November Peirce School Family Newsletter

Principal's Message

As we enter the month of November, there is much to give thanks for - I thank all of you for your commitment to Peirce School, from allowing us to spend 7+ hours a day with your child to your ongoing volunteering, fundraising and behind the scenes work which supports the development of IB students. I am fortunate to be given the opportunity to create a school culture and environment that supports student, parent and community involvement.

November has several days off - please note the school calendar and make sure to have children in school, on-time each day that school is in session. Our goal for the year is 97%, as of October 31st, our attendance is 97.14%, please help us meet our goal. There is a weekly competition in place at each grade level - the classroom with the highest percent of attendance for the week receives the "traveling trophy" with Pickles the Panther. In addition, there will be a series of random perfect attendance raffles throughout the year.

The IB Learner Profile attribute of the month is Knowledgeable, you can help your child be knowledgeable at home by allowing them to explore topics of interest, set goals and track progress while also monitoring grades in parent portal, take family field trips and explore the outdoors.

Below are a few highlights from the month of October:

• Peirce students elected their peers to represent them on Student Council. This year, Student Council will be represented at each LSC meeting, complete preliminary approvals for student fundraising, participate in a focus group with the school administration and make recommendations for increasing student voice in school-wide decision making.... among other things! 
• Thank you to all Peirce Families and Staff who participated in the Edgewater 5K race - this is a great community event which supports local schools in the 48th ward.
• Peirce School re-instated the Student of the Month Ceremony and it was great to hear from our students as they reflected on why they were selected as the Student of the Month for their classroom.
• Thank you to Friends of Peirce for organizing a very successful "Harbor Night" the event brought in approximately $17,000 - money raised goes towards activities such as arts programs, sports and after school programs, teacher stipends and much much more! 
• 7th & 8th grade students participated in the annual High School Fair at Senn High School, we are fortunate to have a wonderful High School within walking distance of Peirce School, over the years we have seen an increase in the number of students attending Senn HS and seeing Senn as a school of choice - see below for a video which highlights the accomplishments of Senn.
• Our Parent Advisory Council & Bilingual Advisory Council hosted a workshop titled "Creating Safe Spaces for LGBTQ Youth", presented by AJ and the Illinois Safe Schools Alliance. If you were unable to attend, see here for the presentation slides.
• Thank you to Ms. Hopkins, Peirce Teachers and Parents who supported the annual International Reading Night - many Pirates were seen wandering the halls of Peirce.
• Mr. Richie & Ms. Zawayta co-taught a math research lesson - continuing our work with Lesson Study.
• Thank you to Ms. Andrade & Ms. Keiner for spearheading the work of our Makers Space - we are at the beginning stages of implementing the Makers Lab with students and parents making the lab carts.
• The PSO hosted a very festive Halloween Dance and students and families gathered around the turf on Halloween for another year of parading and the new addition of our Thriller Flash Mob - thank you to Ms. Migas & Ms. Moritz for leading this work!
• Our Cross Country Team made it to the city finals!

Have a wonderful November and Happy Thanksgiving.

Warmest Wishes,
Lori Zaimi,
Principal

Read the full newsletter in Spanish and English.