The Report Card on Chicago Public Schools

Our principal refers to the goal as Continuous Improvement, but it must be celebrated that CPS has seen its record high graduation rates and enjoys the fact that all 10 top Illinois Schools according to US News And World Report are CPS Schools. This is an achievement only won through the shared dedication of Teachers and Parents, Administrators and, perhaps mostly, Students.

As a Community Representative who serves on a council of a city-wide elementary school, this news inspires optimism. Having full confidence that our students whom we educate with such enthusiasm, all 1,542 at Disney– from prekindergarten through eighth grade– have more opportunities to continue their stellar and well-rounded education. Yet, the discrepancy between schools that have against the schools that have not can not be ignored.

It is a hard fact to face: zip codes can determine the direction and resources provided to our students, Disney and beyond, and many of our kids at Disney are from those different zip codes.

As a stark example, 48.1% of our children at Disney are Black while our Buena Park neighborhood is only 9% Black.

These are reasons why I am involved. Because if we combine our tangible talents with our shared goals, continual improvement is possible. Zip codes do not have to be determinants of poverty.

We are proving that.

Looking forward,

School Resources I have Received

How can my child log in to their CPS account?
Students should visit cps.edu/portal to log on to their CPS accounts.If you do not remember your CPS account information, follow the steps in our password reset guide. ( Spanish Polish | Arabic Urdu Chinese)If your child does not have a CPS.edu account, click here for instructions on how to set up the account for the first time, also known as “claiming an account.”  ( Spanish Polish Arabic Urdu Chinese)

More than 100,000 CPS students are eligible for Chicago Connected, so don’t assume your family does not qualify. You can check your eligibility here. If you are not eligible for this service, other low-cost internet options are available here.

I am not able to purchase a device for my child. Who can I contact to get my child a laptop or tablet?
CPS is committed to providing any child in need with a device so that they can learn successfully at home. Please contact your principal or school technology coordinator for information and next steps. “

No creo que mi familia califique para el programa de Chicago Connected. ¿Cómo podemos obtener servicio de internet en casa?
Más de 100,000 estudiantes de las CPS califican para el Chicago Connected, por lo que le pedimos que primero compruebe su elegibilidad aquí. Si usted no es elegible para obtener este servicio, puede encontrar otras opciones de internet de bajo costo aquí.

No puedo comprarle un dispositivo digital a mi hijo. ¿A quién puedo contactar para conseguirle a mi hijo una computadora portátil o una tableta?
Las CPS se comprometen a proporcionarles un dispositivo digital a todos los niños que lo necesiten, con el fin de que puedan aprender con éxito en casa. Por favor, póngase en contacto con el director o el coordinador de tecnología de la escuela para informarse de más detalles o de los siguientes pasos. ¿Cómo puede mi hijo acceder a su cuenta de CPS?
Los estudiantes deben visitar cps.edu/portal para ingresar a sus cuentas de CPS.

Si no recuerdan la información de su cuenta de CPS, pueden seguir los pasos que se mencionan en nuestra guía para restablecer una contraseña olvidada.

Si su hijo no tiene una cuenta en CPS.edu, haga clic aquí para obtener instrucciones sobre cómo configurar (o “reclamar”) una cuenta por primera vez.
¿Por qué GoGuardian u otras extensiones continúan en uso después de que los estudiantes se hayan desconectados de sus clases virtuales?
Las extensiones estudiantiles como GoGuardian permiten el monitoreo de los maestros y el manejo del aula cuando un estudiante se haya conectado a Chrome usando sus credenciales de CPS. El rastreo de estas aplicaciones se limita al historial del navegador de la cuenta de CPS, que ya haya iniciado sesión. Pero el mismo no recoge información sobre los otros usuarios de Chrome en el dispositivo. Los únicos datos de la cuenta que se recopilan se limitan al navegador específico de Chrome, en el que el estudiante haya iniciado sesión.

Tras salir del aula virtual, asegúrese de que su hijo cierre sesión de su cuenta, y que cierre el propio navegador. 

¿Por qué los maestros graban las sesiones de clase virtual, y necesitan ellos mi consentimiento para hacerlo?
Los maestros graban las sesiones de clase para que los estudiantes puedan consultar las lecciones previas, y puedan tener dominio de los conceptos. Si bien no se requiere el consentimiento activo de los participantes del aula, los maestros deben notificarles a los estudiantes y a los padres que la clase será grabada. 

Se les exige a los educadores tener la cámara encendida durante la clases virtuales que se llevan a cabo en tiempo real. También se les alienta a los estudiantes a que la tengan encendida, con el fin de proporcionar un mejor entorno de aprendizaje en el que los maestros puedan captar las indicaciones no verbales, como las inclinaciones de cabeza, las cejas fruncidas y las sonrisas. Sin embargo, usted puede optar por apagarla, si no desea que su hijo aparezca en una grabación.

De acuerdo con la guía de Estándares de conducta entre el personal y los estudiantes, que se publicó ayer, si un docente realiza una reunión de manera individual con un estudiante, el maestro debe grabar la sesión. Además, el padre o tutor debe dar su consentimiento para que se realice dicha grabación.

¿Puedo inscribirme en los servicios de supervisión de niños durante el aprendizaje remoto?  
Si usted está interesado en obtener estos servicios, por favor complete esta encuesta. Las CPS les está dando prioridad a los estudiantes en situaciones de vivienda temporal, y a los estudiantes menores de 14 años que viven en vecindades de alta dificultad. En los próximos días, las CPS se pondrán en contacto con el siguiente grupo de estudiantes que completaron la encuesta, y que califican para los cupos disponibles.  

¿A quién puedo contactar si tengo preguntas sobre los dispositivos digitales y sobre tecnología?
Los padres que necesiten ayuda técnica para un dispositivo emitido por las CPS, o que tengan preguntas generales sobre el programa de Chicago Connected pueden llamar a la línea directa de apoyo técnico para padres (Parent Tech Support) al 773-417-1060. 

Para consultas de otros temas, como las ubicaciones de los sitios de distribución de comida, por favor llame al (773) 553-KIDS.

Si los empleados de las CPS necesitan ayuda técnica, pueden llamar al Servicio de Asistencia Técnica (IT Service Desk) al (773) 553-3925.

Parking: I had an additional conversation with the Chairperson this morning,

Thank you to all for your engagement and encouragement in addressing the community opportunities with Disney Magnet Elementary.

Last night we in the Local School Council approved line items to enhance our e-learning programs and maintain providing essential public school efforts such as supplies and food pickups.

I want to especially congratulate the Parent Teacher Association. They are doing tremendous work, such as diversity inclusion education trips, and they are doing it all with budgets that respect the times. Incredible efforts.

Parking:

This has been a mess. First, one company was closed. Then, another company closed.

I proposed we could use the outdoor space as an ad hoc community space with a pop-up out door dining areas.

We could not get clearance to practice that in a reasonable time frame.

In last night’s meeting I voiced one thing:

I have a point of inquiry on the the parking lot matter.  Are we ensuring there be neighborhood parking? If not, I have to vote against.

There was plurality agreement and it was directly addressed; the mandatory was recorded and the matter passed.

Here’s what I know:

The company that we, the Local School Council, approved is called “Premium 1.”

My own research showed satisfactory results. First, now before even getting to our table, this company had to be vetted by several central office legal team attorneys. Second, as reported and as you can google also, this company has a history of working with Chicago Public Schools around the city delivering their service in partnership and helpful ways.

The company still has procedural matters to clear now that they have received our approval.

In a following up, I conferred with the Chair about a strategy to approach this in a community-mutually beneficial way.

I will be following this closely and I will keep us up up to date.

Not many updates regarding the upcoming LSC elections are yet available.

With thanks, and Looking Forward!

Daniel

Labor Day Celebration: Chicago Public School Teachers on Front Line of Student Victories

As reported:

https://chicago.suntimes.com/education/2020/9/4/21422909/cps-graduation-rate-public-schools-dropout-remote-learning

CPS graduation rate hits record high, dropout rate at record low for 2019-20.

As reported on September 4, 2020 describing the previous end of year graduation rates.

The victory represents the hard work of our children. They have dedicated themselves to dramatic improvement.

And they have been supported, encouraged, motivated, mentored, and most of all, educated, by the Teachers on the front lines in our the classrooms.

And that is a victory exemplified by Labor Day.

Teachers have won major victories for classroom resources in efforts with which I have been proud to have marched.

I know it has been a team effort.

I know the value of leadership in a vested position of school administration in Chicago Public Schools. I have met those in CPS leadership who truly uphold the greatest values that they are trusted to uphold. They put their students (I always hear, “Our children,” or “Our kids,”) above all else. The best leadership enables the best of their schools. Unfortunately, I have also met those who do not, but they tend to be found.

Labor Day is a chance to reflect on many of our most important civil workers; and to our teachers, whom I guarantee are still thinking about all the grading they have to do today.

Congrats to Chicago Labor, leading the way.