JANUARY 2022 NEWSLETTER
Dear HSA Mckinley Park Families,

As we transition into the month of February we have many updates to share. I am incredibly excited that this week starts the 1st week of Black History Month. A wise man, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., once said, “We are not makers of history. We are made by history.” During this month, we plan to celebrate those individuals that paved the foundation for us to continue to build on.

On February 17th we will have our third and final parent teacher conference. This conference will be virtual and we will be using a more simpler method of communication between teachers and parents. Please make sure to sign up once you receive instructions from our school communication network. There are only four months of school left and we want to make sure you have all your questions answered about your child’s grades and assignments.

We also completed our winter NWEA MAP testing for grades K - 8 as well as PSAT testing for 9th - 11th. Please see your child’s teacher or assistant principal for specific information on their performance. 

In addition, please make sure to re-enroll your child for next year if you have not done so already. During the month of March we will have our annual enrollment Lottery which will be held after school on March 4th. If we do not receive your child’s re-enrollment updates on SIS then their seat can be filled during the school lotto system in March so please make sure to complete this task! If you need help please contact the front office. 

Parents, you play such an integral part of this journey. I ask that each day you take time to discuss the school day with your child, to review homework with them, and to ensure that they get enough sleep and are prepared for the challenges that awaits them during the next school day. I ask the students to come to school each day with their minds and thoughts set for learning, to be ready for the challenges that will await them at HSA Mckinley Park.

Serving You, 

Mr. Vedziovski
2245 W. Pershing Rd. Chicago, IL 60609
(O) 773.247.8400 | (F) 773.247.8401
Operated by Concept Schools
Weekly Testing Takes Off!
We wanted to express our appreciation to all of the Lab Elite staff and our school nurses-Ms. Hill and Ms. Brewer for their dedication and service on keeping our school community safe. Our weekly testing (staff & students) has helped us all feel secure during these times and together we will continue to combat this ongoing Covid crisis. Pictured above are the staff members who test our school weekly, our heroes! Thank you all again!

Saturday School
On Saturday, January 15th our 3rd-8th grade test preparation Saturday school began. We wanted to express our appreciation to all the staff involved in contributing to the success of our students. We will continue to provide all of the readily available resources for our students to ensure their academic success. Also to all of the parents who registered their children for our Saturday school test preparation classes that will continue until the end of March. Together we can continue exceeding the academic needs of our students.
Celebrating the legacy of
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Our very own kindergarten classes celebrated Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and filled our halls with beautiful decorations inspired by his legacy. They learned all about who he was and what he strongly fought for. Pictured are some of the kindergarten students with their art pieces. Celebrating the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is so important to our student body and we will continue to celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in the month to come with Black History Month. Stay tuned for our Black History Month Celebrations!
Middle School Science Fair
We are so proud of all of our middle school students who proudly presented their science fair projects on Friday, January 28th. Thank you to our middle school Science department for preparing our students and the Science fair. Also a special shout out to our volunteer judges who spent the day judging all of the awesome projects. It was an awesome day in the middle school wing to see all of the classrooms displaying all of the projects!

Way to go HSA Hawks!
Parent Online Workshop
The Community Outreach Department along with Dr. Regina Armour.-Director of Equity and Inclusion for Concept schools hosted an online parent workshop via zoom on Thursday, January 27th. As part of the Equity Committee initiative HSA will stay committed in providing our families a safe place to discuss important topics and help provide essential resources in any way possible.

This workshop is part of a 4 part series. Each month we will host a different workshop tackling pressing issues that as a community we can help face together. Thank you to our families who joined our first session. It was a great worksop to start the checking in process with ourselves and families at home . During this time we need to make sure we are not only physically well but also mentally well. There is a lot of pressure on parents now more than ever so it was a great workshop to discuss different strategies on keeping ourselves well.

Please be on the look out for our next Parent Online Workshop on Thursday, February 24th at 5:30pm We will be discussing Safety for our Families and Community.
Details coming soon!
National School Choice Week
We Kicked off #SchoolChoiceWeek this year with our students on Monday, January 24th! We decorated the school and surprised our students during lunch with special treats and a live performance from our school band! Special shout out to Ms. Kovatch and our school band for performing at all of our lunch periods, serenading our students with our school song!

Thank you to our families for choosing HSA McKinley Park for their children! We appreciate being your TOP CHOICE of school and are so HAPPY you are all part of our family!
Meet our New Executive
SPED Director
We are proud to introduce our new Executive Director of Special Education Ms. Hanan Almiladi. She holds a BA and 2 Masters Degrees and is currently working on her PHD from Illinois State University. She has worked in the education field for over 20 years. She was born and raised in the Chicagoland area and is half Syrian and Libyan. She is a proud mother of 2 daughters and loves all sports and enjoys running and biking.

She is passionate educator who loves to help create conditions for students to help them receive the best education services.
We are so happy to have Ms. Almiladi as part of our HSA McKinley Park Family! We are looking forward to her contributions to our SPED department.
NWEA Winter Testing
That's a wrap! We have successfully administered the NWEA Winter testing for our K-8th grade students. A big part of our success is the cooperation of all staff and students for keeping up with our testing schedule. Thank you to all of students for doing their best on the Winter NWEA tests. A special thanks to the staff responsible for creating a safe space for our students to test properly as we continue to maintain social distance.
Special Olympics
Volunteers
On Thursday, January 24th Ms. Chavez and her High School Intro to Special Education Class volunteered at the 2022 Special Olympics Illinois High School Basketball Competition. Our students joined Ms. Chavez to Quest MultiSport to help keep score of the games and manage the event for the CPS Diverse Learners. It was a great way to put our student teachers in action to help assist and get a feel for working with students with special needs. We are so proud of our students for taking part in this awesome volunteer expereince. We are looking forward to them volunteering again in May for the Bowling Tournament!

Pictured above Itzel Medina, Anthony Ramirez, Elizabeth Munoz, Janeli Garcia and Gisselle Gonzalez.
Celebrating National Soup Month
The Outreach Department initiated National Soup Month with all of the HSA McKinley Park staff! During this long cold month of January it is important to continue to boost staff morale and what better way then with a hot bowl of soup!

On Friday, January 28th staff was encouraged to bring a soup to share in their crock pots. It was a successful event! Thank you to all of our staff members who brought in a delicious homemade soup it was a great way to kick off the new year and great way to set the tone for the remaining months. We are hoping to continue this new tradition and make a pot luck celebration at the end of each month....February is National Chocolate Month! We can't wait to host it soon.
Teacher Spotlight:
Lizzie Moss
This month's staff spotlight shines on:
Lizzie Moss

This month we shine the staff spotlight on Lizzie Moss. She grew up in Richmond, Virginia and is both an American and Canadian citizen. She now is a Chicago resident but loves spending time visiting her family in Toronto. Lizzie graduated from Miami University with a major in Integrated Social Studies and a minor in History. She recently graduated with her Masters of Education Leadership from National Louis University.

She has been teaching here at HSA McKinley Park since the 2017-2018 school year. She now teaches College Readiness English and is ELA High School Department chair. She recently hosted the infamous Open Mic night for our High school students and has really made an impact for the love of reading and literacy to our high school students.

In the past, she has also taught Psychology, AP Psychology and Social Studies. Lizzie has also been a CYSP Mentor, Robotics Mentor and has coached girls soccer and helped out with the cross country teams.

In her free time she loves to rewatch the office, participate in Hawaiian shirt Fridays, play with her cat, Gus, and travel. The best part of being a teacher for Lizzie is being able to form relationships with students and watch them grow into young adults. We are so grateful to have Ms. Moss on staff, we appreciate all of her efforts on the success of HSA McKinley Park!

Follow her teacher instagram @ms.lizziemoss
 

Closing out with her favorite quote:
“Would I rather be feared or loved? Easy. Both. I want people to be afraid of how much they love me.” — Michael Scott
Any questions? concerns?
At HSA McKinley Park our top priority is the health and safety of students and staff, and we will continue to follow the guidance of local, state, and federal health officials in this evolving situation. Should you have any questions or concerns please email our school principal,
Mr. Seat Vedziovski at:
vedziovski@hsamckinley.org

Ms. Armouti, Outreach Coordinator:

Mrs. Vega, Outreach Coordinator: