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MARK T. SKINNER WEST SCHOOL NEWSLETTER
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Dates to Remember
Remote Learning Plans Available OnlineLast Day of School - Thursday, June 18
LSC Meeting - Tuesday, June 23 @ 6 p.m.
Communications Meeting - Wednesday, June 24 @ 5:30 p.m.
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Each week until the end of the school year, we'll be celebrating our graduating eighth graders. Good luck in high school, Superstars!
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Kyra C.
Jones College Prep
My favorite memory from my 11 years at Skinner West is all of the field trips we have gone on over the years. I have experienced many new activities and adventures from those trips.
| Maya L.
Kenwood Academy or Whitney Young
My favorite Skinner memory is all the fun end of the year trips. I'm so happy that I got to experience so many fun trips and spend so much time and share many laughs with my grade.
| Ingrid L.
Whitney Young
My favorite memory from Skinner was taking Ms. Milroy's cockroaches home for the summer.
| Janice M.
Walter Payton
I remember being anxious on my first day at Skinner, but everyone's sincere and welcoming personalities made my stress go away.
| Jason M.
Whitney Young
I think my favorite memory was from 6th grade when we went to Madison because it helped me bond closely with Skinner Superstars and also form connections with those people today.
| Lauren N.
Jones College Prep
Despite my only being at Skinner for two years, I've seen so many amazing things and have been able to grow as a person and student.
| Ethan N.
Saint Rita
My favorite Skinner memory was the holiday party when we played games and had pizza.
| Joaquin N.
Walter Payton
My favorite Skinner memory is when I worked as a teacher's assistant for Mr. Lee for three years, especially the times when my friend and I made a pinata for the end of the year party for all the teacher assistants.
| Vincent P.
Jones College Prep
My favorite Skinner memory is all of the fun things we did at Camp Edwards.
| Cara R.
Whitney Young
My favorite Skinner memory was going to Camp Edwards and walking in the pitch-black woods at night, especially the part where I walked alone for a little while.
| Abby R.
Jones College Prep
My favorite Skinner memory would be in 6th grade when we all went to Madison; it was a time when we were able to relax after what we had done throughout the school year, as well as it being our first overnight school trip.
| Noah R.
Lindblom Math and Science Academy
My favorite Skinner memory is the holiday party where we got to play games, have food, and hang out with our friends.
| Sara R.
Walter Payton
My favorite Skinner memory was when we would walk back from our walks in Camp Edwards and see the beautiful night sky.
| Joy S.
Whitney Young
My favorite memory about Skinner is the community, getting to spend time with my friends and the fact that no matter who you are, someone is always there to support you.
| Sky T.
Kenwood Academy
My favorite memory at Skinner was my first day of 7th grade where I met so many people who I share a strong bond with today.
| Rolando V.
Whitney Young
The greatest memory Skinner has provided me with was enjoying myself surrounded by my friends in 6th grade, as we joked and laughed and just had a good time.
| Guillermo V.
Fenwick
My favorite Skinner memory was Camp Edwards in the 7th grade, I enjoyed everything from the entire trip.
| Eden W.
Whitney Young
Being the new girl and coming three weeks after school started, I thought my first day would be hard, but everyone was so nice to me, introducing me to their friends and showing me around; it was a perfect first day!
| Jeffrey Z.
Jones College Prep
My favorite Skinner memory is Camp Edwards because it was really exciting and I met some new people.
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If you're an eighth grader, please send your picture, high school plans, and favorite memory of Skinner West to your homeroom teacher so we can celebrate you and your future plans.
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The Skinner West Debate Team participated in the Chicago Middle School Debate League's City Championship for the 2019-2020 season in March. The overall topic for the year was: Arms sales. The cases debated at this tournament were Ukraine, Taiwan, and Saudi Arabia.
More than 280 debaters across 140 teams from 33 schools competed at the tournament. Skinner West won first place in five out of six categories. We also won 46% of all possible awards at the tournament (35 out of 76). And our team won almost as many awards as the entire rest of the city combined!
Congratulations to all of the participating Skinner Superstars!
Novice Individual Awards
| 17th | Samar M.
| | 15th | Tyler L.
| | 10th | Bennett S.
| | 7th | Tiara M.
| | 5th | Vishal S.
| | 2nd | Darwin B.
| | 1st | Sabrina Q.
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Novice Team Awards
| 8th | Vishal S. and Kyle L. | | 5th | Anushri V. and Daanya M. | | 3rd | Sabrina Q. and Aurelie G. | | 1st | Darwin B. and Samar M.
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JV Individual Awards
| 17th | Jayden I. | | 14th | Amber P. | | 12th | Rebecca B. | | 10th | Charlie F. | | 9th | Maura S. | | 8th | Olivia A. | | 7th | Aleksia L. | | 6th | Katelyn T. | | 5th | Christian W. | | 4th | Aadi Kalra | | 3rd | Sunshine P. | | 1st | Sophie M. |
JV Team Awards
| 7th | Sunshine P. and Miles G. | | 6th | Julia C. and Anjali R. | | 5th | Charlie F. and Rolando V. | | 4th | Rebecca B. and Olivia A. | | 3rd | Amber P. and Lillie M. | | 2nd | Maura S. and Aleksia L.
| | 1st | Jayden I. and Aadi K. |
Varsity Individual Awards
| 3rd | Katelyn L. | | 2nd | Nikita A. | | 1st | Anna S. |
Varsity Team Awards
| 4th | Darian K. and Katelyn L. | | 3rd | Anna S. and Nikita A. |
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Beginning for the upcoming school year 2020-2021, Skinner West will transition from a tuition based Pre-K program to a free, universal Pre-K program. The early registration window is open from now until mid-July. Pre-schoolers who were already enrolled in our tuition-based program will be grandfathered into the new Universal Pre-K program.
All applicants MUST APPLY through the Chicago Early Learning web site. Skinner West will host two classrooms with 20 students in each class. Each class will be staffed by a teacher and teacher assistant. Pre-K school hours will be from 8:45 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. An extended day program will be available until 6:00 p.m. for a fee. If you have a child who will be turning 4 years old by September 1, 2020, please follow these steps to apply:
- Go to chicagoearlylearning.org
- Click on Find Locations
- Enter your address and zip code
- Enter birth date and click Find Programs
- Refine Search and select CPS under Program Features to narrow down the choices.
- Select Mark Skinner Elementary School or other Pre-K sites of your choice.
- Click More Information and then the Apply Today! button.
- Complete the application with all of the requested information.
If you need assistance with the application, please call the Chicago Early Learning hotline at (312) 229-1690.
Notification for acceptance will be made in mid or late July by the CPS Office of Early Childhood Education (OECE). Applicants are placed based on risk and age. After receiving official notification of acceptance from OECE, the school will contact you to begin the verification and registration process.
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Locker Clean Out and Book/Technology Return
When we left school, we did not know that our Superstars wouldn't be coming back to the building for the rest of the school year. We know that personal belongings were left in classrooms, lockers, and the nurse's office.
In addition, your child may have brought home books or borrowed a device to aid in remote learning that needs to be returned to the school.
We are waiting for guidance from Chicago Public Schools (CPS) on how to safely make sure books, belongings, and technology are returned to their proper location. As soon as we have information, we will communicate via this newsletter and the school web site.
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Are you or someone you know looking for Skinner West enrollment information for next school year? We are currently waiting for guidelines from Chicago Public Schools (CPS), but expect this information in mid-June. Once we have information, we will post it in the Admission section of our web site.
We will have pre-K in the fall. Universal pre-K will take place for 4-year-olds. Registration information can be found above.
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Skinner West faculty and staff are currently working on a virtual tour of our school! As soon as it's complete, we will link to it from the web site. Thank you for your patience as we film our amazing building!
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Superstars Summer Camp has reviewed industry guidelines from the CDC, IDPH, and City of Chicago regarding in-person summer camp this year. They also looked at going virtual. Sadly, they won't be able to offer either this summer.
The guidelines prevent them from putting a high quality, in-person experience together for campers. They decided against a virtual camp because their expertise is rooted in an in-person experience.
For those who have submitted a deposit, camp directors will send out refunds next week.
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Fourth Quarter and Final Grades for Elementary Students
Chicago Public Schools (CPS) has announced how elementary students will be graded for the fourth quarter and final year-end grades.
Fourth Quarter Term Grades
- If a student earns a fourth quarter grade that is the same letter or higher than their third quarter grade, they will receive a letter grade for the fourth quarter.
- If a student's grade drops below their third quarter grade, but they demonstrate regular engagement in remote learning or reasonable mastery of assigned work (as evidenced by earning a D or higher), they will receive a Pass for fourth quarter.
- If a student does not demonstrate regular engagement in remote learning or mastery of assigned work (receiving an F), they will receive an Incomplete for the fourth quarter. Students who receive an incomplete will be prioritized for summer school, if summer school can be held this year.
Final Grades
Final grades, normally calculated as an average of the four term grades, will be determined using these guidelines:
- If a student earns a letter grade for their fourth quarter grade, their final grade will be the average of all four term grades.
- If a student earns a Pass for their fourth quarter grade, their final grade will be the average of their first, second, and third quarter grades.
- If a student earns an Incomplete for the fourth quarter grade, their final grade will be an Incomplete. They will be prioritized for summer school, if summer school can be held this year.
If you are concerned about your child's grade, please speak with your child's teacher.
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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 - contact us!
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Would you like to add another parent, guardian or caregiver?
Text SKINNERNEWS to 22828 or click here (Messaging & data rates may apply)
Deborah M. Clark
Principal
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