​Greetings Skinner North Family 
While we were not able to see you "up and down" the hallways on Wednesday during report card pick-up, it was great to hear that conferences went well.  We appreciate you taking the time to attend virtually.  Hard copies of report cards were sent from the District office.  You should expect those in the coming days, if you have not already received them.  
This week will be a short one for our students.  School is only in session on Monday and Tuesday, as we celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday Wednesday, November 25th - Friday, November 27th.  Please have a safe and wonderful Thanksgiving break.  
During this week, we will be celebrating the following November Spirit Days:  
Monday, November 23rd - Turkey Trot - We encourage students to put on their gym shoes and go for a walk/run during lunch/recess with a parent or parent permission. Make It A Family Event! 
Tuesday, November 24th - Be Thankful and Stop, Drop, and Draw - Students are asked to create and/or wear a headpiece (hat, headband, etc.,) that represents being thankful to them. Time will be taken during the day to bring this activity to life.  
Please take a moment to check out all of the important updates below:  (1) Baby Magnuson Has Arrived!; (2) FIIF Forms; (3) Virtual Spelling Bee Is Here!; (4) Diversity Committee News.  
Have a great one. 
Derrick 
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Baby Magnuson Has Arrived!:  Kyle and Katie are excited to introduce Abigail "Abbie" Mae Magnuson.  She was born November 18, 2020 at 4:28 pm, weighing 9 pounds, 4 ounces. Everyone is doing well. 



In an effort to make sure that Katie gets rest and focuses on her family, please reach to the following staff members below for assistance:  
Mr. Kimbrough -  General (any)
Ms. Morales - Attendance 
Ms. Jacobson - Social Emotional Learning 
Ms. Ritchey - Diverse Learner questions or concerns
Mr. Popowich - After school programming and sports
Mr. Santillan - Technology related questions

Office Contacts - http://www.skinnernorth.org/office-contact-information.html

Teacher Contacts - http://www.skinnernorth.org/teacher-contacts.html




Family Income Information Form (FIIF):  Please assist us in reaching 100% of forms being completed and returned to the school.  Currently, we are at 33% and would love to have all families included in our count.  This form plays a major part in calculating our school funding.  All it takes is completing the household information (you do not have to list your income).  The deadline for this has been extended to December 18th.  Forms can be dropped off at school, mailed, or sent electronically to our clerk, Gloria at gqmorales@cps.edu.  Please take a moment to fill out the form, which is attached.  



Virtual Spelling Bee is Here! (Testing Window December 1st - 18th):  
Dear Parents,
This year, the Scripps National Spelling Bee has developed an online testing platform that will allow Skinner North to host a school spelling bee program.
In place of our traditional spelling bee program, we will hold one level of competition through online spelling and vocabulary tests. The first step to spelling bee participation is for you to register for the Scripps National Spelling Bee's online testing platform by visiting https://online-test.spellingbee.com.
I encourage you to watch this video tutorial that will walk you through the registration process: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=htXzjpnMijc
Once you have registered, I will be able to assign the test to your child starting on December 1st through December 18th. Students can use any device with a web browser, including desktop computers, laptops, tablets and smartphones.  The school champion will be determined after the test taking window closes.
Our school champion will then move on to represent Skinner North in the Chicago Public Schools regional spelling bee program, which also may include online tests in lieu of in-person spelling bee events.
The first step to spelling bee participation is to register at:online-test.spellingbee.com.
Please register at your earliest convenience as I will begin assigning tests to students on 12/1. If you have already registered in the online testing platform for another child, you can log in to your account and add an additional child to that same parent account. There is no need to register a different email address for each child in your household.
Please reach out to me if you have any questions about our school spelling bee program. I look forward to having your child compete to represent our school!  Also, the study lists are attached to this message. 
Sincerely,
M. Elaine Cox
6th Grade Literacy-Social Studies-Writing Teacher
mecox1@cps.edu

From the Diversity Committee:

We soon will begin discussion groups on the podcast, "Nice White Parents." We would love for this to be an opportunity to create some connections among caregivers and staff while opening up an important thread of discussion. Please fill in this 1-minute survey to tell us your interest and availability. We are excited to hear from you!
Background on the Podcast (from The NY Times Discussion Guide):
"The podcast “Nice White Parents” largely focuses on the story of one Brooklyn middle school that opened in 1968 — and how white parents have influenced the trajectory of this school over and over, even when their children didn’t attend it. But the issues the podcast raises via this one case study make it a meaningful opportunity to explore the complicated realities of race, privilege and power across all American schools."  

Good evening!  Please see attached for our upcoming LSC Meeting Agenda.  The virtual meeting is on Thursday (11/19) at 8AM.  Login information is included on the agenda.  Below is a reminder from the district regarding LSC elections.

Have a wonderful day,
Katie  
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Election Reminders -  It’s time to vote in Local School Council Elections! Elementary School LSC Elections are this Wednesday, November 18 and High School LSC Elections are this Thursday, November 19.

You have an opportunity to vote for candidates running for the following LSC positions: six parent representatives, two community representatives, two teacher representatives, one non-teacher staff representative and one student representative (high schools only). Elected representatives serve two-year terms (one year for student representatives), influencing our school policy and academic direction.

All parents, legal guardians or temporary custodians of CPS students are eligible to vote in the LSC election at that student’s respective
school. Community members who are 17 years or older and reside in a CPS school’s attendance area or voting district may also vote in that school’s election. If you are unsure which LSC Elections you are eligible to participate in, use the CPS School Locator to find your CPS Local School Council Voting Districts.

Due to COVID-19, parents and guardians can choose between either voting in-person at their respective schools, submitting their ballots by mail, or dropping off their mail-in ballots. For in-person voting, the district is implementing stringent health and safety measures, including social distancing, face covering requirements, and completing a health screener and temperature check prior to entering school buildings. The district will also offer curbside voting for individuals with disabilities. 

Community members will still be required to vote in person because the district does not have access to information for every prospective community voter living within a school’s boundary in order to provide a mail-in ballot. For key information for each voting constituency please refer to the press release published on October 21, 2020. 


In-Person Election Times and Dates: 

• Elementary Schools: Wednesday, November 18 between 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. 
  
• High Schools: Thursday, November 19 between 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. 
  

If you have additional questions about who is running at your school or how to vote in LSC Elections, please do not hesitate to contact us. Please also encourage other parents and community members to vote.

Best regards,

CPS Office of Local School Council Relations
773-553-1400
lsc@cps.edu
cps.edu/lsc

Good afternoon,

We are so thankful for our school community.   During this past year, we saw a school strike and remote learning, but as a collective unit we pulled through.  More recently, we have been hit with harsh realities of how this country has continuously ignored racial injustices that require us to reflect and truly examine ourselves as an institution aimed at developing minds and creating active and constructive participants in our society.  This is work we are committed to and seek to always partner with our families on.  

To see how we are addressing issues of race and equity, please visit http://www.skinnernorth.org/diversity-equity-and-inclusion.html.  At this site, you can also access our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion plan, view our past work in this area, review school data and areas of growth as well as learn more about SEED.  


In order to best support students in talking about issues of race, we need to first be self reflective on our own perceptions.  Based on this, the Skinner North Diversity Committee is starting a new series to support our families in conversations about racial equity. Once a month we will share an activity, prompt, or resources you can use to engage in discussions around racial equity. The goal of this effort is to build a more inclusive culture at Skinner North. Recognizing that everyone is starting from a different place in their understanding and journey toward racial equity, resources provided will include an array of topics. This is just one other way we can show #whatisyourimpact.


Diversity Discussions: Our Impact at HomeSelf-reflection on your own perceptions of race

Before starting a conversation with your children, take the time to reflect on the following questions. If you have a co-parent, it is useful to discuss these topics together:

• When did you first realize you were [background] and that other people were not?
  
• Growing up, did your family ever talk about race? What explicit and implicit messages did you receive about race from your family? Your school? The media? What messages did you receive about police officers?
  
• What was the racial makeup of your neighborhood? Teams and organizations you were a part of? Your faith community? What about now?
  
• Who were your friends growing up? Who are your friends now? If you are friends with people of color, do you talk about race, racism, or oppression?
  
• What are the racial identities of your colleagues and mentors? What are the racial identities of key professionals you interact with (doctor, dentist, childcare providers, etc.)?
  
• How have the messages you received in childhood impacted your adult life and the decisions you make now? What kinds of messages would you like your children to receive?
  

​Good afternoon!  I hope everyone is doing well and managing through the current stressors of life from elections to Covid restrictions to remote learning.  It is definitely not easy right now, so we hope you can have a long and restful weekend.  Please read below for a few updates.

Have a good weekend,
Katie & Derrick

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Family Income Information Form (FIIF) Action Requested -  We need your help.  We currently have only 28% of these forms handed in.  Please complete this form and return to the school by Nov. 18 (updated date).  You do not have to list your income, but the form helps inform school funding. You need to include the student name, your signature and date.  Submit by sending electronically to Gloria, our clerk, gqmorales@cps.edu, drop off at the school, or mail to the school. 
 

Parent-Teacher Conferences - Teachers have sent our sign ups for conferences which will occur on Wednesday, Nov. 18 from 11AM-6PM.  Please reach out directly to your student's homeroom teacher if you have not received information about sign ups.

LSC Elections - In person elections for LSC are Wednesday, Nov. 18 from 7AM-7PM.  Parents and staff should also receive mail in ballots.  These need to be postmarked by the 18th to count.  Mail in ballots are in place of in person voting this year.  Please read the following FAQ for more information:  
https://www.cps.edu/globalassets/cps-pages/about/local-school-councils-lscs/lsc-elections/faqs-2020-lsc-election.pdf.  We will keep you updated if we hear of any other changes.  Visit our election website at http://www.skinnernorth.org/lsc-elections-2020.html.  We also had a few candidates withdraw from the race.  You can review this on the site under the list of candidates.


*Please note if you did not receive a mailed ballot:  curbside voting is available (more details are in the FAQ document listed above).
We encourage parents and staff to vote by mail whenever possible, and if you must vote in-person, to abide by the health protocols we’ve put in place, including social distancing, face-covering requirements, a health screener to be completed prior to arriving at any and all schools/sites visited, and a temperature check upon entering school buildings. To be considered valid, the health screener must be completed no earlier than 6am on the date of the proposed entry. 
All general COVID-19 pandemic safety guidance applies to in-person voting:

• Hands: Wash them
  
• Face: Don’t touch it
  
• Wear cloth face coverings at all times
  
• Observe social distancing (six feet)
  
• If you are sick, stay home
  
• If you are a direct contact of a known case, you must quarantine for 14 days
  
• If awaiting test results, stay home
  
• If you have traveled to a place on CDPH’s Emergency Travel Order, you must quarantine for 14 days
  

Neighborhood Scavenger Hunt - Thank you to everyone who shared your photos from our Neighborhood Scavenger Hunt.  It was wonderful to see and we loved hearing the conversations students had with one another around their neighborhoods during our buddy classroom day.  Our unique experiences bring so much to our community.  Sharing about ourselves and actively listening to others allows us to learn and grow and have empathy for others.  


We had 58 people submit a form and this neighborhoods shared included:  Albany Park, Brighton Park, Bronzeville, Bucktown, Cabrini Green, Edgewater, Garfield Park, Humboldt Park, Hyde Park, Lakeview, Lakeview East, Lincoln Park, Gold Coast, Little Italy, Logan Square, Mayfair, Near North, North Center, Norwood Park, Oakland, Old Town, Ranch Triangle, River North, Rogers Park, Sauganash, South Loop, Uptown, Roscoe Village, West Loop, West Ridge, and Wicker Park.  See some of the pictures shared at:  https://photos.app.goo.gl/eQXAoR7jJuTtWCyX6. 

Students who submitted a form were entered into a raffle.  The raffle includes a #wealllive here shirt and an item from the Skinner North Superstore.  Our raffle prize winners are: Obree and Rahul.  (Winners will receive an email about getting their prizes.)

Dear CPS parents and students,

In 2020, many of our interactions take place on the internet. From remote learning to online gaming to popular apps like TikTok and Snapchat, we are constantly communicating with each other online. Because of this, there is an increased need for awareness of sexual harassment in online communication. Cyberbullying and sexual harassment can occur anywhere students interact on the internet, and can include facilitating, encouraging, offering or soliciting sexual conduct, or engaging in sexual communication with or amongst students. Learn how to identify cyberbullying as sexual harassment, and what to do if you see it.

Cyberbullying is sexual harassment when:

• Students share gossip or rumors about another student’s gender, sexuality or sexual activity.
  
• Students or staff make comments about a student’s body (body shaming).
  
• Threats or harassment concerning sexual images or information about a student are shared.
  
• Students who do not conform to gender stereotypes are excluded.
  
• Students or staff discriminate based on a student’s gender expression.
  

Sources: www.childnet.com, www.eoc.iastate.edu 

The CPS Office of Student Protections, Title IX, and Equal Opportunity Compliance (OSP) is here for you if you need support. If students, parents, guardians or members of the public need to report online sexual harassment, misconduct or related complaints to OSP, they can do so using one of the following processes: 

• Online: Report Form
  
• Email: osp@cps.edu
  
• Phone: 773-535-4400
  
• Mail/In Person: 110 N. Paulina St, Chicago, IL 60612
  

OSP will work with you to hear your report, investigate and create safety measures at school. OSP can also provide
guidance on reporting to the police or obtaining other supports such as counseling.

Thank you for taking the time to review this information and continuing to help us enforce school safety.


Sincerely,

Office of Student Protections and Title IX
Chicago Public Schools







​

Dear parents and community members,

Local School Council Elections are coming up — are you ready to get out the vote? Elementary School LSC Elections will be held on November 18 and High School LSC Elections will be held on November 19.

You have an opportunity to vote for candidates running for the following LSC positions: six parent representatives, two community representatives, two teacher representatives, one non-teacher staff representative and one student representative (high schools only). Elected representatives serve two-year terms (one year for student representatives), influencing our school policy and academic direction.

All parents, legal guardians or temporary custodians of CPS students are eligible to vote in the LSC election at that student’s respective
school. Elections are also open to any community members who are 17 years or older and reside in a respective school’s attendance
area or voting district. To find which schools you can vote at visit CPS Local School Council Voting Districts.

Due to COVID-19, parents and guardians can choose between either voting in-person at their respective schools, submitting their ballots by mail, or dropping off their mail-in ballots. For in-person voting, the district is implementing stringent health and safety measures, including social distancing, face covering requirements, and completing a health screener and temperature check prior to entering school buildings. The district will also offer curbside voting for individuals with disabilities.


Community members will still be required to vote in person because the district does not have access to information for every prospective community voter living within a school’s boundary in order to provide a mail-in ballot. For key information for each voting constituency please refer to the press release published on October 21, 2020. 


In-Person Election Times and Dates: 

• Elementary Schools: November 18 between 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. 
  
• High Schools: November 19 between 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. 
  

If you have additional questions about who is running at your school or how to vote in LSC Elections, please do not hesitate to contact us. Please also encourage other parents and community members to vote.


Best regards,

CPS Office of Local School Council Relations
773-553-1400
lsc@cps.edu
cps.edu/lsc

​

Happy Friday!  I hope everyone is doing well and that this day off for students went well.  Teachers have been working hard all day to close out the 1st quarter and plan for quarter 2.  Please read below for important updates.


Veteran's Day is Wednesday, Nov. 11 and is an attendance day for students.  Classrooms will be doing a moment of silence to honor our Veteran's.

Have a great day,
Katie and Derrick

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Family Income Information Form (FIIF) Action Requested -  We need your help.  We currently have only 26% of these forms handed in.  Please complete this form and return to the school by Nov. 18 (updated date).  You do not have to list your income, but the form helps inform school funding. Send electronically to Gloria, our clerk, gqmorales@cps.edu, drop off or mail to the school.  


LSC Candidate Literature - Please see attached for the candidate literature for those running for LSC.  You can also visit http://www.skinnernorth.org/lsc-elections-2020.html to see the literature and learn more about the election.

LSC Election Pollwatchers (note for candidates) - Pollwatchers play a critical role as part of the check and balances which assure that every voter’s vote is counted and recorded properly.
LSC candidates, you can access the the pollwatcher credential at the following link:  https://drive.google.com/file/d/1U_XtKCgF_ZASqQLVNoUCfHwnz0blb4XH/view?usp=sharing or pick up copies at the school between the hours of 8 and 3:30 on school days.
Each candidate is entitled to identify up to three pollwatchers. However, only one pollwatcher per candidate can be in the polling place. Candidates are not allowed to be in the polling place, except for voting, unless they are a declared pollwatcher and have completed the pollwatcher credential form attached here.
In order to comply with the Governor’s orders on maximum people present, pollwatchers in the polling place may be asked to rotate their position with other pollwatchers in the polling place to prevent exceeding the current Governor’s guideline for the maximum number of people in a room. 

​Report Cards - Report Cards will be mailed to families.  The district will postmark both report cards and IEP report cards for distribution during the week of parent-teacher conferences. You can also access grades using Aspen Parent Portal. . If parents aren't signed up for the Parent Portal, they can go to cps.edu/parent for sign-up instructions.

November Spirit Days (Date Corrections in yellow) –
Monday, Nov. 23 - Spirit Day (Turkey Trot)
·         We encourage students to wear their tennis shoes to class and go for a walk/run around their house or outside (with a parent or parent permission).
Tuesday, Nov. 24 - Spirit Day - Be thankful and Stop
 Drop and Draw
·         We ask students to create and/or wear a headpiece (hat, headband, etc.) that represents being thankful to them. 
Network 4/1 Virtual High School Fair - Our network is excited to offer this opportunity to students and families that will be held on November 12th from 4:30-6:00 PM via Google Hangouts. Please see the following flier for more information.
Virtual High School Fair Flyer (English/Spanish). A couple of updates in preparation for the event:

• Berenice Pond (N4 FACE Manager) has recorded an overview video in English and Spanish with instructions on how to navigate the fair- Spanish | English

• Here is the link to the  N4/N1 High School Fair Menu. Feel free to share with students in preparation for the fair so they can research the many opportunities available and develop questions. Links to the individual rooms will be added here on the day of the event.

• Please join the fair by using their CPS email account. In the event that a student or parent tries to join using a non-cps account (“outside organization”), they will need to receive permission to join the room.  

• Students/families are being encouraged to spend 5-10 minutes in each room. Just like our traditional fairs, this is a great opportunity to see/experience many schools in one night.

​Good morning!  Please see attached for two special LSC meeting agendas for October 29 at 5PM and November 2 at 6PM.  The meetings were called by our LSC chair.  


October 29 will be largely in closed session, although there will be a chance for public comment. November 2 will be in open session.

Have a wonderful day,
Katie