Dear HSA McKinley Park Families,
Due to the rising cases of COVID-19, we are extending the remote learning model into the second quarter and we will reassess the situation mid-January with further updates. We are, however, having in-person instruction for our most vulnerable students and that means we must address the challenges of COVID-19 head-on and provide our highest-need students with a safe and supportive learning environment. Starting November 9th we will begin inviting a few selected students in the special education program for live instruction a few days a week in the building. More updates will be sent to you by the special education team.
As we move into the end of the 1st quarter of virtual learning, our staff continue to work hard for our students each and every day. In order to make the program successful we are continuously encouraging you to help support and monitor your child’s assignments and progress. Please make sure your child submits what needs to be completed before the end of the 1st quarter which ends on Friday, November 6th. Also, kindly remember to review your child’s grades before the 1st quarter ends and communicate with teachers accordingly.
We are also planning to have half day instruction on Election Day, November 3rd. Virtual classes will end at 11:30am so parents can go out and vote during this important election. All afternoon assignments will be posted for students to complete for the day.
In addition, I would like to provide a few steps you and your family can take at home to safeguard your health and the health of our community. To help prevent the spread of COVID-19, please follow these important tips:
Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.
- Avoid close contact with people who are sick. Stay home when you are sick.
- Cover your cough or sneeze.
- Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.
- Cover your mouth and nose with a cloth face cover when around others.
- Maintain at least 6 feet of distance from others.
- Be alert for symptoms. Watch for fever, cough, shortness of breath or other symptoms of COVID-19.
Serving You,
Mr. Vedziovski
2245 W. Pershing Rd. Chicago, IL 60609
(O) 773.247.8400 | (F) 773.247.8401
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Closing out Hispanic
Heritage Month
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Our employee tribute during Hispanic Heritage Month was very special. Everyday we were able to share, on our social media, our Employee Tribute Posters we dedicated in each of their honor. We closed out the month on October 15th by putting it all together in a movie for you all to enjoy!
Click on the link below
to check it out!
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Our high school counseling department is doing the absolute best job in keeping everything on track for our high school seniors. As in previous years our counseling department would host a FAFSA night to help our students and their parents fill out the application. This is part of the college readiness program we have at HSA McKinley Park. Our college counseling team goes above and beyond to help our students prepare for their future. This year they hosted the FAFSA Informational night Virtually on Monday, October 5th and it was a huge success. Our counselors are also keeping things as familiar as possible as they check in via zoom with their students as they would in person if school was in session. We are so proud of their efforts and hard work to help our students prepare for the biggest decision of their lives. |
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On behalf of the HSA School Band and Band Booster Club, we wanted to express our appreciation to all those who supported the pasta fundraiser this past month. They had a very successful fundraiser and are so excited to get new equipment and scholarships ready for our current band students for this year. For the past couple of years, the Band Booster club has organized a band pasta dinner night but due to covid-19 they had to switch it up to an online pasta order fundraiser instead. We are super proud of how all of our school groups and staff have quickly adapted to the change and remain creative in all their efforts for their own events and fundraisers. |
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What can we say, we have the best Admin team ever! On October 16, 2020 our school Principal and Assistant Principals headed off to surprise our teachers with a home visit. Along with popping in to say, "Thank you for doing such a great job with E-learning", they also brought along a little gift "survival pack" of coffee & chocolates. Mr. Kaya stated, "It was one of the best experiences so far this year to see our staff in person". This pandemic has brought to us a great light of just how important it is to see and be in community with each other. Pictured is Mr. Eldes and Mr. Kaya surprising our teachers-Ms. Wislon, Ms. Moss & Mr. Velez. This will not be the last time our amazing leadership team will visit our staff as we will continue to show our support and appreciation throughout this crisis. |
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Celebrating National Boss's Day |
In celebration of our awesome leadership team we wanted to surprise them and show them how much we appreciate them! We celebrated our bosses on National Bosses' Day on Friday October 16th. Yes, the same day our admin team went off to visit our teachers! It just goes to show just how lucky we are to have them. This year we have almost a whole new line up but it doesn't dim the fact of how much they are doing and have done so far for the school. We are happy to celebrate our new principal; a familiar face Mr. Vedziovski, our Assistant Principals Ms. Skrbec, Ms. Bivens, Dr. Hunter, Mr. Kaya & Mr. Eldes by decorating their door and leaving a special gift.
"A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way." - John C. Maxwell
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Scholastic Online Book Fair |
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HSA McKinley Park is happy to promote our annual Scholastic Book Fair. This year we are hosting the book fair online. You’re invited to shop our Scholastic Book Fair online from October 19 to October 31!
All purchases benefit our school and connect kids with new books, favorite characters, complete series, and more.
You’ll love the NEW option to shop for Book Fair exclusives directly from the interactive booklist and enjoy these special online shopping features:
· Over 6,000 items, including new releases, best sellers, and value packs
· All orders ship direct to home
· FREE shipping on book-only orders over $25*
· All purchases support our school and earn 25% in rewards
Visit our Book Fair Homepage and click “Shop Now” to get started,
click on the link below.
Remember October 31st is the last day to order
please get your orders in!
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Our CYSP groups are taking part in their community and civic engagement by hosting a coat drive-thru! Our students planned ahead before the winter season and prepared this awesome coat drive thru that kicked off on Saturday, October 24th. They are accepting donations of coats, gloves, hats, scarves and warm socks everyday at the front office from 9am-3pm. They also have an onsite drop off day on November 7th from 10am-2pm where you can receive a free cup of hot cocoa and a raffle ticket for every item you donate. Raffle winners will be announced on the Clothing drive pass out day on November 21st. For more information please email Ms. Martin- [email protected]
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ANNUAL AFFY TAPPLE FUNDRAISER |
On behalf of our Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) we wanted to express our appreciation to all those who supported their annual Affy Tapple Fundraiser. PTO is very happy to still host many annual events and fundraisers this year while taking all safety precautions that are in place due to the pandemic. This year our families were able to order online and pick up their orders drive thru style. It just wouldn't be the Halloween season without these delicious apples! Enjoy! |
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Important Voting Podcast Episode! |
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HSA McKinley Park's Outreach Department launched their second "Community Connections" monthly podcast on Tuesday, October 27th. This month the
Outreach staff was honored to host Pat Wilder from the League of Women Voters-Chicago and Isaac Wink from the Reform for Illinois. This episode was really important since we wanted to get the conversation started about how important it is to vote with election day approaching quickly with our school community. We are very thankful our special guests spent the evening with us, giving us helpful and critical information to help us get motivated to vote! We attached a flyer below with early voting information for those who live in our school ward. Please remember your vote matters! It was a great episode of the Community Connections Podcast! Stay tuned for next month's podcast info!
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Click on the link to check out the podcast! |
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HSA McKinley Park is doing absolutely everything they can to stay connected with our school community. With the help of Dr. Regina Armour, Director of Community Engagements & Partnerships, "Chicago Region" Concept Schools , we launched our first meeting of " Chapter Chat" on Wednesday, October 28th. We are also super excited for this opportunity to stay connected with our parents by hosting this parent book club because we are collaborating with one of our sister schools, HSA Belmont. The first book we are reading is "The House on Mango Street" written by Sandra Cisneros. It is a great read to help us all get in the swing of how our book club will pan out this year. All of our meetings are via zoom and all in the evening to accommodate everyone's schedule. We sent out a survey earlier in the month and were happy to get a good response from parents interested in joining. Moving ahead in these times it is nice to just unwind, read, and have great conversations with our Chapter Chat Book Club!
If you are interested in joining chapter chat there is still time to join. Please email Ms. Armouti at [email protected]
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High School Virtual Open House |
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HSA McKinley Park hosted a High School Virtual Open House on Thursday, October 29th at 6pm. In the past years we have always hosted our Open House in January, but we wanted to promote our awesome school early since now is the time many 8th graders start making their decisions on where they are planning on attending high school. Although we focus our efforts on our current 8th grade students, we wanted to also extend the opportunity to our neighborhood elementary schools who will possibly be attending HSA McKinley Park in the fall. A special thanks to our Outreach, high school and college/counseling departments for preparing for this event. Preparing for this Open house early can ensure to our community that HSA is a top choice for incoming high schoolers.
Click here to check out our latest school promotional video!
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Halloween Family Movie Night |
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Switching our plans this year from our annual trunk or treat ,we decided to keep our school community safe and host a K-5 Family Movie Night (drive-in style). PTO is hosting the family movie night tonight, October 30th at 7pm and they are happy to keep our families in the Halloween spirit. They are featuring the movie, "The Addams Family Halloween". We asked our parents to rsvp to reserve their spot in the parking lot as we are following all the safety precautions due to the pandemic. PTO also hosted a candy contest for our 6-12 students to guess how many candies were in a pumpkin bucket. Students were able to submit their answers via email and winners were awarded a Halloween bucket full of candy. Congratulations to our winners pictured below picking up their prize! |
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Teacher Spotlight: Christina Rossborough |
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This month's teacher spotlight shines on Christina Rossborough. Ms. Rossborough joined the HSA McKinley Park family in 2017. She grew up in the suburbs of Bridgeview, IL and currently lives in Hickory Hills, IL. She always wanted to be a teacher ever since she was little. She would play school and would always be the teacher. She also loved going to the library and checking out the max amount of books she could get growing up. She didn't have one teacher or one person who inspired her; she was always shy in school. The reason she became a teacher, was the fact that she wanted to be someone's inspiration and know that she can make a difference since she didn't have one herself growing up.
She has a Bachelors Degree in elementary education with a science minor from Trinity Christian College. She started at Horizon Science Academy teaching 5th grade for two years and now she in her second year in 1st grade! During her time teaching 5th grade she was able to help plan and experience probably one of the best field trips we have to offer at HSA, the trip to Camp Pinewood. In 5th grade, the students take an overnight trip to the camp where they learn all about team building and survival. "The pictures I took on the field trip are ones I will treasure because we all had so much fun."-Rossborough has said.
Her goal is to earn her Masters degree to become a reading specialist since she loves reading books to all of her students of all ages! She finds it an engaging way to teach important skills and strategies. Her passion is seeing a smile on student’s faces as their eyes light up when learning new things. She wants to instill a growth mindset mentality to show her kids that patience and practice are the two key elements to success, by teaching them that making mistakes are another great opportunity to learn and grow. She is also very happy to be part of the HSA family because everyone at HSA has always been so supportive and kind and has helped her become the teacher she is today.
Thank you Ms. Rossborough for instilling the love of reading to our students!
Closing out with her favorite quote:
“Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.”
–Maya Angelou
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Click on the link for a special Halloween video made
by Ms. Bearden and special guests!
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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:
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