HELEN C. PEIRCE SCHOOL OF INTERNATIONAL STUDIES
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PAC - North Lakefront Area Regional Analysis meeting, 12/11

11/24/2018

 
The North Lakefront Area Regional Analysis meeting is coming to your area.
Date: Tuesday, December 11th
Location: Sullivan High School, 6631 N Bosworth
Time: 6pm - 8pm

Join CEO Janice Jackson for information regarding: School quality, Enrollment patterns, School options, and Program Offerings by region. 
You can register online at https://ara-northlakefrontregion.eventbrite.com

ARA meeting flyer isn English and Spanish. 

Harlem Globtrotters Discount
Harlem Globtrotters Holiday discount for CPS families - flyer 

Save the Date 
Save the date for an exciting Chicago City of Learning Saturday Coding Pop-Up event for parents and families - coming to Rogers Park Parent University at Sullivan on January 12!

State of the School Presentation

11/24/2018

 
Did you miss the last Local School Council Meeting?

Don't worry, you can still check out the
State of the School Presentation.  

Fancloth Second CHANCE SALE! Happening now through December 17th.

11/19/2018

 

You still have a chance to get some brand new Peirce apparel from FANCLOTH. 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. All orders must be placed online, before December 14, 2018. FANCLOTH merchandise will be delivered to the school AFTER WINTER BREAK and then distributed. 

When ordering: 
Select PEIRCE TRAVEL SCHOLARSHIP from the drop down menu.
Then, type YOUR NAME or YOUR CHILD’S NAME in the fields below. 

Purchasing Peirce Gear through FanCloth helps 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. 
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Happy shopping!

Edgewater North Side Pole Parade. 12/1

11/19/2018

 
The Edgewater Chamber of Commerce will host the North Side Pole Parade on Saturday, December 1st from 4 - 6 pm. 

The parade is scheduled to take place on Saturday, December 1st, from 4 - 6 pm and is completely free. Santa will lead a parade where anyone can join in and get free treats at participating businesses on Bryn Mawr. The parade ends at Lytle House where Santa will take pictures. Other free activities are being planned at the Lytle House like milk and cookies, a Sacred Heart School band performance, and live holiday music from the Lakeside Pride Ensemble band. I'm working to see if I can secure carolers from Senn High School.
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FREE Tuesday’s Child WORKSHOP at Peirce:  Parenting with Confidence, 12/6

11/18/2018

 
The Peirce Diverse Learners Parent Resource Group is hosting Tuesday's Child for a free positive parenting workshop. 

Date: Thursday, December 6th
Time: 8:15 a.m. – 9:15 a.m.
Location: Peirce (Room TBA)

Is your child having temper tantrums or having trouble with impulse control or aggressive behavior? Do you end up yelling and nagging your child to get things done?
Our Parenting with Confidence workshop provides parents specific strategies to create peaceful routines and encourage cooperation. Parents walk away with phrases than boost cooperation and help maintain positive behaviors outside the home. Alternatives to yelling and threatening to get things done will also be discussed.
Our approach focuses on discipline as an opportunity to teach children how to behave and how parents can encourage children to make good choices.

Join us for this informative workshop and get ready for a peaceful, positive Winter Break!


For more information about the workshop, contact Kathy Herwig at kathyherwig@gmail.com.

​For more information about Tuesday's Child, visit 
www.TuesdaysChildChicago.org.

INTERNATIONAL DANCE NIGHT AT PEIRCE, 11/29

11/18/2018

 
​Join us for A CELEBRATION OF FAMILY, FOOD, and DANCE!

On Thursday, November 29, 2018, from 5 pm - 7 pm., Helen C. Peirce International School will host our 3rd Annual International Family Dance Night. The purpose of this event is to have families from our community come together to learn various styles of dance, enjoy foods from around the world, and have a “dancing” good time!

IT'S A SCHOLARSHIP FUNDRAISER
Funds generated from the International Family Dance Night provide Travel Scholarships for our 7th and 8th grade trip to New York City. This year our fundraising goal is to bring in $16,000, which would provide full and partial scholarships for 25 students. Many of those students would not be able to participate in this awesome travel experience without the financial assistance that this scholarship provides.

FEATURING · BOLLYWOOD · HIP HOP · LATIN DANCE · SWING · ZUMBA · PIZZA · FALAFEL · EGGROLLS · SAMOSAS  + MORE!

  • FOOD + DRINK: Sample foods from around the world.
  • DANCE: Sign up for 3 dance sessions. From 5:00 - 5:30 p.m. sign up for your preferred sessions. Hit the food tables. Then get your groove on for the first session at 5:30 p.m.

ORDER TICKETS: 
$5 per person - Benefits the Middle School Travel Scholarship Fun. Download this form to order tickets. 

WE NEED YOU!
In order to make this event happen we rely on volunteer dancers/dance artists/ and choreographers to donate 40 min - 1 hour of their time to teach 2-3 mini-classes (20 minutes) representing any genre of dance. In the past, some of the dance genres that have been represented include Caribbean Dance, Salsa, African Dance, Irish Step Dance, Zumba, Greek dance, Egyptian Dance, Hip Hop, Disco, and MORE! Attendees at this event pay an admission fee, which entitles them to three mini-classes and an International Foods Festival. Food is donated from local restaurants. The cost of admission is $5 per person and $20 per family ( 4 or more). The ticket price covers both food and dance.
 
We’d love to have your support! If you are able to be a part of Peirce’s International Family Dance Night, by teaching 2-3 mini dance classes. If you are not able to commit, please help us out by spreading the word!

Sign up to teach a mini class

Illinois State Board of Education: Letter Regarding Public Inquiry into Special Education Practices at CPS

11/9/2018

 
November 2018

​Dear CPS Staff, Parents and Families:

We hope that the first two months of the school year have been successful in your homes and classrooms, and that you have settled into your back-to-school routine. We wanted to take this opportunity to share the findings of an investigation that the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) conducted into the special education policies and practices of Chicago Public Schools, and the corrective action that ISBE will be putting into place over the next three school years.

​The Public Inquiry
The investigation referenced above was called the Public Inquiry into Special Education Practices at CPS, and it was conducted by a team of three special education attorneys. All information regarding the Public Inquiry can be found on the ISBE website. The Public Inquiry Team found that CPS engaged in policies, procedures, or practices that were inconsistent with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 2001 (IDEA), the federal law that governs special education and provides protections to students with disabilities.. As a result, an 11-page Corrective Action Report was adopted by ISBE in May of 2018. The Corrective Action Report describes ISBE’s findings that CPS violated the law by implementingpolicies and procedures related to special education budgeting, the computerized IEP system, and data collection requirements. As a result of these violations, families may have been improperly denied transportation, paraprofessional (SECA / special education classroom assistant) support, therapeutic day school placements, extended school year (ESY / summer school for students with disabilities) , eligibility for a specific learning disability, or other educational services.

The ISBE Appointed CPS Monitor
The Corrective Action Plan requires that ISBE assign a Monitor to oversee the Corrective Action Report and serve as a liaison between ISBE and CPS regarding special education. Both parents and CPS staff can reach out to the ISBE Monitor by email: isbemonitor@isbe.net or by visiting the Monitor’s website at https://www.isbe.net/Pages/ISBE-Monitor.aspx. The Monitor can answer questions for parents andstaff and investigate concerns. However, parents who have disputes with CPS regarding their child’s IEP should follow ISBE’s dispute resolution procedures, such as filing due process or filing a complaint. Information regarding dispute resolution can be found here. Nothing the Monitor does will change or interfere with a Parent’s Procedural Safeguards. ISBE strongly encourages the CPS community to contact the ISBE Monitor when concerns arise. Neither CPS nor ISBE can address concerns unless we know about them.

Per the Corrective Action Plan, this school year will include the following action items, events, and resources:

Staff Training
ISBE began training staff regarding the Public Inquiry at the beginning of the school year. More training will occur in November. The materials for the staff training can be found at https://www.isbe.net/Documents/ISBE-CPS-Teacher-Training-201808.pdf.

Parent Resources
  1. ISBE Parent Guide. ISBE’s Parent Guide, “Educational Rights and Responsibilities: Understanding Special Education in Illinois,” is currently being revised to reflect the most up- to-date legal guidance and best practices in Illinois, but it remains accessible via the ISBE website during the revision process. Additionally, ISBE publishes a list of low-cost legal providers to assist parents in navigating the legal process. That can be found here and is attached to this email.
  2. Updated Procedural Manual. An important part of the Corrective Action has been for CPS to update its ODLSS Procedural Manual to align with current and corrected ODLSS policies and procedures and the CPS electronic IEP system. The 2018-19 ODLSS Procedural Manual is finalized and can be accessed here. ISBE and ODLSS are also partnering to develop a more parent-friendly Procedural Manual reference sheet, such as a Parent FAQ document, which will be forthcoming.
  3. Parent Trainings. CPS and ISBE have scheduled several parent trainings for the upcoming year. There is more information about those trainings in the attached fliers. The materials for the first training session can be found at https://www.isbe.net/Documents/Parents-Rights-Training- ISBE.pdf.
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Student Specific Corrective Action Per the Public Inquiry
Since the Public Inquiry reviewed and found that there were problems occurring throughout the systemof special education at CPS, the focus now in the Corrective Action Plan requires a closer look at exactlywhich students were harmed by CPS’ system and determine how to make these students whole. ISBE ispartnering with CPS and Parent Advocacy organizations to develop a way to identify students who may be eligible for Student Specific Corrective Action. We will distribute more information to the CPS community when that system is developed. In the meantime, if you believe that your child was harmed by the systemic violations identified in the Public Inquiry, you may have the right to file for due processor file a complaint with ISBE’s special education division.

The findings of the Public Inquiry provide an opportunity to partner with CPS to ensure that students with disabilities receive a high-quality education tailored to their individual needs. The Corrective Action Plan has identified many changes that are needed for that to happen. We recognize that change does not happen overnight. For that reason, ISBE is committed to remaining involved at CPS for at least the next three school years. We hope our involvement will assist CPS in developing a system of special education that meets the high expectations of the state and the CPS community.

Sincerely,
Stephanie E. Jones 
General Counsel


Laura Boedeker
Assistant General Counsel and ISBE Monitor

Download the letter in English or Spanish 
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 Helen C. Peirce
School of  International Studies
1423 W. Bryn Mawr
Chicago IL, 60660
Phone: (773) 534 2440
Fax: (773) 534 2577

Fax: (773) 534-2577 
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Non-Discrimination Statement It is the policy of the Board to prohibit unlawful discrimination, harassment, and retaliation on the basis of any protected category by the Constitution of the United States, the Constitution of the State of Illinois, and applicable federal, state or local laws or ordinances, including but not limited to Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VI), Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VII), Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 (ADEA), Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (Title IX), the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Section 504), specifically, but not limited to, discrimination, harassment, or retaliation on the basis of sexual orientation, gender or sex (includes gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, and pregnancy-related medical conditions), race or ethnicity, ethnic group identification, ancestry, nationality, national origin, religion, color, mental or physical disability, age, immigration status, marital status, registered domestic partner status, genetic information, political belief or affiliation (not union-related), military status, unfavorable discharge from military service, or on the basis of a person’s association with a person or group with one or more of these actual or perceived characteristics in the educational programs or activities the Board operates.

Concerns or inquiries regarding sex discrimination, harassment, or retaliation can be made to the Board’s Title IX Coordinator in the Office of Student Protections and Title IX (OSP) or the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights (OCR).
  • Home
  • About
    • Our History
    • Mission & Vision
    • Principal's Newsletter
    • Enrollment Information
    • Small Group Tours
    • Policies & Forms
    • Continuous Improvement Work Plan
    • Garden
    • Support Peirce
    • Branding Guidelines
  • News
  • Students
    • Classroom Websites
    • Remote Learning 2020-2021 SY
    • Student of the Month
    • Student Athletics
  • Parents
    • Parent Communications
    • New to Peirce
    • Student Door Entry Assignments
    • Before & After School Programs
    • Restorative Practices
    • Counseling Department
    • Case Management
    • Parent Organizations
    • Volunteer Opportunties
    • Local School Council (LSC)
  • Academics
    • International Baccalaureate >
      • IB Primary Years Programme
      • IB Middle Years Programme
      • IB Learner Profile
    • Ready to Learn - Pre K
    • Art
    • Bilingual Program
    • Music
    • Physical Education
    • Dance
    • Spanish
    • Technology
  • Staff Directory
    • Key Contacts
  • Calendar