Hello. You are receiving this email because of your relationship with Walter Payton College Prep High School. Please   confirm  your continued interest in receiving email from us. Thank you very much.
 
You may unsubscribe if you no longer wish to receive our emails.

masthead 12
 

friends of payton monthly community meeting

9/06              

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 6PM. 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: 9/6, 10/4, 11/1, 12/6, 1/9, 2/7, 3/7, 4/4, 5/2, 6/6

 

All meetings are held in the Library.

fop fundraising is

a year-round effort  

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. 

lsc meetings are
 open, next is 9/13

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, 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.

continuing
 Grizzly support for Jonathan Annicks
Last spring, Jonathan Annicks ('16) stepped out from his home to get his phone charger from the family car. Without reason, warning, or provocation, he was shot by an unknown man and is now paralyzed from the chest down. Jonathan is known to his friends and fellow Grizzlies as an adventurous, physically active guy who loves the Blackhawks (he coached youth hockey), and loves school. Jonathan's planned future - studying broadcast communications in college - are on hold as he focuses on his recovery and adapts to a new reality. Jonathan has shown his inherent optimism, grace, and love of life by responding with positivity, hope, and smiling assurances that he will prevail.

The Payton community has joined the effort to insure he has what he needs to face this challenge by contributing to an online crowd-sourced medical fund, the goal of which is to secure continuing medical care, physiotherapy, rehabilitative therapy, medical equipment, and other necessities to Jonathan's recovery. Please consider participating in the effort by visiting Friends of Jonathan Annicks to make a donation.
two more ways to  
stay current

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.
check grades & attendance online

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

when your student is sick or absent  for another reason
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.
PAW PRINT
all the payton news 

Get all of  the "Sweetest News in the City" from Paw Print, Payton's student newspaper.

payton alumni
Please go to

www.wpcp.org/alumni for current news on Payton Alumni Association activities.

share stories and ideas for this newsletter 

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: [email protected] 

the pptw
newsletter team
newsletter 

brought to you by friends of payton 

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
Andrea Mularczyk
 
Executive Vice President
Beth Beyer

VP, Communications
Tein Atkerson
 
VP, Fundraising 
Moira Saliba
 
Treasurer 
Tracey Lowenthal

Assistant Treasurer
Linda Clark
 
Secretary 
Tracy Cools
walter payton college prep high school
THE SEPTEMBER 2016 ISSUE
CALENDAR
Some details were not available at the time of this issue's publication. Contact the Payton administration with questions: 312-534-0034.
 
SEPTEMBER
09/05            No School - Labor Day           
09/06            First Day of School for Students - 8 Period Day
09/06            FOP Parent Meeting, 6-7PM, Library 
09/13            Local School Council Meeting, 6-8PM, Library
09/15            Senior Parents College Planning Night, 6:30-8PM
0919             Booster Association Meeting, 6-7PM, Library
09/20            Curriculum Night
, 6-8PM, Recital Hall   
09/21            Seminar Day 
09/21            University of Pennsylvania Session, 7-8:30PM 
 
OCTOBER
10/01            Homecoming Dance, 6-10PM, Atrium
10/04            FOP Parent Meeting, 6-7PM
10/05            Seminar Day
10/05            Yale University Session, 7-8:30PM, Recital Hall
10/06            College Financial Aid Overview, 7-8:30PM, Recital Hall  
10/10            No School - Columbus Day
10/11            Local School Council Meeting, 6-8PM, Library
10/17            Booster Association Meeting, 6-7PM, Library 
10/19            Seminar Day
10/19            We Are Payton Parent Meeting, 6:30PM, Recital Hall 
10/19            PSAT for Sophomores and Juniors  

          
*PLEASE NOTE: Throughout the year, the Payton calendar may differ from the online Chicago Public Schools calendar. For the Payton calendar, please click here
A LETTER FROM THE PRINCIPAL
Welcome to Payton!     
 


Dear Parents and Guardians,
 

Welcome to the 2016-2017 academic year! We are so looking forward to having your children return to campus to commence their experiences! 
 
In addition to the nearly 1,000 compelled and compelling students who will be active with us this year, it is a special year in the 17 year history of Payton in that we are opening our new west building. It has been a project many years in the making. It is beautiful (as is our east building) and has a bevy of different types of learning spaces for our students to ply and develop their interests and talents (see the email from Aug. 20th for details). It will allow for an additional 100 Chicago students to access Payton's people and programs. Many of you will likely have the opportunity to see the west building in coming weeks as activities commence there, and everyone is encouraged and welcome to visit the west building during Curriculum Night on Sept. 20th.   
 
But the bricks and mortar that comprise our east and west buildings are only significant in that they house the energy and purposes of our students and faculty. Inhabiting and giving life to our campus will be our wonderful students and terrific faculty members. Our students are drawn from every neighborhood, every zip code, and every aldermanic ward in the city. They convene at 1034 N. Wells each day to engage in the processes of becoming even better and richer versions of themselves. Leading these evolutions are our faculty, which includes a few new additions this year:

·Leigha Ingham earned her B.S. in Chemistry from Spelman College and an M.A. in Science Education from New York University. Leigha has worked in a number of science laboratories, has taught at Kenwood for 8 years, was a professor at Wright College, and a Researcher at Northwestern. Leigha will teach Honors Chemistry and Honors Biology this year at Payton.   
·Christina Xu earned her B.S. in Finance from the Beijing Institute, an M.B.A. from the University of Toledo, and her Teaching Certifications from National-Lewis University. She has been the Mandarin teacher at Andrew Jackson Language Academy and has led a wide-range of professional development workshops for teachers of Mandarin throughout the United States. Christina will teach Honors Mandarin at Payton.
·Melonie Brent will serve as a Special Education Paraprofessional at Payton. Melonie graduated from Payton...she's coming home!...and served as the President of Payton's Best Buddies Chapter. She has served as a paraprofessional and teacher's assistant in a suburban district for the past few years. 

We are so fortunate to have such talent joining our team of educators. 
 
We very much look forward to the launch of the academic year and look forward to having you as part of those processes. Payton is a special place, made so by the collaborations of our students, parents, guardians, and faculty. 
 
Onward Grizzlies!

Tim Devine, Principal

Payton Community News

PARTICIPATE
Sept. 6: FOP Parent Meeting, 6-7PM, Library
Sept. 13: Local School Council Meeting, 6PM, Library
Sept. 20: Curriculum Night
Oct. 4: FOP Parent Meeting, 6-7PM   

VOLUNTEER
Sept. 20: Curriculum Night: help with the Teacher Wish List, volunteer sign-ups, and refreshments before, and after the class presentations, and during 'lunch period'
Oct. TBD: Parents Night Out: help with set up or clean up or by bringing some paper goods, etc.
Always: Fundraising! The fundraising team is forming. It needs your help in big and small ways. Contact Moira Saliba at [email protected] to learn more and become part of the team. 
Ongoing Needs: We always need volunteers - whether it's fundraising, Teacher Wish List, Spirit Wear, in school events, or re-designing the FOP link on the school website. If you have interest or experience in any of these areas, or just want to get more involved, email us and we'll put you to work!

DONATE
FOP will launch the Annual Appeal soon. Please consider making a contribution.
STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT
Payton Grizzlies Made National History Day
 

Ten Payton students from the class of 2018 prominently represented Illinois in the 2016 National History Day. Individual and group projects researched by four Payton teams qualified for the national contest last June. The event featured competitors from all over the United States, Guam, American Samoa, and international schools in China, Korea, South Asia, and Central America. 
 
Maddie Moy and Audrey Pettigrew from Mr. Weiss' American Studies class were awarded the Civil War History Prize for Outstanding Entry on Civil War history. The students also had an opportunity to share their project with Congresswoman and U.S. Senate hopeful Tammy Duckworth.
 
 
Dear Payton Families,
 
Welcome to the new school year! My name is Andrea Mularczyk and this is my third year on the Friends of Payton (FOP) Board and first year as President. My daughter is a senior, and our family is grateful for the amazing experience Payton offers to all of our students. Whether you have an incoming freshman or soon to graduate senior, please consider the many ways Payton relies on parents/guardians, and join in.
 
FOP is an all-volunteer organization. By virtue of having a student here, each parent/guardian is a member of FOP, and no dues are required. However, to support Payton, you can (and we hope you do!) participate in activities, volunteer at school functions, and donate to the school's needs.
 
I invite you to attend the FOP monthly parent/guardian meetings. Principal Devine shares information about Payton and answers any questions you may have. Meetings are typically on the first Tuesday of the month. The first meeting of the school year is on Tues. Sept. 6, at 6:00PM in the Library.
 
We are beginning our Annual Appeal very soon. When you receive the Appeal letter, please read it closely and consider how your family can support Payton's educational mission. 
 
Throughout the year you will receive emails asking you to volunteer. Volunteering is an easy way to connect with other families, teachers, and Payton's faculty, staff, and administration. Last week we welcomed the incoming freshman class with a pizza party and Parent Pals, all made possible by parent/guardian volunteers.
 
But it's not all work and no play! Join us for a social gathering tradition, Parents Night Out (PNO). These events are held twice during the school year and are hosted by a Payton family. Meet new parents and reconnect with old Payton friends. The fall PNO is being planned for October. I will be there as will other members of the FOP Board, and we hope to see you then.
 
Thank you in advance for your support. I looking forward to a great 2016-2017 school year!
 
Best,
Andrea,
FOP President
SEMINARS AND ENRICHMENTS   
We are Payton Parents/Guardians
Dr. Erica Bauer, Director of Student Engagement
 



Welcome back to school and welcome to our freshmen Grizzly parents/guardians! I am thrilled for the new year and I hope you are too! As the Director of Engagement, I work to ensure our students engage in themselves, school and society in a myriad of ways. I believe in the power of emotional intelligence to transform communities and work to do this with our students and faculty daily. This year, I am hoping to do this with you, the parents/guardians, as well.

After launching the "We are Payton" enrichment last year to strengthen our community through connection, I have been thinking what it could look like to expand this to our families. Thus, "We are Payton Parents/Guardians" was born. "We are Payton Parents/Guardians" is a gathering for parents/guardians to learn, share, and grow in connection with their students. These gatherings will occur once each quarter and will focus on themes that have been selected based on last year's feedback. Each gathering will include a theme, panel or discussion, and resources that parents/guardians can take home to use with their students.

This year's schedule is below:

- Oct. 19, 6:30PM - View Race to Nowhere followed by a panel
- Dec. 7, 6:30PM - Conflict & Disappointment
- Mar. 15 - View The Mask You Live In followed by a male student panel
- May 17, 6:30PM - Challenges of Parenting
 
The year also will include a conference first semester called Parent-Teen. This conference will consist of workshops selected, planned, and run by Payton students for our parent/guardian community.
The structure may change, but the vision will remain the same - journeying together, navigating the joys and challenges of parenting adolescents.
 
Stay tuned for additional details. In the meantime, please reach out to me with any questions concerning the available supports we have at Payton for students.
 
We are different. We are one. WE ARE PAYTON!
Music color graphic FINE ARTS
Music & Art News         
 



From the Choir Room
Sounds of Sweetness: Payton's amazing all-male a cappella ensemble is looking for new members! If you know of someone who might (or should!) be interested, auditions will be by appointment with Ms. Kate Johnston (Music) in Room 214 from Sept. 6-13. If the singer is not sure - come and audition anyway. The singer does not need a prepared piece and auditions take about 5 minutes. 
 
Pieces of Perfection: Payton's amazing all-female a cappella ensemble will also be holding auditions at the start of the school year. Contact Mr. Justin Potter for details. 
 
West Building Practice Rooms: The music department gained three lovely sound-proof practice rooms on the first floor of the new building. Access will only be granted by music teachers. Parents, if you are interested in taking a look, don't hesitate to ask! Each practice room is equipped with a piano and bench, and will allow students increased opportunities for individual and section rehearsal.

Save the Dates
Beginning Choirs Winter Concert - Tues. Dec. 13 
Advanced Choirs Winter Concert - Thur. Dec. 15
 
Both concerts start at 7PM in the Payton Recital Hall. Admission fees are $5 for adults and $3 for students and senior citizens.
sports icon PAYTON TEAMS AND ATHLETICS
Grizzly Team News



 

Football:
Grizzly football is underway! After a dedicated summer of 6AM practices, the team got off to a fantastic start with a resounding 42-6 victory over Comer College Prep on Aug. 27. Myles Davis (SR) led the way with 340 All-Purpose Yards, including a 64-yard touchdown reception on a nice deep ball from Quarterback Zach Wang (SR). The team plays Lincoln Park on Sat. Sept. 3 at 7PM at Lane Tech. They could use your support against a neighborhood rival, so please come out and support the team!

Boys Track & Field: Congratulations to Alejandro Vargas (SR) and Matthew Marchbanks (JR), both of whom made it to the U.S. Junior Olympics last month in Sacramento, CA. Both runners qualified in the 800m race and proudly represented Payton at this prestigious event.

Girls Volleyball: The regular season gets underway this week, but the freshman girls had a great opportunity to represent Payton before they even officially started their Payton careers. The girls played in a 20-team tournament at Hinsdale South on Aug. 27. Despite being short-handed and playing five matches in a steamy gym, they acquitted themselves very well under new Varsity Head Coach Ben Marquez. The girls volleyball teams will be the first to perform in the new gym, and the freshman girls play Taft on the first day of school. Then, on Thurs. Sept. 8, come watch the varsity and JV teams play Whitney young at 5 and 6PM, respectively. Please come cheer them on!

For complete schedules of all the Payton fall teams, please see the school website.

Grizzly Season Tickets - New This Year!
Three season ticket packages are available for the 2016-17 school year. With the new gym, admission will be charged for all home events. Save time and support Payton teams by grabbing a season ticket now! Tickets ensure admission to all home football, volleyball (boys & girls), and basketball (boys & girls) games throughout the year. Tickets are $15 for students, $75 for adults, or $200 for the whole family. Please contact Athletic Director George Klupchak or Booster President Carter Smith for payment details.

Photos below in the Grizzly Gallery.
FOLLOW YOUR GRIZZLY TEAMS  
Booster Club Updates on Twitter: Follow the Grizzlies!


The Payton Booster Association (PBA) is an inclusive organization of Payton parents and guardians that formed in 2013 to help support Payton's athletic and academic teams, especially in the areas of communications, spirit, fundraising, and event planning. 

As of this year, PBA is a newly independent, 501(c)3 entity. We welcome the support of anybody interested in the PBA by joining our monthly meetings, generally held on the third Monday of each month at 6PM in the Payton Library. The next meeting is Mon. Sept. 19 at 6PM, we hope you can make it.

For all the latest on Payton's sports and non-sports teams, please follow @PaytonBoosters today. To submit any team update, please email [email protected] or [email protected] and get the word out. PBA encourages submission of photos of Payton's teams. Go Grizzlies!
Grizzly Gallery
 
Girls Freshman Volleyball at the Hinsdale South tournament
Clockwise from top left: Emmy Smith, Harper Robbins, Lindsey Holzman, Stella Anderson, Camille Rojas, Cameron Kuberski, and Amelia Wissink.  
Quarterback Zach Wang (SR) prepares for TD pass to Myles Davis (SR)