-5th Grades, 1:30pm 6th-8th Grades

11th - Parent Advisory Council Meeting, 8:15am, Fieldhouse

11th - Small Group Parent Tour, 8:15am

11th - Parent Date Night, 6:00pm (FOP Sponsored)

11th - Parent Basketball League, 6:00pm, Lunchroon

12th - Winterfest - Sponsored by Friends of Peirce, 1:00 - 4:00pm

14th - Peirce Day @ Jerry’s on Clark, Friends of Peirce Sponsored

14th - Local School Council Special Meeting, 6:00pm

15th - Parent Math Workshop, 8:15am

16th - Student of the Month Celebration, 8:15am

17th - Local School Council Meeting, 6:00pm, Gym

17th - Parent Speak Up Session, 8:15am, Fieldhouse (Registration through Megan Brand @ antibiaseducator@gmail.com)

18th - Bilingual Advisory Council Meeting, 8:15am, Fieldhouse

18th - Parent Basketball League, 6:00pm, Lunchroom

21st - No School - Martin Luther King Jr Day

22nd - 8th Grade Graduation Pictures

22nd - Parent Session: Restorative Approaches to Discipline & Behavioral Health, what this means at Peirce, 8:15am

24th - Box Tops Collected

24th - Parent Speak Up Session, 8:15am, Fieldhouse (Registration through Megan Brand @ antibiaseducator@gmail.com)

25th - Peirce Service Organization Meeting, 8:15am, Fieldhouse

25th - Parent Basketball League, 6:00pm, Lunchroom

28th - February 1st Greater Kindness Challenge Week

28th - February 1st Peirce Week @ RAM Art Studio - mention Peirce and 10% goes back to the school

31st - End of Quarter 2

31st - Parent Session: Meet your Middle Years Program, 8:15 -9:45am

31st - Parent Speak Up Session, 8:15am, Fieldhouse (Registration through Megan Brand @ antibiaseducator@gmail.com)

1st - No School, Professional Development Day

7th - Parent Session: MYP (6th-8th Grades) Red Velvet Assessment Meeting, 5:00pm

7th - Parent Speak Up Session, 8:15am, Fieldhouse (Registration through Megan Brand @ antibiaseducator@gmail.com)

8th - Report Cards Distributed

8th - 8th Grade NAEP Testing

8th - Parent Advisory Council Meeting, 8:15am, Fieldhouse

8th - Small Group Parent Tour, 8:15am, Fieldhouse

8th - Valentine’s Dance, PSO Sponsored, 5:00 - 6:30pm

10th-14th, Peirce Days at True North

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

13th - African American Heritage Showcase, Parents Invited at 8:30am and 1:30pm

14th - Student of the Month Celebration, 8:15am

14th - Parent Speak Up Session, 8:15am, Fieldhouse (Registration through Megan Brand @ antibiaseducator@gmail.com)

15th - Peirce Service Organization Meeting, 8:15am, Fieldhouse

15th - Parent Basketball League, 6:00pm, Lunchroom

18th - No School - Presidents Day

21st - Parent Speak Up Session, 8:15am, Fieldhouse (Registration through Megan Brand @ antibiaseducator@gmail.com)

21st - Local School Council Meeting, 6:00pm, Gymnatorium

22nd - Parent Date Night, 6:00pm (FOP Sponsored)

22nd - Parent Basketball League, 6:00pm, Lunchroom

26th - 8th Grade Graduation Picture Re-Takes

28th - Parent Speak Up Session, 8:15am, Fieldhouse (Registration through Megan Brand @ antibiaseducator@gmail.com)

Peirce families now have the option of paying student fees online by clicking here and then selecting the one time payment option. Fees are $50 per student or $100 max for 2 or more children.

Las familias de Peirce ahora tienen la opción de pagar las cuotas de los estudiantes en línea haciendo clic aquí y luego seleccionando la opción de pago por única vez. Los honorarios son de $ 50 por estudiante o de $ 100 como máximo para 2 o más niños.

The warm summer weather is behind us and cold days have quickly found Chicago. Please make sure that children are dressed appropriately with hats, gloves, scarfs and boots as appropriate. Students will have recess as long as the weather is 15 degrees or warmer, wind chill may be factored in at the discretion of the school administration.

El clima cálido del verano ha quedado atrás y los días fríos han encontrado rápidamente Chicago. Asegúrese de que los niños estén vestidos adecuadamente con sombreros, guantes, bufandas y botas, según corresponda. Los estudiantes tendrán receso siempre que el clima sea de 15 grados o más cálido, el frío del viento puede ser considerado a discreción de la administración de la escuela.

Please help us create a safe space for our students as they enter and leave the building - dogs and pets are not allowed on school grounds.

Ayúdenos a crear un espacio seguro para nuestros estudiantes al entrar y salir del edificio; no se permiten perros ni mascotas en el recinto escolar.

The CPS Breakfast and Lunch Menu can be found here, this is updated regularly, so please check back often. These menus are subject to change. Also, please check out the CPS Nutrition Services Website.

El menú de desayuno y almuerzo de CPS se puede encontrar aquí, se actualiza regularmente, así que por favor vuelva a visitarlo con frecuencia. Estos menús están sujetos a cambios. Además, consulte el sitio web de CPS Nutrition Services.

The specials schedule can be accessed here - this indicates the class that your child will have each day of the week (Art, Music, Dance, PE, Spanish).

Se puede acceder al programa de especiales aquí: esto indica la clase que tendrá su hijo cada día de la semana (Arte, Música, Danza, Educación Física, Español).

The Parent-Student Handbook can be found here. Please review to become familiar with school policies and procedures.

El manual para padres y alumnos se puede encontrar aquí. Por favor revise para familiarizarse con las políticas y procedimientos de la escuela.

Peirce School utilizes Restorative Practices which are in alignment with the Chicago Public Schools Student Code of Conduct. This guide provides information on how student behavior is supported in CPS. Click here to access the Student Code of Conduct. Any questions related to Restorative Practices or the Student Code of Conduct can be directed to Shelton Jackson via email sjackson143@cps.edu or by phone at 773-534-2440.

La Escuela Peirce utiliza Prácticas Restaurativas que están alineadas con el Código de Conducta Estudiantil de las Escuelas Públicas de Chicago. Esta guía proporciona información sobre cómo se admite el comportamiento de los estudiantes en CPS. Haga clic aquí para acceder al Código de Conducta Estudiantil. Cualquier pregunta relacionada con las Prácticas de Restauración o el Código de Conducta del Estudiante puede dirigirse a Shelton Jackson por correo electrónico sjackson143@cps.edu o por teléfono al 773-534-2440.

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