Summer Update

Be Honest and Take Responsibility

Waters Families,

Tomorrow is the last day for our summer office hours. If you need to register your student, you will need to come in on Wednesday, August 12 when the Main Office reopens for regular hours, which are 7:45 AM - 3:30 PM. Information on registration requirements is posted at waterselementary.org.

Please make sure to pay your Student Fees for the 2026-2027 school. There is more information explaining what the fees cover and methods of payment further down the newsletter.

Enrollment in the Right at School After Care program is open. We will have a new on-site manager for the program. Ms. Andrea, who had been at Waters before last school year, will be returning to run the program.

Finally, we have some new staff members joining us this year and one staff member moving into a new role. Please see their introductions and restaurant recommendations below.

With kindness,

Mr. R.

Hello Waters Friends!

My name is Victor Aragon, and I am excited to join Waters in a new position as an ELA teacher. I have been a Waters parent for 12 years. My daughter attended here from K-8, who is about to start her senior year in high school, and I have a son who is now an 8th grader.

I was born and raised in the Uptown neighborhood to immigrant parents who taught me to always work hard for what I want. I took that work ethic to school and earned a Bachelor's in Secondary Education English with a minor in Linguistics. I worked in an Elementary school in the Humboldt Park neighborhood for two years. Due to CPS budget cuts at that time I, along with many other teachers and CPS staff were let go, and I ended up working at Grubhub corporate for several years. After seeing that growth was not an option, I left the corporate world and became a SECA at Waters.

In this position, I was able to work in a school again and feel fulfilled helping students in the classroom. Being a SECA helped me see what has changed in the classrooms and how students are learning. I knew I eventually wanted to go back into teaching, and I was looking into going back to school to become a Diverse Learner teacher. This opportunity presented itself, and I knew it would be the right fit.

I am excited to work with students and bring my previous work experience into the classroom. As someone who loves the art of writing, I am excited to share that passion with my students and to help them express their creativity with their classmates. We will all learn to work together and help one another to be the best we can, not only in the classroom but also outside.

Outside of the classroom, I am an avid movie lover. I write reviews for my website, Fandads, and on occasion get to interview a celebrity for the site. I started a film club at Waters, which I am hoping to continue this coming semester. I ran a few Chicago Marathons as a St. Jude Hero and Ambassador. In this role, I raised money for families of St. Jude by running full and half marathons. I am looking to get back to running soon. I enjoy spending time being active with my family, watching movies, and attending comic conventions with them. We also like to try out new restaurants.

One of my favorite restaurants/bar recently is The Western. They do have some good food choices, but I really like their wings. They are delicious and crispy and have a great kick to them. Also, try the fried ice cream churro dessert! It is incredible!

I am beyond excited to meet you all and join this Waters Elementary School Community! I grew up in the Chicago suburbs in a family of elementary school teachers, and originally, my rebellious side never considered teaching as the path for me. I earned a BFA in Musical Theater from Webster Conservatory of Theater Arts and have worked as an actor across the Midwest for the past 8 years. As all actors do, I held a wide variety of jobs to support myself, from kayak guiding to political organizing, eventually leading me to substitute teach for CPS. Well, the education bug bit me hard. I graduated from Loyola's Graduate School of Education with my Master's of Education this past spring.

I'm dedicated to creating an equitable, creative, and courageous classroom for the incoming 2nd Grade students. I have a passion for strategically supporting foundational literacy skills through interdisciplinary teaching. I love using dramatic play to transform a classroom into an incubator for experiential learning, and I can't wait to connect with these students and their families to start building a rich learning environment together.

When I'm not teaching, I usually can be found working on productions with my Shakespeare Company "Olde School Shakes," which focuses on contemporizing classical stories to make Shakespeare more accessible for modern audiences. If I'm not too busy with that, I love kayaking and paddleboarding in our beautiful Chicago waterways or crocheting while catching up on my favorite Bravo shows.

A restaurant I recommend is Bungalow by Middlebrow: of the best patios and pizzas in town!

I'm so looking forward to getting to know you all as I embark on the first steps of my teaching career.

Hi Waters Elementary Community,

I am so excited to be returning to Waters as a permanent Middle School Science teacher! Last year, I had the opportunity to learn from Mrs. Ballasch as a student teacher and got to know the school. I’m looking forward to coming back, seeing familiar faces in the halls, and meeting even more great people.

This school year, I am excited to bring my science knowledge to the classroom. I’ve been in several different science-related positions from running a 4H club in Twumguaso, Ghana to a laboratory technician at Northwestern University. I’ve worked in agriculture, genetics, and genomics and love to thread my interests into the classroom. My goal is to bring engaging project-based science lessons that students can dig their teeth into with various opportunities for social-emotional learning. I’m looking forward to taking on the White Pines Ranch 6th grade field trip for nature-based education as well.

Outside of the classroom, I love cuddling my cat, playing volleyball, and giving bicycle tours of downtown Chicago. I often recommend Waffles to guests on my tours because their breakfast is the best meal of the day. I love the quick service in the South Loop location and look forward to many more waffles from the Lincoln Square joint as well. Their half-order of a cheddar and short rib waffle with savory eggs and potatoes can’t be beat.

Hope to meet you soon,

Lauren Seeley

(she/her/hers)

School Fees have been added in ASPEN (aspen.cps.edu). You may also submit a check directly to the main office with the student's name written in the notes section.

Purchasing materials through the student fee enables us to make sure every student has what they need for the first day of school and save families money through bulk purchasing.

Waters' School Fee ($175 per student) includes the following:

• Student instructional supplies (folders, pencils, notebooks, etc.)

• Consumable student textbooks/workbooks

• Online licenses for student accounts

• Local classroom field trips for the school year

• One School Spirit T-Shirt

The fee DOES NOT include:

• Personal items like backpacks, lunchboxes and water bottles

• Overnight & Downstate Field Trips (White Pines Ranch, Springfield and New York City)
  
  

Student fees are due Friday, September 18. There is no student fee for PreK.

For any issues with the school fee or accessing your parent ASPEN account, please email Ms. Mendez.