Week 19

Dear Jungman Families,

We hope your new year is off to a strong start! We have several important updates to share as we continue building a successful second half of the school year together.

Report Cards and IEP Progress Reports went home on Friday. Please take a moment to review your child’s progress, and don’t hesitate to reach out to their teacher if you have questions or would like to schedule a follow-up conversation.

As a reminder, strong attendance is one of the biggest predictors of academic success. Every day of school matters, and arriving on time helps students begin their learning day with confidence. Thank you for your continued partnership in ensuring our Eagles are present, prepared, and ready to learn.

Please remember:

• School day begins at 7:45 AM

• Students are tardy at 7:55 AM

• Doors open at 7:40 AM

When I was younger, my coach always told me: “Early is on-time, on-time is late, and late is unacceptable.” If I arrived late, my coach moved on to the person who was ready. Being on time is a life skill, and we appreciate your support in helping our Eagles build these lifelong habits.

We are thrilled to announce our upcoming Book Fair! Thanks to the incredible generosity of TEAM—who invested thousands of dollars into books for our students—every Jungman Eagle will receive one free book from the fair. This is only possible because of the strong parent support we receive each year.

Every purchase made at the Book Fair helps us continue providing high-quality reading materials to our students. This year, our goal is to raise over $4,000 so we can continue expanding classroom libraries and literacy resources. We also welcome parent volunteers to help run the fair, assist students in selecting books, and support checkout.

Thank you, families, for your continued partnership, generosity, and commitment to our community.

Jungman thrives because of you!

At Jungman, we believe that Attendance = Opportunity. When students come to school every day and on time, they build strong learning habits, strengthen their academic skills, and stay connected to our school community.

For the 2025–2026 school year, we are launching a refreshed Attendance Initiative designed to support families, encourage consistency, and celebrate student success.

🎯 Our Schoolwide Attendance Goals

• Maintain 95% or higher Average Daily Attendance

• Reduce chronic absenteeism (missing 10%+ school days) from 35.9% to 25%

• Increase daily on-time arrival

Your partnership is key to helping students reach these goals!

💡 How Our Attendance Support System Works

Tier 1 – Support for All Students

Every student receives:

• Daily attendance reminders

• Classroom attendance trackers

• Monthly celebrations:

  • The Champion’s Break (fun recess-style celebration)

  • 100% Club for perfect attendance

  • Best in Grade Band Award

• No Tardy Party & Perfect Attendance Par-tay
  Students with zero tardies + perfect attendance earn a monthly surprise. Parents of these students are also entered to win a gift card.

Regular communication includes newsletters, TalkingPoints messages, and reminders at school events.

Tier 2 – Extra Support When Attendance Slips

Students with 5+ absences or attendance between 80–90% receive:

• A Tier 2 notice

• A brief meeting with a teacher, counselor, or administrator to discuss barriers and create a plan

• Follow-up check-ins

• MTSS (Student Support Team) monitoring

If attendance improves for two full months, students return to Tier 1.

Tier 3 – Intensive Support

For students with 10+ absences or ongoing challenges:

• Families receive a Tier 3 notice

• A meeting to identify root causes and create a support plan

• Possible referrals for counseling, social work, or community resources

• Home visits if needed

• Weekly team monitoring until improvement is seen

⏰ Tardies

Arriving on time sets students up for success.

• All tardy students will bring home a form to be signed and returned the next day.

• Students who are late regularly will receive additional support from our counselor and administrative team.

📅 How We Track and Celebrate Attendance

Weekly:

• Classes receive attendance updates

• Staff review schoolwide patterns

Monthly:

• Attendance celebrations

• Updated attendance letters for families

• Students may move up or down support tiers based on data

Quarterly/Semesterly:

• Certificates, pins, and recognition for high attendance

🤝 How Families Can Help

• Establish consistent morning routines

• Plan appointments outside school hours when possible

• Communicate with us about any challenges your family is facing

• Reach out if you need help with transportation, uniforms, or morning support—our team is here for you

Together, we can help every Jungman student show the POWER of Presence and become a true Attendance Champion.

Please reach out to our main office with any questions or needs!

Check out a short podcast created by Notebook LM to help explain this program: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1i9bgYI-hlh5rC56pix4A3MhW1x65Iz1W/view?usp=sharing

January 2026

Monday, January 12: LSC Meeting 1:45 PM

Tuesday, January 13: Graduation pictures for 8th and Kinder

Friday, January 16: 1st Semester Awards Assembly 1:00 PM in the gym; Parents welcome!

Monday, January 19: Martin Luther King Day! No Classes

Wednesday, January 21: Special Olympics

Monday, January 26: **Gabriel's Light Presentation for Grades 6-8

Wednesday, January 28: Special Olympics

Friday, January 30: **Gabriel's Light Presentation for Grades 4-5

**Gabriel's Light Mission: We forward our mission to prevent youth suicide by providing mental health education that transforms awareness into empowering action. In addition, we maximize our efforts by partnering with a select few like-minded organizations and by providing resources to parents, educators, and kids to inspire life-saving action.

Our Eagles continue to shine—both in and out of the classroom!

• Girls Basketball: In a true nail-biter, our girls pulled out a huge win over Saucedo to remain undefeated!

• Boys Basketball: Our boys also dominated and beat Hammond, keeping their undefeated season alive!

• Science Olympiad: A group of our middle school students participated in the Science Olympiad assessments at the University of Chicago, representing Jungman with hard work, curiosity, and excellence.

Our Eagles are doing amazing things every single day, and we are so proud of their accomplishments. Keep soaring, Eagles! 🦅💙

There are changes that will roll out begining in February for the State of Illinois regarding SNAP benefits. Please visit these links that has information that CPS is providing to our families. As always, if you have questions, wonderings, or if need support, please don't hesitate to reach out

Updates: English | Spanish

You can also visit this website from the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) for complete and up-to-date information on SNAP benefits, and you can visit CPS’ SNAP page at cps.edu/snap.

REVISED! SORRY ABOUT THE CHANGE!

• Boys Basketball:
  

  Regular Practices: Mondays and Wednesdays

  Coach: Mr. Castillo (scastillo34@cps.edu)

• Girls Basketball:
  Regular Practices: Tuesdays and Thursdays

🗓Games are on Saturdays
Parents are responsible for transportation and ensuring players can commit to practices and games.

For questions, please contact the coaches directly.

To volunteer at Jungman, you need clearance, EVERY SCHOOL YEAR, from Chicago Public Schools! This requires a few steps!

1. Login/Create an account online
2. Bring your photo ID to the office or email it to Ms. Jessica at jmoreno83@cps.edu
3. WATCH for an email from CPS that has a video you need to watch. When you complete the video, you download and send a copy of the certificate to volunteer@cps.edu

If you don't follow these steps, you will not be approved! This is not a Jungman policy, this is a District Policy!

The Eagle Alliance Movement (TEAM) is a dedicated group of parent volunteers who bring our school community to life! They plan exciting events, organize fundraisers, and support key student initiatives—all with the goal of making our school stronger and more connected.

Everything they do is powered by 100% volunteer energy, creativity, and care. From community-building events to fundraising efforts, TEAM works hard to create opportunities for families, students, and staff to come together.

Check out the section below for their community initiatives, fundraising projects, and this year’s calendar of events.

If you’d like to learn more, get involved, or share ideas, reach out anytime at hello@teamjungman.org TEAM would love to hear from you!

January 23-26: Double Good Fundraiser! Goal is to raise 35,000 by selling popcorn! If we hit that mark, we can replace over 40 chromebooks, which is desperately needed!

February 23-March 16: Penny Wars! Goal is raise over 1000.00 in a fun way that puts gradeband against each other. These funds help support the purchasing of supplies for each classroom like lysol wipes and paper towels

Email: svmazenis@cps.edu
Website: jungmanstem.org

Phone: (773) 534-7376