Dear Parents and Guardians,

From all of us on the leadership team, we couldn’t be prouder of our students and their dedication to academic excellence! We are thrilled to celebrate that we’ve made it past the first quarter of the school year together, and our students’ hard work and determination continue to inspire us every day.

It’s re-enrollment time for our current students! Please secure your child’s spot before our deadline on December 31st. This year, we’re moving up our re-enrollment period to make sure all students are re-enrolled before the new year. Log in to the PowerSchool portal today to guarantee your child’s seat for the 2026–2027 school year.

We are also excited to share some fantastic news: our elementary school has been recognized as the #1 Elementary Charter School in Illinois, and our middle school ranks #7 in the state! This recognition reflects the dedication of our students, families, and staff, and highlights the excellence of our school community.

A heartfelt thank you goes to our exceptional teaching staff, whose unwavering commitment inspires and guides our students on their educational journeys. Their dedication fosters a nurturing environment where students can thrive and achieve their full potential.

As we enter the holiday season, a time for reflection and gratitude, we are excited to invite you to our annual Veterans Day Assembly on November 10th. This special event is an opportunity to honor and celebrate the veterans within our school community for their invaluable service and sacrifice. We hope you and your family will join us for this meaningful celebration. For details on how to participate, please check your email for event information.

We would also like to remind families of our school’s attendance policy, as regular attendance is essential to your child’s academic success. Your support in prioritizing school attendance is greatly appreciated.

Key Attendance Guidelines:

5 Unexcused Absences: A warning letter will be issued.
10 Unexcused Absences: A conference with administration may be requested and an Attendance Intervention Plan (AIP) may be initiated.
15 Total Absences (Excused or Unexcused): A meeting with administration may be required.
30 Total Absences (Excused or Unexcused): Students may be required to repeat their current grade unless promotion is approved by the principal and teachers.

Thank you for being an essential part of our school community. Your continued support and engagement make a world of difference, and together we are making this academic year remarkable.

Wishing you a month filled with gratitude, joy, and meaningful moments with your loved ones.

With Grateful Hearts,

HSA McKinley Park Elementary

Leadership Team

Re-Enrollment NOW OPEN

Secure Your Child’s Spot for 2026–2027!

Re-enrollment is happening now! Don’t wait — the deadline is December 31st. Log in to the PowerSchool portal today to guarantee your child’s seat for next school year. Secure Your Child’s Spot for 2026–2027!

Re-enrollment is happening now! Don’t wait — the deadline is December 31st. Log in to the PowerSchool portal today to guarantee your child’s seat for next school year.

State Representative Guerrero-Cuellar Visit

We were honored to welcome State Representative Guerrero-Cuellar to our campus this month. Our student ambassadors provided a tour and highlighted the many programs and initiatives that make our school community unique. Visits from community leaders such as Representative Guerrero are especially meaningful, as they give our students the opportunity to see individuals who reflect them in positions of leadership.

We sincerely appreciate her support and commitment to education. Experiences like this inspire our students and reinforce the importance of leaders who invest in our students, our teachers, and the future of our communities. We are always pleased to welcome visits of this kind and look forward to many more special visitors in the future.

1st Quarter Safety Update

At HSA McKinley Park, the safety and well-being of our students and staff remain our top priority. We are deeply committed to fostering a secure learning environment where everyone feels prepared, protected, and supported.

We would like to extend our sincere thanks to our Administrative Team, especially our Assistant Principal of Operations, Mr. Eldes, for kicking off the school year by ensuring all staff and students are well-prepared for emergency situations.

This quarter, we successfully conducted

Bus Safety Drill for all students
2 Fire Drills under the supervision of the Chicago Fire Department
Hard Lockdown Drill in collaboration with our local law enforcement

In addition, all classroom and office safety folders have been updated with current procedures and evacuation routes.

Our Emergency Response Plan was also reviewed and shared during our All Staff Meeting to ensure that every member of our school community understands their role in maintaining a safe environment.

We are on a Quest to be the Best!

New Parent Parking Spots

We are excited to announce designated parking spots for parents in our school parking lot! These spots are designed to help keep students safe and ensure traffic flows smoothly during drop-off and pick-up times.

Important Reminders for All Families:

Always pull into a designated parking spot, starting with the new parent spots, followed by any other available spaces.
Double parking is not allowed. It creates serious safety risks and blocks access for teachers and emergency vehicles.
Do not leave your car unattended or exit your vehicle anywhere other than a proper parking spot.
During drop-off, remain in your car. Staff members are on hand in the designated drop-off area to assist your child safely.
During pick-up, use the designated parent spots and avoid blocking traffic or parked cars.

These rules are in place to keep everyone safe and ensure traffic runs efficiently in our parking lot. Vehicles that are double-parked or left in driving lanes will be asked to move immediately.

Thank you for your cooperation and support! We are confident these new spots will make drop-off and pick-up a safer and smoother experience for everyone.

Perfect Attendance Winners

We are thrilled to celebrate our students who achieved perfect attendance this month and 1st quarter!

Consistent attendance is key to academic growth and success, and we are so proud of all students who made it a priority to be present every day. To add some extra excitement, our dedicated admin team hosted a monthly and quarterly raffle for our students with perfect attendance, with one lucky winner from each grade level receiving an HSA grocery bag filled with fun goodies. Congratulations to the first round of winners: check out the photos of our winners and their winners’ baskets.

Let’s keep the momentum going—attendance matters!

K-2 HAWKS OF THE MONTH

Our K–2 Hawks had an amazing time at their monthly Pizza Party and Awards Celebration! Each month, our Baby Hawks are nominated by their teachers for exemplifying model behavior, showing kindness, and working hard in class.

It was a long time coming to honor our first group of winners, but we’re now on track to celebrate our Hawks of the Month all year long! A huge thank you to our principal, Mr. Ak, for presenting certificates, and to Ms. Gaby for organizing this special event for our students. We’re so proud of our hardworking Hawks—keep soaring high!

Books for Everyone

We are deeply grateful to Bernie’s Book Bank for their generous donation of books! This month, each of our K–6 students received a bag full of engaging books to take home, fostering a lifelong love of reading.

We would also like to recognize Ms. Manzella, our dedicated school librarian, for connecting us with this incredible organization, as well as Mr. Ak, our school principal, and Ms. Camacho, our school counselor, for helping distribute the books to our students.

Access to high-quality books is essential in building literacy skills, sparking imagination, and supporting academic growth. Our students are enjoying an early Halloween treat—one that comes with the gift of reading! We are excited to continue inspiring a passion for literacy and learning across our school community.

Fall Book Fair

Our Fall Book Fair ran the first week of October, and we were thrilled to welcome students and parents for a week of book shopping!

Thanks to our dedicated school librarian, Ms. Manzella, and the enthusiastic support of our school community, the event was a fantastic success, with over 500 books sold.

We’re grateful to everyone who shopped at our Fall Book Fair, and we can’t wait to host our next book fair in the spring!

8th Grade HS Visit

This month, our 8th graders had the exciting opportunity to visit our HSA McKinley Park High School campus! We wanted to showcase the new campus, and students enjoyed hearing from our inspiring high school student leaders, touring the campus, and picking up some awesome HSA swag!

The visit was filled with energy, curiosity, and school pride as our soon-to-be freshmen got a glimpse of the many opportunities that await them. We can’t wait to officially welcome the Class of 2030 next year!

Middle School Student Council

The votes are in, and we are excited to announce our newly elected Middle School Student Council team!

Congratulations to:

President: Myanni Shelton
Vice President: Nathalia Cruz
Secretary: Leila Martinez
Middle School Classroom

Representatives

These leadership positions give our students a voice and an important role in shaping their school community. We are so proud of all our student leaders who stepped up to represent their classmates, and we can’t wait to see the amazing ideas, energy, and positive impact they will bring this year!

PBIS in Action

Our Stash Cash Store is officially open and running! As part of our PBIS (Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports) program, students have been earning their “Stash Cash” for demonstrating positive behavior, good choices, and showing our school values. They can use their earned “cash” to purchase fun items from the Stash Cash Store, reinforcing positive habits and celebrating their hard work and great behavior. We are thrilled to see so many of our students earning big bucks and taking pride in their positive actions!

Community Outreach

It’s been a busy month for our Outreach Team as they’ve been visiting numerous middle schools across the Chicagoland area to promote our brand-new high school building and invite families to our upcoming High School Open House!

This is the season when families begin exploring their high school options, and we’re thrilled to spread the word about our #1 Charter High School and all the amazing opportunities we offer our students!

Middle School Open Mic Night

A huge thank you to Ms. Morgan and our Middle School ELA team for hosting a fantastic Fall Open Mic Night!

Our students showcased their creativity and confidence through original poems, stories, and performances. Events like these highlight the power of student voice and the incredible support our teachers provide to help them shine! We’re already looking forward to our Winter Open Mic Night coming soon!

Halloween FUN

We celebrated Halloween with a week full of fun for our Hawks! Our annual K–5 Spirit Week and Halloween Costume Parade had students and staff showing off their spooky and creative sides all week long.

A huge thank you to Ms. Wrobel for organizing this fun-filled week and to our amazing staff for filling the halls with colorful Care Bears, making the celebrations even more magical.

Our little Hawks looked absolutely adorable in their costumes, and the excitement and Halloween spirit were contagious!

1st Quarter Honor Roll

Congratulations to all of our 4th–8th grade students who earned Honor Roll and Perfect Attendance for the first quarter!

We celebrated their hard work and dedication at our Quarterly Awards Ceremony and also enjoyed a special Principal’s List Pizza Party with our Principal .

We are so proud of our students for their commitment to excellence and consistency—these achievements set a strong tone for the rest of the school year. Keep up the amazing work!

CYSP Corner

Our CYSP groups are off to an amazing start this year! They’ve been enjoying all sorts of fun and enriching activities, including our Annual CYSP Apple Orchard Field Trip, expertly hosted by Ms. Bearden, our CYSP School Coordinator, visits to the Chicago History Museum, Leadership Camp at Camp Timberlee, and plenty of opportunities to simply spend quality time together.

Check out the photos below of our groups in action: Vega, Esparza, Tiffany, Brownlee, Young, Langton, Camacho, and Marron.

We’re so excited to continue watching our CYSP groups

thrive and grow throughout the year!

CYSP International Trips

Travel Opportunities for Families!

Ready to explore the world with your family this school year? Join us for an unforgettable international trip! We have exciting travel options that the whole family can enjoy. Deposits are due in December, so don’t wait to secure your spot!

For more details about the CYSP-sponsored summer trips, reach out to Ms. Bearden at bearden@hsamckinley.org.

We can’t wait to have you join us on one of these amazing adventures!

Home Visits

Home visits are still happening, and we want to thank our amazing staff for continuing to strengthen our school community! Communication is the key to a strong partnership, and with the holidays just around the corner, you never know what surprises our teachers might bring… maybe even some presents! Don’t wait—schedule your home visit today!

Parent Engagement

Our PTO is off to an amazing start this school year! A huge thank you to everyone who supported the Affy Tapple fundraiser, joined the October PTO meeting, and helped make our annual Trunk-or-Treat such a success. Your participation truly makes a difference in building a strong, connected school community!

We’re excited to invite all families to our November PTO Meeting & Potluck Dinner on Thursday, November 13th at 4:00 PM. This is a wonderful opportunity to collaborate, share ideas, and help shape upcoming events for our students.

Don’t forget to RSVP—we can’t wait to see you there and work together to make this year even more amazing!