MONDAY, AUGUST 17
*Bulk Supply orders due
MONDAY, AUGUST 31
*Kindergarten Meet-and-Greet – 1:00 p.m. and 2:00 p.m.
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8
*First Day of School – 8:15 a.m. – 3:15 p.m.
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8
*LSC Meeting – Waters Annex 4:00 p.m.
LETTER FROM PRINCIPAL CRESPO
Dear Parents,
As the first day of school approaches, the administration and teachers at Waters are working hard to plan for the upcoming school year. We greatly appreciate your support and patience during what has been a lively summer for CPS.
Summer Update
On July 21st, our Local School Council approved a budget for this school year. A good number of parents were able to attend that meeting and ask questions. A copy of the budget presentation is available for review on the Waters website.
We also hosted a well-attended New Parent meeting on July 29th. Thank you to all who were there, and for the excellent discussion that ensued.
Budget and Class Counts
Like many schools in CPS, our budget decreased as compared to last year. At this time, Waters is positioned to lose one teacher and will have to minimize the material/supply budget lines.
Our funding is primarily tied to our enrollment count, through a system of student-based-budgeting, in which schools receive a fixed amount of money per student. The budget provided to Waters was based upon an estimate of 618 total students. We feel confident that our population will exceed the CPS estimate. With an actual enrollment count higher than the CPS estimate, our budget will increase. We may be able to reinstate the one lost teacher position and we will keep you posted as we navigate this situation.
We thought it might be helpful to give you a snapshot of our current enrollment count. These numbers are accurate as of August 6th:
*Bulk Supply orders due
MONDAY, AUGUST 31
*Kindergarten Meet-and-Greet – 1:00 p.m. and 2:00 p.m.
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8
*First Day of School – 8:15 a.m. – 3:15 p.m.
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8
*LSC Meeting – Waters Annex 4:00 p.m.
LETTER FROM PRINCIPAL CRESPO
Dear Parents,
As the first day of school approaches, the administration and teachers at Waters are working hard to plan for the upcoming school year. We greatly appreciate your support and patience during what has been a lively summer for CPS.
Summer Update
On July 21st, our Local School Council approved a budget for this school year. A good number of parents were able to attend that meeting and ask questions. A copy of the budget presentation is available for review on the Waters website.
We also hosted a well-attended New Parent meeting on July 29th. Thank you to all who were there, and for the excellent discussion that ensued.
Budget and Class Counts
Like many schools in CPS, our budget decreased as compared to last year. At this time, Waters is positioned to lose one teacher and will have to minimize the material/supply budget lines.
Our funding is primarily tied to our enrollment count, through a system of student-based-budgeting, in which schools receive a fixed amount of money per student. The budget provided to Waters was based upon an estimate of 618 total students. We feel confident that our population will exceed the CPS estimate. With an actual enrollment count higher than the CPS estimate, our budget will increase. We may be able to reinstate the one lost teacher position and we will keep you posted as we navigate this situation.
We thought it might be helpful to give you a snapshot of our current enrollment count. These numbers are accurate as of August 6th:
The number of estimated classrooms per grade is included in parentheses. As it currently stands, if we can reinstate the one lost teacher position, the 1st grade would have three classrooms. Please recognize that this is just a snapshot, and the numbers fluctuate daily as new students enroll and others leave. We are diligently working through our options to come up with a plan that best fits our students, staff, families, physical space limitations, and budget. Again, we greatly appreciate your patience and support.
If you have friends or neighbors who are planning on enrolling, or who were enrolled but are now moving to a different school, please strongly encourage them to contact the Waters office as soon as possible.
The budget reduction will put additional emphasis on our fundraising efforts through WatersToday. You will be receiving information on how you can contribute in the coming weeks.
We will send another update in mid-to-late August. We hope you are enjoying your summer and we look forward to seeing you and your wonderful children in September!
Ms. Titia Crespo, Principal
NEW STUDENT REGISTRATION
August 2015
Waters Office
Monday – Thursday 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
If you live within the attendance area and your child is in Kindergarten or older grades, you are automatically guaranteed admission to our school. Please register as soon as possible to facilitate classroom staffing. If you are waiting on a lottery for other schools, and are within Waters’ boundaries, you should still register at Waters. Summer office hours are 9 a.m. – 4 p.m., with registration for new families from 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. Please call in advance to confirm office is open at 773-534-5090. Please review the documents needed for registration.
KINDERGARTEN MEET-and-GREET
Monday, August 31
1:00 p.m. or 2:00 p.m.
The Kindergarten Meet-and-Greet is planned for the week before school starts, to give kids and parents an opportunity to interact with their teacher and visit their new classroom. Teachers will contact families with their designated time slot: 1:00 p.m. or 2:00 p.m.
BULK SCHOOL SUPPLY PROGRAM
August 2015
The Waters Elementary Bulk School Supply Program is back for a second year. This is the school-approved, easiest, cheapest, and most efficient way to get your supplies. We'll gather and deliver all the needed school supplies for your student’s grade level. All you need to do is sign up and send your payment. Our new site makes that really simple to do. The deadline for participation is Monday, August 17. Check out our FAQs. If you have questions, please email here. Please also email if you need assistance with payment – we are collecting funds to assist low-income families.
2015/16 WELCOME PACKETS
August 2015
This school year's Welcome Packet - an up-to-date resource of information for new and returning families - will be made available online by the end of August. Hard copies will be sent home with incoming Kindergarten students during the first week of school. This handy reference guide outlines school policies and procedures including: forms and fees, absences, wellness program, medical requirements, food service information, school events, fundraising and volunteer opportunities.
LOCAL SCHOOL COUNCIL
Vacancy for Parent Representative Position
Tuesday, September 1
A parent position has opened up on the Local School Council. Any parent wishing to apply should do so by Tuesday, September 1st. Applications are available in the office or online.
During the Tuesday, September 8th, 4:00 p.m. LSC meeting, applicants may introduce themselves, if they wish. The LSC will conduct a closed session to vote on a candidate to fill the position, and will return to open session to announce the new member, who will start his/her term, on September 8th through the academic year (2015-16). By LSC regulations, the public does not vote for members who are filling open spots. Questions, contact Waters LSC.
KINDER MENTOR PROGRAM
We are looking for current Waters parents willing to partner up with incoming parents. As a mentor, your duties will include answering any questions incoming parents may have throughout the school year, giving them more information about the various fundraisers and welcoming them to the Waters community. A detailed email will be sent later in the week to interested parents. Please contact Victor Aragon with any questions or to volunteer. If you know of incoming parents who would like to participate, please have them email Victor as well.
C.A.P.E. SUMMER MOSAIC CAMP
Our La Peña en La Floresta mosaic camp was a huge success! Over seventy-five artists of all ages came together to create an amazing new public art installation for the main entrance to our school. The organic design is inspired by our garden ecology curriculum, 1st graders’ native leaf sketches and mosaic campers’ prairie flower illustrations. In addition to our new main entrance, we created sculptural towers that will be installed near our northeast playground. Both public art installations pay homage to outsider artist Simon Rodia’s Nuestro Pueblo (also known as Watts Towers). We are hopeful that these collaborative artworks will celebrate the creative spirit of our Waters School community for years to come. We would like to thank all of our participants and give special appreciation to our extraordinary artists-in-residence, Victoria Mendoza and Juan Carlos Perez.
BOX TOPS FOR EDUCATION
Keep collecting your box tops and Labels For Education to bring to school in the fall!
QUICK LINKS
For up-to-date news and events about the Waters community, check out the Waters Community and Events Facebook page.
Want to volunteer? Email Kathleen Matuszewich
Have a pledge or donation to make? Email Rick Bollinger
Want to Receive Ecology updates? Email Pete Leki
Have school-related news to share or want to subscribe to Waters Green Notes? Email Cookie Silvia
Have ideas, time or funds for Waters fundraising efforts or just want to keep up on fundraising volunteer opportunities? Email Sandi Barlow Stone
For general questions or concerns, email the Waters Today Board
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