Greetings Peirce Families,
Over the last month I have had the honor to hear from many students and families about various actions they have taken to support causes in our community. Over Martin Luther King Jr Weekend several Peirce students and families canvassed the neighborhood in the cold and the rain, collecting clothing, housewares and supplies for Refugee One. If you see these students or their families, make sure to thank them - they are a model to all of us. Harry Bakunas, Bella Bakunas, Nathan Herwig, Anna Sophia Adams, Eric Adams, Addison Regan, Willa Kennedy, Henry Kennedy, Luca DeSanto, Finnigan DeSanto, Katherine Kumpher. Also, make sure to check out this article from DNA Info which recognized their efforts. We also have a group of Peirce parents and students who have organized a monthly Bake Sale for Justice Campaign. Bake Sale for Justice is a group of (mostly) Peirce students and parents who have committed to holding once-a-month bake sales outside of Women and Children First bookstore in Andersonville, and donating the proceeds to charities that help people whose rights are under attack. The first sale (in November) raised nearly $800 for the ACLU, the second almost $700 for the Southern Poverty Law Center, and the January sale nearly $1200 for the National Immigrant Justice Center. Peirce students who have participated are Nora Fox, Meredith White, Faelyn McGuire, Tekla Peterson, Hazel Roudebush, Piper Grant, Maddy Owens, Maya Bernal, Ostin Marcinek, and Ramona and Rosetta Harold. Besides the students' home-baked goods, items have also been donated by local businesses, including Maddiebird Bakery, owned by Peirce parents Michele and Aaron McAtee and Metropolis Coffee. Sales will continue for the foreseeable future. Remember that Peirce is a place of loving and supportive community for all of our families, regardless of race, gender, religion or sexual orientation. Please reach out with any questions or concerns you may have as we continue in the year. Warmest Wishes, Lori Zaimi Principal January Highlights:
Read the full newsletter in Spanish or English.
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Greetings Peirce Families,
As we start a new year, I want to wish you a warm welcome back to school and a very happy New Year! I hope that you all enjoyed rest, relaxation and fun with your families and friends over the winter break and that our students are ready to begin 2017 with hard work, determination and dedication to their work as an IB student. Please remember that student attendance is important to maintain a consistent program in school and attendance also weighs in at 20% of our overall school report card - we are currently a level 1+. In order for us to receive full points on the school rating in the attendance category we need to be above 96% attendance. As of December 23rd we were at 95.93% - this is the lowest that our attendance has been in at least 5 school years. There have been many days which have impacted our attendance - the potential teachers strike, the Cubs World Series win and the cold weather and snow before winter break. Please help us bounce back and get back above 96% - (our goal for this year is 96.4%) by sending your child to school each day. HOWEVER, PLEASE keep your children home when they are sick and running a fever - by no means do we want children coming to school when they should be resting and getting better. Enjoy the winter months to come and I look forward to an outstanding second half of the school year! Warmest Wishes, Lori Zaimi December Highlights
View the full newsletter in Spanish or English. Greetings Peirce Families,
This time of year is an opportunity to reflect and set goals for the future. In my own personal reflections, I continue to realize how fortunate I am to be the principal of such a supportive and diverse school community. It is an honor each day to work alongside some of the most talented staff in the city, watch new learning happening with our young people and participate in the many community events that our Peirce Families host to support family and community engagement. Each of you make Peirce the community that it is - thank you for choosing Peirce and trusting us with the education of your child(ren). As we close out 2016 and prepare for 2017, Peirce School will continue to offer a quality education which balances academics, the arts and social emotional learning. In the spirit of IB, we will continue to support student inquiry, action and service. Enjoy the winter months to come and I look forward to an outstanding second half of the school year! Warmest Wishes, Lori Zaimi November Highlights
Read the full newsletter in Spanish or English. Greetings Peirce Families,
This school year our we have two major milestones in our work within the IB Program. Our Primary Years Program is going through the final stages of the authorization process - our application has been submitted and we will have a site visit in the Spring - we expect to be fully authorized in the Primary Years Program before the 2017-2018 school year. Our Middle Years Program is undergoing the self-evaluation process - this is a self study process designed to evaluate our progress in implementing the MYP and develop an action plan for growth. This year, alongside of our Parent Advisory Council (PAC) we are hosting a series of parent workshops and IB Behind the scenes tours as an opportunity to engage our parent community in understanding the IB Program and our students experience(s) in IB along with how to support children at home. Our first round of workshops will focus on PK-5th grades, with each meeting having a classroom visit for parents alongside of information on IB and an action plan to support learning at home. Please note the following dates & times: Pre-K - November 16th, 8:00 - 9:15am (AM Group), 12:30 - 1:45pm (PM Group) Kindergarten - TBA 1st Grade - November 7th, 9:15 - 10:45am 2nd Grade - November 17th, 12:30 - 1:45pm 3rd Grade - November 3rd, 8:30 - 9:45am 4th Grade - December 5th, 8:15 - 9:30am 5th Grade - November 1st, 1:45 - 3:00pm The month of October was a busy one, below are a few of the highlights:
Greetings Peirce Families,
This week has been an emotional one for many - during conferences this evening many families expressed concerns about how we move forward as a school with the results of the election and how we talk to our children about it. The Huffington Post put together an article on how to talk to our children about the election, there are many great points on how to support our kids and each other. At Peirce we are committed to supporting each one of our students and families as needed in processing and moving forward. Our teachers will take the time as needed to talk with students. Our Core Values: Be Respectful, Responsible, Safe and IB are what we live by daily along with the IB Learner Profile: Inquirer, Knowledgeable, Principled, Balanced, Open-Minded, Thinkers, Communicators, Caring, Risk-Takers and Reflective. Please know that we value, respect and appreciate the diversity that our school community brings together - we love all Peirce Families regardless of race, age, sexual orientation, religion, class, special needs, backgrounds, languages & heritages. Peirce is unique in the differences we all bring together on a daily basis, we are a model for how the country can see that although different we can all work together and co-exist. Make sure to take some time to tell each other how much you appreciate them and their commitment to making the world a better place - tonight, while somber for many, was a wonderful opportunity for us to learn from our students and listen to what is important to them as they reflected on their learning through student-led conferences. Hold on to the great things happening on a daily basis at Peirce - your children are special to all of us! Respectfully yours, Lori Zaimi Principal Our first month of school was a huge success! Peirce Panthers are following our core values - Be Respectful, Be Responsible, Be Safe & Be IB and our routines and procedures as a school are well underway. Students voted and named our mascot “Pickles” - be on the lookout for Pickles the Panther to visit school-wide events. As we work our way into October, please remember to send weather appropriate gear as students will be outside for recess daily - with fall comes cooler temperatures.
Below are highlights from the first month of school:
Read the full newsletter in Spanish or English. Welcome Back! What a wonderful first day of school so far!
Thank you to everyone who attended our Back to School Picnic & Open House on Thursday, September 1st. It was wonderful to see our young people back in the building - preparing for an amazing start to the school year! We are very excited to have a school mascot this year - if your child has a suggestion for naming it, please send to Anne Choe, school counselor at [email protected]. Students will then vote on naming the mascot. We have a lot to look forward to this year as we continue implementation of our PYP and MYP Programs. Our Primary Years Program (PK-5th grade) is well underway for us to be authorized - we will submit our application for authorization in October and anticipate a site visit in the Spring. Our Middle Years Program will go through the self-study process this year as we look at areas of success and opportunities for growth. We made a few visual improvements to the school over the summer - painted the 2nd floor hallway, organized art work and now have the IB Learner Profile framed throughout the building. Thank you to all of the Peirce families and staff who helped us with theses projects! We will host another Peirce Day of Service this school year to continue painting and decorating - be on the lookout for more information! Warm wishes to a wonderful school year, Lori Zaimi Principal Read the complete newsletter in Spanish or English. |