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Peirce Community,
CPS released the annual School Quality Rating Policy on Friday, November 8th and for the first time ever, Peirce achieved Level 1+ status for the second year in a row. We continue to see growth on MAP, 96% or better on attendance, an organized school and growth in many of our priority group areas. While it is great to be rated Level 1+, it is important to keep in mind that a school rating does not entirely define who we are as a school - there is much to be proud of at Peirce that goes beyond what is measured on a school rating policy - our IB and Arts Programming, after school and sports programming, work around Social Emotional Learning & Restorative Practices and so much more! We also cannot lose sight of our work to close the achievement gap while also strengthening supports for students enrolled in our English Language Learner and Diverse Learner programs. Click here to learn more about CPS school ratings. On another note, with mixed emotion, I share that Dr. Riemer accepted a position with central office aligned to the districts work around equity by providing instructional coaching and professional development for teachers and administrators. Her last day at Peirce will be Friday, November 22nd. You will find a farewell message from Dr. Riemer below. For the past 3+ years, Dr. Riemer has been a thought partner and instructional leader who has supported me through some of the most challenging yet rewarding times in CPS. She has strengthened our MYP Program and partnership with Senn High School, expanded student travel opportunities, increased opportunities for parent and community involvement in the MYP, supported the development of our new-teacher mentoring program and provided high quality instructional support, feedback and professional development to teachers (just to name a few things). Students seek her out regularly and many have grown to appreciate her love for children. Dr. Riemer will be greatly missed at Peirce, I know that she will have a tremendous impact on strengthening teaching and learning throughout Chicago Public Schools. I have posted the assistant principal position and will begin the search for her replacement. CPS has tentatively set the following dates as make-up dates due to the CTU Strike - pending approval from the Board of Education on November 20th:
Please reach out with any questions you may have. With Regards, Lori Zaimi, Principal
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Greetings Peirce Parents!
There is much to be thankful for as we enter the month of November! Teachers & Students back in class is at the top of the list. In January of 2019, Peirce parent Michael McGuire and his team from 88 Brand Partners donated time and resources to support Peirce by examining the health of our brand and worked with school stakeholders (administration, students, teachers and parents) to strengthen our brand through the branding initiative. I am happy to announce that the brand is now ready to be shared. Parent group leaders and staff have already met with Michael to discuss implementation and now we are sharing the brand with the larger school community. Please click here to learn more about the brand and how the brand should be represented within and beyond our school community along with the exact files and language to be used. THANK YOU to Michael & his team for the countless hours spent on this project! Just as routines get going again we enter No-School November - you will find the school schedule becomes a bit much to manage as 6 out of 21 weekdays (29%) in November are non-attendance days for students (November 8th, 11th, 13th, 27th, 28th, 29th). In the sections below you will find post-strike information along with updates to the school calendar and other school information. With Gratitude, Lori Zaimi Principal Read the rest of the newsletter here. Haga clic aquí para la traducción al español
Greetings Peirce Parents! What a joy it has been to have your children back at school - I cannot believe that we are already five weeks into the school year! Progress reports will come home on Friday, please follow up with your child's classroom teacher if you have any questions. Coffee with the Principal The October Coffee with the Principal date had to be changed - Jury Duty calls! The new date is November 5th at 8:15am. Please complete this survey to provide input around the development of the session. Budget Update Peirce School was awarded (1) district funded case manager position, which freed up internal funds that previously were paying for the case manager position at Peirce. During the September Local School Council Meeting, I proposed, and the council approved, a plan for the additional funds to be used for additional staff support in our Kindergarten classrooms as we currently have 30-32 students per class. In addition, the district funded (1) teacher assistant position for our Kindergarten classrooms. We now have a minimum of (2) adults in the classroom for the majority of the school day. Potential Chicago Teachers Union Strike Parents have been reaching out with many questions regarding the possibility of a strike - I know that both the CTU and CPS Board of Education are hoping that an agreement can be met, avoiding a strike. I have not heard any plans from CPS in regards to how the district would support families in the event a strike does happen. As I receive information, I will definitely share it - but it is likely that information will be shared at the latest possible moment due to negotiations taking place. I know that the uncertainty of all of this causes strains on many stakeholders - students, parents and our teachers, but am hopeful that there will be a favorable outcome which will support our students, teachers and the conditions they learn and work in. I wish you a wonderful October - for members of our community who observe Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur - Shanah Tovah & G'mar Hatima Tova. SIncerely, Lori Zaimi Principal Read the entire newsletter here Haga clic aquí para la traducción al español
This update includes information on:
Read the entire newsletter here. Greetings Peirce Families & Welcome Back!
As summer comes to an end, Peirce teachers & staff are back to work, engaging in professional development and preparing classrooms for the start of school. We are all very excited to welcome your children into our classrooms on Tuesday, September 3rd. I look forward to seeing everyone at the Back to School Festival Tonight (see below for more information). Please note that our elevator is currently out of order, we have been told it will be fixed on Tuesday morning as the vendor has been waiting on a part to arrive. If you are attending the festival tonight and are unable to walk stairs, please come to the main office so that we can have the teacher come down to greet you - we truly apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. Also, please pardon our dust, the PK Construction is not 100% complete (very very very close to complete) but know that classrooms will be ready for the first day of school - the custodial team is in the final stretch of having our school prepared for the first day of school. This newsletter will hopefully provide enough information to get you started at Peirce next week - when in doubt, email any one of our leadership team members (found at the bottom of this email). Read the full newsletter in English or Spanish. Greetings Peirce Families,
I hope that you are having a wonderful summer! While school is not in session, Peirce continues to be busy - this summer update includes information on the hiring of Ms. Munoz as an Assistant Principal, Pre-School Expansion Updates and Ms. Zaimi being selected as an Independent Schools Principal. Welcome to Peirce Ms. Munoz! I am excited to introduce the Peirce community to Kristen Munoz. Ms. Munoz is joining the Peirce leadership team as an Assistant Principal and will be working alongside of Ms. Zaimi and Dr. Riemer. Below is a note of introduction from Ms. Munoz: It is with great pleasure and joy that I write this letter of introduction as I join the leadership team as the Assistant Principal at Helen C. Peirce School of International Studies. I am truly honored to be a part of the Peirce community, which has already welcomed me with such warmth. Prior to this, I was the resident principal at Chavez Multicultural Academic Center in the Back of the Yards neighborhood. Before entering the residency, I served students in K-8th grade in math and reading as a Diverse Learner teacher. Throughout my tenure as a teacher, I had the opportunity to learn and grow as a leader as an instructional coach, MTSS team lead and bilingual coordinator. In addition to a variety of instructional and leadership experiences, I bring to Peirce a commitment to the success for all students, a passion for the development of excellence in teaching and learning and a promise to do my best for each of you everyday. This year, I will continue to be a collaborative partner in the work. When working with you this year, I will proactively present the work that I am doing with students and staff to achieve our school goals. Over the last few weeks I have spent my time getting to know our staff, our families and the community. I learned that we prioritize high expectations for all students, building the social and emotional capacity of our students, and providing all students with opportunities to learn and grow as independent thinkers. I look forward to being your partner in this work. Thank you! Kristen Muñoz Pre-School Expansion With any construction project, there are delays to come - I recently found out that the off-site location for the PK Expansion will not be ready for the fall, there is a chance that the site will be ready in January 2020 otherwise pushed back to the fall of 2020. What does this mean for Peirce?
Independent Schools Principal I am excited to announce that I am one of twelve principals this year to be selected to join CPS's Independent Schools Principals Program. Gaining ISP status is a result of the growth that Peirce School has made over the past four years. "ISP provides high-performing principals with the flexibility to innovate and the autonomy to operate their schools with reduced oversight from Central Office. ISP was launched in 2015 as part of the district’s commitment to supporting principals and providing them with more leadership and professional development opportunities." You can click here to read the district's announcement. I hope that you enjoy the rest of the summer and look forward to having your children back at Peirce in the fall. Sincerely, Lori Zaimi Principal -- Saludos a las familias peirce, Espero que tengas un maravilloso verano! Mientras la escuela no está en sesión, Peirce continúa ocupada: esta actualización de verano incluye información sobre la contratación de la Sra. Muñoz como Subdirectora, Actualizaciones de expansión preescolar y la Sra. Zaimi como seleccionada como Directora de Escuelas Independientes. ¡Bienvenido a Peirce Sra. Muñoz! Escribo esta carta de presentación con gran placer y alegría al unirme al equipo de liderazgo como Directora Asistente de Helen Peirce escuela de estudios internacionales. Me siento verdaderamente honrado de ser parte de la comunidad de Peirce, que ya me ha recibido con tanta calidez. Antes de esto, fui la Directora Residente en la escuela César Chávez Centro Academico Multicultural en el vecindario Back of the Yards. Antes de ingresar a la residencia, presté servicios a estudiantes de K-8º grado en matemáticas y lectura como maestra de Aprendizaje Diverso. A lo largo de mi mandato como maestra, tuve la oportunidad de aprender y crecer como líder como entrenador de instrucción, líder del equipo de MTSS y coordinador bilingüe. Además de una variedad de experiencias de instrucción y liderazgo, traigo a Peirce un compromiso con el éxito para todos los estudiantes, una pasión por el desarrollo de la excelencia en la enseñanza y el aprendizaje y una promesa de hacer lo mejor para cada uno de ustedes todos los días. Este año, continuaré siendo un socio colaborador en el trabajo. Cuando trabajo con usted este año, presentaré de manera proactiva al trabajo que estoy haciendo con los estudiantes y el personal para alcanzar nuestras metas escolares. Durante las últimas semanas, he dedicado mi tiempo a conocer a nuestro personal, nuestras familias y la comunidad. Aprendí que priorizamos altas expectativas para todos los estudiantes, desarrollando la capacidad social y emocional de nuestros estudiantes y oportunidades para aprender y crecer como pensadores independientes. Espero ser tu compañero en este trabajo. ¡Gracias! Kristen Muñoz Expansión Preescolar Con cualquier proyecto de construcción, hay retrasos por venir. Recientemente descubrí que la ubicación fuera del sitio para la Expansión PK no estará lista para la caída, existe la posibilidad de que el sitio esté listo en enero de 2020; El otoño de 2020. ¿Qué significa esto para Peirce?
Director de Escuelas Independientes Me complace anunciar que este año soy uno de los doce directores que serán seleccionados para participar en el Programa de directores de escuelas independientes de CPS. Obtener el estatus de ISP es el resultado del crecimiento que la Escuela Peirce ha tenido en los últimos cuatro años. "El ISP proporciona a los directores de alto rendimiento la flexibilidad para innovar y la autonomía para operar sus escuelas con una supervisión reducida por parte de la Oficina Central. El ISP se lanzó en 2015 como parte del compromiso del distrito de brindar apoyo a los directores y brindarles más oportunidades de liderazgo y desarrollo profesional. . " Puede hacer clic aquí para leer el anuncio del distrito. Espero que disfrute el resto del verano y espero que sus hijos vuelvan a Peirce en el otoño. Sinceramente, Lori Zaimi Principal Greetings Peirce Families/Saludos a las familias peirce,
Congratulations to the 8th Grade Graduating Class - this morning we celebrated their graduation at Senn High School! Note the following events to wrap up the school year: Felicitaciones a la clase de graduación de 8º grado - ¡esta mañana celebramos su graduación en la Escuela Secundaria Senn! Tenga en cuenta los siguientes eventos para concluir el año escolar: Wednesday, June 19th Events/Miércoles, 19 de junio Eventos
Thursday, June 20th/Jueves 20 de junio
Enjoy the summer months, we look forward to having you re-join us in the fall! ¡Disfrute de los meses de verano, esperamos que vuelva a unirse a nosotros en el otoño! Lori Zaimi Principal Read the full newsletter in English or Spanish here. Greetings Peirce Families,
The May Parent newsletter contains a lot of information, please be sure to check out the following topics in the body of the newsletter below:
Upon arriving from Spring Break, Aspen launched - the new student information management system. The change from Aspen has resulted in a few challenges for parents in accessing the student portal - check this FAQ guide for information on what to do if you are having difficulty accessing your students information. Please remember that having access to the student portal is the method which parents will be able to use in order to find out classroom placements for the 2019-2020 school year. Thank you to Hopleaf! Peirce Day at Hopleaf was held on April 28th and was another successful fundraising event. Peirce is appreciative of this partnership - Michael Roper & Louise Molnar have been longtime supporters of Peirce School - through their support along with Friends of Peirce students have benefited from arts partnerships, sports programming, technology, school beautification projects, teacher stipends, field trips, lockers and so much more! Be on the lookout for additional lockers to be purchased for middle school along with refillable water bottle stations. If you have been on the playground you will notice the structure for our newest Bricolage to be constructed above door #4. Be on the lookout as students work alongside of Green Star over the next month and a half to reveal our 3rd exterior Bricolage! Funding for this project was secured through the Alderman's Office - please thank Alderman Osterman when you see him. Happy Spring! Lori Zaimi Principal Read the full newsletter in English or Spanish. Greetings Peirce Families,
As an IB School, we work to create an inclusive, supportive environment for all students and families. A school that is well-balanced, focusing on the development of the whole child through rigorous instruction, social emotional learning and enrichment opportunities within the school day and beyond. We are also proud of our work with Restorative Practices - the language we use when communicating, the development of community via talking circles and the use of restorative conversations and peace circles when navigating conflict. I am proud to serve Peirce School and excited about the work happening within our Race & Equity Parent Resource Group - a group that was formed this school year as a sub-group within the Parent Advisory Council. In collaboration with the Race & Equity Parent Resource Group, I have volunteered to participate in a Racial Equity Impact Assessment - after completing the REIA, the Race & Culture Parent Resource Group will continue to collaborate with the school in following through on recommendations, implementing improvements, and evaluating progress in order to create optimal experiences and opportunities for students of color. In the sections that follow you will find more information on the parent focus groups and a FAQ on the work that is happening - I hope that you will consider either attending a focus group, encouraging a Peirce parent to attend, or volunteer to support the focus groups. Just as our work has evolved over the last four years with the use of inclusive practices in the context of Special Education, I look forward to seeing where our work takes us as we take a closer look at Race & Equity at Peirce - with the end goal of creating the best educational opportunities for all students. I hope that you have a wonderful Spring Break (April 15th-19th) and that you enjoy time with friends and family. Happy Spring! Lori Zaimi Principal Read the full newsletter in English or Spanish. Greetings Peirce Families,
This years African American Heritage Showcase created an opportunity for our students to demonstrate the theme - The Fight for Justice: A Call to Action. If you were unable to attend the African American Heritage Showcase this link will take you to several videos that were shared during the celebration, many of which were a call to action. March is an opportunity for us to learn more about the contributions of women in our society. The 2019 Women's History Month Theme is "Visionary Women: Champions of Peace and Nonviolence". Check out this link to learn more about this years theme. We are now one month into the Middle School Elective classes and are receiving a lot of great feedback from students - we will survey students close to the end of the year to help in planning for next school year. IAR Testing - Illinois Assessment of Readiness The IAR Test has replaced the PARCC exam, students in 4th-8th grades will take the web-based state exam March 11th-15th and 3rd graders will take a paper-pencil version March 25th-29th. This link provides more information from the Illinois State Board of Education on the exam. Cheers to warmer weather on the way! Lori Zaimi Principal Read the full newsletter in English or Spanish. |
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