Administrative Blast

Dear Coonley Parents/Guardians,

This past week was a busy one. Two classes of 6th graders performed during their Rock Band concert. 2nd and 3rd grade students enjoyed the "Get Your Glow On" dance. 7th graders participated in a "Becoming an Ally" workshop led by ADL. 1st graders presented their Hero Project in front of their classmates and parents. And, all students participated in Career Day thanks to over 30 volunteers who share their time and talents with us.

We are four school days away from completing Quarter 3. Parent/Teacher Conferences are Wednesday, March 29th. To maximize teachers' time with you, we are scheduling virtual conferences from 11 am - 2:15 pm and in-person conferences from 3 - 6 pm. However, please know both formats are available all day. Conference sign-ups will be shared by your child's homeroom teacher by Wednesday.

As a reminder, there is no school this Friday, March 17th.

Warmly,

Ms. Humphrey

• March 14th: IAR Testing: 7th, 8th
• March 15th: IAR Testing: 7th, 8th
• March 16th: IAR Testing: 3rd, 6th
• March 15th: Midsummer Performance (Homeroom 217)
• March 16th: Last Day of Quarter 3
  

• March 17th: No Classes for Students

• March 20th: IAR Testing: 6th

• March 21st: IAR Testing: 4th, 5th

• March 22nd: IAR Testing: 3rd

• March 22nd: 8th Grade Graduation Photos

• March 23rd: IAR Testing: 4th, 5th

• March 23rd: Multicultural Potluck & Parent Workshop
  

• March 24th: High School Offers Released

• March 24th: Coffee with the Principal (join here)

• March 27th: School Tour (Sign Up Here)

• March 27th-31st: Scholastic Book Fair

• March 29th: Parent/Teacher Conferences (11-6 PM)

• April 3rd-7th: Spring Break

• April 3rd-7th: National Assistant Principal Week

**Click the calendar icon to see the Coonley Google Parent Calendar

• Coonley School Website
• Coonley Communication Chart
• Coonley Parent/Student Handbook
  
• CPS COVID-19 Self-Report
• CPS Athletics
• SY23 School Forms
• Meal Viewer (Breakfast & Lunch Menus)

• School Visit Preregistration Form

• Purchase 2022-2023 Yearbook (passcode: 1015245817164730)

The Bilingual Advisory Council (BAC) is hosting a workshop for all parents. The evening will begin with a multicultural potluck. We ask everyone to bring a dish from your culture to share. It will be followed by a presentation from Sergio Negri called “Seven Habits You Must Teach Your Kids.” Childcare will be available. We hope you can make it because we know it will be a great night. More information and sign up to come. The event will be from 5-7pm on March 23rd.

Coffee with the Principal is an informal meeting for parents/guardians to be updated about what is going on at school, to share information, ask questions and be meaningful school partners.

Topic: Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

When: Friday, March 24th 12:30 PM

Where: https://meet.google.com/ezt-xqjs-mkw or dial: +1 864-688-9913‬ PIN: ‪785 453 827‬#

We are excited to share information about our Spring After School Programs. We will be offering both free and paid after school programs in the spring session.

You can learn about spring programs here and register for programs here. Deadline to register is Monday, March 20th 9 am.

If you have any questions about after-school programs, please contact Maribel Quiros (mramos3@cps.edu) and John Pletsch (jjpletsch@cps.edu).

It's time for Spring Sports! Please review the information below about the Spring sports being offered.

• Coonley Sports Registration Form
• CPS SCORE Registration Form
• Consent and Concussion forms need to be returned to Ms. Lopez in the main office.
• Deadline for registration: Friday, March 17th.
• We must have at least 15 athletes registered to each team in order to be able to participate. Please make sure to sign up as soon as possible.

Soccer

• Season will be from 03/20/2023- 05/25/2023
  
• 5th/6th Girls Soccer- Coached by Mr. Erik , 1st practice on Wednesday March 22nd 3:30 to 5:00 PM (Green Turf)
• 7th/8th Girls Soccer- Coached by Mr. Hugo , 1st practice on Tuesday March 21st 3:30 to 5:00 PM (Green Turf)

Flag Football

• Season will be from 03/20/2023- 05/25/2023
• 5th/6th Coed Flag Football- Coach and practice time TBD (Practices will either begin on Monday March 20th or Thursday March 23rd) More information will be emailed.
• 7th/8th Boys Flag Football- Coached by Mr. David 1st practice on Thursday March 23rd 3:30 to 5:00 PM (Green Turf)

Track & Field

• Season will be from 03/20/2023- 06/03/2023
• Approved Parent Volunteer, Mr. Hedden, will coach all groups (5th/6th Girls, 5th/6th Boys, 7th/8th Girls, 7th/8th Boys)

• Spring Track and Field season begins Monday, March 20!
• All students are welcome; no prior Track and Field experience necessary! We can find an event that best fits your child’s strengths.
• Practices are combined for boys/girls and all grade levels 5th-8th.
• Practices will be every Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 3:30pm – 5:00pm.
• Athletes need to commit to attend at least two practices per week but are encouraged to come to as many as their schedules allow. Please contact Coach Brad (bradley.d.hedden@gmail.com) if there are conflicts to discuss alternatives.
• Further information on scheduling, practice logistics, events, meet schedules, can be found on the Track and Field page of the Coonley website.

• Empowering our girls to find strength in community and movement.
• Grades 3-5
• Practice will be on Mondays and Wednesdays from 3:30-5:00. The first practice is Monday, March 13th.
• Registration will be open until slots are full - slots are first come first serve
• Questions? Reach out to Coonley's Site Liaisons and coaches: Ms. Behan, gbehan@cps.edu or Ms. Goetzman, ckgoetzman@cps.edu

Every year, Chicago Public Schools (CPS) administers federally-required state assessments that help us gauge how our students are growing academically compared to their peers across the state. These tests also help us determine where additional supports and resources are needed in our schools. This spring, students in 3rd-8th grade will take the Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR), which measures student mastery of the Illinois Learning Standards in English language arts/literacy and mathematics.

IAR scores are also used to determine eligibility for Single-Subject Acceleration or Whole-Grade Acceleration.

• 3rd Grade: 3/16, 3/22, 4/12, 4/13
• 4th Grade: 3/21, 3/23, 4/18, 4/19
• 5th Grade: 3/21, 3/23, 4/18, 4/19
• 6th Grade: 3/16, 3/20, 4/12, 4/13
• 7th Grade: 3/14, 3/15, 3/28, 3/30
• 8th Grade: 3/14, 3/15, 3/28, 3/30

Students with testing accommodations written into their IEP or 504 will receive their testing accommodations on the IAR, however, they may not test on the same day as their grade level peers. If you have questions about when your student will test, please contact their homeroom teacher.

Questions? Email Ms. McLinden, semclinden@cps.edu

Our Lost & Found is quite full. Help us do some spring cleaning! Please review updated photos of items in the Lost & Found here.

Calling all Scholastic Book Fair fans – we need YOU to help with the Spring Scholastic Book Fair in the Coonley library from March 27th to 31st! Our amazing volunteers run the cash registers, escort classes to and from the library, help students locate and choose books and keep the fair neat and tidy. Volunteer shifts are in two-hour increments, and no previous Book Fair experience is necessary. This is a fun opportunity that you don’t want to miss!

Sign up here to volunteer for the Spring Scholastic Book Fair!

IDPH and the CDC are observing an increase in strep throat -- specifically invasive group A streptococcus (iGAS) -- infections among children. ISBE is joining IDPH and and the CDC in stressing the importance of early recognition, diagnosis, and appropriate treatment of these diseases in children and adults. Please review the attached Strep Parent Fact Sheet.

This week, our student leaders will introduce the No Place for Hate pledge to all grade levels at Coonley and ask students to sign the pledge.

Last week, all students will be engaging in a social-emotional learning lesson on the difference between bothering and bullying, how to be an upstander and, if needed, report bullying. We ask that you review this information at home with your child.

What is bothering? Bothering behavior causes a person to become annoyed or irritated but does not cause harm or fear. The primary goal of bothering is not to harm. Bothering behaviors may be uncomfortable, but they do not cause harm to the other person

Examples of bothering:

• Cutting in line in front of another student.

• Interrupting a student during work or tasks

• Trying to annoy a student in a playful manner

Laurie Santos, the psychology professor behind Yale University’s most popular course, recently launched a free six-week version of the class aimed at teenagers, called “The Science of Well-Being for Teens.” This 6-week course aims to curb this mental health crisis by bringing together the best insights from Dr. Laurie Santos’ popular Yale course Psychology and the Good Life. In this course, you will explore what the field of psychology teaches us about how to be happier, how to feel less stressed, and how to thrive in high school and beyond. The lessons along with short weekly ‘happiness homework’ assignments will ultimately prepare you to put these scientific findings into practice. The ultimate goal is for you to feel better and build healthier habits. Parents, teachers, and other professionals supporting teenagers may also find the course beneficial.

Enrollment is free. Course begins March 10th. Register here

In the month of March, students will learn the mindset, Live to Give. This week's Live to Give objective is Stretch Yourself.

Stretch Yourself - Live to Give can sound a bit selfish. While the best way to get what we want is to give what we can, the real point is to give because it is the right thing to do. When we live our best lives, we do the things we’re great at and get the best results. These results benefit us as well as others and the world around us, and that is the reason to do it. Oprah Winfrey gives millions of dollars to charity, but none of that will likely impact the world as much as the inspiration her talk show provided to billions. Great teachers have an immense impact simply by being great teachers. We give the most simply by being our best and living our ultimate lives.

Review the parent newsletter (linked below) for ideas on how you can reinforce this mindset at home.

Expanding Your Horizons (EYH), a volunteer-based STEM organization, invites all female students in grades 6–8 to register for their annual one-day STEM conference, which will be held on Saturday, March 25, 2023, at the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC). The one-day event will excite and inspire young girls to pursue STEM careers through virtual workshops, with female scientists covering topics from math, to physics, to biomedical engineering. Registration is open through March 11, 2023. For more information, please visit eyhchicago.com.

Subscribe to the FOC mailing list here.

Website: http://coonley.cps.edu/
Location: 4046 North Leavitt Street, Chicago, IL, USA
Phone: 773-534-5140
Twitter: @CoonleyES