Principal Patten's Newsletter

Dear Onahan Community,

Is it just me, or did someone hit the "fast-forward" button on the school year? Walking through the hallways, the energy is absolutely invigorating. Though we are working through the IAR testing, students are expressing excitement in learning and playing outside. Onahan sounds happy.

The following is very important: share how you feel about our school by taking the 5Essentials survey! It takes 5-10 minutes to fill out this anonymous survey. We use this data for our Continuous Improvement Work Plan (CIWP). CPS Parent Survey.

Now that the books are closed, we are excited to share that the Friends of Onahan 80’s Edition 2026 fundraiser raised a record-breaking $48,638 for our school!

Thank you to our sponsors, donors, volunteers, teachers, staff, and families—your support made this event a huge success. We look forward to sharing how these funds will positively impact our students.

Follow us on Facebook and Instagram for updates and upcoming events, and please take a moment to complete our short event survey.

Thank you for being such an amazing school community!

— Friends of Onahan (FOO)

Event Survey Link: https://forms.gle/v51sShmoaBnYDi7y9

On Wednesday, Congressman Quigley came to see the condition of the Onahan field. He said that he works on at least a field a year. So far he has secured a grant for $850,000 and has applied for another for $1.5 million for Onahan. He advise for the school community to keep pushing CPS to fix the field.

The congressman also spent time with a 5th grade class and encouraged the students to do kind deeds for people who need help. He said that you are helping more than you realize.

WHAT CAN YOU DO ABOUT THE FIELD? MAKE NOISE AND JOIN US:

ATTEND A CAPITAL PLANNING MEETING BELOW
FILL OUT THE SURVEY BELOW
WE HAVE SOME MOMENTUM WITH CHICAGO PUBLIC SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS ED BANNON AND JENI CUSTER ENGAGING WITH US
STATE REPRESENTATIVE MARTWICK AND LAPOINTE ARE WORKING ON SOLUTIONS
WE HAVE SUPPORT FROM OUR ALDERMAN NAPOLITANO AND ALDERMAN GARDNER
REPRESENTATIVE QUIGLEY HAS RAISED $850,000 AND WROTE ANOTHER GRANT FOR MORE
CURRENTLY ONAHAN PARENTS ARE PROBLEM SOLVING AND LOOKING FOR SOLUTIONS TO MOVE ALONG ON THE PROJECT
COME TO OUR LSC MEETINGS TO KEEP MOMENTUM GOING - APRIL 16TH @ 6:30PM

Chicago Public Schools (CPS) will host five meetings in April to engage communities on capital priorities as the District works to develop its Fiscal Year 2027 Capital Plan. The capital plan is a part of the District’s overall budget that will be presented to the Board of Education later this summer. The meetings — which will be led by the CPS Capital Department, Office of Equity, and Office of Family and Community Engagement (FACE) — are intended to provide communities with an understanding of the District’s capital planning process and help the District prioritize critical capital needs. Participants for any of the meetings listed below should register here or tune in to the live-stream on CPS’ YouTube Channel. The Capital Planning Survey will be available until April 30th.

Tuesday, April 14th 3:00pm - 4:30pm (English/Spanish, Virtual)
Thursday, April 16th 5:30pm - 7:00pm (English/Spanish, Virtual)
Tuesday, April 21st 1:00pm - 2:30pm (English/Spanish, Colman Admin Office; 4655 S. Dearborn St.)
Tuesday, April 21st 5:30pm - 7:00pm (English/Spanish, Colman Admin Office; 4655 S. Dearborn St.)
Tuesday, April 28th 5:30pm - 7:00pm (Español Solo, Virtual)

Please share this flyer with friends and family. English and Spanish.

This is a heartwarming day with downright wholesome fun. Don't miss out! FIELD DAY VOLUNTEER SIGN UP

Along with Friends of Onahan, we are working on refreshing the playground, "four square area" and the basketball court. We don't want to reveal all the details, yet, but we would love to connect with any parents who may have contacts for paint donations or discounts, as well as playground striping/line painting. Please contact Assistant Principal DeJulio at srlohman@cps.edu.

We need upcoming kindergarteners registered to plan for staffing next fall. If you know families that have a student coming, please let them know to contact Onahan at (773) 534-1180, or come to the open house for more information.

Let's represent Onahan in the parade!

Amazon Wish List for Parade Items:

https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/B60LJQQK6J83?ref_=wl_share

Google Form for Parade Participation:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd3FOoIx7jnI8bhBmaAFgafJT1WoyChd4led0jQHfFJpdZAWA/viewform?usp=publish-editor

Ticket Link: https://mlb.tickets.com/schedule/?agency=CDSV_PLAGENCY_MPV&orgid=53091#/sales_group_code;salesGroupId=9821

SCHOOL TO HOME CONNECTION...

Sign up to receive the CPS Early Childhood newsletter, and get an alert when the SY26-27 application opens. https://www.cps.edu/ChicagoEarlyLearning/connect/

This April, families across Chicago can apply for high-quality Chicago Early Learning programs for children from birth to age five. Explore options across CPS schools and Community-Based Organizations to find a program that fits your family’s needs.

When applying, families will be able to choose from over 500 high-quality early learning programs for every child in every neighborhood in Chicago.

Explore Program Options

Chicago Early Learning offers two types of programs designed to support children from birth to age five and meet families where they are.

CPS School-Based Programs (Ages 3–4)
Chicago Public Schools offers Pre-K programs for 4-year-olds and half-day programs for 3-year-olds.

Community-Based Organization (CBO) Programs (Ages 0–5)
Community-Based Early Learning and Preschool Programs serve families with children from birth to age five and offer programs for expecting mothers. They include Head Start, Early Head Start, Infant-Toddler programs, Home-Visiting Programs, and Doula Programs. Hours vary by site.