Peirce School Family Newsletter
September 2016
Principal's Message
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September 6, 2016
Welcome Back! What a wonderful first day of school so far!
Thank you to everyone who attended our Back to School Picnic & Open House on Thursday, September 1st. It was wonderful to see our young people back in the building - preparing for an amazing start to the school year!
We are very excited to have a school mascot this year - if your child has a suggestion for naming it, please send to Anne Choe, school counselor at apark1@cps.edu. Students will then vote on naming the mascot.
We have a lot to look forward to this year as we continue implementation of our PYP and MYP Programs. Our Primary Years Program (PK-5th grade) is well underway for us to be authorized - we will submit our application for authorization in October and anticipate a site visit in the Spring. Our Middle Years Program will go through the self-study process this year as we look at areas of success and opportunities for growth.
We made a few visual improvements to the school over the summer - painted the 2nd floor hallway, organized art work and now have the IB Learner Profile framed throughout the building. Thank you to all of the Peirce families and staff who helped us with theses projects! We will host another Peirce Day of Service this school year to continue painting and decorating - be on the lookout for more information!
Warm wishes to a wonderful school year,
Lori Zaimi
Principal
Student Fees
Parent - Student Handbook
You can find our updated student handbook on the Peirce website by visiting here.
Curriculum Night & IB Informational Sessions
Save the date! Curriculum Night will take place on Thursday, September 15th from 5:00 - 7:00pm. More information about the evening itself will be coming soon. Please note that curriculum night is focused on parents learning more about grade level curriculum, procedures, IB and the students overall experience at school.
Entrance and Dismissal
Beginning Wednesday, September 7th students in 2nd-8th grade will enter the building at 7:55am. Kindergarten and 1st grade teachers will meet students at their respective doors at 8:00am. All doors on the Gregory side of the building will be closed by 8:05am, at that time students will need to enter through the main entrance on Bryn Mawr.
For the safety and security of all students, please do not walk or drive through the alley between 7:45-8:05am. In addition, we ask that parents not park (even for a short time) in the staff parking lot. All adults needing to enter the school will be asked to enter through door #1 on Bryn Mawr - sign in at the main office and obtain a visitors pass - please help us keep our students safe.
On days of inclement weather, students will enter through doors 4 and 8. Classrooms in the old building will enter through door 8 while classrooms in the new building will enter through door 4.
Safety Drills
Throughout the school year students will participate in several safety drills - we will have a monthly fire drill, 1 lockdown drill, 1 shelter in place/tornado drill and 1 bus evacuation drill. Our teachers will help students understand the importance of being safe at all times, please re-iterate this message at home.
After School Programs
Peirce School works with the YMCA for onsite programming from 7:00 - 8:00am and 3:00 - 6:00pm. If you are considering enrolling, please do so as soon as possible by contacting the Lakeview YMCA.
After School All Stars/Out of School Time Grant
A huge thank you to Ms. Thompson who wrote and received our After School All Stars Grant! We are in the planning stages of the program and will have information to send out to families by the end of September or early October.
CIWP - School Improvement Plan
During the 2015-2016 school year, Peirce staff, parents and community members were engaged in a school-improvement planning process. You can find our completed (but always changing) plan on the school website - About Peirce - CIWP. The four main priorities are Balanced Assessment & Grading, Restorative Approaches to Discipline, Curriculum and Multi-Tiered Systems of Support.
Homework Policy
Lunch & Recess
Peirce School will continue to partner with Right at School for the 2016-2017 school year. We have met with our recess and lunchroom staff to develop a plan which supports student transitions, maximizing play and decreasing the amount of time it takes to transition to activities. Mr. Nanavati and myself will monitor lunch and recess to make sure that our students have a positive experience while on the playground and in the lunchroom. Please note the following lunch/recess times:
Kinder/1st Grade 10:30 - 11:20
2nd-4th Grades 11:20 - 12:10
5th-8th Grades 12:15 - 1:05
We understand that the K/1 lunch time is an early lunch time - if you are child needs an afternoon snack, please work with your child’s teacher.
Edgewater 5K
Join Peirce students and staff in the Edgewater 5K on Sunday, September 25th - money raised will go to support local schools. For more information, visit http://www.edgewater.org/programs-and-events/edgewater-back-to-school-5k-runwalk/
Key Contact Information - School Staff & Parent Volunteers
The chart below indicates the leadership team at Peirce - if you have questions about something not listed, please reach out to Lynn or Sally in the main office so that they may put you in contact with the correct team member
Lori Zaimi
Principal
Oversees all school operations
Virag Nanavati
Assistant Principal
Student behavior and supports
Kim Lebovitz
PYP IB Coordinator (PK-5)
IB Curriculum for Pre-K through 5th Grades
Dr. Talyia Riemer
MYP IB Coordinator (6th-8th)
IB Curriculum for 6th-8th Grades
Anne Choe
Counselor
Counseling Supports, High School Applications
Athanasia Kolontouros
Case Manager/EL Liaison
Special Education, 504 Plans, Bilingual and ESL Supports
Brooke Thompson
After School All Stars
Free After School Programming through After School All Stars
Lynn Carro
Main Office
Enrollment, Building Rental, General Questions
Sally Suarez
Main Office
Enrollment, Fee Based After School Programs, Volunteering, General Questions
Yesenia Rivera
Lunchroom Manager
Lunch/Breakfast
Classroom Teachers
Email addresses in the staff directory of the website
Classroom level questions
Parent Volunteer
Nora Hughes
Peirce Service Organization - Volunteers
Joe Dunne
Local School Council - Chairperson
Eilene Edejer
Local School Council - Vice Chairperson
Dave Tilson
Friends of Peirce - President
Bilingual Advisory Council: TBA
Parent Advisory Council: TBA
Save the Date!
September
13th Friends of Peirce, 6:00pm, Fieldhouse
15th Curriculum Night, 5:00 - 7:00pm
16th PSO Meeting, 8:15am, Fieldhouse
21st International Day of Peace
Diverse Learner Presentation, 8:15am & 6:15pm, Fieldhouse
22nd Local School Council Meeting, 6:00pm, Gymnatorium
23rd Title I Annual Meeting, 8:15am, Fieldhouse
Title I PAC Organizational Meeting, 8:45am, Fieldhouse
Bilingual Advisory Council Meeting, 9:30am, Fieldhouse
24th-25th Edgewater Arts Festival
25th Edgewater 5K, 8:00am - Rosemont & Kenmore
30th Coffee with the Principal, 8:15am, Fieldhouse
October
4th Restorative Approaches to Discipline Parent Meeting, 8:15am & 6:00pm,
Fieldhouse
7th Progress Reports Distributed
10th No School - Columbus Day
11th High School Fair @ Senn HS - Peirce families to participate, More Info to Come
*Please visit the school calendar - found on the main page of the website for updated information regarding school events. Please remember that some dates / events may change as the year progresses .
Helen C. Peirce School of International Studies
Email: lzaimi@cps.edu
Website: peirce.cps.k12.il.us
Location: 1423 W Bryn Mawr Chicago, IL
Phone: 773-534-2440
Facebook: facebook.com/peircecps