Solomon Principal Newsletter

October 17, 2022

Dear Solomon Family--

Be sure to check out the pictures below (in Snap! Connect) representing some of the academic and social-emotional learning activities that our students engaged in this past week: a spaghetti challenge in 6th grade advisory, opinion writing in 3rd grade, and pumpkin decorating in our upper grade cluster program classroom. I am excited that we will be able to use Snap! to share more pictures of the important work that we do every day.

We are still at about 42% of our families who have signed up for Snap! Connect (formerly known as School CNXT), our new host for our school-wide communication this month. This app-based system provides translation to over 100 different languages, and it meets us where most of us do our school communication: our phones! I will resend invitations again today. 

This will be the second-to-last update that we will be sending through Constant Contact, at which point we will completely transition to Snap! Connect for the whole-school communication.

If you are having any difficulties with registering, please let us know at 773-534-5226 or crgamble@cps.edu. 

As a reminder, there is no school on Friday, October 21, as it is a School Improvement Day. The last day of the 1st Quarter is Thursday, October 20. Report cards and assessment data will be distributed and conferences will be held next month on Monday, November 21. More details to follow on 1st Quarter Report Card Pick-up Day.

In partnership,

Chris Gamble

Principal

Hannah G. Solomon Elementary School

News and Notes

We are excited to invite the whole Solomon community to join us for our first Solomon Fall Fest on Friday, October 28, after school on the Solomon campus. Food, Jesse White Tumblers, “touch a truck”, bouncy houses, and more…and it is all FREE! No advance tickets are needed either. It is a great opportunity for you to meet others in the Solomon community, and we hope to see you there! All of this is courtesy of our awesome families and staff in the Friends of Solomon School Parent Teacher Organization.

We are excited to announce that our annual musical performed by Solomon students in grades 4 through 8 this year will be…Annie Jr.! Frozen Jr. was a smashing success last year, and I know that I’m excited to see our young performers on stage again. Paper copies of this sign-up sheet traveled home in the backpacks of 4th-8th graders today, and you can find another copy here. Please sign up in advance so that we know who we will expect to see during tryouts the week of November 28. Those who sign up will get updates from our director (and Solomon parent), Mrs. Kristen Williams Smith. 

The GoCPS application portal has opened up for our 8th graders applying for CPS high schools, as well as families who live outside of our attendance boundary and are looking to have their child join Solomon in grades K-8 for the 2023-2024 school year. High school open houses are ongoing throughout the fall. Join us for a Network 1 High School Fair at Rickover Naval Academy on October 18 from 6-7:30pm. For more information, contact our counselor, Mrs. Mulholland, at pamulholland@cps.edu or click here.

For families that submitted their dental paperwork, Smile Dental is at Solomon October 17-20 and October 24 to service our students.

The Albany Park branch (3401 W. Foster) of the Chicago Public Library hosts homework assistance for students every Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday from 3-6pm. For more information, click here.

Friends of Solomon School Parent Teacher Organization (FOSSPTO)

We are looking for you to join the Friends of Solomon School PTO! By returning this document to the main office, we will add you to our email list and keep you updated on all of the great Solomon community events. 

Our school is participating in a creative fundraiser with Art to Remember that allows you to purchase keepsake products customized with your child's art. There are over 60 products and many are less than $15. These make great gifts and a percentage of every purchase goes right back to our school. Art to Remember forms will be coming home with students this week. When you have it, click on this link and enter the online order code shown on your child's order form or to search for your child's artwork. Then, have fun shopping! Orders are due by October 25 to ensure that you can have them in time for the winter holidays.

To learn more about the mission of the Solomon FOSSPTO, click here.

Important Solomon Links

Our Solomon school organization chart, which has the contact information for all of our teachers and staff.

The opt-in form for COVID testing for your child at Solomon weekly.

Our October breakfast and lunch menus. 

Our Solomon school assessment calendar for the year. 

Our Solomon merchandise link from our partners at Squadlocker.

The volunteer registration form for anyone interested in volunteering at Solomon this year.

Solomon Calendar

All Solomon community events can be found on our school Google Calendar, linked at the Solomon website, solomon.cps.edu. You can also view our year-long calendar of community events here.

A few of the important upcoming dates:

Thursday, October 20: Last day of 1st Quarter

Friday, October 21: School Improvement Day (no school for students)

Friday, October 28: Solomon Fall Fest, 4pm

Thursday, November 3: Friends of Solomon School PTO, 6pm (virtual/lobby)

Tuesday, November 8: No School (Election Day)