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friends of payton monthly community meeting
2/02
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The monthly Payton Community Meeting is a brief and informative opportunity to hear what is going on at school directly from our principal. The meetings start at 6:15PM. They are generally held on the first Tuesday of every month, but always check the monthly calendar (at right) in case the schedule has changed. At press time, this year's meeting schedule is as follows: 9/9, 10/6, 11/3, 12/1, 1/5, 2/2, 3/1, 4/5, 5/3, 6/7
All meetings are held in the Library.
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fop fundraising is
a year-round effort
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The Friends of Payton needs your valuable donations to support Payton's educational mission There are three ways to do it:
1. Mail a check payable to FOP at 1034 N. Wells St., Chicago, IL 60610
2. Drop a check into the FOP box in the school office. Make it payable to FOP.
3. Contribute online via credit card by clicking the donate button on Payton's homepage. All contributions are tax deductible and all amounts are equally appreciated.
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lsc meetings are
open, next is 2/10
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Parents, guardians, and the public are welcome at Local School Council (LSC) meetings, which are held monthly in the Payton Library at 6PM.
The LSC is an elected body that has three main responsibilities: School Budget, Continuous Improvement Work Plan (formerly SIPAAA), and Principal Evaluation, Retention and Selection.
All are welcome to attend and to make comments during the "Public Comments" portion of the meeting.
For more on the LSC, including a schedule of upcoming meetings, minutes of previous meetings, and a roster of members, please visit the LSC page of the Payton website.
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two more ways to
stay current
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Check the school website periodically (some people set a reminder on their calendars to do this once or twice a week) at www.wpcp.org.
Two other ways to keep up on what's happening at school are to watch the PNN (Payton News Network) OR check Advisory Announcements.
You can also subscribe to receive the announcements via email or RSS.
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check grades & attendance online
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ParentConnection is a secure online portal for sharing classroom attendance and grades between teachers, students, and parents and guardians.
To activate a student on your ParentConnection account you must obtain the student personal identification number (PIN), which you can do on this web page on the Payton site.
Once you have obtained the PIN you will be able to complete the application process. If you experience any problems while looking up a PIN, please email
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when your student is sick or absent for another reason
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To report your student's absence you must submit a written note, available on the website under the Parents drop down menu. Or you may click here for Reason For Absence Note. Student absences will remain unexcused until a signed Reason For Absence Note is submitted to the Office. |
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gallery 34: payton in pictures
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Find great photos of Payton happenings at Gallery 34. It is continually updated.
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payton alumni
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Please go to
www.wpcp.org/alumni for current news on Payton Alumni Association activities.
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share stories and ideas for this newsletter
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Please send us current Payton news to share with other Payton families. Here are the submission guidelines:
Less is more -- 200 words or less works best in an e-newsletter. If that's not enough room to tell the whole story, include a phone number, email address, or web link to give our readers more details. Send text as a Word attachment or type it into the body of your email.
Include a picture or two if you have them; send pictures as .jpg attachments, do not embed them in your Word document.
All submissions are due the 25th of the preceding month. Send them to: fopnewseditor@gmail.com
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the pptw
newsletter team
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Marla Gross
President, Friends of Payton
Marcia Matalon May
VP, FOP Communications
Deb Hass
Associate Editor
Susan McColgan
Associate Editor
Carter Smith
Sports Editor
Megan Cusick
Barb McHugh
Susan Pearsall
Erin Schertler
Marion Shuck
Jill Wohl
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newsletter
brought to you by friends of payton
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Friends of Payton (FOP)
is a volunteer-run organization that includes all of the parents and guardians of current Payton students. We raise funds and provide volunteer assistance to support Walter Payton College Prep.
Our mission is to enrich educational and extracurricular activities with outside resources to supplement the limited funding allotted to Payton through the public school system.
President
Marla Gross
Executive Vice President
Andrea Mularczyk
VP, Communications
Marcia Matalon May
VP, Fundraising
Moira Saliba
Treasurer
Tracey Lowenthal
Assistant Treasurer
Linda Clark
Secretary
Lynn Brahin
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walter payton college prep high school
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1034 North Wells Street
Chicago, Illinois 60610
773-534-0034
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CALENDAR
Some details were not available at the time of this issue's publication. Contact the Payton administration with questions: 312-534-0034.
FEBRUARY
02/01-03 Final Exams
02/02 Friends of Payton Community Meeting, 6:15-7:15PM, Library
02/04-06 Broadway Gems III Show, 7-9PM, Recital Hall
02/05 No School, School Improvement Day
02/08 Lunar New Year, 2:30-4PM, Lunchroom
02/10 Local School Council Meeting, 6-8PM, Library
02/11 International Travel Expo, 9AM-1PM, Atrium
02/12 Wellness Fair, 9AM-1PM, Atrium
02/15 No School, President's Day
02/17 Seminar Day
02/19 Senior Dance, 6-10PM, Atrium
02/20 Parents Night Out, 7-10PM (see article below)
02/22 Payton Booster Association Meeting, 6-7PM, Library
02/24 History Fair, 7:30AM-5PM, Atrium, 3rd Floor
MARCH
03/01 Friends of Payton Community Meeting, 6:15-7:15PM, Library 03/02 Seminar Day 03/04 Sweetness Day 03/09 Local School Council Meeting, 6-8PM, Library 03/15 Blood Drive, 6AM-3:30PM, Atrium 2nd Floor
03/16 Seminar Day 03/21 Seminar Day 03/21 Payton Booster Association Meeting, 6-7PM, Library 03/30 Seminar Day
*PLEASE NOTE: Throughout the year, the Payton calendar may differ from the online Chicago Public Schools calendar. For the Payton calendar, please click here.
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 A LETTER FROM THE PRINCIPAL
2016: A New Year
Begins at Payton
Dear Parents and Guardians,
As the first semester draws to an end, students and faculty continue to immerse themselves in a wide range of dynamic experiences and life events:
-Payton is hosting the North American Computational Linguistics Olympiad, in which a number of our students will be participating;
-Some seniors have been hearing back from colleges regarding acceptances and scholarships;
-Students and families are hosting dozens of students from our sister schools and Payton students and faculty will soon be traveling abroad to many destinations;
-Dozens of students participated in the Payton Talent Show;
-Our Winter sports teams are having terrific seasons and are preparing for playoffs;
-3 of our students have their art work displayed in the CPS All-City Senior Portfolio exhibition;
-One of our wonderful Spanish teachers, Katie Gallegos, was accepted to the inaugural class of Koldyke Global Scholars, which will allow her to build relationships with educators from around the world and craft globally-focused curriculum for our Payton students;
-One of our terrific Science teachers, Val Torres, earned a fellowship with Ecology Project Mexico to do fieldwork this March in marine biology, desert ecology, and conservation, and;
-Importantly, students and faculty work together every day in academic classes, enrichments, and seminars so that students can seek and find understandings of the world and themselves.
Additionally, the new, west building is very near completion! More on that soon... CPS has published the 2016-2017 academic calendar ( here). We will craft our Payton-specific calendar (e.g. blue/orange days, seminar days) in the Spring, once we receive guidance from central office. Of course, when it's complete, we will send it along to families. Thank you for all you do and for helping to develop the 4Cs of courage, compassion, character, and curiosity within your child. Go Grizzlies!
Tim Devine, Principal
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 Payton Community News
PARTICIPATE
Feb. 2: Friends of Payton (FOP) Community Meeting, 6:15PM. Find out what's happening around Payton from Principal Tim Devine.
Feb 20: Parents' Night Out, 7:30PM. Join other Payton parents and guardians for an informal potluck. At the home of Anjali & Abhijat Shinde, 4750 S. Drexel, Hyde Park. Bring a dish to share, we provide the rest.
Mar. 4: Sweetness Day!
Apr. 8: Spring Fling/Gala: Time and Location TBD
VOLUNTEER
Feb. 12: Wellness Fair, help needed 9AM-1PM.
Feb. 20: Parents' Night Out. Come early to help set up, bring supplies or stay a few minutes late to clean up! Email Carol Cubia Siebert to volunteer.
Mar. 4: Sweetness Day. Sign up to chaperone a group of Payton students on this service day. Some sites require additional adults, so let us know if you can help out. Email Sandy Johnston
Now through Apr 8: Spring Fling/Gala Planning. We would welcome your help with a number of jobs, big and small. Please email Deb Roney.
Email FOP to volunteer for any of these events.
DONATE
Your generosity is truly inspiring. We continue to have awesome support for the pledge drive. Additionally, our community continues to donate funds for Payton classrooms and programming. Thanks to everyone for their generous support!
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COMMUNITY OUTREACH
National Honor Society
Spring Book Drive
Hello friends and family of Payton! This spring, Payton's National Honor Society is excited to announce a spring book drive beginning second semester. We're planning to give all donations to Open Books, an organization that works to provide books and other resources to hundreds of thousands of kids across Chicago. In a country where two-thirds of low-income families own no books, and in a city with a 50% literacy rate, books can be a lifeline to those in need. We're hoping to do our small part to bridge these gaps, and we'd love your help!
Virtually any book in new or gently used condition is welcome. This includes fiction, nonfiction, craft books, cookbooks, children's books, board books, and more! They do ask that all books are from a smoke-free environment, and clarify that they cannot accept encyclopedias, dictionaries, thesauruses, sets of law books, magazines / journals, or pre-college (K-12) textbooks. Bins will be placed outside the main office for book collection beginning Feb. 8th.
Please donate, and join us in spreading the gift of literacy!
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 SEMINARS AND ENRICHMENTS
Trying to See The Invisible
Dr. Erica Bauer, Director of Student Engagement
A unique thing about working in schools is that each year we, educators, get older while the students enter and exit their high school journey at the same stage of life. This fact requires us to be intentional about not losing touch with the students we are committed to serving. An effective way of doing this is to provide avenues for students to provide feedback about their high school experience. Currently, I receive feedback from students about their physical, emotional, and academic needs through short Google forms and by leading enrichments. This information is used to drive our decision-making about enhancing student engagement at Payton.
Recently, our Advisory classes participated in the Invisibility Exercise to assist in our efforts to better understand the Grizzly experience. The exercise allowed students to share aspects and/or segments of our community that are invisible within the Payton community. This exercise was thoughtfully developed by Mr. Casey Bowles (Counseling), and his team. Students were instructed to write down aspects or segments of our community that they felt were invisible and then to crumple and throw their sheets of paper to the front of the room. Then, Advisory leaders used these sheets to facilitate a broader discussion around these issues. Finally, the leaders were asked to submit the top 3-5 themes that emerged during the discussion into a Google form.
Before sharing some of the responses, I would like to first provide a brief overview of what will happen next. First, these responses will be consolidated and presented to our faculty for discussion at an upcoming Professional Development. The goal of the discussion will be to share insights from the responses, identify what issues we can address, and develop effective ways of doing so. Second, these themes will serve as the agenda for the "We are Payton!" enrichment I wrote about in January's PPTW issue. The students will use these themes to develop activities that will help every student who enters our doors to feel like they belong and to communicate that they are seen. The students who have participated in this group already have developed great ideas that I am excited to share with you in the near future.
Some of the most re-occurring themes included: political ideologies, race and socioeconomic status, religion, mental health issues, social subgroups/cliques, and academics. This information is invaluable to us because developing students with courage, character, curiosity, and compassion requires that we know how to best contextualize these attributes from student-perspectives. We also need to consider ways in which we can grow, as educators, and ensure that each student has the freedom to exist wholly in our community.
We may not be able to address or respond to all of what was shared but, in a small way, allowing the students to share was a response in and of itself. Increasing student engagement requires that they know that their voice matters. This requires seeking out their voices and demonstrating that we hear them. I have been astounded by what students are willing to share when they are asked.
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 FOLLOW YOUR GRIZZLY TEAMS
Booster Club Updates on Twitter: Follow the Grizzlies!
For all the latest on Payton's sports and non-sports teams, please follow @PaytonBoosters today. If you have a team update, please email Carter Smith to get the word out. Pictures encouraged. Go Grizzlies!
Over two dozen Grizzly athletes, primarily from the girls golf and boys track team, ran the concession stands at the Jan. 28 Northwestern vs. Michigan State basketball game in Evanston. Approximately thirty students and eight Payton parents filled every concession stand in the arena and raised over $1000 for Payton sports in their effort. Look for more chances for this fundraising opportunity in the future!
Lastly, If you are interested in sponsoring a team banner for display in the new gym, please email AD George Klupchak ,thank you.
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Come Celebrate at Payton's Sweet 16 Gala!
Sixteen years ago Payton welcomed its first students to a shiny new building. Who knew at that time the outstanding community of educators and learners it would become? Let's celebrate the achievements - and another shiny new building - as we look ahead to Payton's future. All Payton parents, guardians, and supporters are asked to join in a casual evening of celebration, fun, and community. Save the Date: Fri., Apr. 8; location and event details coming soon.
GET INVOLVED. We are looking for volunteers to help with our planning. This is your chance to give back! Come join us next week as we make plans for this exciting event.
Sweet 16 Gala Planning Committee Meeting: All are welcome, needed, and appreciated as we meet to plan this event on Tues. Feb. 9 at 6PM in the Payton Library. For more information, or to volunteer to help make this event a success, please email Deb Roney.
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 NEW PAYTON FACULTY
English: Ms. Leslie Russell
Walter Payton College Prep welcomes Survey of Literature teacher Ms. Leslie Russell. A native of Chicago and a product of Whitney Young High School, she is passionate about teaching. Her goal is to transform her ninth grade students into critical-analytical thinkers who are skilled at written analysis by the end of the academic year. She explains, "My favorite thing about teaching is helping children discover how much capacity they have for thinking and constructing information in a way that will strengthen our democracy."
Ms. Russell attended Dartmouth College and majored in English Literature, with a minor in African and African American Studies. She also enjoyed lots of courses in Biology. She received her M.Ed. in Instructional Leadership with a focus in Literacy, Language, and Culture from the University of Chicago. She is also a certified Reading Specialist. Ms. Russell began her teaching career in New Orleans through Teach for America, and has since taught in grades K-12 in cities throughout the U.S., including New Orleans, the San Francisco Bay Area, and Chicago. Her experience includes positions as both a classroom teacher and a Reading Specialist.
Drawing on her depth of knowledge, Ms. Russell is delighted to be teaching the seminar, Black Cinema: A 90s Retrospective, as well as Yoga. Her seminar in Black Cinema was so well received that the students asked that it continue into the second semester. Students observe how representation of black people in film made a drastic shift from the limited stereotypes portrayed in the 70's and 80's, to the complex, nuanced, and diverse images that developed in the late 90's. Students consider how this shift both reflected and drove the perception of black people.
In her "free time" Ms. Russell is busy with her four young children, who enjoy spending time going to shows, traveling and just being together. Welcome aboard, Ms. Russell!
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 GET TO KNOW THE PAYTON COMMUNITY
Winter Parents Night Out:
February 20
Come on out to Payton's Winter Parents Night Out, to be held on Fri. Feb. 20 at the home of Anjali & Abhijit Shinde, 4750 S. Drexel, 7-10PM. Parents Nights Out are informal potluck dinners hosted by Payton families. They are for parents and guardians only - no kids! Please bring a dish to share (appetizer, entrée or dessert). BYOB. Everything else is provided.
Email Carol Cubia-Siebert or phone (312-493-6341) if you want to volunteer to help with set up or clean up, or if you would like to bring party supplies. See you there!
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 GLOBAL CONNECTIONS
Payton Travelers in the News
Congratulations to Arturo Simental (SR) and Imani Crews (JR) who were recently featured in an article by the Chicago Sun-Times for their participation in the CIEE Global Navigator Scholarship program last summer. Thank you to both for representing Payton's Global Connections and the World Language Department so beautifully and honorably! Bravo to los dos/les deux! Click here to read the article about these two Grizzly travelers!
Arturo visited Segovia, Spain where he visited one of many historic Roman aqueducts that have stood for centuries. Spain opened his eyes to a love for architecture he didn't know he had. Imani (JR) went to France this past summer to learn more about her father's culture and language.
William Trlak (JR), nuestro "Amigo de las Americas": 34 "hurras!" to William Trlak who will be traveling this summer with Amigos de las Americas to serve a community in Latin America for one month while living with a host family and honing his Spanish skills.
WorldChicago Youth Diplomats: Nicole Culver (soph),
Isaac Gershberg (JR), Anya Gupta (soph), and Karla De Jesus (JR): Congratulations to this team of Payton Global Grizzlies. Students will participate in an 8-month experiential learning program that will explore global issues in-depth, build leadership and cross-cultural communication skills, and introduce them to college and career options in international affairs and diplomacy. These four students will also serve as peer ambassadors to WorldChicago's international youth exchange students from Africa, the Middle East, Cuba, and the UK.
La Nuit du Français: The first Payton French Night in honor of National French Week was a great success! Students, friends, faculty, and family all enjoyed an evening of Francophone delights. From the refreshments to the performances, from the decorations to the activities, we celebrated French language and cultures. Highlights included Payton student performances, a live vocal performance by a DePaul University French student, entertaining French children's games, Francophone fashion shows, and traditional French dance lessons. We can't wait to celebrate National French Week again next year at Payton's La Nuit du Français!
CIEE Global Navigator Scholarships, Final Deadline, Mon. Feb. 1: While the early deadline for Global Navigator Scholarships was Dec. 1, the final deadline for students to apply is Mon. Feb. 1. Scholarships awarded from this later deadline will be made from an at-large pool of funding. Payton students are still eligible for this funding. Don't delay!
Business is Global at Indiana University-Bloomington: The Kelley School of Business at IU offers a unique, two-week summer program for rising high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors. The Business is Global program offers students the opportunity to be transported into a world of international business, language, and culture from around the world. In 2015, Business is Global students learned tai chi, practiced Ebru (a traditional Turkish painting art), learned how to cook a typical East African meal, had a networking lunch with regional business leaders, explored the food and music of other countries at a Culture Night event, competed in a cross-cultural business competition, and much more. You can follow the journey of the 2015 participants here, check out last year's video here and learn more about the program on Facebook. Applications are available online on the program website. Deadline is Thur. Apr. 7!
Travel Tracker
Mark your calendar for key deadlines and info sessions on travel opportunities! You'll need to budget time to fill out applications, secure teacher recommendations, and other paperwork. Always check the program websites and Payton Global Connections for specific due dates and guidelines. Reference Travel Tracker for important deadlines.
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 PAYTON TEAMS AND ATHLETICS
Winter Season:
Team Updates
Debate: Payton debaters brought home a slew of awards from the fourth Chicago Debate League Tournament of the year. In the novice division, freshmen Chloe Williams won top speaker, Alice Cao won 4th, and Mason Wicklander won 17th. In addition, Williams and Wicklander went 5-1 in preliminary rounds and advanced to finals, placing second to Lane Tech. In the varsity division, Luisa Cusick (SR) won top speaker, Lenny Brahin (SR) won 3rd, Micah Weese (soph) won 9th, Alex Sherman (JR) won 13th, and Hyun Sik Yang (soph) won 16th. Sherman and Laura Pickert (soph) went 5-1 in preliminary rounds and advanced to quarter-finals. Cusick and Brahin went 6-0 in preliminary rounds and won the tournament.
Chess: What a year for the Payton Chess Team! Led by team captains Asher Borstein (JR), Emory Brigden (SR), Ian Kidwell (SR) and Michael May (SR), the team has had record attendance at practices and team tournaments. At the Chicago Prep Bowl Tournament held at Taft High School, which included teams from Whitney Young, Lane Tech, Northside Prep, and Lincoln Park among others, Ben Arnold (frosh), Tiffany Siu (JR) and George Figueroa (JR) took home 1st, 2nd and 3rd places in the Open (JV) Section. The team also recently participated in the prestigious Glenbard South Raiders Tournament, which is the largest tournament outside of the state tournament. Special shout-out to Alex Ding (soph) and Kit Ng (SR) who had 3-1 records on Varsity Boards 3 and 4, respectively. The team finished 2-2 overall. The last team competition before the state finals in Peoria will be held at Niles North High School. Congratulations to the Chess Grizzlies on their accomplishments so far this season and best of luck to the varsity players who will be competing in the state tournament Feb. 11-13.
Boys Basketball: The varsity team beat Amundsen 60-56 in a tight game on Jan. 21, then went on to win Conference against Senn at Payton, 64-50 on Jan. 27. Congratulations and good luck in the playoffs! The freshman team is 14-0 with two wins over Jones and Lane Tech, and finished its regular season on Jan. 30 with a thrilling overtime win against perennial national powerhouse Simeon. The team takes its undefeated record into the playoffs, starting in early Feb. Good luck, boys!
Boys Swimming: This has been a great season for the Jones-Payton swim team. The young team has broken three team relay records and four individual records so far. The team also took 3rd place at City Relays.
Captains Will Macellaio and Hector Salazar are having strong seasons with help from their younger teammates. Payton freshmen Simon Allen and Thomas Gohres have been major contributors at the varsity level.
Up next is the CPS Championships weekend, which take place Sat. Feb. 6 at Northside and Sun. Feb. 7 at UIC.
Baseball: Baseball season is right around the corner! Players have already begun conditioning and the schedule will be posted within a week. The program will have a flash store this year for anyone interested in Payton baseball gear. Hats will be available by early March. The team, named the Payton 34s, will participate in the 16th Annual Chicago Polar Plunge benefiting the Special Olympics on 10AM Mar. 6 at North Avenue Beach. You can join or support the Grizzlies by clicking here. Then from the Team Page, click on the Join My Team button to register and help fundraise for the team. If you can't join, you can also sponsor the team by making a donation online. Coach Herta thanks you for supporting Payton Baseball!
Boys Bowling: Congratulations to Payton's varsity bowling team! The team has advanced to the CPS Championship meet following its 3rd place finish at the CPS playoffs on Jan. 19. The team also set two new school records: highest team series score: 2940, and highest team game score: 1043. Four players had 600+ series: seniors Brandon Taylor (614), Cally McDonnell (613), Jack McDonnell (606), and junior Joe Walsh (601). Photos below in Grizzly Gallery
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 FINE ARTS
Music & Art News
Broadway Gems III will open on Thur. Feb.4 and run for three nights. All shows at 7PM. Come enjoy all-company numbers from Pippin, Oklahoma, Les Mis, Sunday in the Park with George, and Hairspray. Small ensemble numbers remain a secret. Come see the imagination and hard work of our local stars!
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 NEXT MEETING FEBRUARY 10
Local School Council (LSC) Update
At the Jan. 16 meeting of the Local School Council Principal Devine provided updates and the LSC discussed the following matters:
-Continuous Improvement Work Plan (CIWP): This year, each department is focused on specific goals. Departments meet every two weeks and student growth in specific area is assessed. The structure of the process will be similar; the format will change (no longer in Excel but in a web-based application). Time frame of change unclear because tied to 2017 budget.
-SAT/ACT Testing for Juniors: ISBE put a contract out for state test and chose SAT. ACT appealed the ISBE decision. With the appeal ongoing, CPS principals encouraged CPS to contract with ACT for a spring test for CPS juniors. CPS agreed and ACT+Writing will be administered on 5/3, which is also an AP test date. Accommodations will be made for students taking both tests. ACT is mandatory for CPS students.
-Budget: No news yet. Two senators are looking at rewriting the educational funding formula, looking for more equity. Many questions remain unanswered regarding final funding for the second semester. Principals were supposed to find out the third week of Jan. if their budgets had been revised downward. (No information has been provided.)
-West Building: Progress is good. Completion date "around Valentine's Day." The lights are on, the drywall is up, the gym floor was to be installed in late Jan.
-LSC Elections: Brochures and application packets are available. Applications are due 3/3 at 3pm. Elections are on report card pick up day.
-Pledge Drive. Still going on and people are still donating.
-Bricks and Pavers: For Payton Plaza. FOP will spend front cost to pave the area and then recoup and fundraise by selling bricks.
The next LSC meeting is on Feb. 10 at 6PM in the Payton Library. All meetings are open to the public. Please join us!
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Chess Team and Coaches 
