Archive for April, 2010
Help vote at Inter-American LSC election
I am helping a friend who needs help with their LSC election at a magnet school. The boundary for magnets is actually very wide, as you can see.) If you are in the boundary, why not stop by the school and take a peek? They have a great playground too. Even if your child doesn’t attend, building strong magnets is always a good thing (especially if CPS continues to give neighborhood priority.)
I am urging, pleading and begging residents who live in our very big voting area (Diversey to Foster, Lake Michigan to Western) to come vote on Wednesday, April 21 at Inter-American’s Local School Council (LSC) election.
This is a critical election. Our school was without a contract principal for four years, and it’s challenging to recover.
At Inter-American, these parent representatives will put the instructional needs of children first:
#12 LUIS VERA
#10 ANA CAMINO
#06 JOSE TORRES
#05 KAREN BARBOUR
#02 CLIFF MEECE
People can learn more by visiting http://progressivelsc.org and reading candidate descriptions and info below. The school is located at 851 West Waveland Ave. Chicago IL 60613 between the Whole Foods/Center on Halsted and Wrigley Field in East Lake View just south of Uptown. Polls are open 6am to 7pm. Bring 2 pieces ID, one with address. Voters in need of a ride can call 773-360-0650 or text iams@txt.att.net.
Thank you, Jill Wohl
P.S. There’ll be a bake sale, and we’ll likely be serving Intelligentsia coffee!
School Funding Rally Weds 4-21 9am
I am over-burdened by life lately, so I’ve got things pretty much on auto-pilot here. But of course this is really important for tomorrow:
Give the State of Ilinois an F for School Funding Report Card Wednesday
April 21
9:00 AM to 10:30 AM
Where:
James Thompson Center – 100 W. Randolph
(Outside plaza at the corner of Randolph and Clark)
Purpose:
This is a CPS multi-school parent-driven protest to express our
outrage with the current state funding to our schools.
Bring a Letter:
Collect letters from your school addressed to your state
representatives and state senators urging them for reform and the need for improved and sustained funding to our schools.
We will have a large collection box for your stamped letters. If you
need a sample letter, contact us.
Bring a Sign:
Bring your own signs. Remember the focus of this event is state
funding. Illinois has been at the bottom of the list in what it provides towards education for years. We were in bad shape before the budget crisis. We want fair and improved funding for our schools.
Children are welcome if their school is closed for report-card pick-up.
Check out the Facebook page, CPS Parents for Fair Funding. for
information as well as graphics that can be downloaded and used for letters, flyers and signs. If you have questions, contact Wendy Katten at wkatten@yahoo.com.
Easy way to protest education cuts !!!
No idea who created this awesome site, but try it out…. it will generate a letter to your appropriate politicians…
Of course it can’t be this easy. But it’s a start….
If you’re still waiting for letters…
If you still haven’t received notification from any schools, you can call the Office of Academic Enhancement at 773-553-2060. They should be able to tell you your waiting list position on every school you applied to (not for gifted/classical.)
I don’t understand WHY if the information is all centralized, they don’t send out ONE letter per students like GEAP does. Well. When I am in charge, that will change!
After the responses are collect by April 16, CPS will recalculate all the new openings and start on round 2 of contacting parents. Keep in mind that there will STILL be more openings in many schools/classes before the end of the year and over the summer as people decide to move, get spots in other schools, etc. It is a gradual process.
If you’re in a good spot on a waiting list (probably 10 top for sure, maybe even up to top 20 in certain schools) it could be worth staying on the radar of the admin and school clerk. Nobody really knows what happens in the middle of July when the school buildings are hot, things are a bit more casual, and a space opens up. Will the school clerk want to bid out that formal lottery list and start working her way down (knowing full well that many families will turn the spot down since they’ve landed elsewhere.) *Might* it not be easier to just call that family who you know will say yes? Hmmmm.
No idea if this is what happens, but just in case, it can’t hurt to stay visible. Those hot school buildings and fumes from the asbestos and lead paint might make people do crazy things… 
Private Transportation Service
Another reader contacted me with their transportation business.
I don’t know anything about them or their pricing, nor can I personally vouch for them, but BOY, what a helpful service for working parents.
If you’re in one of these schools areas, take a look:
Check out our family owned transportation service at http://www.legacyshuttle.com or on Facebook at, http://www.facebook.com/?ref=logo#!/pages/Chicago-IL/Legacy-Shuttle-LLC/127617239402?ref=ts
We currently serve families at: Ray, McDade, Beasley, Donoghue, Amandala, Fermi, and more.
Spaces are limited.
Our girls are 2 and 4 years old and we are already crazed : )
Springfield Day
A devoted blog reader asked that I post this. Due to his faithful readership and contribution of good comments, I am doing so.
For those who want to fight to save/increase funding for gifted programs, I think this rally happens every year. If you want to fight for it, this is your big chance of the year to join with other like-minded parents.
As my own personal disclaimer, I get occasional requests to post info or rally parents to fight for gifted funding. I would love nothing more than to see the gifted program in Chicago and IL grow. But given the reality of funding, I don’t know if I, personally, find this a top priority in education funding. There are a LOT of kids in our city who leave school barely being able to read and write and do basic math. They enter the workforce basically screwed. I know there’s not an easy fix for this, but I’d love to see more kids leave CPS with decent skills than to worry about the smartest of the smart having extra money for French and special in-depth projects. In theory, with decent teachers, does gifted education really need extra money? It seems that energy and effort are more in short supply in this area. So that is my disclaimer – had to get it off my chest.
But, feel free to rally yourself and others to attend this event and report back!
WHY PARTICIPATE IN SPRINGFIELD DAY
Dear parents and teachers, if we do not advocate for our children and our students, who will?
On April 21st, we have an opportunity to help our children and teachers and also to help thousands of teachers and hundred-thousands of the brightest minds of our state and our country. We have an opportunity to speak up, to come together, and to have our legislators take notice. Thanks to everyone’s efforts in Springfield Day 2008, $7 million was funded for Gifted Education in the State’s Board of Education budget. These funds helped to support professional development for teachers so that they can recognize gifted students and differentiate curriculum to meet their needs. There was no funding in 2009. Advocating for funding continues to be necessary.
There are more Reasons to Participate:
• Meet with your local legislators IN Springfield – It is vitally important that the collective body of legislators see that many constituents from across the state are concerned about gifted education and its need for funding. Going to meet them in Springfield leaves a lasting memory. The legislators spend so much time traveling back and forth to Springfield and some have other jobs as well. They appreciate their constituents visiting them in Springfield. All of us will undoubtedly get a greater appreciation for what legislators do by visiting them in the Capital.
• See how laws are made, see our Capitol in action, and visit Springfield attractions This is a great educational day for the children and students. They will be in the middle of it all, seeing how our government works, and visiting museums or historical sites. Both House and Senate are scheduled to be in session on April 21st. We will be able to see them from the House and Senate balconies.
• Show children THEY can shape the future of their education and the future of Gifted Education in Illinois. This day will be a day our children and our students will never forget.
• This opportunity to gather in Springfield happens only once a year.
• It will be a day that children will never forget!
PLAN FOR THE DAY
Our plan is to have Large Group common set of activities for all participants from
11:15 am – 12:15 pm. Families and groups can set up their individual time before or after the Large Group common time.
SCHEDULE
Morning WATCH LEGISLATIVE PROCEEDINGS, MEET WITH YOUR LEGISLATORS, EAT LUNCH, OR TRAVEL TO SPRINGFIELD – We recommend arriving in downtown Springfield by 10:45am to allow time for parking and walking to the check-in area. See links to Springfield maps on page 15.
11:15 am CHECK-IN TIME
Check in is at the lawn area between the Capitol and the Howlett Building. Howlett is just south of the Capitol.
*Map of the Howlett, Capitol, Stratton building (some legislators’ offices are there), and IL State Museum, are at http://www.cyberdriveillinois.com/departments/physical_services/pscomplex.html.
11:30am LARGE GROUP COMMON ACTIVITY FOR ALL GROUPS & FAMILIES
LARGE GROUP PHOTO on the Lawn between the Capitol and Howlett,
INTRODUCTION of Families and Groups by School Districts
MEET & GREET each other.
12:15 pm INDIVIDUAL GROUP OR FAMILY TIME
LUNCH – On your own – Have picnic lunch on the lawn or eat at Capitol cafeterias or nearby restaurants
MEET WITH YOUR LEGISLATORS – This is the reason we came to Springfield. Make sure you allow ample time to meet with them, for walking, and waiting.
WATCH LEGISLATIVE PROCEEDINGS – Watch proceedings from the House and Senate balconies.
VISIT SPRINGFIELD ATTRACTIONS (after meeting with legislators) –
We highly recommend visiting the Lincoln Presidential Museum in the afternoon. Museum information and other attraction information can be found on page 15.
Please contact Jill Ko at Springfield.day@sbcglobal.net or (630) 978-2327 to be added to the email distribution list, to register, ask questions, or send suggestions. Please visit IAGC website, http://www.iagcgifted.org for information.
Reflecting on the past week
Well, it’s been about a week now since people got their news and it’s been really interesting to read everyone’s input. Again, thanks for your kind words. If my blog made things more sane for anyone, I’m glad it helped.
I really do think that knowledge is power. I love that people were so open about sharing their scores and Tiers. I suspect it’ll be the closest that any of us get to really understanding how this new Tier system impacted the ability to gain a spot in a gifed/classical/magnet/academic center, etc. I really wish that CPS would publish stats on the test scores like they did for the high schools, just for our own knowledge.
I also love the posters who have come on to reassure those who are disappointed with their initial placement or lack thereof. It really helps to hear from others who have gone through the process already, doesn’t it? It was interesting to see the range in scores that people have reported for their child year to year on the Gifted/Classical testing. In the past I’d heard of plenty of 20 point swings, this year up to a 30 point swing. It’s proof that kids have their good days and bad days for testing.
The talk about academic centers has been really interesting to me. I’ve realized that I don’t really care whether my son is in schools where he is really pushed to his limit all the time. I just want him to get a good, solid education. And I think that is part of the frustration of CPS — the feeling that you get in a program with too much homework/too much work intensity, or you’re stuck with lack of stimulation. Why can’t there be more in between? I feel like the good neighborhoods schools are getting there, which is encouraging.
I’ll sad/mad/disappointed/not surprised that some schools have seemingly not sent out their lottery letters yet. I guess people will start hearing this week?
So now we wait for round 2. Once the acceptance dates pass, it seems to take CPS a few days to get new spots assigned and they’ll start mailing/calling? So keep the news coming in…..
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