Dear Henry Hawk Families,

Thank you parents for the wonderful lunch that was provided to our teachers and staff. We appreciate this heartwarming gift.

The end of the 2nd quarter is this Thursday, December 22nd. There is no school on Friday, December 23rd.

Please note: This will be the last Henry Hawk News this calendar year. Our next email will come out January 8th, 2023. We return from winter break on January 9th, 2023.

Have a great week, restful winter break and Happy Holidays!

Juan Gutierrez, Principal

jgutierrez1@cps.edu

Mary Ann Reynolds, Assistant Principal

mamunozmaciel@cps.edu

Upcoming Important Dates

Holiday Spirit Week

Winter Sing

Counselor's Corner (NEW!)

Covid Testing Signup

Parent Portal (Aspen)

Visitors

Covid Protocol

Henry Student/Parent Handbook 2022-2023

December

Wednesday, December 21st: Winter Sing

Thursday, December 22nd: End of 2nd Quarter

Friday, December 23rd: No Classes School Improvement Day

Monday, December 26th - Friday January 6th: No Classes Winter Break

Please note, there will be NO early dismissals. All students will return to their classrooms following the performance and will be brought to their normal dismissal doors. All families and audience members will be dismissed out the auditorium doors and should head outside to their student's normal dismissal door. Please do not try to take your student with you from the auditorium - they will not have their belongings and we want to minimize confusion for staff and students.

* Due to potential cold weather we will allow parents in the auditorium until students are dismissed. Thank you for your flexibility.

Hello Henry Families,

With the holidays and winter break just around the corner, make sure to take some time to take care of yourselves! Even if it's just a 3 minute meditation, self-care is important for you and your family. Self-care can help replenish a parent's energy, focus, and positivity. Children are unaware of the need for balance, so parents must set boundaries themselves. People often view boundary setting as selfish, but it can help parents have more energy for themselves and their children (from Psychology Today). Below are some resources from Communities in Schools to help you find ways to take care of yourself:

TEDTALKS

Why We All Need to Practice Emotional First Aid

https://www.ted.com/talks/guy_winch_the_case_for_emotional_hygiene

How to Make Stress Your Friend

https://www.ted.com/talks/kelly_mcgonigal_how_to_make_stress_your_friend

How to Gain Control of Your Free Time

https://www.ted.com/talks/laura_vanderkam_how_to_gain_control_of_your_free_time

PODCASTS

3-Minute Body Scan to Cultivate Mindfulness & 5-Minute Breathing Meditation https://www.mindful.org/meditation/mindfulness-getting-started/

Basic Meditation to Tame Your Inner Critic

https://www.mindful.org/meditation/mindfulness-getting-started/

BLOGS

Greater Good: The Science of a Meaningful Life Blog

http://greatergood.berkeley.edu/education

The Mindful Path Blog

http://peacelearningcenter.org/category/mindfulness/page/2

As a reminder, please reach out to us if you ever need anything.

Have a great last week before break,

Mrs. Garfinkel and Mr. Renas

CPS offers free weekly COVID-19 testing for students and staff in all District-run schools. Sign up for weekly testing for the 2022-23 school year through the ReadyCheckGo Testing Program.

IMPORTANT: Every CPS student or staff member who wants to enroll in weekly COVID-19 testing for the 2022-23 school year MUST complete a new consent form. Consents from last school year or this summer WILL NOT be valid for the 2022-23 school year.

You will need to search "Henry" for the school.

An exciting new feature is coming to the Aspen Parent Portal on October 24, 2022. E-Absence will allow parents and guardians to submit and track your student’s absences online. That means no more making last-minute phone calls or completing paper forms.

E-Absence joins a lineup of features that are already available on the Aspen Parent Portal to manage your student’s school experience. Sign in to your account at ASPEN.CPS.EDU for features including:

• Checking Assignments
• Viewing Grades
• Tracking Attendance
• Paying Fees

To access Parent Portal, you must:

• Be listed as a contact for your student in the Student Information System.
• Have a valid email in the student’s contact records.
• Request and submit the validation code sent via email.

Don’t have an account? Contact the main office to register for an account today. You can also learn more at cps.edu/pages/parentresources.aspx.

Visitors

• All visitors, including parents, visiting a school must behave appropriately and adhere to school rules and visitor protocol while on CPS property. Every visitor must check in at the security check-point at the main entrance (Door #2). The security officer will ask for a valid state ID or driver's license from the visitor. If a state ID or driver's license is not available, the security officer will check in the visitor by manually typing their information into the Visitor Management System (VMS). Visitors who fail or refuse to provide valid identification or other identifying information will not be allowed entry into the building.
• Once a visitor has been checked into the VMS, the visitor will receive a badge that must be visibly worn and escorted throughout the building during their visit. Visitors who do not wear their badge must be redirected to the security check-point. If a parent seeks to visit a classroom to observe their child, the parent should request permission from the teacher and/or school staff to discuss appropriate times and days. This notification must be done at least 24 hours prior to their visit.

Covid Protocols:

• Close contacts will no longer be excluded from school. Any student or staff member who is exposed to COVID-19 in school — regardless of vaccination status — will no longer be required to learn or work from home for five days, but will be required to wear a mask in school for 10 days following exposure, and will be strongly encouraged to test three and five days after exposure. CPS will provide schools with rapid take-home tests to distribute to families and staff members if they are exposed, and we will strongly encourage families to use them in order to prevent spread and ensure a safe in-person learning environment.

• Anyone who tests positive for COVID-19 should isolate for 5 days. Cases should continue to be reported to cps.edu/covidresults

• Wearing a mask is still an important way to prevent spreading the virus to others. CPS will continue to strongly recommend masking in school, and masks will continue to be required in the following situations:

• On days 6-10 after testing positive for COVID-19

• If someone is exposed to COVID-19

• If there is a positive case identified in an elementary school classroom

• At the direction of the Chicago Department of Public Health.

• CPS will continue to offer free, weekly in-school COVID-19 testing to students and staff who are interested. Importantly, anyone who wants to enroll in testing this year will need to fill out an updated consent form — regardless of whether or not individuals participated in weekly testing last year. That updated consent form can be accessed here. Parents or guardians must register on behalf of a student under 18 years old. When you’re asked to enter an Organization ID, use your child’s 8 digit CPS Student ID which can be found on Aspen's parent portal or ask your child's teacher.