Henry Hawk News
Week of January 25, 2021
Principal Gutierrez's Message
As per the evolving negotiations between CTU and CPS, please continue to watch the news for additional updates and any communication from CPS.
Thank you for your flexibility and patience.
Stay well,
Juan Gutierrez
Principal
A Message From Chicago Public Schools
Dear Families,
CPS and CTU officials have been meeting over the weekend with the goal of reaching an agreement that provides for a smooth expansion of in-person learning. We now agree on far more than we disagree, but our discussions remain ongoing, and additional time is needed to reach a resolution. To ensure we have the time needed to resolve our discussions without risking disruption to student learning, we have agreed to a request from CTU leadership to push back the return of K-8 teachers and staff to Wednesday, Jan. 27.
Pre-k and cluster classroom staff will continue to report to work tomorrow to ensure safe, in-person instruction can continue for the students who returned to classrooms earlier this month. And remote instruction will continue without interruption for students who have been learning from home.
The scheduled return date for students in grades K-8 remains Monday, Feb. 1, and it is our goal to reach an agreement with CTU as soon as possible to ensure tens of thousands of additional students have the opportunity to safely return to our classrooms. Students in over 130 private and parochial schools and over 2,000 early learning centers across the city have been safely learning in their classrooms since the fall, and we must provide that same option to our families who, through no fault of their own, have been unable to make remote learning work for their children. We’ve seen grades, attendance, and enrollment drop significantly for many of our students in recent months, and the impact has been felt most by our Black and Latinx students.
We are pursuing this return because local, state and federal health officials have made it clear that schools can operate safely with proper mitigations. Working closely with our partners at the Chicago Department of Public Health, we have developed a comprehensive health and safety plan that meets and exceeds the recommended mitigations, and we have spared no expense — investing over $100 million — to make this plan a reality. In addition to providing accommodations for all staff who have high-risk medical conditions, we are working hard to find ways to accommodate teachers with vulnerable family members at home in a way that does not jeopardize student learning.
COVID-19 has impacted all of us in profound ways, but its greatest impact has been on those in our community who were already in greatest need of assistance. We know that in-person instruction is not right for everyone and that some staff members have concerns about returning, but it is our job to create options for our families while providing staff the resources they need for a safe return.
Our discussions with CTU will continue throughout the day and into the early part of the week, if needed. We will keep you updated as discussions progress, and we thank you for your continued patience as we work to reach a resolution that is in the best interest of our entire school community.
Sincerely,
Janice K. Jackson, EdD, Chief Executive Officer
LaTanya D. McDade, Chief Education Officer
Chief Education Officer
Chicago Public Schools
Estimadas familias:
Los funcionarios de CPS y el Sindicato de Maestros de Chicago (CTU, por sus siglas en inglés) se han reunido durante el fin de semana para llegar a un acuerdo que permita reanudar más clases presenciales de manera fluida. Actualmente concordamos más de lo que diferimos, pero seguimos teniendo más discusiones sobre el asunto, por lo que necesitamos más tiempo para alcanzar una solución. Para lograrlo sin tener que arriesgar el aprendizaje de los estudiantes, hemos aceptado la petición del CTU en posponer el regreso a las clases presenciales, para los maestros y el personal de kínder a 8.º grado (K-8), para el miércoles 27 de enero.
El personal de las aulas de prekínder (Pre-k) y cluster (de educación especial) continuará presentándose a trabajar mañana para garantizar que las clases presenciales puedan continuar de manera segura para los estudiantes que ya han regresado a principios de este mes. Además, las clases remotas continuarán sin interrupción para los estudiantes que han estado aprendiendo desde casa.
La fecha prevista para el regreso de los estudiantes de K-8 sigue siendo el lunes, 1 de febrero. Nuestro objetivo es llegar a un acuerdo con el CTU lo antes posible, para garantizar que decenas de miles de estudiantes adicionales tengan la oportunidad de volver a nuestras aulas. Estudiantes en más de 130 escuelas privadas y parroquiales y 200 centros preescolares, en toda la ciudad, han estado aprendiendo de forma segura en sus aulas desde el otoño. Por lo tanto, debemos proporcionar esa misma opción a nuestras familias que, sin culpa alguna, no han podido hacer que el aprendizaje remoto funcione para sus hijos. Hemos visto que las calificaciones, la asistencia y la tasa de matrícula han disminuido significativamente para muchos de nuestros estudiantes en los últimos meses, y nuestros estudiantes afroamericanos y latinos han sido los más afectados.
Estamos exigiendo este retorno porque los funcionarios de salud locales, estatales y federales han dejado claro que las escuelas pueden operar de forma segura contando con las mitigaciones adecuadas. Al trabajar estrechamente con nuestros socios del Departamento de Salud Pública de Chicago, hemos desarrollado un plan integral de salud y seguridad que sigue y sobrepasa las mitigaciones recomendadas, y hemos invertido más de 100 millones de dólares para hacer este plan una realidad. Además de proporcionar acomodaciones a todo el personal, que tiene condiciones médicas de alto riesgo, estamos trabajando duro para encontrar maneras de acomodar a maestros que tienen familiares vulnerables en casa de una manera que no arriesgue el aprendizaje de los estudiantes.
COVID-19 nos ha impactado a todos de manera profunda, pero el mismo ha afectado más a aquellos más necesitados en nuestra comunidad. Sabemos que el aprendizaje presencial no es adecuado para todos, y que algunos miembros del personal tienen inquietudes sobre el retorno. Sin embargo, es nuestro trabajo crear opciones para nuestras familias mientras proporcionamos al personal los recursos necesarios para un regreso seguro.
Nuestras conversaciones con el CTU continuarán a lo largo del día y hasta principios de la semana, si es necesario. Les mantendremos informados a medida que avancen las discusiones, y les agradecemos su continua paciencia mientras trabajamos para alcanzar una resolución que sea en el mejor interés de toda nuestra comunidad escolar.
Atentamente,
Janice K. Jackson, EdD, Directora Ejecutiva
LaTanya D. McDade, Directora de Educación
Escuelas Públicas de Chicago
What's In This Week's Henry Hawk News?
Counselor's Corner
Henry Attendance Update
Parent Reopening Meeting, Wednesday, January 27, 2021
Henry Hawk Weekly Update Video
Family Remote Learning Support
35th Ward Information
Counselor's Corner
Hello Henry Families,
I want to share some resources that are available to you through the Second Step website to help you and your family transition to in-person learning or keep you supported as your child continues to learn at home.
The website is: https://www.secondstep.org/covid19support
Scroll to the bottom where it says: Free Resources for Educators and Families
All these resources are free and they include:
· Podcast for parents to help support your well-being
· Mindfulness videos for students
· Podcast for students and parents about dealing with difficult feelings
· Free at-home SEL activities
· Tools to help young children deal with difficult times
As a reminder, I want to make sure this information is meeting your needs, so please complete this survey as soon as you can:
https://forms.gle/prcQxhWfVn8Kojqi6
If you ever need anything, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me. The best way to reach me is by email: mgarfinkel@cps.edu
Have a great weekend,
Mrs. Garfinkel
Have a great week,
Mrs. Garfinkel
Henry Attendance Update
Henry School Overall Attendance: 94.00%. (Goal is to be above 95%)
Attendance by Grades as of 1/24/21
Kindergarten: 91.94%
1st Grade: 93.16%
2nd Grade: 93.80%
3rd Grade: 95.64%
4th Grade: 96.43%
5th Grade: 91.06%
6th Grade: 96.03%
7th Grade: 93.97%
8th Grade: 92.91%
Congratulations to our 4th Grade Students who have the highest attendance percentage to date!
Attendance for the Week 18: Overall 93.81%
Kindergarten: 94.68%
1st Grade: 88.06%
2nd Grade: 92.41%
3rd Grade: 95.99%
4th Grade: 96.03%
5th Grade: 85.71.%
6th Grade: 95.91%
7th Grade: 95.96%
8th Grade: 93.75%
Congratulations to our 4th Grade Students who have the highest attendance percentage for week 18!
Please remember to be online everyday during Remote Learning.
Parent Reopening Meeting (Morning Session)
Wednesday, Jan 27, 2021, 08:30 AM
Google Meet
RSVPs are enabled for this event.
Parent Reopening Meeting (Afternoon Session)
Wednesday, Jan 27, 2021, 04:30 PM
Google Meet
RSVPs are enabled for this event.
Henry Hawk Weekly Update Videos
Family Remote Learning Support
2021 Participatory Budgeting (VOTE FOR HENRY PLAYGROUND)
Every year, each Alderman receives $1.3 million for ward infrastructure improvements. This is the sole source of funding made available to Aldermen to repave streets, resurface alleys, and make critically needed infrastructure improvements.
In the 35th Ward, Alderman Ramirez-Rosa empowers residents to decide how to spend $1 million in improving their neighborhood – whether it be fixing specific curbs, resurfacing certain streets, or installing bike lanes – through participatory budgeting (PB).
Voting for our 2021 infrastructure projects starts this Monday, January 11th and will go through February 5th! In order to vote, you must be at least 14 years old and a resident of the 35th Ward. You can register to vote online for PB at our PB 2021 Voter Registration form. Once your age and address have been verified, you will receive a code and link to cast your ballot. Please do not share your code with anyone else; your code is unique and may be used only once. A sample ballot can be found here.
We encourage you to vote online to limit in-person interactions, however in-person voting will be made available to residents on Friday, January 22 from 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM and Friday, January 29, 2021, 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM at the 35th Ward Office or by appointment only.
This year residents will be able to choose how they would like to allocate $1 million in public funding by selecting funding amounts for four categories developed by our PB Committee. Categories are: alley resurfacing, street resurfacing, sidewalk repairs, and special projects near some of our schools. The budget will have a maximum value of $1 million that can be allocated across all selected categories. Categories include projects across all five neighborhoods in our 35th Ward – Hermosa, Logan Square, Avondale, Irving Park, and Albany Park.
Winners will be announced in mid-February after the votes have been tallied. Implementation of projects will occur in the Spring and Summer of 2021.
Thank you to our 2020 PB Committee members for helping to put together our ballot and working with us to gather and investigate ideas submitted to our office!
SAVE THE DATE: February 6th FREE COVID-19 Testing & Community Wellness at 3737 W. Lawrence
Join 35th Ward Alderman Carlos Ramirez-Rosa and 33rd Ward Alderman Rossana Rodriguez-Sanchez alongside the Illinois Department of Public Health and Heartland Health Centers for FREE COVID-19 testing, FREE HIV Testing, and FREE opioid overdose prevention training and kits. Stay tuned for more information soon!
Patrick Henry School
Mr. Gutierrez, Ms. Reynolds, and Mrs. Abraham
Website: patrickhenryes.cps.edu
Location: 4250 N St Louis Ave, Chicago, IL, USA
Phone: 773-534-5060
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/PatrickHenryHawks/
Twitter: @PatrickHenrySc1