September 19-23, 2022 | Week #5

Principal's Report

Every month, Skinner West's principal prepares and presents a report at the Local School Council Meeting (LSC).

Download the report

Discussion with Dr. Bush

Dr. Bush hosts an informal, monthly chat for parents and community members. Drop in virtually to chat with our principal.

Thursday, September 29

4:30 – 5:30 p.m.

Link: https://meet.google.com/yee-pppaqtg

Or dial: (US) +1 478-250-9775 PIN: 430 970 437#

This month's meeting will coincide with the EL Parent meeting.

EL Parent Meeting Agenda

Celebrating Hispanic Heritage

Pre-K through 8^th grade Superstars are exploring Hispanic Heritage Month in class via instructional activities and projects. We are also hosting a contest to engage students in Spanish culture and history.

Meet Ms. Wu, Mandarin

大家好(Hello)! My name is Chan Wu. I have taught Chinese in elementary school for many years in China. I moved to Chicago in 2016 and received my bachelor’s degree in world language education – Chinese from DePaul University in 2022. I recently completed my student-teaching at Whitney Young.

I care about students and love teaching. My teaching style is flexible and I focus on motivating students' learning interest to achieve goals. I will guide students to learn a language by understanding the culture behind the language. I am excited and honored to be a new teacher of Skinner!

And, Skinner is happy to have you, Ms. Wu! Thank you for securing our acceptance into the 2022-2023 Chinese Artists in Residence Program provided by the CPS Chinese World Language Program.

Open House Success

Thanks to all of the parents, guardians, students, and families that made this year's open house a success! And, big thanks to the teachers who opened their classrooms and answered questions.

If you weren't able to attend, children will receive the following reports from their teachers:

5^th week progress reports (1^st – 8^th grades)
Beginning of year iReady individual student reports (K-2^nd grade)
Beginning of year STAR360 individual student reports (3^rd – 8^th grade)
Illinois Science Assessment (ISA) individual student reports (current 6^th grade student: scores from 5^th grade ISA)
Illinois Assessment of Readiness individual student reports (current 4^th – 8^th grade students: scores from school year 2021-2022 IAR)
Five day notices (students with 5 or more unexcused absences)

Day of Coding for 5th Graders

mBot2 is a next-generation educational robot designed for secondary education, offering a low-entry level but extending to a higher educational ceiling. It is powered by CyberPi, an educational microcontroller with enhancements such as networking capabilities and precise control. mBot2 is designed for students to carry out interactive and smart lessons that are engaging, fun, and reflect real-world applications with cutting-edge technologies, including robotics, AI, IoT, and data science.

With mBlock’s enhanced coding learning experience, mBot2 allows students and educators to begin with the block-based coding approach, then seamlessly transition into object-oriented coding with Python, all in the same environment. Our 5th grade Superstars will have this hands-on experience on Tuesday, September 27.

Thanks to Friends of Skinner West (FOSW) for sponsoring the pizza party!

Download the flyer

I Scream, You Scream

We All Scream for Jeni's!

Get a last scoop before the weather turns cold and benefit Skinner West.

Stop by the Jeni's location at 908 W. Randolph on Thursday, September 29 between 4-7 p.m. to enjoy your favorite flavors.

Bring in the flyer and 25% of your purchase will go to Friends of Skinner West (FOSW)!

Download the flyer

More information and links forthcoming.

Walking Math Update

Thank you to the teachers, administration, and parents who are joining together to discuss the mathematics curriculum at Skinner West. Dr. Bush and Mrs. Bae met on September 15 to collaborate and determine a plan for walking math this year (and a high-quality math plan for future years).

Mrs. Bae is organizing a parent Walking Math Committee. And, Dr. Bush will collaborate with teachers next week to finalize the plan. The plan for walking math this school year will be shared next week.

Designate Skinner School Forum as Your Charity on Amazon

For each eligible purchase made via AmazonSmile, the program will donate 0.5% of the price to Skinner West PTO as long as you follow these steps:

Instead of going to the regular Amazon web site, go to: https://smile.amazon.com
When prompted to designate your charity, search for “Skinner School Forum”

This doesn't cost you anything extra!

Lockdown Drill

Skinner West will hold a lockdown safety drill on Thursday, September 29.

Please email Dr. Bush if you want your child to opt out.

Save the Date for the Walkathon!

Every year Friends of Skinner West (FOSW) puts the FUN in fundraiser by hosting an outdoor walkathon. All of the proceeds go to enhance students' learning through the purchase of supplemental classroom materials and technology that would not otherwise be possible with the regular school budget.

Mark your calendar for October 6, 2022. More information will follow!

Learn more about FOSW