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End of Week Message: Classes in Session Monday; GoCPS Deadline Extended; CPS Celebrates National STEM Day!

08 November 2024

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Dear CPS Colleagues, Families, and Supporters,

I first want to remind everyone that classes will be in session on Veterans Day on Monday, November 11. In the years when there is a general election like this year, schools are closed for Election Day, and are open for Veterans Day. In the years when there is no general election, CPS schools are closed on Veterans Day. 

On behalf of our District, I want to offer our sincere gratitude to those who have bravely served our country and those who are currently serving right now. I encourage everyone to use this opportunity to thank the veterans in their lives for their sacrifices and their contributions.

I also want to thank everyone who made their voices heard by casting votes in this week’s general election. For the first time ever, Chicago elected 10 members to our District’s Board of Education. You can find results from those races at the Chicago Board of Elections Website. Thank you to all of the candidates who sought these positions for their willingness to serve, and for their desire to help CPS provide a rigorous, joyful, and equitable learning experience for every student. I look forward to working with our newly-elected Board members when they begin their term in January of 2025.

GoCPS Deadline Extended

Next I want to share that the GoCPS deadline for the 2025–26 school year has been extended by one week. Applications will now be accepted until Friday, November 22, 2024 at 5 p.m.

As a reminder, GoCPS is our District’s platform to help families explore and apply to programs around the city, including magnet, career and technical education, selective enrollment, and charter high schools (for elementary charter schools, families must apply to the school directly, not through GoCPS).

Please visit the GoCPS website for more information, and to complete your application by the new deadline of Friday, November 22, 2024 at 5 p.m.

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Shout-Out to STEM: Preparing our Students for the Careers of Tomorrow 

Today is National STEM Day, and CPS schools have been celebrating all week long!

CPS currently operates 25 STEM elementary schools and 12 STEM high schools. STEM stands for science, technology, engineering, and math. 14 additional CPS schools — including several new programs we were so proud to launch in North Lawndale last month — also add an “A” for arts, making them “STEAM” schools.

These learning environments provide students with a foundation that prepares them for success in college, and for the high-paying, technology-driven careers of the future, some of which haven’t even been invented yet. 

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As part of our celebration of National STEM Day, CPS hosted a week of traveling ‘STEM Playground’ celebrations at nearly a dozen schools. These events featured interactive spaces, virtual reality, screen-free robots, coding, and problem-solving projects that tap into our students’ creativity, ingenuity, storytelling, and imagination.

The first “playground” was held earlier this week at Peterson Elementary in Chicago’s North Park community, where students used coded tiles to teach patterned movements to a robot. In another section, students used their feet to solve math problems on a large touch screen projected onto the floor. Audible gasps came from the table where students used a stylus pen to pull out a 3-dimensional hologram of a beating human heart from a computer screen. Helen, a 7th grader at Peterson who was controlling the stylus pen, felt the pulse of the heart hologram through the pen, as it measured and matched her own heart rate. “Oh my lord,” she said. 

Helen said her peer group is just as interested in STE(A)M activities as she is, adding, “We’re learning new things and how to code and program. It’s a way to have fun and to get your brain thinking at the same time.”

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Members of our Applied Computer Science Team spent National STEM Day presenting to educators from around the country at the Midwest’s Tech and Learning Regional Leadership Summit. Using Minecraft, a video game where players create objects, structures, and environments, students were given a challenge where they had to think strategically and work together to build the solution. Competitions like these help our students develop problem-solving skills while doing something they enjoy. 

In recent years, CPS has created new programs — like our eSports programming — that use video games not as a form of entertainment, but as a teaching tool. Participation in eSports teaches students about teamwork, leadership, communication, problem-solving, strategic thinking and logic. Furthermore, participation in eSports tournaments expose our students to other fields such as marketing, event planning, journalism, and others. 

Finally, by using video games as a teaching tool, students can learn coding, game design, and other skills that can help them gain scholarships and prepare them for a potential career in STEM fields — including the 100-billion-dollar video game industry. By meeting students where they are and leaning into their interests, we can help them prepare for the future and learn valuable skills while having fun. 

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Our eSports program has grown significantly in the past few years. That growth began in 2021 as students returned from the pandemic, with our Computer Science Team partnering with the CPS Office of Safety and Security to find activities that would help our youth reconnect with each other and with their school communities. As a result of their hard work, nearly 100 CPS schools now offer Minecraft and other eSports options as part of their Out-of-School Time programming.

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As with many STEM-related fields and activities, our eSports program tends to attract more boys than girls. To help ensure equity of access, our Computer Science Team is working to ensure that everything from advertising, to the games they choose, to the prizes offered in eSports competitions are equally appealing to all students. They have also secured external grant funding for two of our elementary schools—Sawyer and Hanson Park—to create a program called Girls Who Game, which is designed to empower female students in activities related to STEM.

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Our STEM and STEAM schools and programs are vitally important to the students in our District. I am committed to continued investment in these fields, and I look forward to seeing all that our future scientists, artists, and engineers will do to enrich our city and our world.

Sincerely,

Pedro Martinez
Chief Executive Officer
Chicago Public Schools

Help Us Highlight Your School

We love highlighting the amazing things that are happening day-to-day in our schools, along with the people who are making them happen! Please share your stories with us using our Good News Form so that we can share them with the District!

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Schools across the District recently celebrated the Day of the Dead! Steinmetz High School in Belmont Central celebrated the holiday with a school spirit day in which students and staff dressed in spirit wear and accessories. 

At Nightingale Elementary in Gage Park, the school community participated in their annual Dia de los Muertos Walking Ofrenda to honor and remember loved ones, followed by a special performance by the Back of the Yards High School Folkloric Dance group. 

Meanwhile, at Jordan Elementary in the Rogers Park neighborhood, students participated in Fall activities, such as dressing up in costume and visiting a pumpkin patch. 

And at Claremont Elementary in West Englewood, 8th-grade students participated in various Breast Cancer Awareness activities and projects, including creating ribbons and buttons for classrooms, conducting research for class assignments, and organizing a school-wide Breast Cancer walk to raise money for the Susan G. Komen Foundation!

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CPS Schools Honored for Inclusivity

Both Burbank Elementary and Southside Occupational Academy were recently named Unified Champion Schools (UCS) by the Special Olympics. This designation honors each school’s commitment to an inclusive climate that exudes a sense of collaboration, engagement, and respect for all members of the student body and staff. Burbank and Southside Occupational are among just seven schools in the state of Illinois to have earned this unique designation. 

Important Information and Resources for Parents about School Avoidance 

School avoidance refers to behavior in which a student refuses to attend school or has difficulty remaining in school for the entire day. The CPS Office of Student Health and Wellness has created a video with information and resources (Spanish version here) to help parents respond to challenges involving school avoidance and better support their students. Parents can also review the slideshow referenced in the video (Spanish version here). 

These tools will help parents learn how to identify the root cause of school avoidance; collaborate with professionals at their child's school to problem solve; and set rules and expectations that will help their child succeed both in and out of the classroom. They also include a variety of resources for parents from both CPS and other organizations. If you have any questions about these materials, please email mentalhealth@cps.edu.

Upcoming Opportunities from the Chicago Park District 

Apply now to be a Chicago Park District lifeguard next summer! The first test takes place on November 16. Make $19.75 an hour as a lifeguard next summer. Complete four steps to be hired: (1) Apply (2) Test (3) Get certified (4) Complete paperwork. Get a jump on this by taking the Lifeguard Skills test on November 16. Sign up for the test when completing your application online. You must be a Chicago resident age 16 or older by July 1, 2025.  Enjoy your perfect summer job in the parks! Learn more and apply at www.chicagoparkdistrict.com/lifeguards/CPS.

Calling all artists!  Be a part of Night Out in the Parks and Chicago OnScreen in the parks next summer. All Chicago-based organizations, collectives, and individual artists are invited to participate. Submit your proposal now. Submissions are due December 9, 2024. Learn more here: www.chicagoparkdistrict.com/events/night-out-in-the-parks#2025NOTPProposals

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CPS Scoreboard: This Week in CPS Athletics

Elementary school students from our CPS SCORE! Program competed in the 2024 Boys and Girls Cross Country Championships this past weekend! Thousands of student-athletes got to participate in both the race and a Halloween-themed fun run, capping off an incredible weekend at Washington Park.

Here were our 2024 Cross Country Champions:

5th/6th-Grade Boys - Burley Elementary
5th/6th-Grade Girls -  Decatur Classical 
7th/8th-Grade Boys - Whitney Young
7th/8th-Grade Girls - Whitney Young

The boys soccer team from Lane Tech High School is continuing their historic season! After winning the Chicago Public League City Championship, they advanced to the Illinois High School Association (IHSA) State Semifinals for the first time in school history! The semi-final match will take place on Friday, November 8 at 6 p.m., with Lane then advancing to either the third place match (10:30 a.m.) or the championship game (6:30 p.m.) on Saturday, November 9. All games are being played at Hoffman Estates High School.

Congratulations to Daniel Finger, head football coach at Whitney Young High School, for recently being named the final Chicago Bears High School Football Coach of the Week. This award recognizes outstanding leadership among high school coaches in Illinois, earning the school’s football program a $2,000 donation. As a Whitney Young graduate himself, Coach Finger has transformed his alma mater into a strong contender in the Chicago Public League, leading the Dolphins to a 9-0 season with a 7-0 conference record, all while encouraging his athletes to excel academically and serve their community.

Congrats also to Cynthia Irvin of the CPS Office of Sports Administration on receiving the Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award. This recognition honors her more than 4000 hours of dedicated service to advancing the development of students through youth sports. Ms. Irvin has been an integral part of the CPS Office of Sports Administration for more than 20 years, overseeing programming of Girls and Boys Volleyball, Girls Basketball, Cheer, and Dance.

Discounted Tickets for CPS Staff and Students

CPS staff are invited to cheer on the Chicago Bulls with exclusive ticket offers for the below games!

Get your tickets for Educator Appreciation Night on Sunday, November 17: 

  • This special ticket offer includes your discounted ticket to the Bulls vs. Rockets game and an exclusive educators-themed tumbler. This special event ticket package must be purchased from this link on FEVO.

And get your tickets here for the below games:

  • Bulls vs. Hawks: Friday, November 22
  • Bulls vs. Pacers: Friday, December 6
  • Bulls vs. 76ers: Sunday, December 8

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Step aboard Titanic: The Exhibition at Westfield Old Orchard and bring history to life for your students with an immersive journey through the legendary ship's stories, artifacts, and unforgettable experiences. Free tickets for groups from Title IX schools are available during "Free Field Trip Days" on November 14th and 15th. Click to Apply for Tickets and Download Educator’s Guide.

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DOG MAN: THE MUSICAL is a hilarious, heartfelt family adventure based on the bestselling book series! Don't miss the SUPA awesome production beginning Nov 8 at The Studebaker Theater. Teachers can Download Educational Resources here. CPS staff members receive 20% OFF tickets with code DM20CPS at checkout (good through November 24, P1 and P2 price levels only, based on availability). Click for Dog Man tickets!

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Experience one of the greatest operas ever written with Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro at Lyric Opera of Chicago, "a joyous celebration of life and love" (Chicago Tribune). Use promo code CPS25 to save 25% on tickets for any performance of The Marriage of Figaro. Click HERE to purchase. 

A Limited number of $29 tickets are also available for select performances on November 13, 19, and 21 through Lyric's DEAL program for educators and administrators. Offers are subject to availability and restrictions apply.

Important Dates 

For more upcoming events around the District, visit cps.edu/calendar.

  • Monday, November 25–Friday, November 29: In observance of the Thanksgiving holiday, no students or teachers will be in school from November 25–29 and all CPS buildings will be closed on November 28 and 29.