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MARK T. SKINNER WEST SCHOOL NEWSLETTER
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 2018-2019 School Year
Week #11: Nov 16 - Nov 22
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Dates to Remember
Auditions for Winter Concert, Nov. 15-16
No School, Thanksgiving Break, Nov. 21 - 23
Local School Council Meeting, Tuesday, Nov. 27th 6pm
PTO Meeting, Nov. 27th, 6pm
Open House for Parents of Prospective Parents, Thursday, Nov. 29th 10-11am
CPS 2018- 2019 Calendar: here
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Volunteers Needed for Book Fair Dec. 3 - 14!
Skinner West Book Fair needs adult volunteers to make it a success! Any amount of time donated is helpful and appreciated. Younger siblings are welcome to come with while you volunteer.
As a thank you, volunteers will receive 20% off Book Fair purchases!
Volunteer roles include: -
Helping students as they make wish lists
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Supervising and assisting shoppers
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Keeping the Book Fair displays neat and stocked
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Bagging items at the check-out table
Book Fair Dates -
December 3rd-14th during school hours, 8:45-3:45.
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After School shopping sessions will take place Wednesday, Dec. 5 and Tuesday, Dec. 11 from 3:45-6:30 pm.
Please respond by Monday, November 26th if you are able to volunteer.
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Important Safety Reminders
Skinner West is home to over 1200 students and staff. Our location is a busy one - especially with the construction of the new building. Snow has already started to fall in Chicago and more snow and ice will likely cover the streets in the West Loop soon. Please read and follow the safety reminders below. Help keep the commute to school safe and orderly for all!
SAFETY PLEASE!
Please do NOT block the crosswalks when dropping your child off.
Please do NOT park in the school bus area for drop off and pick up.
PARENT PARKING for Drop Off and Pick Up
Curbside parking is available on Adams St. beyond the STOP sign for drop off and pick up.
Please do NOT double park to drop off and pick your child up. Pull in to a legal parking spot.
PARKING
Please be patient, courteous and mindful of our Superstars as they cross the street on Adams.
Please DO NOT block our neighbors' driveways!
*Parking lot is for STAFF ONLY!*
AFTER SCHOOL - Dismissal is at 3:45 P.M.
If your child is not in an after school program, please pick up your child by 4:00 P.M.
The school is not responsible for any students going to 7-Eleven or Target after school.
VOLUNTEER PLEASE!
We need parents to volunteer to help during Drop Off and Pick Up times. Consider volunteering one morning a week to help with drop off between 8:20-9:00 am. A sign-up sheet is available at the security desk. Thank you to those parents that have already been volunteering their time!
THANK YOU FOR HELPING KEEP OUR SUPERSTARS SAFE!!!
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Physical Education Newsletter - 2nd Quarter
During the second quarter, students in grades 3-8 will be tested using the FITNESSGRAM tests in accordance with state standards. Follow the link below for our 2nd Quarter Physical Education Newsletter with information related to these tests:
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Skinner Superstar in the Spotlight
Last month, Luc C., a Skinner West 8th grader, competed in the Tap Out Cancer Brazilian Jiu Jitsu tournament in Oak Lawn. This tournament featured top bjj fighters of all ages from Illinois and other states that put their skills on display to help raise money for a great cause.
Luc was able to raise over his fundraising goal. Together, the organization raised a jaw-dropping $90,000 in the fight againt cancer. Luc competed in a Round Robin 12-13 year old yellow belt division winning all 5 matches and a gold medal! He also competed in a few exhibition matches in a higher divison making sure fans got their money's worth.
Luc is happy fighting to win gold, but he's more proud of fighting for a cause he believes in. He is so grateful to all of his supporters that helped raise his goal and believed in him. Congratulations , Luc!
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Save the Date- Skinner Winter Concert
This year's Annual Skinner West Winter Concert for the Community will be held on Thursday, December 20th. All parents and Skinner community members are welcome to attend! 9:45AM Grades 3, 5(220 & 5th silver), 6, 8 & Glee 1:30PM Grades K, 1, & Music House Instrumentalists
Third graders will participate in additional concerts outside the school - see the newsletter article below for more information.
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3rd Grade Auditions and Winter Concert Dates
All Skinner West 3rd graders are part of Primary Chorus. Ms. Maatouk and this group have been working very hard learning songs to perform for the holiday season. Skinner West 3rd graders will be performing in several winter concerts around the city in addition to the school concert. Parents, please see this letter for dates and information about these concerts.
Third graders also have the opportunity to audition for solo performances for these upcoming concerts. Auditions are this week! Dates, times, and more information for these auditions can be found here.
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FOSW 6th Annual Holiday Giving Drive
Friends of Skinner West is hosting the 6th Annual Holiday Giving Drive to help Skinner students in need during the winter season. If you are interested in your family either giving or receiving this holiday season, please click here for more information. Thank you so much for your generosity during this season!
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Diwali Celebration 2018, Presented by the BAC
We celebrated Diwali at Skinner West on November 7th with an assembly featuring about 50 Skinner Superstars. Led by Skinner parent Mrs. Jayasree Sathish, dozens of parents and their children organized and performed an unforgettable mix of dances, songs, and readings. Our 5th Annual Diwali Celebration was truly one for the ages!
Special thanks to Mrs. Sathish, Mr. Baron, all of the parents and children involved, and our school's administration, staff and students for supporting our lovely celebration!
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Congratulations to the Skinner West Debate Team!
The Skinner West Debate Team, led by Mr. Lee, participated in the Chicago Middle School Debate League's Tournament One for the 2018-2019 season on Saturday, October 27. The overall topic for the year is: 'Immigration', and the cases being debated at this Tournament were 'H-1B Visas' and 'Open Borders'. The students did a great job against some tough competition and won many awards.
Some highlights from this first tournament:
1) There were 40 total Individual Awards. Skinner West won 22 of them. 2) There were 19 total Team Awards. Skinner West won 10 of them. 3) Altogether, Skinner West won more than half of all possible awards at the tournament (32 out of 59, approximately 55%)
Novice - Individual Awards
| 1st | Isabella G. | 10th | Mary Y. | | 3rd | Maddison L. | 12th | Jackson O. | | 4th | Rebecca B. | 13th | Carter M. | | 5th | Nathaniel W. | 14th | Charlotte M. | | 7th | Michaela J. | 15th | Sirrena J. | | 8th | Gabriel K. | 18th | Ashna S. | | 9th | Sandy K. | 20th | Maya S. |
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Novice - Team Awards
| 3rd | Nathaniel W. and Michaela J. |
| | 4th | Sandy K. and Katelyn T. |
| | 5th | Maura S. and Aleksia L. |
| | 6th | Maya S. and Ashna S. |
| | 7th | Isabella G. and Charlotte M. |
| | 8th | Arhan G. and Aidan L. |
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JV - Individual Awards
| 4th | Trey T. | 8th | Max B. | | 6th | Sunshine P. | 10th | Anna S. |
JV - Team Awards
| 3rd | Trey T. and Sunshine P. |
| | 5th | Katelyn L. and Max B. |
| | 8th | Anna S. and Nikita A. |
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Varsity - Individual Awards
| 3rd | Cosette R. | 7th | Jake L. | | 4th | Jenny C. | 10th | Trayi S. |
Varsity - Team Awards
| 2nd | Jenny C. and Nicole B. |
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Ms. Daigle's Class Wins Mathnasium party!
Mrs. Daigle's third grade class won a field trip to Mathnasium through the Skinner Walkathon. They walked to the Mathnasium center in the West Loop and enjoyed an hour of fun, interactive math stations. The kids created geometric shapes, searched for numerical patterns in the digits of pi, played cards games that tested their mental math skills, and much more. Each student rotated through ten activities and earned a prize at the end. Thank you to Mathnasium and Friends of Skinner West for generously awarding this field trip. The class had so much fun and learned a lot about math!
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Free Tickets to CYSO Concert!
CYSO is offering free tickets to their November 18th concert at Orchestra Hall featuring 125 talented high school-age musicians from across the city. Go here to download your free ticket voucher.
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Get Involved - Join the PTO
Get Involved with PTO! Joining the PTO is a great way to get involved with Skinner West. The PTO meets once a month to plan community-building events, run fundraising programs, and help fulfill school and teacher needs. You can get involved by attending PTO meetings, joining a planning committee, volunteering for an event, or becoming a PTO officer. Officer elections our coming up at the next meeting on Nov. 27 at 6 pm in the library. You can donate to the PTO any time here.
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Don't Put Your Eggs in One Basket
Skinner West will once again offer a sibling lottery. The application process for the 2018-2019 school year for selective enrollment & sibling lottery closes on December 14th. Neighborhood parents are encouraged to apply for the Classical Program. Please click here for more information to activate your account, conduct research and apply.
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CPS Health Requirements
Make sure that your child is healthy and ready to learn by the start of the school year! Check in with your school and medical provider to find out what immunizations and health exams are required for school. Proof of required immunizations, physical exams and vision exams were due October 15, 2018. More information about the requirements can be found here.
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All comments, suggestions or requests to submit information to this newsletter should be emailed to skinnerwest@gmail.com.
Communications Volunteers are welcome. Donate your time to help increase communications and contact us!
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Sign up for this newsletter here.
Deborah M. Clark
Principal
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