As we start a new year, I want to welcome back all of our students, families and staff members. Happy New Year to all of you! I hope that like me, you enjoyed much needed rest and relaxation during the final weeks of 2017 and that you can make family time a commitment during 2018. We live in a time where we are overly scheduled (children and adults alike). Our children are only young for so long and I encourage you to spend as much quality time with them now, while they are young and in your home. Play a board game, take a walk, sled, read a book together, travel, whatever it is that your family enjoys doing together - make the time to do it.
During the break, I had the opportunity to watch the movie "Wonder" based off of the book by R.J.Palacio and if you have not seen the movie or read the book, I highly recommend them. There were several quotes that resonated with me and I wanted to share them with you for reflection, please share these with your children as well. “When given the choice between being right or being kind choose kind.” “Kinder than is necessary. Because it's not enough to be kind. One should be kinder than needed." “The best way to measure how much you've grown isn't by inches or the number of laps you can now run around the track, or even your grade point average--though those things are important, to be sure. It's what you've done with your time, how you've chosen to spend your days, and whom you've touched this year. That, to me, is the greatest measure of success.” Below are a few highlights from the month of December:
Warmest Wishes in 2018! Lori Zaimi, Principal Read the full newsletter in Spanish or English
1 Comment
I hope that all of you enjoyed the Thanksgiving Break and enjoyed time with family and friends. The December holiday season is upon us and the diversity of our building brings many customs and traditions that families hold true to the heart. Hanukkah, Christmas, St. Lucia, Kwanzaa are just a few to be named - Happy Holidays to all of you and enjoy the spirit of the holiday season.
The IB Learner Profile attribute of the month is "Thinker", help your child develop as a thinker through researching topics of interest, encouraging them to find answers to the questions they have vs telling them and apply prior knowledge when answering questions they may have. Below are a few highlights from the month of November:
Happy Holidays & Cheers to 2018! Warmest Wishes, Lori Zaimi, Principal Read the full newsletter in Spanish or English 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:
Have a wonderful November and Happy Thanksgiving. Warmest Wishes, Lori Zaimi, Principal Read the full newsletter in Spanish and English. As I watched our young people and their families come back to campus this morning , I was so excited to see the energy that flowed - the smiles on faces, some nervous looks, welcome back hugs, a few tears and a lot of excitement to get back into the swing of things.
At the Back to School Picnic, several families commented on choosing Peirce as their home school because of the diversity that we share as a community. Peirce School and the Edgewater Community are true representations of the world, we are fortunate to be in a community where our children can go to school with other children who speak a different language, are differently abled, celebrate a variety of family cultures and traditions, come from families with two moms or two dads, mom & dad, single parents, working parents, adopted parents, and the list goes on - we have a lot to learn from the differences that we bring, and the identities that are formed. Please continue to support your children as they face diversity in every sense of the word - our children will ask us a lot of questions, how we respond is key in developing acceptance of others who are not the same. As an International Baccalaureate School we pride ourselves in preparing our children to be ready to face the world and the first step is in the celebration of diversity. Looking forward to a wonderful school year! Lori Zaimi, Principal Read the full newsletter Greetings Peirce Families,
This newsletter is a little lengthy, but please take the time to read. I hope that all of you have enjoyed your summer vacation, spent quality time with family and friends and are ready to begin the 2017-2018 school year. I look forward to having your children back in the building, buzzing with energy and excitement! This summer was a busy and exciting one for us at Peirce - see below for a few of our many summer highlights!
Looking forward to the beginning of the school year! Lori Zaimi Read the full newsletter Greetings Peirce Families,
As we enter our last month of school, I would like to thank Peirce Families, Staff, Community Members and most importantly our students for a wonderful year. Despite the many challenges we faced with budget cuts, threats of a teachers strike and the instability in our government finances, Peirce school continues to thrive. Below highlights a few of the many great things happening at Peirce over the last year:
Happy Father’s Day to all Peirce Dad’s! Cheers to the final month of school - make every day great! Warmest Wishes, Lori Zaimi Read the full newsletter in English or Spanish. Greetings Peirce Families,
Good news came to Chicago Teachers, Administrators and Parents on Friday - school will remain open until June 20th, however the lawsuit that the city initiated against the State of Illinois was dismissed which leads to ongoing financial struggles that Chicago Public Schools will continue to face. Please note that the 2017-2018 CPS School Calendar can be found here. May 1st-5th is Teacher Appreciation Week - please encourage your child to thank their teacher for the work that they do each and everyday. The Peirce Service Organization (PSO) will be hosting a teacher breakfast during the morning of Tuesday, May 9th which is National Teacher Day, if you are interested in participating, please bring a breakfast item in the morning to the front of the main office. I personally would like to thank all of the Peirce Teachers and Staff for their dedication to Peirce School students and families - our teachers go out of their way each day to make a positive impact on our youth. We have quite a few things to look forward to in May - Move-A-Thon, our PYP Verification Site Visit, MAP Testing and several of our arts partnerships will be coming to an end. Let’s finish strong! Warmest Wishes, Lori Zaimi April Highlights:
Read the full newsletter in English or Spanish. Greetings Peirce Families,
This past week, I named Dr. Talyia Riemer as our new Assistant Principal. Dr. Riemer came to Peirce in the fall in the role of MYP IB coordinator and hit the ground running. She will continue to work as our MYP coordinator and oversee the operations in our middle school, ensuring a high quality Peirce-Senn partnership and MYP Program. Dr. Riemer will begin taking on additional responsibilities to support the entire Peirce community. Make sure to introduce yourself to Dr. Riemer when you see her. Last month I shared the 20 for 20 campaign, supported by CPS, encouraging families to contact state legislators and local officials to stress the importance of adequate funding of public education. Please visit this website to learn more about how you can be involved in the 20 for 20 campaign. Without the support from Springfield, Chicago Public Schools run the risk of closing early. Attendance continues to be a challenge, with Mondays and Fridays being common days taken off by students. Please make sure that students are in bed early on Sundays and are at school Monday morning. Continue to help us with our declining attendance issue. Happy Spring! Lori Zaimi March Highlights
Greetings Peirce Families
After a thorough search for an Assistant Principal at Peirce, I am happy to announce that Dr. Talyia Riemer has been promoted to the role of Assistant Principal, see letter home from Dr. Riemer below. With Regards, Lori Zaimi, Principal ----------------------------------------------------- I am tremendously happy to be introducing myself to you, as the new Assistant Principal of Helen C. Peirce School of International Studies. It was just last summer that I began serving as the Middle Years Programme Coordinator for Peirce. Over the past several months, I have been warmly welcomed by parents, teachers, and students alike. Furthermore, in addition to becoming deeply immersed in the curriculum and pedagogy of the International Baccalaureate, I have had the auspicious opportunity to witness firsthand how truly amazing a neighborhood school can be when the community is fully invested. Peirce is truly a world class school, which I feel extremely fortunate to call home. Prior to joining the Peirce family, I spent 19 years at Daniel Boone Elementary school, teaching grades 5-8 and serving as the Curriculum Specialist. Additionally, for the past four years, I have worked for the Chicago Public Schools Department of Professional Development as a leader of the Framework Specialist Cohort. My work with the Framework Specialists has allowed me to build the capacity of teacher leaders, while simultaneously developing and delivering professional development for teachers across the city. My past three summers have been spent teaching courses on Unit Planning, Differentiation and Assessment, and The Charlotte Danielson Framework for Golden Apple Scholars at DePaul and Dominican Universities. Here at Peirce, I look forward to further developing our partnership with Senn for the Middle Years Programme, continuing to promote international mindedness through curricular development as well as extra-curricular experiences, and providing the necessary supports that will enable all students to actualize their full potential. Moreover, I am eager to learn more about the specific ways in which I can further our school’s mission and maintain the standard of excellence that has been established at Peirce by the administrative team, the students, and the amazing teachers. I look forward to meeting all of you as the school year progresses. If there is any way in which I can be of assistance, please let me know. My door is always open. Sincerely, Dr. Talyia Eve Riemer, NBCT Assistant Principal, Peirce Elementary School Email: [email protected] Phone: 773-534- 2843 Greetings Peirce Families,
The month of February has come and gone so fast and have we been lucky with warm weather! I hope that you have been able to enjoy the outdoors. There have been several communications from Chicago Public Schools over the last couple of weeks regarding Chicago being a Sanctuary City. Many of you have inquired about the protections in place to safeguard your children at school. We assure you that CPS will not permit the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to access CPS facilities or use CPS personnel to assist in the enforcement of federal civil immigration law. Make sure to check out the Peirce website for CPS communications regarding the safeguards in place. Please reach out to school administration with any questions or concerns. Earlier this month Peirce received another cut in our school funding with a reduction of $103,000. Later in the month, we were given $53,000 of that money back, with a net loss of $50,000. Please note that all programs remain intact and student schedules and programming go without interruption. There is currently a 20 for 20 campaign in place by CPS, encouraging families to contact state legislators and local officials to stress the importance of adequate funding of public education. Please visit this website to learn more about how you can be involved in the 20 for 20 campaign. I look forward to a very successful 3rd quarter and know that Peirce teachers, students, families and administration will continue to push for excellence despite roadblocks that we face daily. Warmest Wishes, Lori Zaimi February Highlights
Read the full newsletter in English or Spanish. |