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Our plan is divided into four sections: General Overview, Deaf Department, Options Department and Neighborhood Department. Please click on the links at the bottom of the page to navigate to the different sections. The link to the folder with all of our weekly schedules can be found here.
Parents, please come mark tshirts for your student's classroom. For details, to volunteer, and to donate, click here: friendsofbell.z2systems.com/campaign.jsp?campaign=462& (Donations due Oct.17.)
Fall Parent Conference on Saturday, September 28 from 8:30am-1: 00 pm at Benito Juarez High School. During the event you will be able to participate in workshops, meet CPS vendors and community organizations. See flyers below in English, Spanish, and Chinese.  Kudos to Peter Barash, 7th/8th Social Studies teacher and Shana Pearlmutter, Art teacher, for their leadership in civic engagement. Peter and Shana won the Obama Foundation Award for Leadership in Civic Education, and they were recognized for their achievements at the August Chicago Public School Board of Education meeting. Their work on the Bell Legacy Project teaches our students that they can change the world as engaged, global citizens.
We are excited to welcome everyone back to school on Tuesday, September 3rd. We have been busy getting ready and we can't wait to share several building improvements when we see everyone in September. As we continue to plan for the new school year, we would like to share some important dates. Please make note of these events in your calendars:
Saturday, August 17th Kindergarten Play Date for New Families 10:30-12:00 p.m. on the Bell School playground *New kindergarten students and their families are invited to come to Bell to play, meet new friends, and learn about after school activities Thursday, August 29th Meet the Teacher 8:30-9:30 a.m. *Students in all grade levels are invited to come to school to meet their teachers before school begins. Tuesday, September 3rd First Day of School for All Students 8:15 a.m. - 3:15 p.m. *Please note this is a full day for all students. Saturday, September 7th Back to School Bash 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. *All Bell families are invited to join us on the Bell School turf for a fun afternoon of activities, games, neighborhood vendors, food and community building Curriculum Nights: *Join us for an informational evening with teachers to learn more about your child's curriculum, routines and classroom experiences for this year. Thursday, September 12th Grades 1-2 6:30-8:00 p.m. Wednesday, September 18th Grades 3-5 6:30-8:00 p.m. Thursday, September 26th Grades K, 6-8 6:30-8:00 p.m. We look forward to seeing everyone very soon! The CPS Network 4 Back to School Bash will take place on Thursday, August 1st at Marine Leadership Academy, 1920 N. Hamlin Avenue from 2 to 5 p.m. Please join in the fun and meet other parents, students and staff of the Network 4 schools. Please see the attached flier for more details. We hope to see many of our families at the bash!
Bell School will be hosting two kindergarten playdates for families with incoming kindergarten students. These are opportunities for students to meet each other and play together on the playground while parents can mingle and meet some of the school staff. There is no need to RSVP, just show up on the Bell School playground! If you are unable to come on either of these days, it is okay. We will be hosting an orientation for kindergarten families on August 29th, and more information will be coming about additional opportunities to get to know the Bell community. Keep checking the website for updates about fall events and the orientation times. We hope to see many of you at our playdates!
First Kindergarten Playdate: Saturday, July 27th 10:30 a.m. until 12:00 p.m. on the Bell School Playground Second Kindergarten Playdate: Saturday, August 17th 10:30 a.m. until 12:00 p.m. on the Bell School Playground Chicago Public Schools is transitioning to a new student information system over spring break. With the change, all parents will receive new parent portal accounts beginning April 22. If you verified your email address during parent-teacher conferences in November 2018 or with the form sent home the past few weeks, you will automatically be setup in the new system. If your email address is not up-to-date or was not included, please contact the main office to update your information. To learn more about setting up your new parent portal account, please visit cps.edu/pages/Students.aspx.
.UPDATE: The online registration appointment system has been updated for registration appointments in August before the start of school. Please visit bit.ly/Bell19-20Registration.
If you would like to enroll your child in our neighborhood or Options program for 2019-20, please sign up for a registration appointment at bit.ly/Bell19-20Registration. Current Bell students do not need to re-enroll. You must reside in the neighborhood attendance boundaries or have accepted a seat in the Regional Gifted Center to register. Students must be 5 years old on or before September 1st, 2010 to enter kindergarten. Please bring the following documentation with you:
Report card pick up day is Wednesday, April 10th from 11:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. No classes will be held for students on that day. Bell will continue to use the same online conference scheduling system, which will allow parents to schedule and manage their parent-teacher report card conference schedules at their convenience. The system will be open to parents beginning Monday, March 25th at 9:00 a.m. and will close at 11:59 p.m. on Monday, April 8th. The link to the conference scheduling page is:
myconferencetime.com/bellcps or bit.ly/BellConferences Please adhere to the following guidelines when scheduling your child’s conference:
Hi Bell families!
The weather has caused the creative team behind Charlotte’s Web to make some last minute schedule changes! Anyone who was originally scheduled to audition on Tuesday 1/29 is now invited to audition Monday 2/4 in the music room from 4 to 6! Crew interviews will take place in the music room from 3:30-4! There will be no callbacks this year as the calendar does not allow. Letters will go home at the end of the week. First rehearsal will still be held 2/11 3:30-5 with the parent meeting following at 5pm. **anyone not available to audition/intereview can come in Tuesday 2/5 from 3:30-5pm. But there are limited slots, so try to come in Monday. Thank you everyone!! We’re so excited to get started. -Levi Holloway And Sarah Cartwright, directors BLAZE scheduling calendar has been updated on the main Bell School calendar due to weather related school closings.
Please read the letter below from our CEO, Janice Jackson.
Dear CPS Community, As a CPS parent, I have ambitious goals for my children, and every child in Chicago, because I believe in their potential and it’s clear after listening to you this past year, that we have the same dreams for our children. I have also heard your thoughts and concerns about where we need to improve. You were concerned about your child being able to attend a high-quality program, wanted additional funding for your child’s school, and asked what the district was going to do for our vulnerable students who needed more supports. In short, you wanted to know the district’s plan the coming years. I hear you loud and clear. I also hear our teachers and principals who want to come together to collectively reshape the district to better serve students. My goals for the district are ambitious and they will not be achieved overnight, but if recent progress is any indication, we are making steady and sustainable progress. CPS is a district on the rise. As the New York Times highlighted last year, our students receive six years of instruction in just five years of school and are improving at a faster rate than 96 percent of school districts in the U.S and a UIC study concluded that our students on average repeatedly outperform their peers from around the state, regardless of ethnicity or income level. Our record-high graduation rate is 78.2%-with the biggest improvements coming from African American and Hispanic males. Less than ten years ago, just over half of CPS students earned a high school diploma. More CPS graduates are earning college and career credentials than ever and nearly half of the Class of 2018 earned at least one early college and career credential. These post-secondary programs help make college more accessible and affordable for our students and families. And through our innovative partnership with City Colleges and the STAR scholarship program, our city is coming together to lower the financial barriers for any student who wishes to attend college. While college will remain the North Star for the district, we’re creating multiple pathways to success by developing innovative Career Technical Education programs such as Chicago BUILDS at Dunbar, a new wing at Prosser as well as other career training programs. To achieve more, we must continue to face our challenges head on with integrity and not shy away from addressing them. In May, we launched the district’s first ever Equity Office with the primary focus in year one on bridging gaps in test scores between black and Latino students and their white peers. We hired more social workers and Special Education Case Workers to support our diverse learners. We adjusted the Student Code of Conduct to further address racial disparities, protect students from bullying or harassment based on immigration status, and created the Office of Student Protections and Title IX to support students and ensure we are a district free of sexual harassment, bullying, and abuse. As an educator, I am proud of these gains, and I am clear on the dedication, hard work, and focus required to achieve them. As a leader, I am also confident in our ability to reach for more. As you may know, CPS’ current strategic plan ends in June, and we are working to chart our path forward. We’re inviting all stakeholders – our educators, our partners, and especially you, our families – to help us shape that vision. The survey takes a few minutes and can be found here. Your feedback will be combined with feedback from students, educators, and community members and inform the CPS Five-Year Vision. A summary of the feedback from parents will be posted publicly on our website for you to review. For me, this is the job of a lifetime. I am proud of what we have accomplished together and excited about sustaining our progress in the years ahead. Thank you for your willingness to hear my story, to share yours, and to work together on the district’s next chapter. Sincerely, Janice K. Jackson, EdD Chief Executive Officer Chicago Public Schools  Get ready for a night of music with the Bell community at Martyrs' on Friday, January 25 when we celebrate Bands For Bell 16th year of musical performances. All bands include at least one parent or teacher. The event is less than 3 weeks away so purchase your tickets TODAY! Tickets are available for $25 each and may be purchased on the Martyrs' website.
Read more here about the bands! Congratulations to our first ever Bell School Robotics Team on their successful performance at the First Lego Qualifying Meet on Sunday. The team won the Rookie Team Award in addition to competing at the meet. This award recognizes the strongest performance of a rookie team based upon the Champion’s Award criteria. We're so proud of what the team has accomplished in a couple of short months. Go Bell Blaze!  Some of the work Bell has done in the area of educating and supporting the preservation of human rights was featured at the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) 2018 Conference this weekend. Ms. Bessette's, Mr. Guzman's, and Ms. Pearlmutter's work was highlighted at the NCSS Human Rights Education (HRE) Community Showcase. NCSS HRE was excited to show others the work that our students have done in the area of creating awareness, establishing a safe and welcoming environment, and taking action. Though the annual NCSS conference was held in Chicago this year, teachers, academics, and related organizations came in from all over the country. Kudos to Bell!  Lurie Children’s has recognized Bell's efforts in their new “Community Champions” window box. This is a brand new initiative in the hospital to recognize their fundraising individuals and organizations. The Window Box lists more than 40 individuals, teams and organizations that rallied their community to raise more than $10,000 for Lurie Children’s in the 2017 calendar year. The window box is on the south exterior wall of Lurie Children’s on E. Superior St. between N. St. Clair St. and N. Fairbanks Ct., and is one of several that share stories of Lurie Children’s patients to the pedestrians on this heavy-trafficked sidewalk. Kudos to our 8th grade students who organized the May Walk, which raised these much needed funds for the important work that is done at Lurie Children's Hospital. Another great example of civic engagement at Bell School.  One day - Sunday, December 2, 2018 Two amazing opportunities to give back to Bell Join us for some holiday shopping at Kendra Scott, 3426 N Southport Ave., 12:00 noon until 2:00 pm Grab a bite to eat at Tuco & Blondie, 3358 N Southport Ave., 10:00 am until 4:00 pm CPS recently released the School Quality Ratings for all elementary and high schools. Bell received the highest rating possible, which is 1+. In addition, our score increased due to improvements on our 5 Essentials survey results. Click here to see the SQRP report for Bell.
In addition, the Illinois State Board of Education released its new rating process this week. Bell received a rating of "commendable" which is the second highest rating a school can achieve. For more information about how the state's new ratings are determined, click here. CPS has also shared a letter with families to discuss the differences between SQRP and the state ratings. Please click here to review the letter. Come to Meatheads for dinner between 4 and 8 p.m. on November 28th and Meatheads will donate 20% of the proceeds to Friends of Bell. Enjoy a nice dinner and help Bell School. Click on this link to see the flier that you need to present in order to help Bell School. Bell Counselor, Katie Moran hosts former Bell students who return to share their high school experiences with current Bell students. Schools represented: The Chicago High School for the Arts (ChiArts), Jones College Prep, Lake View High School, Lane Tech College Prep, Lincoln Park High School, Northside College Prep, Payton College Prep, and Von Steuben (Scholars Program). |
Registration for the 2017-2018 School Year Archives
August 2022
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