Thank you so much to our school community for your generosity in stocking up our PBIS Charger store! Our kids have loved having an opportunity in the morning to purchase a variety of fun items with their Charger Cash! Our link to purchase items on our Amazon Wish List is below.

For the next month, we would appreciate our families to take a moment for our 5 Essentials Survey! It is an important survey administered to provide us feedback on our school improvement and is a part of our ESSA designation. More details are listed below!

~Ms. Nicasio, Principal

nicasim@unit5.org

~Mrs. Fitzgerald, Associate Principal

fitzgeke@unit5.org

~Mrs. Carey

~Mr. Miller

Attention all 6th, 7th, and 8th grade CJHS students, families, and caregivers: Chiddix Junior High is very excited to announce that we have received a grant that will allow us to have an after school and summer Freedom School here at Chiddix Junior High. This culturally enrichment program is a place where students will have opportunities to participate in civil engagement, work on literacy development, character building, leadership building, and receive support for academic connectedness, all the while having a lot of fun. Freedom School will be Tuesdays and Thursdays 3:45-5:30 p.m. and transportation home could be available.

There will soon be an informational meeting where you can come and hear all about this beneficial program, get signed up, and be a part of this new beginning. We will send a message via Infinite Campus once we have a date set!!

Any questions please see Mrs. Castrejon (castree@unit5.org) or Mrs. Peoples (peoplesta@unit5.org).

For more information,

Short video about Freedom School,

Illinois State Board of Education Freedom School Awardees

Teachers, parents, and students across Illinois have an opportunity to participate in the Illinois 5Essentials Survey.

This survey is designed to generate a detailed picture of the inner workings of your child's school. Your participation in the parent portion of the survey will help us understand the environment at your child's school. Your identity and survey responses will be kept completely confidential and will never be connected to you or your child.

The Illinois 5Essentials Survey will be conducted through Friday, March 31, 2023.

To take the survey:

1. Visit https://survey.5-essentials.org/Illinois/

2. Click on "Start here" under the Parent category

3. You may enter your email address but that is not required. It is completely optional.

4. Enter "McLean" for the County

5. Begin typing your child's school name and you should see it pop up. Click on the appropriate school.

Please take a separate survey for each school where you have a child enrolled.

The survey is also available in Spanish.

The Illinois 5Essentials gathers data related to five indicators that can predict important student outcomes. These five indicators that affect and predict school success are

• Effective Leaders

• Collaborative Teachers

• Involved Families

• Supportive Environments

• Ambitious Instruction

Research in more than 400 schools has shown that schools strong on at least three of these indicators were 10 times more likely to improve student learning gains in math and reading than those that were weak on three or more Essentials.

Unit 5 students in grades 4th-12th will be given the opportunity to take this survey. Our CJHS students will be taking it during Advisory on Monday, February 13th. If you do not want your child to take the survey, please contact your child's principal by Monday, February 6.

Please be aware that under the Protection of Pupil Rights Act. 20 U.S.C. Section 1232(c) (1) (A), you have the right to review a copy of the questions asked of your student(s). Survey questions can be found on the Illinois 5Essentials Support Center ( Illinois 5Essentials Survey Questions).

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact 5Essentials Client Services at 1-866-440-1874 or impact-surveys@uchicago.edu.

Dear Chiddix families,

My name is Jeff Porter and I am a 7th Grade Social Studies teacher at Chiddix. I am excited to announce that in June of 2024, we will be traveling to London, Normandy, and Paris. All Chiddix students, along with family members, are invited to join us on this amazing trip.

This will be the second trip I have sponsored to London, Normandy, and Paris. After a wonderful trip experience this past summer, I am now a believer in the importance of global education. International travel is a way to bring the classroom to life, to offer students a better understanding of the world, to enable them to build self-confidence, and to develop in them some of the skills needed for the 21st Century.

Last summer, the students were able to see places like Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, Bletchley Park, the Normandy Beaches, The Louvre, and the Eiffel Tower. We were able to eat local food and experience the culture. For me, one of the most powerful memories was at the Normandy American Cemetery overlooking Omaha Beach. The night before visiting the Cemetery, the students researched a soldier with the same last name. Once at the Cemetery, students located the grave of the soldier and were able to show their appreciation for the sacrifice made on those days during World War II.

I will be hosting an informational meeting on February 16th at 7pm in the Chiddix IMC. I will share more details about this opportunity, as well as answer questions regarding the trip. I expect the spots to fill up quickly, so please plan to attend if you are interested.

If you would like to attend this informational meeting, please RSVP through this link:

https://bit.ly/3iYllN1

If you are unable to attend the meeting for any reason, do not worry. You can still register for the trip using the link. I will also be sending out information following the meeting.

If you have any questions, please email me.

Thank you,

Jeff Porter

Your student's freshman course selections are now in Infinite Campus. You can view them in the Academic Plan on your Parent Portal. If you have any questions, please contact your student's counselor. Changes can be made through Friday, March 24th, 2023.