Dear Tubman Families, 

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend! Please see below for some important updates. 

Additional Special Education Position

We are excited to share that the Office of Students with Disabilities (OSD) has granted us an additional Special Education teacher position! Mr. Gillis has accepted this position. We couldn't be happier to have Mr. Gillis continue as a valued member of our team.

Curriculum Night

I hope you can join us for Curriculum Night on September 16th from 5:00pm - 6:30pm. You will have an opportunity to hear from your child’s teachers, learn more about the resources available at Tubman and hear from me about all of the great things happening here at Tubman! Please see the agenda for details: Curriculum Night Agenda

YMCA Aftercare Waitlist

We currently have 9 families on the YMCA Aftercare waitlist. I am in daily contact with YMCA leadership, and they shared that they are actively waiting for new staff members to complete their required CPS background clearances before opening additional spots. While they have not yet given us an exact date for when these new staff members can begin, please know that they will update impacted families when they receive confirmation. If you have questions, please email Karen Dziagwa at kdziagwa@ymcachicago.org and Jessica Coleman at jncoleman@ymcachicago.org. 

Arrival and Dismissal Safety Reminders

We need your help keeping our students safe and our street traffic moving smoothly.  



• Keep Traffic Lanes Clear: Please do not double-park or stop in active traffic lanes while waiting for your child at the main entrance. Blocking the road causes dangerous backups and delays for fellow Tubman families and neighbors.
• Keep Bus Area Open: Do not park or pull into the street areas designated by traffic cones. These spaces must remain open so our school buses can safely load and unload students without blocking the roadway.
• Parking Lot Traffic: Please do not drive through the parking lot after school; heavy traffic in this area combined with nearby students creates a safety hazard.
• Speed Limits: Please drive slowly when near the school, as we have many children moving throughout the area.
• Dismissal & Emergency Contacts: Only individuals listed on your child's emergency form are permitted to pick them up; please do not ask teachers to make exceptions. You can add new emergency contacts at any time by submitting a new emergency form to the main office.  
• Pets at Arrival and Dismissal: Many of our children are afraid of dogs. With that in mind, I’d like to remind everyone to please keep dogs off school property and away from student crowds during arrival and dismissal. 

We deeply appreciate your partnership and cooperation in keeping our streets safe and courteous for everyone.

Warmly,

Principal Hammaker

The GoCPS High School application is open from Wednesday, September 9, 2026, at 10:00 AM to Friday, November 13, 2026, at 5:00 PM. All families are encouraged to log into the GoCPS Portal to complete and submit a High School Application.

The current HSAT test will be replaced by the PreACT 9 Secure. As in previous years, this test will be offered to all 8th-grade students. Click here to learn more about the HSAT.

Starting in late September and early October, the CPS Office of Access and Enrollment is hosting a series of informative sessions to guide families step-by-step through the GoCPS application process for the 2027–28 school year (Click here to register). Please note a time update for Tubman upcoming GoCPS informative session on Wednesday, September 16, 2026. To make it more convenient for families attending Curriculum Night that evening, the session has been moved to 4:00 PM (originally scheduled for 1:00 PM).

Please make sure your student's address is correct in ASPEN, as accurate address data is required to calculate Tier status and to populate Neighborhood/Guaranteed Offer programs for students. 

I am here to help! If you have questions or need assistance, please feel free to contact me. Click here to sign up for my office hours. You can also call me directly at 773-534-5590.

Updated Event Details:

• Event: GoCPS Application Step-by-Step Guide (2027–28 School Year)
• Date: Wednesday, September 16, 2026
• New Time: 4:00 PM (right before Curriculum Night)
• Location: Tubman Elementary
• 
  

Please take a moment to become familiar with the HS Research Virtual Bulletin Board. The HS Research Virtual Bulletin Board contains open house flyers, brochures, and videos.

GoCPS Parent Resources

GoCPS Applications Process Overview Family Facing Deck 

GoCPS High School Resource Video

High School Eligibility and Selection Criteria

HS Research Bulletin Board Padlet

Public View Open Houses 2026-2027

Best Regards

Heather Beeker

Pronouns: She/her/hers (More information on pronouns here)

Professional School Counselor 

SPORTS

Cross Country (Grades 5–8)

Practices: Mondays & Wednesdays from 3pm to 4pm

Practice Location: Jonquil Park

First Meet: Tuesday, September 22nd at Montrose Beach

Boys 5th/6th Grade Soccer

Practices: Mondays & Wednesdays from 3pm to 4pm

If you have any questions, please email Ms. Grant at ogrant2@cps.edu

Girls 5th/6th Grade Volleyball

Practice: Mondays & Wednesdays from 3:15pm tp 5pm

First Meet: Saturday, October 3rd at 4:30pm vs McAuliffe at Kelvyn Park High School (4343 W. Wrightwood Ave.)

Please see Welcome email from Coach Lynn & Andrew for full practice information and reminders.

Girls 7th/8th Grade Volleyball

Practices: Tuesday and Thursday from 3:15pm to 5pm

First CPS Match: Saturday, September 19th at 9:45am vs. Funston at Kelvyn Park High School (4343 W. Wrightwood Ave.)

MUSIC HOUSE

Friends of Tubman is an all-volunteer group of parents and caregivers dedicated to making Tubman a great school for all students through fundraising and community events. Please click here Subscribe to Friends of Tubman to subscribe to FOT emails to receive information on upcoming fundraisers, community events, and learn how to get involved.

There are many ways, large and small, to get involved and volunteer with Tubman. All volunteers must complete the CPS Volunteer Application each school year. There are two levels of volunteers.

Level 1 Examples: Coaches, tutors, non-supervised day field trip chaperone, overnight field trip chaperone

Level 2 Examples: Halloween classroom celebration guest, reading a book to a class, supervised day field trip chaperone

Click here to complete your application. Upon completion of the online application, all volunteers must bring their ID to Ms. Martinez at the main office to have their application approved for processing.

Interested in becoming a Level 1 volunteer? Thanks to FOT, you can now save time by completing your FREE fingerprinting by Accurate Biometrics (the contracted vendor for Chicago Public Schools for State and FBI Fingerprint-based background checks) at Tubman on Tuesday, September 22nd. Click here to sign up now. Note that your application MUST be completed prior to your Accurate Biometrics appointment.

Parent Portal Login

Parent Portal Navigation Guide

Parent Portal Setup Process Video

Parent Portal FAQs

Online Payment via Parent Portal Guide

Online Payment via Parent Portal Video

Online Payment via ePay Login

Online Payment via ePay Guide

E-Absence FAQs

E-Absence Guide Video

E-Absence from Mobile Device Instructions

For additional assistance with Parent Portal or ePay, email the School Clerk, Ms. Martinez, at Rmartinez170@cps.edu

Harriet Tubman Elementary School

2851 N Seminary Ave, Chicago, IL 60657

Phone: (773) 534 - 5784 | Fax: (773) 534 - 5784

tubmanelementarycps.org