Peirce School Family Newsletter

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Greetings Peirce Families and Friends,

During the month of November, teachers planned activities around our campaign "United We Stand Against Bullying", teachers implemented lessons from the Second Step Anti-Bullying Kit along with activities which helped support the message of kindness, inclusion and being up-standers. Students participated in a school-wide march on Friday, intended to build unity among our student body - several students said how nice it was for the whole school to be doing the same thing at the same time.

December 3rd-6th is Inclusive Schools Week, Inclusive Schools WeekTM is celebrated annually the first week in December by families, schools and organizations in the U.S. and abroad. The Week highlights and celebrates the progress that schools have made in implementing inclusive practices to ensure a quality education for an increasingly diverse student population. Learn more at www.inclusiveschools.org.

Peirce has worked to develop our Special Education program over the last 3 years to focus on the use of inclusive practices, while we have made much progress, we recognize that we still have a lot of work to do to ensure that every student, every family member, everyday feels included in the Peirce Community. Inclusion at Peirce moves beyond our Special Education Program as we also are beginning our work around Race & Equity, continue our implementation of Restorative Practices and have continue our work with creating safe spaces for LGBTQ youth and families.

As we enter the final month of the year, I wish you peace and happiness - with winter break soon upon us, I hope that you will enjoy the break with your children, family and friends.

Warmest Wishes,

Lori Zaimi

Principal

During the October LSC Meeting, 3 additional positions were approved to be open - one half-time music and 2 teacher positions. We were able to hire Clara Pedtke (see introduction below) to support our music program. Clara was on staff at the end of last year and began thise year substitute teaching at Peirce. Clara is continuing to sub at Peirce until a final schedule will be in place after winter break.

We are close to hiring 1 additional teacher who will support multiple classrooms that have high levels of enrollment and should have someone in place after winter break.

We are still interviewing for the final position.

Clara is a native of Evanston, Illinois. As a child, she frequently visited her grandparents in Andersonville, and considers this neighborhood her second home. Clara majored in Music Education and Vocal Performance with a minor in Pedagogy at Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin. She joined Peirce in April of 2018 as a Temporary Assigned Teacher to help cover for maternity leaves on the Specialists Team. She is thrilled to continue to teach music at Peirce! Clara believes that music communicates in a way that words alone cannot. Music creates community, empowers individuals, and teaches resilience in a constantly changing world. When not teaching or writing lesson plans, Clara can be found practicing, performing opera and classical music, or enjoying her favorite Chicago-style deep dish pizza.

Our attendance took a huge dive after Thanksgiving Break due to the anticipated snow storm. Current attendance is 96.39% whereas last year at this same time we were at 96.93% - this is a significant dip comparing one year to the next and we have not hit the coldest, wettest time of the year along with flu season.

Please help us with attendance by ensuring that your child is at school everyday unless they are sick. Attendance is 20% of our school rating policy and we have to be above 96% in order to receive full points.

Peirce Parent Kathy Herwig has taken on the massive role of updating our school website regularly for many years and is looking to transition this work to another parent. Kathy is able to help train and share her knowledge with anyone who may be interested. Please reach out to principal Lori Zaimi at LZaimi@cps.edu and to Kathy at kathyherwig@gmail.com if you are able to help us. Thank you Kathy for your many years of dedication and support in web development, creating a platform to support our communication with parents!

The turf is now complete! We are so thankful to have the fencing down and access to the turf. With the heavy rain over the past few days, there was no flooding! Our students will now be able to play in a larger area for recess and outdoor sports programs will be able to make good use of the new turf! Alderman Osterman will be onsite Thursday, December 6th at 10am for our Turf Ribbon Cutting Ceremony, feel free to join us if you are available.

The State of the School Presentation was presented by Principal Zaimi during the November LSC meeting, below is a link to the powerpoint presentation. Reach out to Ms. Zaimi with any questions.

Do you live out of our attendance boundary but would like to enroll another child at Peirce next year? Or do you have a current Pre-K student at Peirce but you live out of the attendance area? We may have space next year for students who live outside the attendance area but you must apply through GoCPS. Applications are due on 12/14/18 for the 2019-2020 school year.https://go.cps.edu/elementary-school …

Due to the unknown number of incoming neighborhood students, all lottery students are waitlisted in two categories: sibling lottery and general lottery. Priority is given to siblings for acceptance to Peirce for out of boundary students. Parents will receive notification of sibling lottery or general lottery waitlist numbers in the spring of 2019.

We do not yet have the application for Pre-School - we will share that information once it is received.

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 Cecilia for producing this amazing round up of volunteer opportunities and events and translating it! Thanks Cecilia!
  
• Sally Suarez is helping parents so much with the volunteer process. She is so patient and helpful! I bet we have the most Level 1s of any school!
  
• Gina Eshu for all of her help with the book fair!
  
• Karen McGroarty& Jennifer Ramirez for helping at the Book Fair!
  

3rd-6th Inclusive Schools Week

5th - Student of the Month Celebration, 8:15am

5th - Race & Culture Parent Resource Meeting, 7:00pm, Fieldhouse

6th - Peirce Day at Edge of Sweetness

6th - Positive Parenting Meeting by Tuesday’s Child, 8:00am, Room 206B

6th - Turf Ribbon Cutting, 10:00am

7th - Parent Date Night - Friends of Peirce Fundraiser

7th - Parent Basketball League - 6:00 -8:00pm

10th - Baby & Toddler Storytime, 8:15am, Library

10th-21st Middle of the Year MAP Testing for 2nd-8th grade students

11th - Friends of Peirce Meeting, 6:30pm, Fieldhouse

12th - 5th Grade Parent Meeting on Exhibition, 5:30pm

13th - LSC Meeting, 6:00pm, Gymnatorium

13th - Race & Culture Parent Resource Meeting, 8:15am, Fieldhouse

14th - Progress Reports Distributed

14th - PSO Meeting, 8:15am, Fieldhouse

14th - 4th Grade Barrel of Monkeys showcase, 10:00am

14th - Parent Basketball League - 6:00 -8:00pm

18th - Band Concert, 7:00pm, Gym

19th - Classroom Spelling Bees

19th - 48th Ward Holiday Showcase at Senn HS, 4:00pm

20th - Winter Concert, 9:00am & 1:30pm

December 24th - January 4th

Winter Vacation

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

10th - School Spelling Bee

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

15th - Parent Math Workshop, 8:15am

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

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

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

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

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