Dear South Loop Community,
Our third week of school is now underway, and I am happy to report that we are off to a fantastic start. In interacting with parents and students it almost feels like “pre-pandemic” school again. The students seem more happy and prepared for the structure of school. Parents seemed less stressed and genuinely pleasant.
Primary Parents, the morning drop off is amazing, THANK YOU!. This building is now my morning “serenity” to start off my work day. Middle School Parents, we have a little more work to improve dismissal traffic by minimizing the double parking and picking up students on the west side of Dearborn street.
I really enjoyed seeing old and many new faces at our ‘Back to School “ picnic. It was a great turn out and enjoyable time for our school community. It’s been great getting to know all of our new students and to welcome back those who have been with us. Thank you for partnering with us to get the year off to a successful start.
I wanted to send out a few brief housekeeping items to ensure we continue to have clarity around communication and messaging.
Parent Handbook
Please review the information carefully. Most of your questions can be answered in the handbook. https://tinyurl.com/Parent-Handbook-22-23
- Absences: Please send a note when your child is absent from school. It is not necessary to call the school. Yes, you will receive a call from CPS reporting your child is absent today.
- Uniform: It is important to teach our children the appropriate attire for different settings and to follow required attire guidelines. I know manufacturing companies are using less and less material for children’s clothing nowadays, but it’s important for our students to wear tops that cover their entire midriff and bottoms that reach at least mid- thigh. Students must wear a solid white top with sleeves and navy blue bottoms only.
- Students must wear a solid white top with sleeves and navy blue bottoms only.
- Students can only wear a solid gray top with sleeves on gym days with a navy blue bottoms. Students can wear a white or blue sweatshirt, sweater, or jean jacket over their solid white top.
- Students must wear closed toe shoes and gym shoes on gym days. Crocs, sandals, and flip flops are not allowed. These shoes are not safe for recess, traveling up and down the stairs, hallway travel etc.
- Communication: Please contact your child’s homeroom teacher to address any concerns. If you are not satisfied with the response or if the response is delayed, please contact Mrs. Chandler (Pre-school Building) Mr. Rhodes (Primary Building) or Mrs. Anders (Middle School Building). If you still have concerns, please contact Mrs. Shelton. Room Parents: Please do not address any student issues with room parents. Room parents are responsible for classroom/school communication, classroom/school reminders, soliciting volunteers, and communicating requests from the classroom teacher.
- Volunteering: Volunteer applications will be approved when you are requested to volunteer for a school-related activity. Returning volunteers do not need to submit a new application annually. Before volunteering, volunteers must submit a copy of a picture ID to the main office.
Volunteer Application
www.cps.edu/services-and-supports/parent-engagement/volunteer-programs/
Level 1 volunteers: Background checks are run annually for returning Level 1 volunteers. CPS pays the fee for the background check.You will also be asked to submit TB test results that are less than two years old. CPS will provide information about where you can be tested. CPS does not cover the cost of the TB test.
- Overnight field trip chaperones
- Mentors
- Tutors
- Coaches
- Non-supervised classroom activities
Level 2 volunteers:
- Day field trip chaperones
- Assistants in schools with administrative duties
- Other volunteer activities in contact with students while supervised
- One-time classroom activities.
Primary Building Kiss N Go Volunteers
We need 3-4 volunteers per day to help the flow of traffic before school on Federal
Street. Volunteers will assist students out of the car, remind parents to remain in the car, remind parents to pull forward and keep traffic moving. Volunteers can select any amount of days. Sign Up Here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090b4eaeae2ca7ff2-kissngo
Debate Team
Our winning debate team is looking for a co-coach. If you have experience with a debate team and/or are a lawyer please contact our coach, Rishi Agrawal at rishi@agrawalalfirm .com to volunteer.
Information required yearly from all parents
The forms below will be sent home on Thursday, September 8, 2022. If you have completed these forms for the 2022-2023 school year, thank you.
- Family Income Information Forms [ ENGLISH | SPANISH ]
- Request for Emergency and Health Information [ ENGLISH | SPANISH ]
- Student Medical Information 2022-23 [ ENGLISH | SPANISH ]
Students entering preschool, kindergarteners , 6th graders, graduating 8th graders and students new to CPS must provide updated medical records (physical, eye and dental ) to the school before October 1st.
COVID-19 Weekly Testing
We are concluding our 2nd week of COVID19 testing. I’m asking families to please register your child for weekly testing. The testing helps us prevents the spread of COVID-19
CPS also strongly encourages families to sign their child up for weekly COVID-19 testing at school by visiting color.com/readycheckgo-cps. If you need help locating medical care or have any CPS-specific questions, please visit cps.edu or 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.
Yours in Education,
Principal Shelton