May 2026 IB Connection

• May 4th-8th ~ Staff Appreciation Week
• May 12th + 13th ~ High School Musical Jr, 5pm
• May 15th ~ BAC/PAC Meeting, 8am
• May 15 - 19 ~ 5th + 8th Gr Biliteracy Awards Assemblies

• May 20 - 8th Grade Luncheon

• May 21st ~ Literacy Night Community Event, 5pm
• May 25th ~ No School: Memorial Day
• May 29th ~ 8th Grade Graduation

We are looking forward to celebrating the hard work of our team this upcoming month. This year, our theme is "Go for the Gold," as we take a moment to recognize the incredible effort, dedication, and "championship" spirit our team brings to the building every day. While no participation is required, many families ask for ways to say thank you. A quick handwritten card or an email from you or your child is often the most valued gift a staff member can receive. If you are looking for contact information of any of staff, you can find it on our website here.

Our staff puts in the work behind the scenes to ensure every student succeeds. We look forward to a great week of cheering them on!

See attached link for our end of year spirit days!

In the IB framework, we move past "what" and "when" to explore "how" and "why." Conceptual learning shifts the focus from memorizing dates or formulas to understanding universal, transferable ideas—like change, systems, or perspective. This "big picture" thinking allows students to apply classroom lessons to the real world.

Building a "conceptual muscle" outside of school is about looking for the invisible threads that connect different experiences. Here is how you can foster deep thinking during daily routines:

• Ask "How is this like...?" - This builds the ability to see patterns across different contexts

• The "So What?" Factor - This helps students move from knowing a simple fact to understanding why that knowledge matters.
• Debate the "Gray Areas" - This encourages students to acknowledge that most global issues lack a simple "right" or "wrong" answer, but something more nuanced.

In our first participation in the Spanish Spelling Bee of Chicago Public Schools (April 29), Maximilian Camargo represented Locke in an outstanding way, with the support of his Language Acquisition teachers. This milestone marks the beginning of future competitions in which our community will continue to shine in language development and IB learner profile growth.

For the second consecutive year, Locke participated in the Spanish Oratory Competition of Chicago Public Schools (April 13–15). Leslie Román, Naidelyn Horta, and Oliver García, winners of the school-level competition in October 2025, represented our community with the support of the Language Acquisition team, demonstrating strong communication skills and IB learner profile attributes as global citizens.

On May 15, we will host our Biliteracy Assembly to recognize the 64 5th grade students awarded the Pathway to Biliteracy with medals and certificates. This year, we proudly celebrate biliteracy in Russian, Ukrainian, Arabic, and Spanish. Congratulations to all recognized students

Additionally, on May 19, we are proud to honor 55 of our 8th grade students who will receive their Biliteracy certificates during a school assembly. This year, we celebrate biliteracy in Arabic, Ukrainian, Czech, Vietnamese, American Sign Language, and Spanish. The Class of 2026 marks a milestone in Locke’s history: it is the first cohort to receive recognition in both 5th and 8th grade (as applicable), and for the first time, one student will be awarded a double medal. The Class of 2026 reflects the multilingualism that defines our IB community.

Students in Ms. Bloss' class (Room 148) celebrated Earth Day this week! They took a walk around the school noticing the beautiful trees and flowers beginning to grow. Students collected fallen sticks, leaves and weeds, then used their collection to create an Earth inspired craft. Students shared what they love about our Earth, and what they can do to take care of it. Happy Earth Month!

Students in Ms. Connelly and Ms. Gil's class (Room 147) have been becoming animals experts in their Sharing the Planet unit. They have been discussing the different communities animals live in. They created animals using their handprints and then used inventive spelling to label their animal community board. They also discussed how trash and garbage in the ground or ocean can negatively impact animals. They did a community clean up around Locke School. They discussed how important it is to keep our community clean and how they want to keep the Earth clean.

Students and families from Ms. Rodriguez’s Pre-K class (Room 149) gathered for a community cleanup day to demonstrate the true meaning of Sharing the Planet. Recognizing that every living thing—from neighbors to local wildlife—deserves a clean and healthy environment, the group led by example. By taking responsibility for their shared spaces, these young learners and their families showed the Earth some love and put their environmental values into action.

As part of their Sharing the Planet unit, the students in Ms. Lauren and Ms. Morgan's class (Room 150) have been hard at work planting a garden designed to provide food and shelter for local butterflies, bees, and birds. Beyond the initial planting, the students have taken full responsibility for the garden's maintenance, including regular watering. After noticing that some plants were accidentally being stepped on during recess, the class held a collaborative discussion to find a solution. They collectively decided to install a fence and create signs to help protect the growing sprouts and raise awareness within the school community.

The kindergarteners have been busy exploring the fascinating world of dinosaurs in anticipation of their upcoming field trip to the Field Museum. Students are actively asking questions, sharing their prior knowledge, and acquiring new vocabulary regarding various dinosaur species, their ancient habitats, and the methods paleontologists use to study fossils. Through a variety of hands-on activities, engaging books, and collaborative discussions, the class is fueling its curiosity and excitement to finally meet "Sue" and explore the museum’s renowned dinosaur exhibits.

In Ms.Morden’s 1st grade class (Room 228), students are turning into little engineers by using marshmallows and toothpicks to build their own 3D shapes. This hands-on activity helps the students see exactly how solid shapes are put together.

Students in Ms. Serrano's class (Room 226) have been diving into the fascinating world of traditional stories to discover exactly why these tales are told and retold across generations. Throughout the unit, students put their research and analyzing skills to work. They discovered that at the heart of every folktale is a moral or a timeless lesson. By practicing open-mindedness, students were able to view these stories from different perspectives and make meaningful connections between the tales and the real world. The most exciting discovery? Students learned that while the core message of a story stays the same, the characters, settings, and events can be adapted! They realized they could change these elements to reflect their own unique cultures, backgrounds, and personal interests to create their very own folktales.To bring this learning to life, our 2nd graders stepped into the roles of authors and illustrators. We are so proud of the creativity they showed in writing and designing their own published books.

Take a look below to see our students proudly sharing their unique, personal versions of these traditional stories!

Thanks to a generous grant, the 3rd grade students recently transformed into zoo explorers during an immersive trip to the Lincoln Park Zoo. The young researchers spent their day observing animals firsthand to inquire about the fascinating world of animal adaptations.

The students focused on how specific physical features and behaviors help animals survive in their unique environments. By watching the animals in action, the class identified various survival traits, such as the thick fur of cold-climate mammals, the specialized beaks of birds, and the camouflaged coats of predators. This outdoor exploration allowed the 3rd graders to connect their classroom learning to the natural world, turning the zoo into a living laboratory for scientific discovery.

In their unit, "Personal Beliefs and The World Around Me," students in Ms. Mosquera's 3rd grade class (Room 107) are participating in book clubs focused on inspiring changemakers such as Claudette Colvin, Sonia Sotomayor, Junko Tabei, and Michael Jordan. As they read and discuss these biographies, the students are uncovering how each individual's unique set of beliefs shaped their worldview and fueled a commitment to creating change. The 3rd grade students have thoroughly enjoyed acting as the leaders of their own learning.

In the current unit, 4th graders in Ms. Ocampo's class (Room 116) are stepping into the roles of geologists to explore how Earth’s features and natural resources impact society. During a recent activity, students made detailed observations of two distinct rock samples to draw conclusions about the ancient environments from which they originated.

By building on their background knowledge through tactile activities, these 4th graders are expanding their scientific vocabulary and collaborating with peers. They are learning to communicate complex ideas regarding how Earth changes over vast periods of time and the specific ways those geological shifts can influence human societies.

Students Ms. Kraft's 5th grade I&S Class had a wonderful visit from Illinois State Representative Eva-Dina Delgado. She spent time with them and answered the amazing questions they had for her. The students are wrapping up their unit on the United States Constitution and it was valuable to have a primary source in their classroom!

Students in Ms. Garcia's 7th grade science class are diving deep into the science of how plants grow. To bring their lessons on photosynthesis to life, the class welcomed a special guest, Ms. Katrina Milton, Director of the Cook County Farm Bureau. Ms. Milton provided the students with microgreen seeds to plant, observe, and eventually taste. These "super-plants" are impressive because they grow in just 7 to 14 days and are packed with vitamins. During her visit, she helped students connect their classroom experiments to the real world by explaining how photosynthesis serves as the backbone of the Illinois agricultural industry.

To understand the relationship between humans and plants, the students also conducted a "breath-taking" lab experiment using a carbon dioxide indicator solution. Students started with a magenta-colored liquid and blew into it using a straw. As they exhaled, the solution turned from bright magenta to clear. This color change happens because of Carbon Dioxide (CO2). When we breathe, our bodies go through cellular respiration, producing CO2 as a byproduct. This lab perfectly illustrated the partnership between plants and people: humans exhale the CO2 that plants need to survive, and in return, plants use that CO2 to grow and create the oxygen we need to breathe.

For the end of year project in Mr. Bermudez' 8th grade I&S class, students were tasked with investigating and research a topic of interest and creating a 3D artifact symbolizing what their project was all about.

Mental Health Awareness Month was established in 1949 by Mental Health America to reduce stigma and provide education on mental wellness. In the IB community, we view mental wellness as an important foundation that allows our students to truly embody being Balanced and Reflective learners.

Try these at home this month:

• The "High-Low" Dinner: Have everyone share a win and a struggle from their day to normalize talking about ups and downs.

• Digital Sunset: Pick a time for everyone (parents included!) to tuck their phones away to help brains decompress before bed.

• Mindful Transitions: When switching from school or work to home life, take three deep breaths together to reset.

Let’s keep looking out for one another and ensuring our homes and classrooms remain safe spaces for growth.

Ms. Casey Mcleod (left) - IB Primary Years Programme (PYP) Coordinator (PK-5) - cjmcleod@cps.edu

Ms. Anna Ziemniak (right) - IB Middle Years Programme (MYP) Coordinator (6-8) - aziemniak@cps.edu

Direct Line: 773- 534-3358