The January LSC meeting was on held Tuesday, January 24th. Please see below for a copy of the Principal's report.

The Skinner West Debate Team participated in the Chicago Middle School Debate League's Tournament Three for the 2022-2023 season on Saturday, January 14.

The overall topic for the year is: ''NATO Security Cooperation', and the cases being debated at this Tournament were 'Disinformation' , 'The Baltics', and 'Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems (LAWS)'.

About 76 debaters across 41 teams from 7 CPS schools competed at the tournament, but the students did a great job against some tough competition and won the awards listed below.

Some highlights we would especially like to point out are:

1) Skinner West won 1st place in 2 out of 6 award categories.

2) Skinner West won 48% of all possible awards (21 out of 43).

Several classrooms celebrated the Lunar New Year this past week. A special thank you to parent volunteers who came in to teach students about Lunar New Year traditions, read the class stories, and lead activities related to the new year. The children had so much fun learning and celebrating the Year of the Rabbit or the Year of the Cat for those who celebrate Tết! Happy New Year to all of the Skinner Superstars and families who celebrate!

We are proud to introduce you to Skinner West's Girls Basketball team. They have been working hard and doing a fantastic job this season. Way to go, Superstars!

Our Student Council is hosting a candy gram sale for Valentine's Day this year! Please see below for details and how to order.

Please see below for details regarding our upcoming school dances for Valentine's Day. Note that the school dance for grades 6-8 will take place on February 10th, while the school dance for grades 4-5 will take place on February 14th. Both will be held after school and have a live DJ. Please reach out to Ms. Ball with any questions.

The next School Improvement Committee meeting will take place on Monday, January 23 at 5:00 PM. This meeting will take place in-person for members, and the updates will be shared during the LSC meeting on January 24.

The January LSC meeting will take place on Tuesday, January 24 at 5:30 PM. The agenda is below. Everyone is welcome to join.

Meeting ID

Phone Number: (‪US‬)+1 631-743-6269‬

PIN: ‪288 746 274#

Dear CPS Families,

As we work to finish this school year strong and begin planning for the fall, we want to provide you with an important update about our District’s academic calendar for next school year.

CPS will present a proposed academic calendar for the 2023–24 school year at next month’s Board of Education meeting, which will be held on Wednesday, February 22, 2023.

We invite you to share your thoughts on this proposed calendar by visiting the Board of Education website. This public comment period will close at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, January 25, 2023.

Please visit this website between today and 5 p.m. on Wednesday, January 25 to share your feedback on this proposed calendar for next school year. The final calendar will be voted on by the Board of Education during their February 22 meeting, and upon their approval, it will be shared with all CPS families and staff.

We thank you for your input and look forward to a strong start for our students in the fall of 2023.

- Chicago Public Schools

Dear Skinner Parents and Guardians,

Skinner's English Language Program is launching "The Skinner English Language Learners Tutoring Program" for the Spring 2023 semester. This program is designed to provide content support to students in the English Language Program in grades 1st through 8th with the goals of improving academic outcomes and increasing English language proficiency levels. In this tutoring program, an English As a Second Language (ESL) endorsed teacher will provide ESL instruction to your child.

We appreciate your feedback to see if you would like for your child to participate in the tutoring program after school. The information you provide will help us see how many students will be participating in the program this year. Please complete the questionnaire below and return it to your child’s homeroom teacher by Monday, January 23rd. 2023.

Thank you for your time. If you have any questions please contact Ms. Morales.

Music House has reopened enrollment for some of their after school offerings: Ukulele and Rock Band at the Main Building. If you're interested in enrolling your child, please visit the link below.

Congenital Heart Defect Awareness Week is February 7 through February 14, which promotes awareness and educational opportunities for the public on congenital heart defects. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, congenital heart defects are the most common type of birth defect and can affect the structure of a baby’s heart and the way it works. Show your support for those affected by CHD and their families by wearing red on Tuesday, February 7.

For more information on congenital heart defects and the awareness campaign, visit:

Earlier this week, Skinner Superstars attended an assembly focused on addressing different types of bullying. Southpaw taught students ways to help prevent and "Strike Out Bullies" by using the PAWS method. PAWS represents positive ways to prevent bullying by:

Discounted tickets to upcoming Bulls games are available for the community! Choose from the following upcoming games: February 2 or March 17, and root for the Chicago Bulls at the United Center! Friends of Whitney Young is hosting this event for the wider community to facilitate these discounted tickets and a small donation will be made to them for each ticket. Donations will benefit the grants and students in need at the school. Note: While our mission benefits Whitney Young HS, we are a separate independent, non-profit, all-volunteer organization run by parents in the community.