|
O.A. Thorp Scholastic Academy |
 |
09.10.2024
Dear Thorp Families,
I am so proud of our students and teachers! If you were to walk in and see how well our students are doing in their classes it would be hard to believe that the school year has just started! I want to thank the Friends of Thorp for the tables and umbrellas on our East Playground. They have been truly appreciated by our students and parents.
Student Attendance:
Parents, please remember, our school day begins promptly at 7:30M and ends at 2:30PM. The doors open at 7:00AM to allow everyone to get breakfast and get to their rooms on time. In order to keep you informed, you will be notified via email each time that your child is late or if they have an early dismissal (considered a ½ day absence). The state of Illinois considers a student with more than 18 absences for the school year (whether excused or unexcused) as a chronic truant. Chicago Public schools considers any student with more than 9 absences as off-track for success. At Thorp we have seen a strong correlation between student attendance and a successful academic performance.
Health Precautions:
As the second week winds down, this is also the time when we start seeing the flu and other communicable illnesses. Although we emphasize student attendance (as indicated in the previous paragraph), if your child has a fever or is having stomach issues we understand and we encourage you to keep them home. Children need to be fever free for 24 hours before they return to school. This keeps everyone healthy and cuts down on our absences as a school in the long run. If your child is absent, please login to Parent Portal on Aspen and fill out the absence form.
1-4 Open House 9/11 @ 6:00 PM & 5-8 Open House 9/12 @ 6:00 PM:
Our Open House Curriculum for first through fourth grade will be on Wednesday, September 11th from 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM. The fifth through eighth grade Open House will be on September 12th from 6:00-7:00 PM. Please follow the instructions emailed by your child’s teacher this week. Due to our auditorium renovations, we will share our Office Welcome with all parents via YouTube.
Parent University:
Our first Parent University will occur on Thursday from 7:00 - 8:00 following the 5-8th Curriculum Night. The topic will be preparing for the High School Selection Process. In person attendance is for our 8th grade parents in the library. All are welcome for our virtual presentation at Google Meeting code: thorpparent . Please log in with your child’s credentials. The session will be recorded and added to our Parent University on our website.
7th & 8th Grade Cmte. News:
7th and 8th Grade Parents - High School Open Houses! This fall, many high schools will host Open Houses for prospective students. Students and families are encouraged to attend to learn more about the high school. Please check the GoCPS Calendar to see when schools are having Open Houses this fall.
Here are a few Open Houses that are currently listed:
- Walter Payton Selective Enrollment High School Open House - 9am-1pm, Saturday 10/5/24
- Northside College Prep Selective Enrollment High School Open House - 10am-1pm, Sunday 10/6/24
- Jones Selective Enrollment HS Open House - 10am-3pm, Saturday 10/19/24
- Whitney Young Selective Enrollment HS Open House -12:30pm-3:30pm, Sunday 10/20/24 (Presentations will take place every half hour from 12:30-3:30)
- Lane Tech Selective Enrollment HS Open House- 12:30pm-2:30pm, Saturday 11/9/24 (Presentations will take place every 45 minutes starting at 12:30)
FoT - Read A Thon:
Please note The Read-A-Thon begins Monday, September 16th through Friday, September 27th. This is the Friends of Thorp's largest Fall Fundraiser and we need your help reaching our goal of $40,000! Every parent/guardian should receive an email on Friday from 99 Pledges with information on how to get started. There will be awesome prize awards for the students and classrooms for both top fundraisers and top readers. Please reach out to [email protected] if you have any questions.
FoT - The Sweet Oasis Dine Out
Join us for a Dine Out at The Sweet Oasis in Norridge on Monday, September 9th from 12pm-10pm. 20% of your order comes back to our school when you mention Thorp upon ordering or show our flyer. You can view the flyer by following Friends of Thorp on Facebook or Instagram. Grab some friends and join us for ice cream social with fellow Thorpies!
(Click for larger image if dining out)
After School Clubs:
Activities for our after school programming are still being added. Please take a look at our catalog and sign up next week. (The sign-up form will be sent out on Remind.) We have teachers looking for Scrabble Boards and other game donations for a club. Please send them to the office if you have them. Parents if you are interested in volunteering to lead a club, please contact us at [email protected]. We are also looking for parent volunteers to help us with our library - if you are interested please reach out to us at [email protected].
LSC News:
Our Communication Cmte. will meet on Monday 9/9 @ 6:00PM. You can join us by logging in as your child and going to Google Meet Code: thorpcommunication
Our LSC Meeting will be on Wednesday 9/11 @ 7:00AM in the library. You can also join by going to oathorpacademy.org/lscmeeting. This is our LSC Agenda and Principal Report.
Thank you so much and have a great weekend!
Efren Toledo
Principal
(Are you looking for our Lunch Menu? Look for Weekly Menu under Parents on our website.)