November 18, 2024

Talk about an omen! A parent shared this picture with us and I thought it was so cool. Yes, I know it is a coyote and as we all know (meaning I had to look it up) that coyotes are not officially wolves but let’s just go with it for now! Enjoy the picture of the “Edison Park Wolf” in front of our school. 

I also want to apologize for those who tried to join last week’s LSC meeting for the State of the School. We were testing out the link just before the meeting began and realized that it was not working the way we wanted. Sooooo….the back up was to record the session and share it with everyone…but then that didn’t work either. If you want to watch 3 minutes of me trying to set up the sound to the computer and no part of the presentation, let me know! 

In all seriousness, I am sorry to those who want to learn more about all of the great things we are doing at EPE. Here is a link to the slideshow (but know that it took about 90 minutes to get through so if you have questions, I am happy to explain any part of it.)

Some highlights I wanted to point out are as follows:

• 4th/5th Grade Team in LEAP Innovations Cohort 8: Focused on personalized learning with the support of online tools through an edtech company
• MS Teachers working with U of Chicago’s To & Through Middle School Network

• The Instructional Leadership Team (ILT) figuring out ways to incorporate Speaking & Listening standards in combination with Social Emotional Learning standards into daily tasks AND how to measure them
• Using AI to develop banks of resources to support our MTSS (academic) and SEL (behavior) goals at the school
• EPE is among the highest in rankings when it comes to High School Freshman on Track (100% with GPA > 3.0 AND attendance > 95%), high school graduation (97%), and College enrollment (75%) in comparison to all of the other NW side elementary schools 
• Creating a middle-of-the-year survey for parents to provide feedback on the school HW policy, communication from the school and teachers, community & family involvement, and other pertinent topics

	Upcoming Events: *Here is a link to all key dates/events this school yearMonday, November 25th – Friday, November 29th: Thanksgiving Break (no school) Future Dates: Wednesday, December 4th: Wellness Meeting (12:40 pm)Friday, December 6th: Mom’s Club Ornament Exchange Party (see below)Wednesday, December 11th: Cocoa & Carols (6 pm at Taft HS; 5 pm arrival for students performing)Friday, December 13th: Dad’s Club Holiday Party (see below)Friday, December 15th: Deadline (EXTENDED) to apply for school programs for the 2025-26 school year in GoCPSWednesday, December 18th: Winter AssembliesKindergarten – 2nd grade: 9 am3rd – 5th grade: 10 am
	K-2 Winter AssemblyWednesday, December 18th at 9:00am @ EPEDoors will open at 8:30am, so please plan accordingly, as we will not be able to let anyone into the building before then. 3-5 Winter AssemblyWednesday, December 18th at 10:00am@ EPEDoors will open at 9:45am, so please plan accordingly, as we will not be able to let anyone into the building before then.  Our K-2 assembly will be finished beforehand and you may enter at 9:45am.Please reach out to Mr. Arvan if you have any questions.Thank you, Mr. Arvan
	Cocoa and Carols Hello Middle School Families,The annual holiday concert Cocoa and Carols will be on Wednesday, December 11th, at 6:00pm at Taft High School (varsity campus).  All students in grades 6, 7, and 8 will be performing and are required to attend as part of their music grade.  Please see the below information:Date: Wednesday, December 11th.  Students must arrive at 5:00pm (the show begins at 6:00pm and will conclude at approximately 7:00).  There will be a brief reception afterward in the cafeteria with complimentary hot cocoa.Address: The performance is in the auditorium at Taft High School: 6530 W Bryn Mawr Ave.  (Enter on the NW corner of the building on Natoma Ave).Attire: Students should do their best to dress up (dark pants, jeans, skirt, dress, button-up shirt, sweater…etc).  Students may also wear festive winter accessories (hats, scarves, or anything that is school appropriate and holiday-themed).Book: Students should bring a book to read when offstage and not performing. Cell phone use will not be allowed during the performance, and middle schoolers will be expected to exhibit exemplary behavior while we are visitors at Taft High School.Pictures:  Please email a family picture to Mr. Arvan, which will be included in the show briefly during a song.Admission: Free!  All EPE community members are welcome to attend.  Doors will open at 5:30pm (Enter on the NW corner of the building on Natoma Ave).If you have any questions, please contact Mr. Arvan ([email protected]).Thank you, Mr. Arvan
	The Edison Park School Wellness Committee is looking for new members.  See the description below of what the wellness committee does.  If you’d be interested in joining the wellness committee, please email Martha Carman at [email protected].  Hope you can join us at our next meeting – Wednesday, December 4th @ 12:40.  Our EPE school wellness committee is a group that focuses on the health and well-being of students, staff, and families of the school community.  The committee’s responsibilities include: Implementing wellness policies: Ensuring that district wellness policies are implemented at the school building levelMonitoring and evaluating: Assessing the school’s health environment, programs, and policies, and identifying ways to improve themOrganizing events: Planning health-promoting programs or events at the school like family fit night, walk-a-thon, and field day.Communicating: Informing teachers, staff, students, and families about the school’s health and wellness effortsReporting: Completing the annual healthy CPS checklist
	REPOST: EPE Moms Club Ornament Exchange Holiday Party on Friday, December 6th at 7PM! Thank you Adriana Sherry for creating this amazing flyer! See it below for details and to RSVP! Ugly Sweaters are required! OK fine, it’s optional, BUT we will have prizes for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place! Hope you can all join the fun!
	Dad’s Club Holiday Party : Use this Evite link to RSVP to the Dad’s Club Annual Holiday Party on Friday, December 13th.
	Chess Wizards Classes at EPE!Check out the flier below to learn how you can sign up for chess classes starting after Winter Break.
	REPOST: Urban Wellness is thrilled to announce our new Mental Health Assessment + Referral Program.  We know that parents struggle not just to find mental health support for their kids and teens, but to know what kind of support they need.  Waitlists are long, there are so many types of providers, it can get really overwhelming.   Our Assessment + Referral program offers a one-hour comprehensive mental health assessment complete with an aftercare summary, recommendations for treatment and referrals to trusted providers.  We are currently accepting requests for assessments and we will endeavor to schedule them within 1-3 business days
	WEEKLY POST: Purchase EPE Spirit Wear: Don’t forget to order your new EPE Spirit Wear. The easy-to-use website can be found here.  WEEKLY POST: General LSC Information: If you are a parent, staff member, teacher, or community member, and you have a question/concern you would like the LSC to address, please contact those people using their emails found here. We are asking those who wish to make a comment or present a question during public participation at the next LSC meeting to complete this form. You have the option to have the Chair read the statements and questions aloud or to say them yourself. You can also sign up in person before the meeting begins