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MARK T. SKINNER WEST SCHOOL NEWSLETTER
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2020-2021 School Year
Week #26: April 8 - April 15
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New Articles
Repeat Articles
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Dates to Remember
PTO Meeting - April 12th @5:30
LSC Meeting- Tuesday, April 13th @ 6:00
Informational Parent Meetings for New 4th Quarter Hybrid Students
Kindergarten - Wednesday, April 14th 6:00
Grades 1-4 - Thursday, April 15th 5:00-6:00
Grades 5-8 - Thursday, April 15 th 6:30- 7:30
NO SCHOOL for Students School Improvement Day - Friday, April 16th
First Day of Quarter 4 April 19
Parent Conferences Report Card Pick-Up - Wednesday, April 21 (NO SCHOOL for students)
Every Wednesday - Free COVID Testing @ 955 W Grand
CPS 2020-2021 Calendar: here
Front Office Hours: 8:45am-4:00pm - BY APPOINTMENT ONLY
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4th Quarter - Hybrid Learning
Parent Information Meetings
If you opted your child for in person/hybrid learning for the 4th quarter, your child will return to in-person learning the week of April 19, 2021. Homeroom teachers will be sending out pod assignments. There are also Informational Parent Meetings for New 4th Quarter Hybrid Students scheduled the following nights:
Kindergarten Parent Meeting - Wednesday, April 14th 6:00 Join us by phone: (US) +1 252-713-7141 PIN: 905883029
Grades 1-4 Parent Meeting - Thursday, April 15th 5:00-6:00 Join by phone: Grades 5-8 - Thursday, April 15 th 6:30- 7:30
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Virtual Report Card Pickup Day is Wednesday, April 21st
Third Quarter ends next week, Thursday, April 15th. There is no school for students on Friday, April 16th for School Improvement Day. Virtual Report Card Pickup Day is Wednesday, April 21st. There is no school for students on April 21st. Parents can check ASPEN for 3rd quarter grades and report cards will also be mailed to parents. Parents, you may request a conference with your child's teacher during the times listed below. More details will be provided by your child's homeroom teacher.
10:00-1:00 Parent Conferences 1:00-1:45 Teacher Lunch Break 1:45- 5:00 Parent Conferences
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School Improvement Meeting
This month's School Improvement Meeting is Thursday, April 8th at 5:00 pm:
Join by phone:
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PTO Meeting is Monday via Zoom
All parents and teachers are invited to join PTO meetings. Our next meeting is on Monday, April 12 at 5:30 pm via Zoom. Follow the link below to join.
Meeting ID: 718 4900 4524
Passcode: 7zTRZd
Can't make this one? Mark your calendar for PTO's upcoming meeting dates:
May 10, 2021
June 14, 2021
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School Calendar 2021-22: Next School Year Begins August 30th - One Week Before Labor Day
To ensure that students can begin the school year sooner than they typically would after a disrupted school year caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and to provide students with more instructional time in advance of high-stakes exams such as AP, IB and SAT, the 2021-22 school year will begin for all CPS students on Monday, August 30, 2021 - one week earlier than the district's traditional post-Labor Day start. This change was approved by the Chicago Board of Education at its monthly meeting earlier this week. Click here to view the full academic calendar for the 2021-22 school year.
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From the Desk of CPS
Important Dates from the Desk of CPS
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Help CPS Celebrate Teacher Appreciation Month
Join CPS in celebrating and honoring our educators during Teacher Appreciation Week, May 3-7:
- Create a video to tell our CPS teachers how much they mean to our school communities; use this form to send us a short 5-15 second video and/or a quote appreciating the educators in your life no later by Sunday, April 25.
- Nominate a teacher to be featured on the CPS blog using our Good News Form.
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My Voice, My School Survey
Our annual My Voice, My School Survey is an opportunity for parents and guardians to share feedback on their family's experience in their school and the district this year. Please go here to complete the survey by 4/30.
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Food Benefits
All CPS students are now eligible for food benefits as a result of the Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer (P-EBT). All CPS students, regardless of income or citizenship status, are eligible for P-EBT. Families will receive P-EBT cards automatically and do not need to complete an application. For additional information on this program, please view the FAQs or call the Healthy CPS Hotline at 773-553-KIDS. You can find the FAQs here
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Funding Drive for Skinner Parent Kathleen Lyons
Kathleen Lyons is a beloved parent member of the Skinner School/Whitney Young community and mother to two recent Skinner graduates. She has volunteered in the science lab many times and was even brave enough to take home our pet hissing cockroaches for the summer! Our students learned about chickens when she brought their pet chicken to visit our classroom. She and her family need support right now, as she has been denied coverage for her cancer treatment.
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Classroom Connections -
3rd Grade Women's History Month
Throughout the month of March, third graders have been reading and learning about important women in history. Students read passages and used text evidence to answer questions about women such as Amelia Earhart, Clara Barton, Susan B. Anthony, and more. They also demonstrated their learning by creating fake social media pages for these women. Check out some examples of their historical Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram accounts. Very creative!
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Teacher Connections:
Get to Know 3rd Grade Teacher Mrs. Sarah DeJulio
What three traits define you?
loyal, hardworking, caring
What is your favorite book and why? The Power of Moments because the book explains how brief experiences can change lives. What are your hobbies or interests? Running, Yoga, grilling, Netflix, Target shopping! Why do you enjoy teaching Skinner? The students are interested in learning and hardworking. The parents support the teachers and their children in a way that allows for optimal learning. What is a fun fact that you would like to share? I am currently pursuing an Educational Leadership degree (Principalship).
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Teacher Connections:
Get to Know 7th Grade Teacher Mr. FitzSimmons
What three traits define you?
(I had no idea how to answer this, so I asked my partner):
Thoughtfulness, Patience and Kindness
What is your favorite book?
This is difficult. Favorite book is Clockwork Orange because it was challenging, thought-provoking, and just well written. My favorite author is Neil Gaiman, from his graphic novels, to his young adult fiction, to his works of fantasy. Favorite genre is sci-fi and fantasy. From the Shire to Hogwarts I am a sucker for fantastic fantasy.
What are your hobbies/Interests?
The arts (literature, music [preferably live], theater, and arts of all types and mediums), nature/animals, and figuring out how to be a new dad
What do you enjoy about Skinner West:
I actually enjoy quite a bit about working with our Superstars. There are the development and self-explorative age of our Upper Grade students, their quirky senses of humor, and mostly inquisitive/curious nature. Many of our students are truly passionate about learning for the sake of learning and that can be such a rare quality. Mostly though, it is in our diversity. In few other places in our city can you see such a mixture of all that is Chicago in one place. In many great ways, we are Chicago. I love that.
What is a fun fact about you?
I am a fairly large Potterhead and believe you can tell a lot about a person by what house they represent (or lack of a house for my muggles out there). I am mostly Hufflepuff, sometimes Ravenclaw, and don't mind being a Ravenpuff.
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Debate Team Results
The Skinner West Debate Team participated in the Chicago Middle School Debate League's Tournament Four for the 2020-2021 season on Saturday, February 13.
The overall topic for the year is: Criminal Justice Reform, and the cases being debated at this tournament were Money Bail, Predictive Policing, and Body Cameras.
About 116 debaters across 59 teams from seven schools competed at the tournament. Skinner West swept the tournament--winning first place in 6 out of 6 award categories.
Winston P. won the Shout Out award (debaters praising one of their peer debaters). Congratulations to all of our Superstars that participated.
| Novice Individual
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| JV Individual | | 20th | Tvisha H.
| 15th | Darwin B.
| | 18th | Malachi E.
| 12th | Rebecca B.
| | 15th | Xibao Q.
| 11th | Sabrina Q.
| | 14th | Kinzie W.
| 9th | Aurelie G.
| | 12th | Natalie Z.
| 7th | Daanya M.
| | 10th | Celeste D.
| 3rd | Aarav M.
| | 4th | Emika M.
| 2nd | Miles K.
| | 3rd | Mel L.
| 1st | Anushri V.
| | 2nd | Allison C.
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| | 1st | Grier B.
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Varsity Individual
| 10th | Sophie M.
| | 5th | Maura S.
| | 3rd | JunHui G.
| | 2nd | Aleksia L.
| | 1st | Matthew Z.
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| Novice Team |
| JV Team | | 15th | Max F. and Xibao Q.
| 6th | Rebecca B. and Renz L.
| | 14th | Charlotte S and Nimay P.
| 3rd | Aurelie G. and Sabrina Q.
| | 8th | Malachi E. and Tori P.
| 1st | Darwin B. and Samar M.
| | 5th | Tvisha H. and Natalie Z.
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| Varsity Team | | 4th | Allison C. and Celeste D.
| 5th | Sophie M. and Katelyn T.
| | 3rd | Grier B. and Kinzie W.
| 2nd | Aleksia L. and Maura S.
| | 1st | Emika M. and Mel L.
| 1st | JunHui G. and Matthew Z.
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Congratulations to Mrs. Jackie Garner on Her Retirement!
After 29 years with our school, Mrs. Jacqueline Garner, special education classroom assistant and transportation coordinator for both Classical and special ed is retiring this week. Congratulations on a career well done! The Skinner West family will miss her dedication and service..
What three traits define you?
- I am family oriented; I love spending time with everyone which includes both sides of my family.
- I love working with children; my experiences at Skinner have been amazing.
- I'm responsible and kind. It's important to be respectful of the people with whom you work. Treat your colleagues as you would like them to treat you. Being kind to one another makes the workplace a happy place to be, which is why I've loved working for Mrs. Clark for 29 years.
What are your hobbies or interests?
Shopping, traveling, and hanging out with my friends. I love traveling the world, especially with my husband. I had the most fun in Aruba. It was easy there to wander freely and safely, to embrace the warm sun and warmer people made my time there unforgettable.
Why do you enjoy working at Skinner West?
To know that I've been here for 29 years says a lot about this school. The leadership, the bright minds, and the friends that I've made over the years have been priceless. To see the growth of Skinner has also been amazing. From 300 to over 1200 students, from two floors to four floors and know that I have been apart of it will stay with me forever.
What is a fun fact that you would like to share?
I was dance contest judge every year. I'm pretty sure I was asked every year because of my own dance moves!
What is your fondest memories of working at Skinner?
My fondest memory was working for our then assistant principal, Mr. Wawrzyniak. He was just so kind and a good person to work for. Secondly, traveling with the children's choir during the holidays was always a blast. To see the look on kids faces every year when they were given Christmas presents was a sight to see. And, lastly working with the children with special needs.
What is the biggest challenge of being the bus coordinator?
My biggest challenge of becoming transportation coordinator at Skinner West for 28 years was learning how to create bus routes for all of my Skinner Superstars. For 10 years, there wasn't a computerized system to do this for me so I grew to appreciate the four cardinal directions "North, south, east, and west." I give good directions to this day because of it...
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Nominate a Teacher of the Year
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Front Office Hours: 8:30am - 4:30pm
In-person by appointment ONLY. Phone: 773 534-7790
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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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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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