Dear Solomon Family--

We have our first Local School Council for the year this Tuesday evening (5:30). We have a full council, including a student representative this year, and we welcome any students, staff, parents, or community members to join us for our meetings.

This first meeting of the year will address our playground and building improvements, and we would love your input.

You can join us in-person in our library, or virtually at meet.google.com/vuo-mogw-xzu.

In partnership,

Chris Gamble

Principal

Hannah G. Solomon Elementary School

News and Notes

SAVE THE DATE for our annual Curriculum Night on Tuesday, September 20 (6:00-7:30pm). This is an opportunity to hear from your child's teacher(s) about what you can expect this year and how you can contribute to a successful year. This year we return to an in-person event for our parents and guardians. Student attendance is discouraged, but if childcare issues keep you from coming, please bring your child--we just want our parents and guardians there! In next week's newsletter, we will have the schedule for the evening posted. We hope to see you there!

Keep an eye out for a newsletter this coming Wednesday at 5pm that has sign-up information for our fall after-school programming (the district calls this "OST" programming) for students in grades K-8. Academic enrichment, health and wellness, athletics, and social-emotional learning will all be a part of the programs we offer, led by Solomon staff. Clubs start the week of October 1, and the fall term ends on December 16. Spaces will be limited, and sign-ups will be first come, first served. Stay tuned!

We have the first draft of our year-long community calendar available here--LSC meetings, Friends of Solomon School Parent Teacher Organization meetings, Walk Jog Roll-a-thon, and much more! We will be adding to the calendar as we go, but please check it out and save the dates on your calendars!

In partnership with the Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH), CPS will offer on-site, preventative dental services at no cost to ALL Pre-K-12th grade students. Solomon will host these dental services for students on October 17-20 and October 24. For your child to participate, consent forms (English / Spanish) must be returned to the main office.

Friends of Solomon School Parent Teacher Organization (FOSS PTO)

Art to Remember is back at Solomon in 2022! Students will receive their materials this week, and we will be collecting artwork from students by September 27 so that orders can be delivered to families before the holidays. Did you know that if you have a child that does not attend Solomon, they can submit artwork to our main office as well. For questions about Art to Remember, please reach out to Joyce Baca at joyce.baca77@gmail.com.

Parents: Be on the lookout for a hard copy of our PTO sign-up sheet going home with students on Monday. There is no fee to join, and by providing your email, you will hear from the PTO directly on all sorts of fun school events and volunteer opportunities.

Health Protocol Reminders

Close contacts will not be excluded from school.

Only those with a documented COVID positive test will be quarantined for 5 days.

Document a COVID positive test at cps.edu/covidresults.

When there is a positive case, everyone in the homeroom will be considered a close contact (due to eating together). This will mean that everyone in the homeroom, vaccinated or not, will need to mask for 10 days.

Email is the only way we communicate positive tests, quarantines, or mandatory masking. So check your email regularly for updates from me or your child's teacher(s).

Wearing a mask is still advisable, as is getting that vaccination.

If you are sick, COVID symptoms or not, please stay home.

Students who are quarantined are eligible for remote learning until they return.

Things can change, so keep an eye out for district updates.

Important Solomon Links

Our entry and exit procedures document, which includes our early dismissal policies and a reminder about our health protocols still in place.

Our school fees for the year and how to pay them.

The district consent form for in-school COVID testing for your child(ren) once a week.You will need your child's CPS ID number, which you can find in Parent Portal on Aspen (aspen.cps.edu).

Our school safety plan.

Our school assessment calendar for the school year.

Our school organization chart, which has every staff member's email address.

Information on how to sign up for YMCA before-school care and register interest in after-school programming.

All sports schedules for grades 5-12 in Chicago Public Schools, including Solomon, can be found at cpsathletics.com.

Our September breakfast and lunch menus.

To register as a Level 2 Volunteer at Solomon, which is a district requirement, please click here to complete the volunteer application.

Transportation reimbursement for eligible families: English and Spanish.

Solomon spirit wear purchases can be made through our partner, Squadlocker..

Solomon Calendar

All Solomon community events can be found on our school Google Calendar, linked at the Solomon website, solomon.cps.edu.

A few of the important upcoming dates:

Tuesday, September 13: Local School Council meeting (5:30, library or Google Meet)

Wednesday, September 14: GoCPS application window opens

Tuesday, September 20: Solomon Curriculum Night (6pm, in-person)

Friday, September 23: Professional Development Day (no school for students)