MARK T. SKINNER WEST SCHOOL NEWSLETTER
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2018-2019 School Year
Week #4: Sept 28th - Oct 4th
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Dates to Remember
Star Theatre Tryouts - Tuesday, Oct 2nd and Thursday, Oct 4th from 4:00-5:30
Gallery 111 Committee Meeting: Thursday, Oct. 4th @ 4:00
NO SCHOOL Monday , Oct 8th Columbus Day
School Improvement Committee Meeting : Wednesday, Oct 10th @ 4:00
LSC Rep Application Deadline: Friday, Oct. 12th @ 3:00
LSC Meeting: Tuesday, Oct. 16th @ 6:00 p.m.
PTO Meeting: Tuesday, Oct. 16th @ 6:00 p.m.
CPS 2018- 2019 Calendar: here
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Parent & Community Vacancies on Skinner's LSC
There are two vacant positions on our LSC - a parent rep position and a community representative position ! If you are interested in serving on our school governance team, please feel free to apply.
What is a Local School Council?
A Local School Council is the site-based management team of each school. Their primary responsibilities are to select the school's principal, renew the principal's contract, approve the Continuous Improvement Work Plan (CIWP) and develop the school's budget for the school year. Local School Councils are made up of the principal, two teachers, one staff ESP, six parents and two community members. Skinner's LSC meets on the third Tuesday of every month at 6:00 to discuss school business, activities, budget, CIWP and committee reports. Applications are available in the school office or you may request an application to be sent home via your child. You may also print an application from the following link and turn into the front office: https://cps.edu/lscrelations/Pages/LSCElections.aspx
Application Deadline: Friday, October 12, 2018 @ 3:00 The new parent and new community representatives will be appointed by a majority vote of the LSC. Interested candidates will be invited to make a brief presentation to the LSC at the next meeting on Tuesday, October 16, 2018 at 6:00 p.m. The voting will take place in closed session during the meeting Oct. 16th meeting. Please consider serving on our Skinner Local School Council.
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Physical Education Newsletter - 1st Quarter
Follow the link below for our 1st Quarter Physical Education Newsletter with all pertinent information related to PE. There are links for both physical education teachers, as well as information on PE class schedules, curriculum, rules/consequences, grading, etc.
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High School Survey
As the population of the Near West Side has grown over the past several years, many in the neighborhood have come to realize that students in the area need another option for high school. By including a $70 million line item for a Near West high school in their latest budget, CPS has confirmed this need and their willingness to address it.
Building on this momentum, a group of residents in the West Loop, Westhaven, University Village, Tri-Taylor, and other Near West neighborhoods have come together to determine what elements our communities would like to see included in a new high school. The attached survey is intended to gather answers to these questions and identify priorities from your perspective.
Thank you in advance for your participation in this important issue!
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PTO Announcements
Amazon Smile
Remember, go to smile.amazon.com and select Skinner School Forum as your charitable organization. Amazon will donate a portion of the price of all eligible items purchased through this website to Skinner West PTO.
PTO Meeting
The next PTO meeting will be held on Tuesday, October 16th at 6:00 pm in the Library.
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Mad Science
Read below or download the flyer for new Fall Programs
at the Mad Science Lab.
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Skinner Park - National Public Lands Day
Saturday, September 29th
Skinner Park Advisory Council is hosting the Skinner Park - National Public Lands Day fall planting and clean up this Saturday, September 29 from 9am to 2pm. All are welcome to volunteer! Tools, refreshments and food will be provided. For more info, contact May Toy at mtoy@skinnerpark.org
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Pay Your School Fees Now!
New Online System!! CPS has moved elementary schools from PayPal to Illinois E-Pay for online payments. E-Pay is the payment format CPS high schools have been using for awhile.
Find your grade level fees and pay using the Illinois E-Pay link (found at the bottom of Skinner's homepage) or send in a check made out to 'Skinner West Elementary School'
Note: If you had used the PayPal site previously to pay your school fees, it was still accepted.
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New Online System!!
From now on, online STAR payments will need to be made through E-Pay, and you will send a copy of your E-Pay receipt to Skinner.starprogram@gmail.com.
You should be receiving communication from CPS about E-pay soon, but below are Step-by-Step directions so that Star Families can take care of their program fees.
DIRECTIONS FOR E-PAY:
2. Click "Make a one-time payment".
3. Fill in your child's information. ***Your child's ID Number is available through Parent Portal and on report cards/progress reports.***
4. Select the type of payment you want to make- quarterly, semester, or full year and add to cart. If you have more than one child in the program, you will need to add each child's fee to your cart separately.
5. Check out and pay.
Note: If you had used the PayPal site previously to pay your StarProgram fees, it was still accepted.
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The Gallery 111 committee is looking for volunteers!
Attend the 1st Gallery 111 meeting on October 4th! 
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Announce your child's birthday on the Skinner West Marquee!
Cost is $25 and proceeds go towards the 8th grade trip to D.C.
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The PTO fall fundraiser Believe in Magic Gift Catalog is in full swing.
Orders Due with Payment by: Monday, September 24, 2018
Make Checks Payable to: Skinner PTO
Our School Keeps up to 40% of Every Sale!
Thank you for supporting our school.
PTO Fundraising Contact
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Read here for more information and registration form for
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GoCPS High School Application Account Activation Available Now!
For families that will be applying to a CPS high school for the 2019-20 school year, it's time to take the next step in the high school application process and activate your account.
Contact the Office of Access and Enrollment at 773-551-2060 or gocps@cps.edu for assistance.
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All comments, suggestions or requests to submit information to this newsletter should be emailed to skinnerwest@gmail.com.
Communications Volunteers are welcome. Donate your time to help increase communications and contact us!
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Would you like to add another parent, guardian or caregiver?
Sign up for this newsletter here.

Deborah M. Clark
Principal
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