February 2026 IB Connection

• All February ~ ACCESS Testing
• February 6th ~ Q3 Progress Report Distribution
• February 9th- 13th ~ Kindness Spirit Week
• February 13th ~ PAC/BAC Meeting, 8am in Library
• February 16th ~ No School: President's Day
• February 17th ~ No School: Professional Development Day
• February 26th ~ Wellness Community Event, 5pm-7pm

Watch video below and reflect on ways that you can support your Locke student to become an empowered learner.

1. Supporting Autonomy In what ways does our daily routine allow our child to make their own decisions about how they spend their time or solve problems?

2. Responding to Curiosity What happens in our familu when our child asks a difficult question or challenges the way something is usually done?

3. Redefining Success How do we communicate to our child that the effort and the "messy" parts of learning are just as valuable as the final result or the grade?

4. Shifting Responsibility What is one area of life where we currently "do for" our child, and how might we step back to let them take ownership of that task?

5. Cultivating Voice How do we encourage our child to express their own interests and ideas, even when those interests differ from our own expectations?

Since the start of the school year, I have had the pleasure of visiting our Pre-K through 5th-grade classes (General Education) weekly to teach Social-Emotional Learning (SEL). Our lessons focus on identifying feelings and managing strong emotions through interactive games and videos.

Recent Highlights:

• Pre-K & Kindergarten: Students are practicing listening, teamwork, and observation skills through the game "Hot and Cold."
• 1st – 5th Grade: We are exploring the power of self-talk. This week, students practiced "freezing" when hearing negative statements (e.g., "No one likes me") and worked together to transform them into positive, realistic thoughts.

These lessons help students build the resilience needed to persevere through difficult moments.

If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out.

Karen Schwartz School Counselor, Grades PK-5

ksschwartz@cps.edu

Hello Locke families! I am your MYP School Counselor and PreK–4th Grade Bilingual Classroom Counselor. I am dedicated to supporting our students’ social-emotional growth and academic success.

What We Are Learning:

• PreK–4th Grade: We are focusing on "life skills" like managing emotions, solving problems, and building positive relationships through engaging classroom lessons.

• MYP (Middle School): Students are diving into Success Bound lessons, where we master goal setting, self-awareness, and high school readiness.

8th Grade Families: Save the Date!

The high school transition is an exciting time, and I am here to help you every step of the way.

• GoCPS Offers Released: Friday, February 13 @ 5:00 PM.

• Next Steps: I will be available to assist families with the process of accepting or declining offers once they are live.

It is a pleasure working with your children! If you have any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to reach out.

Ms. Eunice M. Smith, School Counselor Grades PK-4 (Bilingual) + 6-8

emarce@cps.edu

Kindness Week is here! It’s a dedicated time to transform our community through small, intentional acts of compassion. Check out the flyer for our specific theme days and join us in spreading goodwill.

Pre-K students in Ms. Rodriguez-Jordan's class (149) wrapped up their "How We Express Ourselves" unit with a fantastic showcase of storytelling. Working alongside their families, students created visual displays of stories that matter to them and did an incredible job presenting their work to the class.

As part of the "How We Express Ourselves" unit, students are discovering how music and dance can tell a story. After exploring different genres and sharing their favorite songs, the class transformed the dramatic play area into a performance studio. It’s been great to see them use role-play and dress-up to express their feelings and experiences.

In their "How We Express Ourselves" unit, Kindergarteners in Ms. Pantoja's class (153) are diving into big questions: "What is art?" and "Why do we create?" By experimenting with vibrant colors and diverse tools, these young artists are discovering joyful ways to communicate their unique emotions and creative ideas.

The students in Ms. Mantai’s class (Room 230) researched how the Earth's turning motion changes the lives of animals. They worked together to check their writing and make it better. To help everyone understand their work, they used easy-to-read labels, pictures, and charts that explain how animals move and sleep.

Students in Ms. Morden’s class (228) are currently engaging with the Skyline Math curriculum. These photographs document the class identifying and constructing mathematical patterns. Through this structured lesson, learners are developing foundational algebraic thinking by analyzing sequences and demonstrating their understanding of repetition and relationship through hands-on classroom activities.

In Ms. Soria’s class (227), students are studying 3D shapes. They started by discussing how different shapes look and feel. To learn more, students built their own models using toothpicks and playdough. By creating these shapes, they can easily count the faces (sides), edges (lines), and vertices (corners). This hands-on activity helps students understand, describe, and compare geometric figures more clearly.

Ms. Lee's class (104) recently brought their "Who We Are" unit to life through creative at-home projects. Using posters, dioramas, booklets, and slideshows, everyone shared the unique beliefs and values that shape their identity.

Ms. Mosquera's 3rd grade class (107) recently completed their informative writing unit on animal adaptations. After researching their chosen animals and writing detailed essays, students transformed their knowledge into 3D art! Each student created a habitat diorama showcasing how their animal has adapted to survive in the wild. To wrap up the project, students presented their findings to the class!

Our 4th graders recently enjoyed a special virtual visit from author Alice Faye Duncan, organized by the Chicago Public Library. Ms. Duncan shared a live reading of her book, The Dreamer’s Blueprint—a rhythmic poem inspired by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s famous "Life’s Blueprint" speech. Her visit encouraged our students to think about their own foundations for the future and the "blueprints" they are building today. We are so grateful to the CPL for bringing this literary event directly into our classrooms!

Fourth graders in Ms. Smith's class (120) recently collaborated on a mural honoring the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. To complement the artwork, students wrote original poems reflecting on their personal definitions of peace.

Congratulations to 5th grade students whose original poetry was accepted through a poetry contest to be published in Creative Communication's Fall 2025 Poetry Anthology. The book will be published this Spring.

The following students will have their work included:

• Room 204: Eliana, Eizah, Bella, Isabella, Noah, Kathy, Emanuel, Salma

• Room 205: Sophia, Yaretzy, Evelyn, Dorothy

• Room 206: Aaliyah

• Room 207: Avygail, Orion, Leonardo

During their 5th grade poetry unit in Ms. Salen's class, students created class poetry books featuring original individual and team poems from each student. They then held a series of Poetry Slams where students performed their poems for audiences of 4th and 2nd grade classes.

In Mr. Hernandez’s 6th-grade science class, students explored how heat moves. They used hands-on experiments to show how energy flows from a warm object to a cold one when they touch.

As part of their inquiry, students also learned to tell the difference between:

• Temperature: The average speed of tiny moving particles.

• Thermal Energy: The total energy of all those particles combined.

To launch our engineering design unit, seventh-grade students were challenged to act as engineers by constructing the tallest prototype towers possible. Each structure had to support the mass of an "observation deck," represented by a large marshmallow, while the building scaffold was constructed from dry spaghetti. As they moved through the Engineering Design Process, students gained hands-on experience with professional concepts such as proposals, constraints, and criteria.

Our 8th grade student group, Voice of 26, spoke to all Locke BAC/PAC parents this past month. They shared helpful tips on what 8th grade is like and how to get ready for high school. It was a great way for families to learn how to support their students for the big year ahead!

Students participated in a science fair showcasing a variety of student-led investigations. Participants demonstrated the IB learner profile traits of communicators and inquirers as they presented their findings and explored complex scientific questions. The event highlighted the students' ability to apply methodical research to real-world scenarios.

Locke School is honoring the legacy of Black leaders and encouraging our students to find their own voices to shape the future through various initiatives this February.

Here are a few things that students will experience on campus:

• Daily Inspiration: Students will see portraits and biographies of influential Black figures throughout the halls, including a special "Chicago’s Very Own" series celebrating local legends.

• Discussions and Projects: Classes are engaging in meaningful inquiry by researching Black innovators, activists, and artists to create projects that reflect their dreams for a better world.

• The "Wall of Fame": Check out the main office starting late February to see standout work from every classroom in the building from Black History Month.

Additionally, we encourage our families to take this time to reflect on the diverse stories that shape our world and consider how we can actively support an inclusive future. To help guide your family’s reflections, we invite you to explore these questions together:

• How do we encourage our children to seek out and honor life experiences that are different from their own?

• What steps can we take as a family to learn about the achievements of Black individuals that may not be part of our everyday conversations?

• How can we help our children recognize when something is unjust, and what language can we use to discuss those moments together?

• In what ways can we support our children in using their voices to make our community a more welcoming place for everyone?

• How do our family values align with the IB goal of being "internationally minded"? How does learning about Black history help our students understand their place in a global society?

Please see some below resources curated by our culture and climate team (CCT) to extend learning at home.

Ms. Casey Mcleod (left) - IB Primary Years Programme (PYP) Coordinator (PK-5) - cjmcleod@cps.edu

Ms. Anna Ziemniak (right) - IB Middle Years Programme (MYP) Coordinator (6-8) - aziemniak@cps.edu

Direct Line: 773- 534-3358