Dear All,
Please be aware that as we move into the next school year (2018-2019), ALL volunteers at Waters must go through the volunteer approval process. If parents are NOT on the approved list, they will not be allowed to accompany children on field trips, field day, walk-a-thon, etc.  This is a mandate that has been set forth from Central Office. 

Please see this website to learn about how to register to volunteer this fall.  

Welcome back families! It was great welcoming back students this week. I hope you all had a relaxing spring break!  

We are moving into the final quarter of our school year and there are many activities that will engage our school community.  Beginning with our MoTown musical performance, Student Parent Teacher Conferences, LSC elections, Little Big Night, CIWP (Continuous Improvement Work Plan) public input workshops, and Big Night, our annual school fundraiser. I encourage you to join us at all of the activities. 

Along with these activities, I will be hosting a Safety Workshop immediately following the LSC meeting this Tuesday evening.  As you know, staff and student safety is always a priority at Waters. I invite you to stay for an informational session where I will share our safety protocols. RSVP for this session.

Thank you and have a great week!

Dear Waters Families:
 
We are saddened and shocked by the tragic events that transpired yesterday in Florida. Our thoughts are with all those affected, and we acknowledge the bravery of staff, parents and community partners who reacted immediately to help the children. As educators and as parents, it is difficult to comprehend such catastrophic events.

I want to reassure you that we take school safety and security very seriously at Waters. We are vigilant and proactive when it comes to our children's safety and have clear plans and procedures to deal with emergency situations. We have a clear visitor policy. We regularly practice not only fire drills but shelter in place, bus evacuation and lockdown drills. Staff will review our safety protocols with students to ensure that we maintain both a secure and nurturing environment for our students.

I am sharing some tips to help you support your children and family at this time:

• Recognize that children may become concerned that something bad will happen to themselves, family or friends. Explain that safety measures are in place and reassure them that you and other adults will take care of them.
• If your child is not focused on the tragedy, do not dwell on it. Try to avoid having detailed adult conversations regarding the tragedy in front of children. However, be available to answer questions to the best of your ability.
• Limit exposure to media coverage. Images of a disaster or crisis can become overwhelming, especially if watched repetitively. Young children in particular may not be able to distinguish between images on television and their personal reality. Older children may choose to watch the news—be available to discuss what they see and to help put it into perspective.
• Maintain normal family routines as much as possible. Routine family activities, classes and friends can help children feel more secure.
• Be aware of your own needs. Don’t ignore your own feelings of anxiety, grief and anger. Talking to friends, family members, faith leaders and mental health counsellors can help.

As always, our top priority is the safety and well-being of each of our students—your children. This is a responsibility we take very seriously. Hug your children, tell them you love them, and let them know that you and the important people in their lives are there to keep them safe. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have further questions.

Wishing you all a peaceful and restful weekend.
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Sincerely,
Titia Crespo

Dear Waters Community:

This week we completed NWEA MAP Reading assessments. We are excited to analyze the results and utilize the data to continue enhancing instruction that will best meet the needs of all the students.  

This week will conclude our second quarter and on Friday staff will join together for a professional development day. Topics of learning will be MAP Reading data discussions, SMARTBOARD, Math Trailblazers, STEAM, Agency, Authority and Identity, and practical strategies with Attention Seeking and Manipulative Behaviors. 

Please join us at our February LSC meeting where members of our leadership team will provide an update on our MOY Math and Reading data results along with other important initiatives. 

Waters is offering Girls In The Know and Selective Prep, please check out these great programs.

I am also pleased to announce that Mrs. Vecchioni's program has received a Creative Schools Fund grant for the STEAM initiative and maker mindset. Additional details will be shared soon!

Happy New Year and welcome back!

I look forward to students and staff returning to school tomorrow and our continued work together. Thank goodness the temperatures are rising! Even though it feels warmer outside, please make sure your child is wearing a coat, hat and mittens/gloves. We want to make sure everyone continues on a healthy path as school attendance is vital to your child’s learning.  

Please be on the lookout for information regarding:

• NWEA MAP Reading – Students will begin testing next week. You should receive an email from your child’s teacher this week for specific grade level testing.
• Girls in the Know – Waters will host a one-month, four-session series for mother-daughter pairs and covers topics such as body image, friendships, conflict resolution, and tech and cell phone use. More information here.

Register NOW for SelectivePrep’s After School MAP Test Program (for 7th Graders)
Waters is hosting SelectivePrep this coming March. SelectivePrep offers a 16-hour program to help prepare students for the Measure of Academic Progress (NWEA/MAP) test that will be used for the 7th grade standardized test score. Scores from this test represent one third of the selective enrollment admissions score. Additionally, scores from this exam will play a crucial role in whether or not a student is admitted to other competitive programs including International Baccalaureate (IB) and advanced magnet high schools.

To fully prepare students for these more rigorous tests, the SelectivePrep program has incorporated material based on the new tougher Common Core standards. Classes at Waters Elementary will start on Thursday, March 15 and run for eight sessions from 3:30-5:30 p.m. We will need a minimum of 10 students to run the class at Waters Elementary so please spread the word. The deadline for registration is Thursday, March 1. Register here. If you need more information or have any questions, please visit our website or call 312-409-8411. 
 
Please join us Tuesday this week at 4:00 p.m. for our monthly LSC meeting. We will present a 15-week update on our Continuous Improvement Work Plan.  

Have a beautiful week!
Ms. Crespo

Dear Waters Community:

This week we will be our final one for 2017. Each year seems to go by faster, but even though it seems fast, we are still accomplishing a great deal of learning with the students.

Thank you for your patience during MAP testing last week. If your child was absent, we will make up their test this week. Again, please make sure your child gets a good night's rest, has a healthy breakfast and arrives to school on time. This middle of year (MOY) MAP data is important for us to see how far the students have academically grown thus far in the school year. Teachers will use this data to plan for instruction during the break. If you are curious to see how your child did, please feel free to reach out to your child's teacher.

Our students will perform at the holiday show this week Wednesday and Thursday. Please check the schedule to see when your child is performing, since not all classes perform on the same day. I look forward to seeing you at our annual holiday celebration.

Thank you goes to Mrs. Vecchioni and the countless volunteers who helped make the art gallery another yearly success. It is truly amazing to see what our creative geniuses design each year. What is even more special is to hear the students talk about their beginning to end journey of the final piece of art. Thank you for coming on Friday and showing your support.  

It is my sincere hope that all of you have a safe and happy holiday season.  

See you in 2018!

Dear Waters Families:

The beautiful weather this week has certainly "spoiled" us and it is hard to believe we are already in December!

A special thank you goes to parent volunteer Hilary Prosser, who once again coordinated the Scholastic Book Fair this year.  Thank you goes out to all the assistants who worked behind the scenes. I would also like to say thank you to all the families who contributed to the All for Books Campaign. Your contribution helped to get more children reading.  

Thank you to the countless volunteers who helped make the annual Holiday Craft Fair a success. A special thank you to Saskia Hofman and Pinar Aral who coordinated the fair. What a beautiful day and a great community event!

As we move into the holiday season with only three weeks of school before the break, I encourage families to stay strong in attendance until Friday, December 22. Attendance is one of the areas on our School Quality Rating Policy (SQRP) that contributed to lowering our Level 1+ status. Even if your child has an excused absence it still has an adverse effect on our school. Please do not schedule family outings that will require your child to miss valuable instructional time in the classroom. I do thank you for being mindful of this when considering your family vacations over the break.  

Our annual holiday celebration will be Wednesday, December 20 and Thursday, December 21. Please pay careful attention to the schedule – specific grade levels perform each day. If you have any questions regarding your child's performance, please reach out to their teacher or Mr. Bradford. Following is the tentative schedule for the performances; the show is approximately one hour in duration:

Holiday Performances Schedule
Wednesday, December 20 – 8:45 a.m.
Grades K, 2, 4, 6, 8

Thursday, December 21 – 8:45 a.m.
Grades 1, 3, 5, 7 and Choir
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Have a great week!

​Dear Waters Community,

Many will celebrate Thanksgiving this week. I wanted to take a moment to say Thank You for your generosity to Waters.  Monday evening at our "Thanks for Giving" celebration it was announced that we exceeded our goal of $75,000! This is a testament to your commitment to Waters and the programs that we continue to offer. It is an honor to plan alongside parents and provide enriching academic and social emotional programming for all the children. 

Thank you for joining us at the Local School Council meeting this week. It was great to see so many of you as our Instructional Leadership Team(ILT) presented our instructional goals for the upcoming school year. Please be sure to check out our website for the presentation.  

In addition, thank you for joining staff last Wednesday for student, parent and teacher conferences. During our presentation to the LSC, one of the areas we shared was on our goals addressing Growth Mindset. Student ownership of their own education is vital in a child's journey to academic success. Students, along with their teacher, set individual growth goals. I hope you enjoyed hearing from your child as they shared their growth goal with you. Together, we will work toward these goals and ensure that each child is reaching their potential. I would ask that you join with us in this journey to assist your child in reaching their maximum potential.  

This week will be short but I encourage all of you to be in attendance. As you may be aware, one of the contributing factors to our Level 1+ rating lowering was due to attendance issues. While school is in session, it is the expectation that students are in herel. Be on the look out for incentives as we plan strategically to turn around the attendance concern.

In closing, it is my sincere hope that each of you have a blessed Thanksgiving.

Ms. Crespo