Week 20 Update

Dear Students and Families,

I am thrilled to share some exciting news with our school community! Our school has been recognized by the Magnet Schools of America (MSA) with the Merit Award of Excellence, the organization’s highest honor. Additionally, we have been named a Top Magnet School, putting us in contention for multiple monetary awards. These awards will be determined following an upcoming interview and school visit by MSA representatives.

This recognition is a testament to the unwavering dedication, hard work, and excellence demonstrated by our students, staff, and families. Last year, we were proud to be the only school in the tri-state area to receive this prestigious award. This year, nine CPS schools have been honored with MSA awards, but we are especially proud to be the only CPS school to achieve this distinction for two consecutive years!

This milestone underscores the strength and commitment of our entire school community. It is a moment to celebrate and reflect on all we have accomplished together. Congratulations to each and every one of you—our success is shared!

Thank you for your continued support and partnership. Let’s keep soaring to new heights!

The Week Ahead:

• January 31: January Attendance Celebration

The Following Week Ahead:

• February 4: 25th Ward Community Event! All Welcome! 6-7:30 @ Jungman
• February 6: Scholastic Book Fair Opening!

Other events coming in February: Week of Feb. 10th Black History Spirit Week, February 14th Valentines Dance

Check out our Monthly Calendar for more important dates

Jungman received the Gold Circle of Quality rating for its PreK program. Schools that are rated Gold have met or exceeded state quality benchmarks on learning environment, instructional quality, and program administrative standards.

ExceleRate Illinois is a quality rating and improvement system that establishes a common vision of high quality early learning programs. Programs can achieve a Bronze, Silver, or Gold Circle of Quality rating by meeting or exceeding indicators established by ExceleRate Illinois. The ratings for CPS PreK programs are determined through CLASS observations.

Additionally, in 2023-2024, Jungman’s scores were maintained or improved from previous years. This will ensure a sustained Gold quality rating over the next 3 years.

Now that the new presidential administration is in place, I know that fear and anxiety are running high among many in our school community, especially our immigrant families. Our school is here to support you, and to provide the resources and reassurance to hopefully ease your concerns.

As a reminder, CPS is a District that has strong protections already on the books for our students and staff; you can read about them here. These protections were reaffirmed in a Board of Education resolution in November of 2024.

As a reminder, current federal law protects children’s rights to a free public education, regardless of their immigration status or their family’s immigration status. Current federal policy also places restrictions on the conduct of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) as it relates to schools. Schools are partially public buildings that are considered “sensitive locations,” where ICE is currently restricted from carrying out enforcement actions, with some exceptions.

Our school is filled with caring adults who will go above and beyond every day, not just to educate our students, but to care for and protect them. That’s why the best, safest place for your children is at school.

Please be sure your emergency contact information is up-to-date and on file at school. And please visit cps.edu/newadminguidance for information and resources pertaining to immigration, and to other groups that may be targeted by the new administration. Below are are helpful tools. We are here to support you if you have any questions or concerns!

• CPS's is providing our school communities with a new webpage, cps.edu/NewAdminGuidance, that has up-to-date information.
• There are also updated resources from the City of Chicago to support our families with legal services and hotlines, emergency family planning, healthcare options among other things. The guides can be found in English, Spanish, and French.

Know Your Rights
CPS is sharing this resource from the National Immigrant Justice Center with critical information that can help students and families protect themselves and defend their rights. We encourage you to share this information with others who may be impacted.

Trainings/Workshops

• Weekly, Starting Tuesday, Jan. 21, 9:30 a.m.: Enlace Chicago will be hosting weekly Know Your Rights workshops through the CPS Network 7 Pilsen/Little Village Parent University located at Perez Elementary at 2001 S Throop St. For more information and registration, please contact 773-379-5669. These sessions will be in Spanish.

Legal Resources

The Illinois Coalition of Immigrant and Refugee Rights (ICIRR) has created this list of dozens of local non-profit agencies providing free or low-cost assistance with immigration matters and forms, including:

• Family Visa Petitions (I-130)
• VAWA - Battered Spouse Self-petitions (I-360)
• Adjustment of Status/Residence/Consular Processing (I-485, OF-230)
• Waivers of Inadmissibility (I-212, I-601)
• Conditional Residence (I-751)
• Green Card Replacement (I-90)
• Naturalization (N-400)
• Acquired/Derivative Citizenship (N-600)
• DACA (I-821D)
• Asylum (I-589)
• Deportation Defense

Please visit the ICIRR website here for additional information

1. Registration Form: https://forms.gle/H8CepiZXwRBeYU8v7
2. Payment Options:

• Online: https://magic.collectorsolutions.com/magic-ui/en-US/Pay/Process/CartInformation
• Cash: Please come to the office and provide payment to Ms. Moreno or Mr. Alvarez. They will be able to provide a Jungman receipt.

Invites will go out on Monday for Math After School Programming! Keep in mind that the focus of this programming is based on student needs. An invitation to this program does not mean that your child is failing or falling behind. An invitation to this program means that based on their assessment data, classwork, etc, they could benefit from the topics that will be covered to push them more.

The invitations are also a first-come, first-serve! These after school programs will have small class sizes.

If you have questions, please reach out to Ms. McKittrick at cmmcnamara@cps.edu

Way to go Girls and Boys Basketball! This week was the opening weekend and both teams brought home incredible wins! Come to Saucedo on Saturdays to cheer them on!

Parents we need your help! This week our attendance was terrible.

There is no push to have your child come to school sick, but we have to push every single day that they are not sick to be in school, on-time, ready to learn.

Ms. Luzzi's has a perfect attendance challenge for the month of January:

3 grades, one from each grade band (K-2, 3-5, 6-8), will be awarded with an invite to the

Winter Games!

Winter Games is a festive and fun time for students to explore an art and craft, play holiday inspired games with friends or join a dance party.

End of the week leaderboard:

K-2: 1st Grade is in the lead 2 weeks in a row!

3-5: 4th grade edged out 3rd grade this week!

6-8: 8th grade is in the lead 2 weeks in a row!

This year, we are closely monitoring student attendance with the goal of reducing the rate of chronic absenteeism from its current 39%—which is 10% above the state average—down to 15%.

If your child is having issues with attending school regularly, please reach out to Ms. Sarah VanWolvelear at sevanwolvelear@cps.edu immediately to discuss supports and a plan!

Dear parents/guardians: In an effort to increase family engagement and involvement, we will continually share upcoming volunteer opportunities through the family bulletin.

To volunteer to support, parents/guardians must be CPS-Approved volunteers. Below, please find the application to become a CPS-approved volunteer. If you click on the button above you will have access to see and sign up for the different volunteer opportunities.

CPS Volunteer Application Link (English): https://chicagopublicschools.civicore.com/index.php?action=english

CPS Volunteer Application Link (Spanish): https://chicagopublicschools.civicore.com/index.php?action=spanish

Parents we need your help and your voice to help make our school a better place! This year, we are working to increase our parent presence in our school! Please read below for a few of the ways you can help!

Local School Council: Next Meeting is February 10, 2025 at 2:45 PM

• Comprised of parents, community, educational, and student members, LSCs serve as an important vehicle for participatory democracy, providing a wide variety of stakeholders an opportunity to make important decisions about how students in their communities will be educated.

Parent Advisory Committee (PAC): The next PAC meeting will take place on Friday, February 14th at 8:00am.

• Each academic year, schools establish Parent Advisory Councils (PACs) to bring together parents/legal guardians, teachers/staff, and community stakeholders to work with their school principal in the planning, design, implementation, and evaluation of the Title I Program. PACs empower parents to inspire and assist their children in achieving educational goals and graduating from elementary and high school.

Bilingual Advisory Committee (BAC): The next PAC meeting will take place on Friday, February 14th at 8:00am.

• Bilingual Advisory Committees (BACs) empower parents of English Learners (ELs) to participate in their student's education and advocate for the academic, social, and cultural development of all ELs.

The Eagle Alliance Movement (TEAM): Next Meeting is Wednesday, February 5th at 8:15 am

Upcoming Events/Fundraisers:

• Penny Wars from 2/20-3/14/2025
• March Madness
• Final 4 Parents Night Out 4/5/2025
• Double Good Popcorn fundraiser.