February 18 - February 24, 2022 | Week #22

Dates to Remember

2022-2023 Academic Calendar Survey Deadline - Friday, February 18 at 5 p.m.
Presidents' Day (No School) - Monday, February 21
LSC Candidate Workshop - Tuesday, February 22 at 5:30 p.m.
Deadline to View Principal Candidate Forum Recording - Friday, February 25
LSC Election Application Deadline - Friday, March 4
PTO Meeting - Monday, March 14 at 5:30 p.m.
LSC Meeting - Tuesday, March 15 at 5:30 p.m.
School Improvement Committee Meeting - Tuesday, March 22 at 4 p.m.
Spring Picture Day - Thursday, March 24

Get to Know Our Principal Candidates!

If you did not have a chance to attend Wednesday's Candidate Forum, you can view the recording and get to know our candidates. Learn what makes them a great fit for our school.

Candidate Background and Experience

Dr. Rhea Bush Cover Letter & Resume
Ms. Christina Laino Cover Letter & Resume

Candidate Forum Recording

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1l0bdSgQDN8JXR-kbol3VQ0itmMuVNraW/view

Dr. Rhea Bush & Ms. Christina Laino (begins at 1:06)

The recording link will remain active until next Friday, February 25. After reviewing each candidate's background and viewing the recording, please let us know who should be Skinner's next Principal! Share your feedback, and cast your vote here.

LSC Principal's Report

Please read the Principal's Report here which was presented at the February 15th LSC Meeting.

The next Skinner LSC Meeting will be held virtually on Tuesday, March 15.

CPS COVID-19 Protections To Remain In Place

Dear CPS Colleagues and Families,

You may recall that on February 4, a downstate court issued a legal decision regarding Governor Pritzker’s requirements for COVID-19 safety measures in schools. This decision was immediately appealed by the Illinois Attorney General, and today, we received the results of that appeal.

Late last night, the appellate court confirmed that CPS has the authority to enforce key COVID-19 safety measures, including the required use of masks by all students and staff while they are at school.

We are gratified by the court’s decision, as universal masking and other proven safety measures are what have allowed us to provide our students with the in-person learning environment they need throughout this school year. We will continue to follow these proven protocols until such time as our public health partners advise us that restrictions can be safely lifted.

We are encouraged to see COVID-19 cases dropping, and we remain optimistic about what this will mean for our school communities in the future. For now, though, our top priority must continue to be safety and stability for CPS students, staff, and families.

Sincerely,

Pedro Martinez

Chief Executive Officer

Chicago Public Schools

Current COVID-19 Statistics at Skinner

As of February 17th, Skinner's COVID-19 statistics are as follows:

Percentage of students in quarantine: 0.0001%
Percentage of student population vaccinated: 66% (Reported)

For Your Awareness: Investigation for COVID-19 at Skinner School

Dear Skinner West Community,

Chicago Public Schools (CPS) is committed to keeping you informed of the most current developments regarding COVID-19. Individuals in our school building on February 14 and 15, 2022, tested positive for COVID-19. We are sending this notification for your awareness, and you do not need to take any further action at this time. If you have been identified as a close contact, you should have received a separate notification from the Office of Student Health and Wellness with additional information.

As a reminder, we can slow the spread of COVID-19 as a CPS school community by getting vaccinated, social distancing whenever possible, wearing masks in public, washing our hands thoroughly, and avoiding close contact with people who are sick.

For district updates and resources, visit www.cps.edu. If you need help locating medical care or have any CPS-specific questions, please reach out to the Healthy CPS Hotline at 773-553-KIDS (5437) which is staffed 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.

We are here to support you as we move forward together as one healthy, supportive and engaged school family.

Sincerely,

Skinner West Administration

LSC Candidate Workshop

Interested in serving on your Local School Council? Join the Office of Local School Council Relations next Tuesday, February 22, 2022, from 5:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. via Zoom for an informational workshop to learn more about the Local School Council (LSC) application and election process. Through this event, you will have the opportunity to ask questions and receive answers from a panel of serving LSC members, learn what it’s like to run for, and serve on an LSC. Register for the event here.

Physical Education Winter Update

Interested in learning more about what your student is doing in Physical Education this winter? The PE department has a quarterly newsletter for all Superstar families. Check out the winter newsletter here!

Information for Families About 2021 Tax Credits

Please see this folder for important information and helpful resources about child-related tax credits that can help families receive tax refunds, even if they are not required to file. The linked materials are in both English and Spanish.

In case you missed it....

Continued Mask Requirements at CPS

Dear Skinner West Parents,

You may be aware that last week, a downstate court issued a legal decision regarding the Governor’s requirements for COVID-19 safety measures in schools, including masks.

The court’s current ruling does not prohibit CPS from continuing to enforce its COVID-19 mitigation policies and procedures, including the universal masking requirement for students and staff, the protocols requiring individuals who test positive for or have been exposed to COVID-19 to learn or work from home, and the mandate that staff members either get vaccinated or consent to weekly COVID testing. These important measures will stay in place at CPS until further notice, and we will continue to follow the District’s procedures, because they have allowed us to provide a safe, in-person learning experience for students.

We encourage those who have not yet done so to join more than 150,000 CPS families who have either ensured their children are fully vaccinated or received their first dose, and join over 93,000 CPS families who have voluntarily signed up their children for weekly COVID-19 testing at school. Please visit cps.edu/vaccinations for a complete list of vaccine opportunities that are available for your family, and please visit color.com/readycheckgo-cps to sign up your child for weekly COVID-19 testing.

As always, we thank you for your partnership and understanding. We will continue working tirelessly to provide your children with a safe, healthy learning environment where they can reach their full potential.

Sincerely,

Richard Smith

Administrator In Charge

Survey for CPS Families Regarding 2022-23 Academic Calendar

Dear CPS Families,

Educating Chicago’s children is a team effort. It requires regular collaboration and a transparent relationship among teachers, administrators, and families. In that spirit, we are asking for your partnership in shaping the academic calendar for the 2022-23 school year.

For the first time ever, CPS families are being invited to share what you would like next year’s school calendar to look like. Two calendar options have been created using input from our principals, and this survey will give you the opportunity to indicate which would best meet the needs of your family.

Here is what is the same about both calendars:

A 2022-23 school year that begins BEFORE Labor Day
176 days of instruction for students
12 professional learning days for teachers and school-based staff
1 parent-teacher conference day for both HS and ES students in the fall of 2022 and 1 for both HS and ES students the spring of 2023 instead of separate days for HS and ES students in both the fall and spring
2 weeks of winter vacation and 1 week of spring vacation
No student instruction during the entire week of Thanksgiving

Calendar Option #1: This calendar largely mirrors what is being used in CPS this school year.

Highlights include:

A school start date of Monday, August 29, 2022 and an end date of Wednesday, June 14, 2023
Students complete their first semester after Winter Break in January 2023 (same schedule as our current school year)
A more equal distribution of days and weeks across the 4 academic quarters

Calendar Option #2: This calendar aligns more closely with the academic calendars of suburban school districts and local colleges and universities.

Highlights include:

A school start date of Monday, August 22, 2022 and an end date of Wednesday, June 7, 2023
Students complete their first semester prior to Winter Break on Friday, December 23, 2022
A less even distribution of instructional days and weeks across the 4 quarters of the school year, due to the completion of the first semester prior to Winter Break

Please complete this survey to share which of the above options your family would prefer for the 2022-23 school year. The survey is open now and will close on Friday, February 18 at 5 p.m. Feedback from the survey will be collected and evaluated by the District, and a final recommendation will be made to the Chicago Board of Education at their March 23, 2022 meeting. Final details on the approved academic calendar will then be shared with families.

The new academic calendar will set the tone for the 2022-23 school year, so it is vital that our families play an active role in shaping it. Please take a few minutes to complete this survey before February 18 so that your voice can be included in this critically important decision.

Sincerely,

Pedro Martinez

Chief Executive Officer

Chicago Public Schools

Crossing Guards Needed!

Skinner West is currently looking for several crossing guards. Please see the attached flyer and contact Dr. Smith at rgsmith@cps.edu if you are interested.

Camp Galileo at Whitney Young High School

Although it's still winter, it's never too early to think about summer camp options! Camp Galileo will be at Whitney Young High School this summer. Scholarship opportunities are available for families through Galileo's Innovation For All program. For more information regarding Camp Galileo or the Innovation for All scholarship program, please see the attached flyers or visit galileo-camps.com.