Peirce School Family Newsletter
February 2017
Bake Sales for Justice
Principal's Message
Para ver este boletin en espanol click aqui.
February 1, 2017
Greetings Peirce Families,
Over the last month I have had the honor to hear from many students and families about various actions they have taken to support causes in our community. Over Martin Luther King Jr Weekend several Peirce students and families canvassed the neighborhood in the cold and the rain, collecting clothing, housewares and supplies for Refugee One. If you see these students or their families, make sure to thank them - they are a model to all of us.
Harry Bakunas, Bella Bakunas, Nathan Herwig, Anna Sophia Adams, Eric Adams, Addison Regan, Willa Kennedy, Henry Kennedy, Luca DeSanto, Finnigan DeSanto, Katherine Kumpher.
Also, make sure to check out this article from DNA Info which recognized their efforts.
We also have a group of Peirce parents and students who have organized a monthly Bake Sale for Justice Campaign. Bake Sale for Justice is a group of (mostly) Peirce students and parents who have committed to holding once-a-month bake sales outside of Women and Children First bookstore in Andersonville, and donating the proceeds to charities that help people whose rights are under attack. The first sale (in November) raised nearly $800 for the ACLU, the second almost $700 for the Southern Poverty Law Center, and the January sale nearly $1200 for the National Immigrant Justice Center.
Peirce students who have participated are Nora Fox, Meredith White, Faelyn McGuire, Tekla Peterson, Hazel Roudebush, Piper Grant, Maddy Owens, Maya Bernal, Ostin Marcinek, and Ramona and Rosetta Harold. Besides the students' home-baked goods, items have also been donated by local businesses, including Maddiebird Bakery, owned by Peirce parents Michele and Aaron McAtee and Metropolis Coffee. Sales will continue for the foreseeable future.
Remember that Peirce is a place of loving and supportive community for all of our families, regardless of race, gender, religion or sexual orientation. Please reach out with any questions or concerns you may have as we continue in the year.
Warmest Wishes,
Lori Zaimi
Principal
MLK Volunteer Project
January Highlights:
Students in Kindergarten-8th grade participated in an interactive performance by Amazing Africa, sponsored Urban Gateways & Friends of Peirce.
Congratulations to our Spelling Bee Champions! Each round was intense and our students did a wonderful job!
1st-2nd Grade 1st Place: Madeleine Rosen
1st-2nd Grade 2nd Place: Ramona Harold
3rd-5th Grade 1st Place: Rachel Yanoff
3rd-5th Grade 2nd Place: Hrithik Rao
6th-8th Grade 1st Place: Elliott Topp (will advance to the regional round)
6th-8th Grade 2nd Place: Isabel Korte
Ms. Graney hosted our Sexual Health Informational Session - teachers will begin implementing in the 3rd and 4th quarters, be on the lookout for the consent letters to come home. You can find the letters on our website here.
If you missed last month's IB Communicator, make sure to visit it here.
Our 7th grade students had a wonderful 2 night overnight to Northern Illinois University’s Lorado Taft campus.
Our 4th grade students had the opportunity to watch their writing performed by Barrel of Monkeys as a final production of their arts partnership.
International Dance Night was a huge success with over 200 Peirce families and staff in attendance - dance classes included Greek, Bollywood, Folk, Disco, African, Zumba and more!
Our Band students held their first performance after school on January 30th - it was wonderful to hear the improvements that these students made in just a few months of practice!
Attendance
Please continue to send students to school on-time and every day - we have made some improvements in attendance over the last month but still have room for improvement. We ended December at 95.93% and are currently at 96.04%. Remember that student attendance is important to maintain a consistent program in school and attendance also weighs in at 20% of our overall school report card - we are currently a level 1+. In order for us to receive full points on the school rating in the attendance category we need to be above 96% attendance.
Below indicates attendance YTD by grade level:
Parent IB Behind the Scenes Tours & Program of Inquiry
Our next round of IB Behind the Scenes tours for PK-5th grade will begin in March, sessions will either focus on Inquiry or Restorative Approaches to Discipline. Please save the following dates:
PK Morning Session - March 15th from 8:00 - 9:30am
PK Afternoon Session - March 15th from 12:30 - 2:00pm
Kindergarten - March 7th from 8:00 - 9:30am
1st Grade - March 20th from 8:00 - 9:30am
2nd Grade - March 13th from 8:15 - 9:45am
3rd Grade - March 22nd from 1:30 - 3:00pm
4th Grade - March 9th from 8:00 - 9:30am
5th Grade - March 22nd from 1:30 - 3:00pm
Be on the lookout for more information.
The Program of Inquiry for our PYP IB program can be found on the Peirce website by visiting here and clicking on the POI document at the bottom of the page. The POI gives a big picture overview of the content studied at each grade level.
You can also find more information on our IB program - both PYP and MYP by visiting here.
Peirce T-Shirts for Sale
Peirce T-Shirts are for sale for $10 and available in all sizes - the new design has our Peirce Panther on the front and the IB Learner Profile on the back in English and Spanish. T-Shirts can be purchased from the main office.
Thank you Nora Hughes!
Nora Hughes, a 4th grade parent, has been active in leading the work of the Peirce Service Organization for the past 3 years - she has spent countless hours organizing parents, leading meetings, and supporting school efforts to increase parent involvement and service to the school community. Nora has decided to transition the PSO Chair leadership to Cecilia Bocanegra who is the new the chairperson of the PSO. I want to thank Nora for her countless hours of service and dedication to Peirce school - you are appreciated!
ST Math
All students in Kindergarten-8th grade will begin work with a new online math program - ST Math. Over the next month your children will come home talking about Ji Ji the penguin and will want to access the program at home. Once students have been assigned their login information, they can access the online site here, also found on the homepage of the Peirce website. Teachers will share parent-resource information as well once the program is up and running. If you have any questions about the program you can talk with your child’s classroom teacher or Ms. Zaimi.
Babes with Blades - March 11th
Benefit for the 7th and 8th grade trip to Washington DC
Enjoy an evening of political intrigue presented by Babes with Blades Theatre Company and help defray some of the costs of the D.C. field trip to Washington, D.C.
Please join your fellow Peirce Panthers for an evening of political intrigue presented by Babes with Blades Theatre Company’s production of Henry V. The all-female cast paints the world as Henry V ascends the throne after the assassination of his father. The best part? Your ticket purchase will directly benefit Peirce students!
Friends of Peirce Fundraising Opportunities
Friends of Peirce has a few events coming up to support Peirce School Programs such as arts integration, sports and afterschool programs.
Be sure to visit Hopleaf (5148 N Clark) and purchase a drink from the Kegs for Kids menu - 100% of the cost of each drink goes to support Peirce School.
Save the Date - April 30th will be our Peirce Hopleaf Day, 100% of all sales will go to Peirce! Last year over $30,000 was raised in one day!
Box Tops
Box tops are collected on a regular basis and bring in additional dollars to the school - please save box tops throughout the year and turn in during the box tops collection time periods.
Join us on Social Media!
Be sure to “like” us on Facebook - Helen C Peirce School of International Studies is Peirce’s official Facebook Site. In addition, the “Peirce School PSO” has a site along with a closed group “Parents of Peirce” there is a lot of information shared on all 3 sites and are great opportunities to share and receive information along with networking with other parents.
Follow us on Instagram at peircecps.
February 2017 Calendar
March 2017 Calendar
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