Dear Smyth Families,

As October draws to a close, we are continuing to see hopeful signs with regard to the pandemic. Our health and safety protocols—face masks, social distancing, regular hand-washing, COVID-19 testing, and vaccinations—are keeping case numbers in our schools low. And with the approval of the COVID-19 vaccine for five to eleven-year-olds by the Food and Drug Administration this week, we will be able to protect even more of our students and staff from infection.

The number of COVID-19 cases among CPS students and staff remains low. The number of staff and students who are in quarantine or isolation due to the virus is also trending down, which means that more of our children and the educators who support them are in the classroom where they belong.

The district’s testing program is continuing to ramp up. Out of more than 21,000 tests administered across 494 schools last week, just 0.24% came back positive. We’re also seeing vaccination rates climb among staff and students. 89% of CPS staff is fully vaccinated, and any staff member that is unvaccinated is being tested weekly to keep our school communities safe.

The best news of all is that vaccinations for five to eleven-year-olds have been recommended by the FDA and will be available to CPS students soon. CPS is launching a comprehensive plan to increase all student vaccination rates, including for those children who can be vaccinated against COVID-19 right now. As of this week, 46.7% of CPS students twelve and older have been vaccinated, with more rolling up their sleeves every single day. This is a good start, but we want to see that number rise more quickly. I urge parents of students in this age group who have not yet had their children vaccinated to do so right away, before younger children become eligible and demand for the vaccine grows. Visit cps.edu/covid for information on where to get the vaccine right now.

The first step in our vaccination campaign will be getting you, our families, the information you need to assure you that COVID vaccines are safe and effective for your children. We want you to hear the facts from people you trust, including your child’s teachers, and respected medical professionals in your communities. We understand that nothing is more important to you than the health and safety of your children, and we want you to feel fully comfortable with taking this crucial step to protect your child and your family.

We also want accessing the COVID-19 vaccine to be as simple as possible for families, so we will be making it available through regional vaccination centers inside four CPS high schools, as well as through mobile vaccine units and school-based health centers. In addition, thanks to our district’s many partnerships, CPS students will be able to access the COVID-19 vaccine from a number of private and community-based medical providers throughout the city.

I thank you for your continued trust during this unusual school year. I look forward to sharing more updates on how we are managing the pandemic, and on all the ways we will work to get CPS students vaccinated in the weeks and months ahead.

Sincerely,

Principal Turner

Dear Smyth Families,

With the school year now in full swing, our students are settling into good routines with their classes, their extracurricular activities, and adhering to the health and safety protocols that we’ve put in place to keep them safe - face masks, social distancing, regular hand-washing, COVID-19 testing, and most importantly, vaccinations for all eligible students. We are also committed to providing regular updates to families regarding how CPS is managing the pandemic to keep our learning environment safe.

Things are continuing to trend in a positive direction. The number of cases among students and staff are continuing to decline. The number of staff and students who are in quarantine or isolation due to the virus is also lower than it was a week ago, which means that more of our children and the educators who support them are in the classroom where they belong.

The data from the past week continues to show us that schools are not a significant source of spread for COVID-19, and that nearly all cases of COVID among students and staff have been isolated incidents. I encourage you to visit the CPS COVID site for more detailed information, including data about our school and the district at large.

As you may have heard, CPS is now requiring every staff member to be fully vaccinated or consent to weekly COVID-19 testing. More than 88 percent of the teachers and staff who are serving your children have reported being fully vaccinated, with more CPS employees joining this list each day. Those staff who have not received the vaccine are being tested for COVID-19 weekly to help ensure safety for everyone in our school communities.

Out of more than 18,000 tests administered to students and staff across CPS last week, fewer than 0.2 percent of tests came back positive.

With additional testers coming on board every day, CPS is moving closer to the goal of administering 40,000 tests weekly by the end of this month. The district is also exploring ways to use this testing more strategically, including placing a greater emphasis on testing unvaccinated staff and students. I strongly encourage any parent who has not done so already to register your child for COVID-19 testing at cps.edu/covid.

In the weeks and months ahead, CPS will be increasingly focused on getting as many CPS students as possible vaccinated against COVID-19. Vaccine eligibility for 5 to 11-year-olds is being considered by the federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) next week, and approval for this age group could come soon after. I want you to know that when it does, CPS will be fully ready with a comprehensive campaign to educate communities on the benefits of the vaccine and to help children in every corner of our city get vaccinated.

I thank you for your continued trust during this unusual school year, and I look forward to sharing more updates on how we are managing the pandemic. As always, I encourage you to contact me directly with any questions or concerns.

Sincerely,

Dana Turner

Celebrating Principal Appreciation Month

October has just begun, and there are many ways to celebrate the principals that are leading us forward this school year. Thissocial media toolkit, created by our partners atThe Chicago Public Education Fund, is a good place to start if you need some inspiration. You can alsorecord a message for your favorite principal.

Across the city, our fantastic principals have been working hard to welcome our students back and help them have one of their best school years yet. AtWoodlawn Community Elementary School, Principal LoWanda Bell has a passion to ensure that every student leaves her school better than they enter it. Her approach to cultivating successful students centers on maintaining a culture of respect, incorporating staff suggestions, and collaborating closely with her fellow school leaders.

Supporting our Students Through Outdoor Play

Congratulations to Horace Mann Elementary School on the opening of their new Space to Grow schoolyard! This outdoor play structure, along with a track, turf field, and garden, will serve as an extension of the classroom, and will allow the students at Mann to balance time spent learning inside with the chance to move, play, and explore outdoors. Our district is grateful to everyone who made this investment possible, including Openlands, Healthy Schools Campaign, and the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago. This space will be a place where the students at Mann, along with friends and neighbors from the surrounding community, can gather and connect for years to come.