Peirce School Family Newsletter
October 2018
Principal's Message
Greetings Peirce Families,
Good News! Peirce received $300,000 in additional funds, based on the increase in enrollment this school year. Principal Zaimi is reviewing parent and staff feedback that was gathered through online surveys (sent in prior SMORE communication) and will propose a plan for spending/opening of additional positions.
During the first month of school, Peirce Students were busy adjusting to the new year - new routines, friends and teachers. Open House was well attended, students were able to show off their classrooms and school - while parents had the opportunity to meet teachers, become familiar with curriculum and get to know fellow Peirce families. Students celebrated the International Day of Peace on September 21st and many classrooms have already begun participating in Talking Circles in our new Peace Room!
Students participated in 2 drills during the month of September - 1 fire drill and 1 lock-down drill - over the course of the 2018-2019 school year, students will participate in regular fire drills, at least 1 additional lock-down drill along with a shelter-in place drill. These drills are mandatory by CPS and are intended to teach our students proper procedures to follow in the event of a threat to the school community. Each of the drills happen on an annual basis - 1st grade students and up have all participated in previous years and are familiar with the procedures. Teachers are trained to explain the purpose of the drills to students in developmentally appropriate ways. If your child has questions about the drills, re-assure them that the drills are to teach them ways to maintain safety and that there is a very small chance that there will actually be a threat to the school community, but it is important to be familiar with ways to respond in the event there is one. Always remind students that the adults in the building are their allies and will be there to help them if a difficult situation arises.
October is a busy month at Peirce - in the remainder of this newsletter, you will find more information about Reading Night, Picture Day, HS Fairs, Parent Workshops, Halloween and more!
Sincerely,
Lori Zaimi
Principal
Student Fees - Pay Online
Parent OR Staff Shout Outs
There are always great things happening that often do not go recognized. Send a shout out to a fellow Peirce Parent or Staff Member to be included in upcoming newsletters! Please submit any shout-outs here.
Below are a few of the shout-outs that were submitted over the last month from fellow Peirce Parents:
- Amy, a new parent at Peirce, is leading a project that will be working with Loyola Dance students and, I believe, Peirce Student council or middle school students to make a video for the American Democracy Project (http://www.aascu.org/programs/ADP/) to encourage young people and first time voters to get out an vote! (From April Browning)
- Shout out to Friends of Peirce for kicking off a great year of Parent & Community Events while raising funds for Peirce School!
- Thank you to the painting crew for continuing to beautify the Peirce School exterior doors!
Counseling Program at Peirce
The School Counseling Program is led by Ms. Choe and is geared to address the needs of all students through tiered school based interventions. All students receive Tier 1 social emotional learning in their homerooms through a research based program called Second Step. Students that are in need of more intense social-emotional support can be referred to the Behavioral Health Team (BHT) by the homeroom teacher and will be responsible for completing screeners and a formal referral form.
The BHT is a team within the school counseling department, with members of the team including the school counselor, psychologist, social worker, case manager, principal and restorative practices coach. The team meets weekly to review cases and make recommendations for appropriate Tier 2 and Tier 3 interventions. These interventions are intended to support students whose social-emotional development and/or behavior interfere with their school performance.
Prior to making a referral to the BHT, the parent and teacher should work together to find ways to support the student within the classroom. If the behavior continues for a significant period of time, appears to be beyond the student's control, and no improvements are made with combined parent and classroom interventions, the next step would be for the teacher to begin the BHT Referral Process. The social-emotional interventions provided are school based and do not include diagnosis or treatment. The BHT can provide parents with outside resources and make referrals to counseling agencies.
Because of the size of the school along with the limited resources available, the school-counseling program is not designed to provide long-term 1-1 counseling sessions for students. If the student functions well in class socially and academically, but is struggling with personal issues outside of school the counselor is able to provide resources for outside counseling.
For additional information on Peirce's counseling program, please contact Ms. Choe at apark1@cps.edu
No Dogs (Pets) on School Grounds
Get your Peirce Gear - Fan Cloth Fundraiser
This fall Peirce has partnered with FanCloth to bring you some brand new Peirce apparel. The items for sale can be found HERE. Many of the items can be customized (name and a favorite number) and are available in both youth and adult sizes. Orders are to be placed online, and are available until October 15, 2018. All merchandise will be delivered to the school and then distributed.
Purchasing Peirce Gear through FanCloth will also help to provide funds for our MYP Student Travel Schlolarship. This year, Travel Scholarships will be used to send students to New York City, May 8th -10th. Our goal is to raise $16,000 in order to award six full scholarships and six partial scholarships.
Through this partnership with FanCloth, we have the potential to earn up to $10 per item based on the number of items purchased by the Peirce families. Here are a few tips that will help both you and your student throughout our fundraiser:
- To make sharing as effortless as possible, Fan Cloth has a sharing tool you can use by texting your FC Catalog Number to 559-900-3222 to reach as many people as possible.
- Invite friends and family to order as well!
- Don’t forget to spread the word through social media
Picture Day
Because of the size of Peirce, Picture Day is held over 2 days - Tuesday October 9th and Wednesday October 10th. A separate email and paper flyer will be sent home later this week indicating the specific day that each classroom will take pictures. If a student is absent on picture day or if a family is not happy with the picture, re-takes will take place on Monday, November 5th.
High School Information Session & Fair
7th & 8th grade students and families are invited to a HS Fair & Information Session.
When: October 9th
Location: Senn HS
Time: 5:00pm Information Session
5:45pm HS Fair
Volunteering Protocols
Thank you to Peirce Parent, Chad Curry for putting together a Peirce FAQ Guide on volunteering - click here to view a detailed example of the process.
All parents and community members interested in volunteering at Peirce must complete the CPS process for volunteering and be in touch with Sally Suarez in the main office ebelizario@cps.edu or 773-534-2440.
Instructions for completing a volunteer application can be found here. In addition, there are 2 different levels of volunteering - each level requires a different level of clearance. More information on the levels can be found here.
Restorative Practices at Peirce
Friday, October 12th
8:15am
Fieldhouse
Math Parent Workshops
October 16th, 8:15am
November 20th, 8:15am
Family Reading Night
Peirce family reading night
When: Wednesday, October 17, 2018
5:00-7:00 p.m.
Where: Peirce school
What’s going on?
Literacy make and takes
Read stories under the stars
Listen to stories around the campfire
S’more station
Photo tent and camp crafts
FREE books and book exchange!
Halloween at Peirce
All students are allowed to dress up for Halloween (if they choose, not mandatory) - costumes must be age appropriate and non-violent/gory, full face masks are not allowed. Each teacher will share guidelines on costumes - some may have students come to school already dressed up while others will have students change in school.
All students and staff will participate in a Halloween Parade at 1:30pm - if construction is still underway on the turf, we will share a plan for how the parade will take place - more information to come at the end of October.
The Peirce Service Organization will host a Halloween Dance on Friday, October 26th from 5:00 - 6:30pm. This year, both gyms will be utilized - one for middle school students and the other for primary grade students.
Friends of Peirce
There are many ways for Peirce Families to support Friends of Peirce and their fundraising initiatves - all money raised goes directly to support student programs. Over $90,000 was approved during the September FOP meeting to go towards student programming and school initiatives including Arts Partnerships, Sports Programming, Teacher Stipends, Student Assemblies, Field Trip Subsidies, and more!
Visit https://www.friendsofpeirce.org/ to learn more!
Join FOP for the following upcoming events:
- October 10th - Peirce Day at Chipotle, 5224 N. Broadway Chipotle 4 pm-8 pm. Mention Peirce or Friends of Peirce and we will receive 33% back.
- October 19th - Harbor Night, Click here to learn more.
- November 9th - Date Night! Drop off your kids (Pre-K through 6th grade) with the FOP Babysitting Team (Middle School Students and Adult chaperones - all adult volunteers are level 1 CPS approved) and enjoy a night out from 6:00 - 9:00pm. Register here.
- Click here to learn more about the new Parent Basketball League.
October 2018
1st - Fall Garden Harvest & Planting
2nd - National Custodian Appreciation Day
3rd - Student of the Month Ceremony, 8:15am
5th - Student Council Elections
5th - Progress Reports Distributed
5th - NYC Travel Scholarship Application Due
5th - Small Group Parent Tour, 8:15am
5th - Go CPS Presentation 7th/8th Grade Students (Parents Invited), 8:10am
8th - No School - Columbus Day
9th & 10th - Picture Day
9th - HS Information Session @ Senn HS, 5:00pm (7th & 8th invited)
9th - HS Fair @ Senn, 5:45pm
9th - Friends of Peirce Meeting, 6:30pm, Fieldhouse
10th - Peirce Day at Chipotle (4:00 -8:00pm)
12th - Parent Advisory Council Meeting: Restorative Practices @ Peirce, 8:15am, Fieldhouse
14th - Edgewater 5K
15th - 6th Grade Parent Meeting - Indiana Dunes Overnight Trip, 5:00pm Room 307
16th - Math Parent Workshop, 8:15am
17th - Family Reading Night, 5:00 - 7:00pm
18th - Box Tops Collected
18th - Local School Council Meeting, 6:00pm
19th - Peirce Service Organization Meeting, 8:00am, Fieldhouse
19th - Harbor Night - Friends of Peirce Fundraiser
25th - Student Council Installation Ceremony, 5:00pm
26th - El Dia de Los Muertos School-Wide Celebration
26th - PSO Sponsored Halloween Dance, 5:00 - 6:30pm
27th - Debate Tournament at Peirce (All Day)
31st - Halloween Parade, 1:30pm (All students)
November 2018
Unity Month - United We Stand Against Bullying
1st - End of Quarter 12nd - No School
5th - Picture Re-Takes
7th - Student of the Month, 8:15am
9th - Parent Advisory Council Meeting, 8:15am
9th - Parent Date Night, 6:00 -9:00pm
9th - Parent Basketball League, 6:00 - 8:00pm
10th - Friends of Peirce Fundraiser, Chicago Wolves Game
12th - No School
13th-16th Book Fair
13th - Friends of Peirce Meeting, 6:30pm
14th - Report Card Day (11:30am - 3:00pm & 4:00 - 6:30pm)
15th - Local School Council Meeting, 6:00pm
16th - Peirce Service Organization Meeting, 8:00am
16th - Parent Basketball League, 6:00 - 8:00pm
20th - Math Parent Workshop, 8:15am
21st-23rd - No School
26th - Bullying Prevention Assembly
27th - Friends of Peirce Meeting, 6:30pm
28th - Fall Open House for Prospective Parents, 8:30am
29th - Box Tops Collection
29th - International Dance Night, 5:00 - 7:00pm
30th - Bilingual Advisory Council Meeting, 8:15am
30th - Parent Basketball League, 6:00 - 8:00pm
Key Contact List
Recurring Information
Breakfast & Lunch Menus
Daily Specials Rotation
Parent-Student Handbook
Student Code of Conduct
Helen C. Peirce School of International Studies
Email: lzaimi@cps.edu
Website: peirce.cps.edu
Location: 1423 W Bryn Mawr Chicago, IL
Phone: 773-534-2440
Facebook: facebook.com/peircecps