We hope everyone has a happy and relaxing Thanksgiving!  We are so thankful for our students, families and staff and grateful to be part of the Skinner North Community.  

Please Note: Due to Thanksgiving Break, there is no school Wednesday, Nov. 25 through Friday, Nov. 27.  

We'll see students back at school on Monday, Nov. 30!

Thank you so much to the Diversity Committee, FoSN and all our volunteers who made this event a success!  

Judging from the number of passports that were distributed, we had close to 250 families and their students attend the event and learn about the rich diversity of the Skinner North community!  At the event, students and families were able to  travel the globe while learning and sharing their own culture through various performances and booths.  What a great way to celebrate our school community!
 

It's that time of year again! We are participating in the Chicago Bulls Holiday Food Drive.  Last year, we collected 1,614 pounds of non-perishable food for the Chicago Food Depository and want to expand on this opportunity to help others.


You can drop off your food donations in the main entryway, be sure to put them in the Room donation box, between Friday, Nov. 13 and Friday Dec. 11.  The top 3 classrooms will receive extra recess. 


Some items that the food depository is in need of include:
• Canned vegetables & fruit
• Canned stews, soups, and chili
• Canned beans
• Canned tuna
• Pasta sauce
• Jelly

Also, all participating students are eligible for the student raffle to win cool Bulls prizes.  Students can be entered by emailing fosnservice@gmail.com with the student’s name, classroom & grade or submitting a raffle ticket from the attached flyer in the parent room.
Thanks to everyone in our Skinner Community for kicking off the Holiday Season by helping to fight hunger!

Expeditions Pioneer Program is a virtual reality platform built for the classroom.   Google worked with teachers and content partners from around the world to create more than 100 engaging journeys.  Students are able to explore areas throughout the world in the comfort of their own school.  Students went on a deep sea adventure, visited the parthenon, saw the Amazon Rain Forest and had many other adventures.  Go to https://www.google.com/edu/expeditions/ for more information.  Thanks Google!

Wednesday, November 11th is Veterans Day.  In connection with Veterans Day, the FoSN Service Committee is planning a Veterans letter writing activity.  On Thursday, Nov. 12, the students will write letters/draw pictures which we will collect and send to a local VA Hospital.  FoSN is also extending a challenge to our students to interview a veteran in the coming weeks.  They have put together a sheet to help guide them on how to do an interview and include simply questions.  These sheets will be sent home.

Thank you to all our Veterans!

​November has a number of non-attendance days for students.  See below for days off.  Please note that we do have school on Thursday, Nov. 12, even though the day before and after are non-attendance days.

Veteran's Day - Wednesday, Nov. 11
School Improvement Day - Friday, Nov. 13
Wednesday, Nov. 18 - Parent-Teacher Conferences
Wednesday, Nov. 25- Friday, Nov. 27 - Thanksgiving Break

Skinner North had a strong showing at the City Cross Country Championship on Saturday, Oct. 31st.  The 5th and 6th grade girls came in 3rd overall and the 5 and 6th grade boys came in 8th.  Great job on the team effort!

In addition, congratulations to our individuals who placed.  Way to work hard throughout the 2015 season!

5/6th Grade Girls (1 mile race)
3rd Place - Sophie (6:16)
17th Place - Ava (6:34)
22nd Place - Isabel (6:41)
48th Place - Charlotte (7:12)
82nd Place - Roshni (7:36)
99th Place - Maha  (7:50)
127th Place - Ireland (8:14)

5/6th Grade Boys (1 mile race)
4th Place - Kaleb (6:01)
7th Place - Connor (6:07)
62nd Place - Nate (6:55)
87th Place - Rohan (7:12)
111th Place - Ian (7:30)

7/8th Grade Girls (1.5 mile race)
21st Place - Katie  (7:09)
25th Place - JaNai'  (7:19)
97th Place Gabriella (8:42)

7/8th Grade Boys (1.5 mile race)
23rd Place - Tobin (6:24)

Students in 7th and 8th grade read Brown Girl Dreaming, a memoir written by Jacqueline Woodson.  They, then, attended an author talk.   At the event, students learned more about her life and experiences and came away with a stronger understanding of the text and the author. 

​"Brown Girl Dreaming, Jacqueline Woodson’s memoir-inverse, is a rich and poignant description of life as a black child in the 1960s. But in telling her own story so powerfully, she also has painted an indelible portrait of Jim Crow America, both in the South and the North, and resonated with readers and critics alike. The author of more than 30 books, Woodson received the National Book Award for Young People and the Newbery Honor for this latest work. She takes to the CHF stage for a conversation about her life and influences."
-(http://chfmedia.net/pdfs/CHF_Citizens_ProgramGuide.pdf)