This week the Principal Selection Committee held Round 2 interviews with principal candidates. The group will meet in closed session next week to discuss the interviews and the LSC will vote on which candidate(s) will advance to the final round of interviews. The final interview will consist of 3 candidate forums (a parent/community, teacher/faculty, and student forum). The forums will take place the week of February 14th. More information about the forum date & times will be shared in the newsletter.

As of February 3rd, Skinner's COVID-19 statistics are as follows:

Dear Skinner West Community,

Chicago Public Schools (CPS) is committed to keeping you informed of the most current developments regarding COVID-19. Individuals who were in our school building on January 24 and February 1, 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

Please visit the following CPS website to view updated information on our current COVID-19 policy in detail: CPS COVID-19 Isolation Guidance.

5-Day Quarantine FAQ for Families and Staff [ ENGLISH AND SPANISH ]

COVID-19 Protocol for Families [ ENGLISH | SPANISH ]

How Does Contact Tracing Work? [ ENGLISH | SPANISH ]

What happens when someone tests positive for COVID-19 in CPS? [ ENGLISH | SPANISH ]

COVID-19 Protocol for Families Scenarios [ ENGLISH | SPANISH ]

Skinner's Local School Council (LSC) elections are coming up soon! Are you interested in serving Skinner on the LSC and being a member of the Skinner LSC? The LSC traditionally consists of 6 parents, 2 teacher representatives, 1 staff member, 2 community members and the principal of the school. Council members are elected by members of their peer group every two years, and elections will take place in April. Applications to run are due March 4, 2022! Learn more here.

Ms. Growe’s kindergarten class celebrated the Lunar New Year on February 1, 2022. A special thank you to classroom volunteers who sent treats in to celebrate. Iri W.’s mother came in and taught us about the Chinese New Year traditions. She read students stories, showed the class a PowerPoint presentation, provided individual activity books, and ended by making Chinese lanterns with each kindergartener. It truly was an unforgettable day, and the children had so much fun celebrating the Year of the Tiger! On behalf of Skinner West, Ms. Growe’s kindergarten would like to wish a Happy New Year to all of the Skinner Superstars and families who celebrate! 新年好!

Show your creativity! Express your mind and heart! Share your special voice! Check out this information to get your artwork submitted to the CPS All-City Visual Arts Elementary exhibition. For submission guidelines, click here.

The submission window for the All-City Elementary and High School Visual Arts Exhibitions is open until April 8, 2022.

Congenital Heart Defect Awareness Week is February 7 to 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 Monday, February 7.

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

Please read the Principal's Report which was presented at the January 25 LSC Meeting.

As a reminder, Skinner West has a full document referencing all COVID-19 quarantine protocols. Please review the document for answers to the most frequently asked questions.

Highlighted below is the section on “Synchronous (Live) and Asynchronous Instruction” for students on a CPS-directed quarantine.

In the event that a student is unvaccinated and requires quarantine or isolation as directed by CPS or CDPH, remote instruction will be provided. It is important to note that remote instruction will only be offered if a student meets these requirements. If your student requires quarantine or isolation, you will receive specific instructions from your school on how to ensure that they are able to access remote instruction during this period of time.

Synchronous (Live) Remote instruction on Google Meet will not be offered for students who choose to stay home or who are otherwise sick and unable to attend school. If your student is awaiting a COVID-19 test result, or is unvaccinated and returning from out-of-state travel, they can access take-home schoolwork and be marked absent excused. Finally, it is important to note that parent refusal to take a child to school is not an ISBE-approved reason for an excused absence. Accordingly, if a student is absent from school due to parent refusal, the student will be marked absent unexcused

For more information, visit Skinner COVID-19 Quarantine Protocols.

Indoor recess is now leveled up! The PTO and the school have purchased new activities for our Superstars during indoor recess. Students can now enjoy giant versions of checkers, Connect Four, Uno and Jenga, as well as a drawing table.

Some of our Superstars, along with Mr. McCarthy, have worked together to organize the Library and give it a refreshing look. Check out their fantastic work.

Designed for learners of all ages and abilities, Friends of Skinner West has completed its set up of the STEM Lab which was made possible through a large donation. Students will use the lab during their science classes. Available equipment includes: green screen technology, 3D printers, coding devices, a LEGO wall, iPads and a makerspace.

For the entire school year, CPS is offering COVID testing through a partnership with ThermoFisher Scientific and Color Health and their ReadyCheckGo™ testing program. This program is completely voluntary.

The link to sign up for student weekly FREE testing is here: Register for COVID Testing with Color Health

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