This Week at Waters - April 17

Waters Families,

We look forward to Big Night tonight! Big Night raises essential funds to support programming at Waters. This year's Gift from the Heart appeal is for funds to start the Waters School Band. Please see below for more information.

With kindness,

Mr. R.

Friends of Waters will be hosting Big Night 2026 TONIGHT at 7PM at Sarabande! Volunteers have been hard at work to make the evening both a successful fundraiser and a whole lot of fun. We’ll be serving drinks and food, hosting a Tarot reader, and opening up the dance floor.

All auction items, including community- and family-donated items, Teacher Parties, and school-hosted VIP Experiences, are open to everyone. Even if you aren’t able to attend Big Night, you are still welcome to join both the auction and the 50/50 raffle, where one lucky winner will split the pot with Waters! You have until tonight at 10PM to bid.

We hope to see you there!

Read more about the event here:

https://www.friendsofwaters.org/bignight2026.html

Buy tickets and view auction items here:

bn2026.givesmart.com

If you're in need of a free or reduced cost ticket, here are the codes:

• Reduced – Provides access to a $125 reduced-price ticket.
• COH2026 – For guests associated with COH. This code provides a complimentary ($0) ticket.

This year’s Volunteer Orientation will be April 25 10am-12pm! The orientation will begin at 10:30am. This kicks off our official workdays for the season! Whether you’ve been with us for years or are curious about getting involved, we’d love to see you there!
During the orientation, we’ll walk through everything you need to feel comfortable pitching in, including:

• A tour of the garden layout and planting areas
• Where to find tools
• How to access water
• Tips for weeding and other common garden tasks and general garden etiquette

Math Circles of Chicago’s Summer Camps

The lottery for Math Circles of Chicago’s summer camps is open, with a lottery on April 27th (after 4/27, remaining spots are open first come, first serve). Our camps serve rising 5th to 12th graders and are located in Austin, Back of the Yards, Old Town, Pilsen, and Rogers Park, and meeting dates vary by site. Learn more here! Please post our flyers--this one is for all camp levels, and this flyer is for our high school camps specifically. We have stipends for qualifying students attending our camps in Austin, Back of the Yards, and Pilsen.

Citywide Math Festival on 5/16

Families, come join Math Circles Chicago for a fun, hands-on, energizing math festival on Saturday, May 16th. The festival will be held at Payton High School at 1034 N. Wells in Old Town on Saturday, May 16th, from 1:30 PM-3:00 PM. The festival is open to K to 8th graders and their families (all children must have at least one parent or guardian attend). Please share this Family sign up form and spread the word!