We hope that your winter break is filled with love, joy, and peace!

To every person who donated to the FOSW Holiday Gift Drive, THANK YOU. Your generosity will make a child feel very special. Thank you parents, guardians, and community members who have been very active these past few weeks helping organize the gift distributions, volunteering for school events, celebrating teachers and staff, and joining us for the winter concerts. It is so awesome to see that Skinner Spirit!

We hope everyone has an opportunity to rest and reset as we head into 2023. Most importantly, we hope everyone is able to connect with loved ones.

Happy Holidays! We look forward to seeing the Superstars January 9.

Sincerely,

Dr. Bush, Dr. Brown, and Ms. Eskridge, Skinner Administration Team

Every month, Skinner Principal Dr. Bush gives her report at the Local School Council (LSC) meeting. Download the report from the Dec. 20, 2022, meeting.

Thank you to all of the parents, guardians, and community members who attended this year's Winter Concert. The turnout was fantastic. And, thank you to Ms. Maatouk for getting our Superstars into singing shape.

The Skinner West Debate Team participated in the Chicago Middle School Debate League's Tournament Two for the 2022-2023 season on Saturday, Dec. 10.

The overall topic for the year is "NATO Security Cooperation," and the cases being debated at this tournament were 'Disinformation,' 'The Baltics,' and 'Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems (LAWS).'

About 77 debaters across 40 teams from eight CPS schools competed at the tournament. The students did a great job against some tough competition. Congrats Superstars!

Some highlights:

14th: Alec S.

13th: Dawson M.

11th: Vedant P.

8th: Lucas B.

5th: Raahil M.

2nd: Sophia M.

1st: Erin C.

4th: Elio G.

3rd: Deven G.

2nd: Neil D.

3rd: Vedika S.

7th: Issac Z. and Harshil S.

6th: Pranav P. and Vedant P.

5th: Emma W. and Veda B.

3rd: Erin C. and Sophia M.

2nd: Alec S. and Ryan L.

1st: Ella M. and Dawson M.

2nd: Neil D. and Elio G.

3rd: Tvisha H. and Celeste D.

I am happy to announce that I will be returning to Skinner on January 9. I am grateful to Dr. Bush for giving me the opportunity to return to Skinner. I'll be taking on the role of English language program teacher (ELPT). In this role, I will focus on developing our English language program to ensure our English language learners get the required services. At the same time, I will support teachers by providing ESL resources offered by the CPS Office of Language and Culture Education (OLCE).

Happy holidays to you and your loved ones. I’ll see you in January!

Our youngest Superstars at the Branch have decked the halls in merriment!

Meanwhile, the teachers and staff at the Branch decked THEMSELVES in the holiday spirit!

Our kindergarteners got together for their annual Reindeer Pajama Party. They bounced around to different classrooms creating reindeer ornaments, making reindeer food, singing reindeer songs, and playing reindeer games! The best part was that they all got to wear pajamas!

Happy holidays from all of the Skinner West kindergarteners!

There is currently an opening on the Skinner Local School Council (LSC) for a community representative. Being an LSC Member is a great way to get involved in your neighborhood’s school. LSCs provide an opportunity to help shape how students will be educated and how the school will impact the community. A community member is eligible to serve as a community representative for Skinner if they:

Applications must be turned in to Skinner's office by January 18, 2023 at 3 p.m.

All 5th-8th grade Superstars are invited to join the Whitney Young Robotics for a free, four-week workshop virtually via Zoom.

The course runs Sundays from Jan. 15 to Feb 5 from 3 to 5 p.m.

Sign up via the QR code in the flyer.

To build on the success of the district’s State Seal of Biliteracy program, the CPS Office of Language and Cultural Education (OLCE) introduced the CPS Seal of Biliteracy Pathway Award for 5th and 8th grade students to be recognized for being on their pathway towards earning the State Seal of Biliteracy through their enrollment in a bilingual, dual, and/or world language program.

The assessment window runs from March 1-15. Download the flyers for more information.

We are seeking information about specific site conditions at our school, and invite you to complete a brief survey to share your thoughts. Participation is completely anonymous and voluntary and should not take more than 10 minutes of your time. A Spanish version is available from a drop down within the survey.

If you’d like to participate, please complete the survey no later than Friday, Dec. 23. Thank you in advance for helping us to make Skinner the best it can be!

Thank you to CNA for their generous support of Skinner West with a $10,000 donation. Our third grade Superstars were on-hand to receive the gift and spread some holiday cheer led by Ms. Maatouk.

Our first grade Superstars took a field trip to the Chicago Children's Theatre where they saw a production of The Beatrix Potter Holiday Tea Party. The play runs through December 24, if you need a fun activity during the winter break!

Our third graders continued an annual musical tradition by singing at various locations in the city. In addition to the CNA office (see above), they also had the opportunity to perform at the Chicago Office of Emergency Management. Thank you, Ms. Maatouk for another great holiday season!

Our fifth grade teamed up with the Harvard CIVICS Program. Harvard CIVICS is a joint Institute of Politics – Phillips Brooks House Association program that places motivated and service-minded undergraduates in fifth grade classrooms with the goal of empowering the next generation of engaged, informed, and active citizens.

Mrs. Oluewu organized this residency for the entire fifth grade. Students completed the residency this week. They covered the structure of the federal government, elections, and media. Through this curriculum, CIVICS teachers gave students the opportunity to identify problems they see in their communities, formulate solutions, and take an active role in their communities no matter their age.

Congratulations to fourth grade Superstar Nia! She starred as Tiny Tim in Drury Lane Theatre's production of A Christmas Carol.

The entire fourth attended the event.

The show runs through December 30 for another fun, family activity.

Looking for something fun during the break? Music House has a performing arts camp! Sign up for one day or all 11 days!

In addition, Music House has upcoming performances for the whole family including The Nutcracker and the Magic Carousel, A Year with Frog and Toad, and Freaky Friday, a New Musical!

Or, sign-up for a free trial in any musical instrument, dance, or theater class.

Vision exams will be available at Ageless Eye Care from Friday, Dec. 23 through Friday, Jan. 6, by appointment only. Parents can call (312) 929-3340 to make an appointment.

Ageless Eye Care

329 W. 18th Street

#311