This Week at Waters - August 21

Waters Families,

Please pardon the lengthy newsletter this week. Most of the information is also posted on the Policies & Procedures page of the website and will be updated as necessary.

The welcome back packets will be a little thinner this year as Waters is moving to Docusign for the Back to School forms. Your "envelope" will be arriving via email within the first two weeks of school.

We are looking forward to seeing everyone on Monday morning!

Mr. R.

The Waters Climate & Culture Team guided the process of creating schoolwide behavior norms last school year. Students shared their ideas and insights through a variety of artistic activities. They wrote and performed skits to demonstrate how a Waters student should act in various spaces throughout the school. For comic relief, they also created skits as "non-examples", showing what a student absolutely should NOT do on campus. Additionally, students crafted artwork and engaged in authentic discussions about their own experiences.

The new norms and hand signals are on the t-shirts for this school year. Teachers will be working with student during the first weeks of school to learn, practice and implement the norms. Each norm also has its own hand signal!

The purpose of grading is to communicate students' progress toward a learning standard. Waters has made some revisions to grading and homework practices, with the overarching goal of increasing clarity. Please see the information below for revisions in place for the school year.

Grade Categories

There will only be two grading categories in each class schoolwide.

• Formative (60% of Overall Grade) - Assignments done "on the way" to mastering the learning standard. Examples of these assignments are regular practice in class, quizzes and homework.
  
  
• Summative (40% of Overall Grade) - Assignments demonstrating mastery of the learning standard. Examples of these assignments include unit tests, final projects and culminating presentations.

Homework Updates:

• No graded homework from Kindergarten through 3rd Grade. Enrichment and practice work will be shared with families as a optional extension. Teachers will not enter scores in ASPEN or give feedback on these materials.
  
  
• Homework for grades 4th-8th grade will still be a maximum of 10% of the overall grade and will be listed under the Formative category.

Students are not allowed to use AI on assignments, unless the teacher provides written permission with specific guidance for the assignment.

In order to prevent disruption to the learning environment for all students, students are NOT permitted to use cellular devices, including watches with cellular capability, during class or in the school building.
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• Students K-4th Grade: If students are using a personal device, they will receive one warning. If a student continues to use the device, it will be confiscated.
  
  
• Students 5-8th Grade: Students must turn in devices at the beginning of the school day to homeroom teachers. If a student has a device after collection, it will be confiscated.

Confiscated cellular devices and personal electronics will only be returned to a parent at the end of the school day.

Disruptive student behaviors are managed according to the CPS Student Rights & Responsibilities Handbook (English, Espanol). Group 1 & 2 infractions are managed at the classroom level. Please see the steps below followed for student misconduct in groups 1 & 2. Group 3 behaviors and above are managed by school leadership.

K-5th Grade

1. Verbal Warning to Student

2. Parent notification by email

3. Parent-Teacher Conference (School Administration May Be Present)

6-8th Grade

1. Verbal notification to student of infraction and check.

2. Parent notification by email.

3. After school detention, email to parent sent by the teacher issuing the 3rd check. Repeated behaviors may result in additional interventions and consequences.

More detailed information regarding incentives for positive behavior will be sent directly to parents from teachers.

Registration for Math Circles of Chicago fall sessions is open! The lottery for our 7 'Hub' locations runs on August 30th and is open to all 3rd to 12th graders. You can participate at any of our sites around the city--Austin, Back of the Yards, Hyde Park (UChicago), North Center (Lane Tech), Old Town (Payton), West Ridge, and now Chicago State University in Roseland. We run six weekly sessions at each site in the fall (and seven in the winter).

Sign up at https://www.mathcirclesofchicago.org/register and text questions to 872-216-1718 or email info@mathcirclesofchicago.org.

WowButter is a popular, award-winning peanut and tree-nut-free spread made primarily from toasted whole soybeans. It is designed to look, smell, and taste remarkably like traditional peanut butter, making it a highly sought-after alternative for allergy-conscious households and school lunches.

• Nut-Free & Allergy-Safe: It is produced in a dedicated 100% peanut, tree nut, gluten, dairy, and egg-free facility. [1, 2]
  
  
• School Safe: Every jar comes with supportive School Lunch Identification Stickers so school officials can easily verify that it is safe. [1, 2]
  
  
• Superior Nutrition: It provides 7g of complete plant protein per serving. Because it is soy-based, it delivers all 9 essential amino acids and 1000 mg of Omega-3 per serving. [1, 2, 3]
  
  

Collection is Next to the Fish Tank