Principals' Newsletter - March

March marks a period of transition , where we bid farewell to the winter chill and embrace the promise of spring. Together, let us embark on this month with enthusiasm and determination, as we power through to Spring Break!

This past month, we have been busy at the school with a variety of school and community events that could not have been pulled off without our AMAZING staff, students, families, and FORS!

• Coffee with the Principals took place on February 16th. Our coffee hour build community and provides parents to give shout outs, ask any questions, provide feedback, and/or share a concern. We invite you to join us at the next meeting on March 15, 2024.
  

• The 8th grade Graduation Pictures were scheduled on February 21st. Our 8th graders looked ready for their next chapter, High School! We are so proud of our 8th grade RAMs.

• The Eye for Equity meeting took place on February 22nd. The meeting was led by Tamara Drew and Abbie Stringers. Our members engaged in critical conversations about Black History, its importance, and how Ravenswood embeds Black history within its curriculum.

• Our Winter Movie Night was on February 23rd. Students and families had the opportunity to watch "Trolls Ban Together" in the school gym. Thank you to all of you for participating and supporting fundraising efforts for the 8th grade Washington DC Trip.

• The Bilingual Advisory Committee (BAC) met on February 27th. Lynette De Dios, LCSW, facilitated a parent workshop based on the impact of stress on children's mental health and learning. We invite all of you to join the next BAC meeting on March 18, 2024.

Thank you for your continued commitment to our school's values and mission. Wishing you all a joyful month.

Ravenswood will be hosting a parent workshop on Executive Functioning March 15th in the Multi-purpose room. The workshop will be through the early childhood education lens. It will run from 9-9:45am.

After the workshop, we will host a quick Coffee with the Principals from 9:45-10:15am.

We'd like to take a quick moment to remind you of the Chicago Public School's policy regarding dogs. Respectfully, dogs are not allowed on the school premises including the playground. Unfortunately, some of our community members have been using the playground as a dog park on the weekends and excrement has had to be cleaned up on multiple occasions on Mondays.

Kindly, please refrain from from bringing your dogs to the playground. Also, if you see dog owners with their pets on the playground, please call 3-1-1 and request CPD to come to the school to address the situation.

Please see the following updates and action items:

• 3/7: Friends of Ravenswood Meeting, 7:00pm
  

• 3/9: Ravenswood Community Service Pantry, 9:30am
• 3/11: LSC Meeting, 6:15pm, and LSC Parent Forum, 7:15pm
• 3/15: Parent Workshop, 9am and Coffee with the Principal, 9:45am
• 3/15: Ram Bash 2024 for 5th -8th, 5pm
• 3/18: Bilingual Advisory Committee (BAC) meeting, 9:00am
• 3/21: Spring Showcase, 9:00am
• 3/22: School Tour, 9:00am
• 3/25-3/29: Spring Break

After School Programming

If you would like to enroll your child in one of the academic and/or ELL programs below, please reach out to Ms. Mejia at samejia1@cps.edu

Volunteering at Ravenswood

• Interested in volunteering, click HERE

ASPEN Parent Portal

• Aspen Excused Absences: Parents and guardians can now submit and track student absences electronically. Here is more about this new feature: E-Absence Flyer.

Ravenswood Rambler

• Use this LINK to subscribe to the Ravenswood Rambler and stay on top of upcoming school events.

Ms. Paredes and I are requesting your feedback. Please take a moment to provide us with some constructive feedback regarding our leadership thus far. The Google Form is anonymous and will be used to make shifts in our leadership for the remainder of the school year. The feedback form can be found HERE.

Carolina and I are grateful to be part of this AMAZING community of students, staff, families, and community members. We look forward to continuing our work in partnership with you all and supporting, sustaining, and enhancing Ravenswood!