Panther Power-UP - Summer Programming @EPS

We are excited to share our plans for extended learning and additional support for our students over the summer.  Keenly aware of the ongoing challenges and impact of the pandemic upon many of our children and families, we committed to think creatively about how to best sustain ongoing academic and social-emotional growth for our students.  Here is an overview of our FREE plans, open to all - current kindergarten through 7th grade students and families.

The “Panther Power-Up” summer program seeks to balance targeted instruction with high academic expectations, social-emotional support, and care.  Our goal is to have this time be a relevant, engaging, meaningful, and enjoyable learning experience for our current kindergarten through seventh grade students.  Through participation in this program, we expect to see clear evidence of student growth and achievement related to the learning we have collectively identified as essential for each grade level.

Here is a slideshow overview of the programming for families.

Community Vaccination Clinic

 Please click this link for information regarding a FREE vaccination clinic open to anyone 16 years or older this Thursday, April 29th. The clinic will be open from 8:00AM-2:00PM at the Mayfair Salvation Army, located at 5020 N. Pulaski Road in Chicago. There is no residency requirement, simply book your appointment online.  

Please call State Senator Ram Villivalam’s office (872-208-5188) for assistance booking an appointment.

Strategic Planning Video

As you know we have spent the last week and a half focusing on the different elements of our strategic plan - mission, vision, values, and goals - as well as, the underlying cooperative process behind them.  Here is a video presentation overviewing the entirety of the plan for our families and broader community.  We will be putting together more in-depth forums for all of our stakeholder groups in the weeks and months ahead.

Culturally Responsive Teaching & Equity

The second goal of our newly developed strategic plan is:

Implement culturally responsive teaching practices and social-emotional learning (SEL) to develop the whole child.

As we have shared before, the diversity of our community is our most remarkable strength.  Each day, our East Prairie community learns from, with, and alongside one another, which we view as an incredible gift - and one that benefits both children and adults.  These opportunities are also complex and laden with challenge.  This strategic goal strives to cultivate the mindsets, practices, and policies to ensure we are supporting EVERY child in reaching their fullest potential.  Our school, like every public institution, has a responsibility to ensure we meet the needs of every child and every family - ensuring access and opportunity to the highest-quality educational experiences in an environment that is safe, caring, and inclusive.

This goal reflects our community’s priority of actualizing terms like “equity,” “culturally responsive practices,” and “social-emotional learning” into real, meaningful, and sustained action.  It reflects our focus for making changes that have a real impact, make a difference, and endure to improve not only our school and community, but the broader world as well.  This goal is a promise towards openly, earnestly, and collaboratively addressing the very real challenges and issues facing our school and community.  We know that despite our best intentions, and perhaps because of them, ensuring educational equity for every one of our students is a daily endeavor, requiring constant care and attention.  

As with all of our strategic goals, it is the time, attention, and collective effort behind them that will drive success.  We look forward to sharing more on our efforts to achieve this, and our other goals, in the weeks, months, and years ahead.

Getting Ready!

Thank you to Niles North principal Dr. Jim Edwards for making the time to spend with our 8th graders today.  This meeting was an outstanding way for these Panthers, and future Vikings, to learn more about all of the extraordinary experiences and opportunities awaiting them next year.

That being said, we look forward to a special and memorable finish to this school year.  Way to go East Prairie Class of 2021 and Niles North Class of 2025!

Reading Aloud with Dr. Goldberg

Thank you to Ms. Sharkey for this action shot of Dr. Goldberg visiting and reading with our kindergarten students.  We are very much looking forward to DEAR - Drop Everything And Read - Week coming up at the end of the month.   

Strategic Planning Update

It is with tremendous excitement and enthusiasm that we share the newly developed District 73 Strategic Plan.  This community-based collaborative endeavor set out to describe the school district we strive to build together over the next five years.  The process resulted in the creation of our mission, vision, values, and strategic goals by a wide-ranging stakeholder group from East Prairie School District 73 and our community, including: parents, community members, teachers, support staff, administrators, and Board members.

Here is a link to Dr. Goldberg's community message and to our strategic plan overview - mission, vision, values, and goals.

Thank you to Jessica Beltran Garcia, Cindy Castro, Atanu Das, Sandy deBettencourt, Tim Gavin, Paul Goldberg, Madeline Henry, Jessica Hornick, Michael Hornick, Lisa LaPata, Amanda Martinsen, Farhana Nasreen, Kirsten Pasia, Frank Santoro, Hal Schmeisser, Coleen Sharkey, Autumn Sharp, Andrea Smeeton, Joran Stephen, Alexis Tom, Erick Tumang, Edyta Wydmanski, and Debra Yasutake for being a part of our strategic planning team.  

We very much look forward to the hard work, creativity, and focus required to turn these words and ideas into action.  We remain confident of and committed to the endless possibility of our partnership.

What A Night!

 Thank you to the PTA for sponsoring such a fun and engaging International Night! 

It was a wonderful way to connect our families and learn more about our shared world.

Mosaic Masterpieces

 Thank you for the collective creativity and artistic awesomeness that went into putting together our Family Art Night mosaic murals.  They turned out truly phenomenal!  A wonderful and beautiful representation of our experiences throughout this past year.

  

Thank you to Mrs. Wade-Kuzwayo for continuing to build upon this East Prairie tradition, to the PTA for supporting it, and to our many student, family, teacher, and community artists who were involved.