Principals' Newsletter - December

December brings with it a festive spirit, and it's a month filled with various cultural and religious celebrations. It's an opportunity for us to embrace the diversity at Ravenswood and learn from the rich traditions of team members, families, and community members.

Additionally, this season, let's challenge ourselves to find joy in the simple pleasures - a cozy mug of hot cocoa, the laughter of loved ones, and the beauty of a snow-covered landscape. Embracing the magic in these small moments can truly make this season special. Happy Holidays!

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

• Congratulations to the 8th Grade Girls Volleyball Team for an undefeated season! They were 2023 Champs!

• We are so proud of our 5th/6th Boys Soccer Team for their strong finish to their season. The boys played with heart, worked as a team, and supported each other throughout the season.

• The Eye for Equity Team met on November 7, 2023 and discussed equity, microaggressions, and how to build trust amongst the community. We invite all of you to continue in the conversation and join us at the next meeting on January 9th at 7:00pm.

• Our Multicultural Club has been exploring the world. They have researched Mexico and are now on to Germany. Thank you Ms. Saleh for being a guest teacher!
  

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

Diwali is India's biggest holiday of the year. The festival get its name from the row (avali) of clay lamps (deepa) that Indians light outside their homes to symbolize the inner light that protects from spiritual darkness. Thus, the tradition of lighting oil lamps during this time symbolizes the victory of good over evil, victory of light over darkness, knowledge over ignorance, and hope over despair.

We would like to THANK our Cultural Committee, Melvy Lima, Shay Windsor, Claire Meidroth, and Nitya Sharma, for this creative, beautiful display and after school event on November 13th. Students and families had an opportunity to decorate a clay lamp and learn about Diwali.

During inclement weather (extreme temperatures, rain showers, blizzard, etc.), Ravenswood will implement its indoor arrival protocol. The CPS Weather Guide is referenced when making this decision.

During this protocol, orange flags will be raised outside of Door 2, Door 7, and Door 8 to inform students of indoor arrival starting at 8:25am.

Lastly, Paulina and the alleys will not be blocked during indoor arrival protocol. For the safety of our students, Paulina and the alleys will remain blocked during regular drop off and pick up. This practice was approved by Alderman Matt Martin's office.

The doors below have been assigned to grade levels for a safe entry into the building.

Inclement Weather Arrival Protocol:

• Gym Doors: 5th-8th
• Door 2: K-2nd
• Door 7: 3rd-4th
• Door 8: PreK

After School Programming

Enrichment and academic programs have been a huge success. We currently have 52% of students from K to 8th grade enrolled in after school programming.

After school programs that have ended:

• Engineering
• Yoga
• Full STEAM Ahead
• Board Games
• Chicago Fire
• Arts for Empowerment
• Tennis
• Pom/Dance/Cheer

The programs below are scheduled to end the week of 12/11 to 12/15:

• Arts and Crafts

• Code with Us
• Girl Scouts

• HW Help (4th-6th)
• Multicultural Club
• MUSE: Violin, Ukulele, Keyboard
• Procreate 101
• RJMS (5th/6th) Math Enrichment
• RJMS Math HW Help
  
• RJMS Science Club
• RMS HW Help
• Young Men's Club

Programs that will continue all year:

• Academic Support for 5th & 6th with Mr. Fish (T &TH)
• Academic Support for 1st to 3rd with Ms. Peterson (T & TH)
• Academic Support for 4th grade with Ms. Brown (T & W)
• English Learners support for 6th to 8th grade with Mr. Zavala (M-Th)

If you are interested in enrolling your child, please reach out to our afterschool coordinator, Ms. Mejia at samejia1@cps.edu

Spring Programming information is forthcoming!

Please see the following updates and action items:

• 12/4 -12/8: Vision Hearing Screening for students in PreK-3rd and 8th grade
  

• 12/7: FORS meeting, 7pm
• 12/9: Ravenswood Community Service Food Pantry, 9am
• 12/11: Bilingual Advisory Meeting (BAC), 9am
• 12/11: LSC meeting, 6:15pm
• 12/13: Dental Team Visit for students
• 12/15: Coffee with the Principals, 9am
• 12/15: Snowball Dance for PreK-4th grade students and families, 5pm
• 12/22- 1/7: Winter Break. Happy Holidays!

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!