Week 2

Dear Urban Prairie Families,

Thanks for your patience as we worked through this week’s water issues. It was a truncated week, and we are looking forward to establishing our rhythms in the weeks ahead. Please always reach out with questions. Have a great weekend and enjoy this beautiful September weather!

Warmly,

Sharla

This Weekly Admin Newsletter includes:

• Calendar highlights

• School News

• Reminder: Sign-up links for afterschool/aftercare programs

• UPWS Admin Contacts

September 20 Lower School Capoeira afterschool program begins, 3:30-4:15

September 21 Middle School Parent/Guardian Evening (in person), 6:30 – 8:30 pm

September 22 Middle School Capoeira afterschool program begins, 3:30-4:15

September 25 3rd Grade Parent/Guardian Meeting 9-11 a.m. via Zoom

September 28 New Family Welcome Dinner

October 2 Festival of Courage – all school attendance required

October 11  No School, Indigenous Peoples’ Day

October 26 Flag Football afterschool program begins

New Family Welcome Dinner

If you are new to Urban Prairie this year or last year, you should have received an invitation for this adults-only event. Please RSVP to ad…@urbanprairie.org for Tuesday Sept 28, 6:30pm. We can’t wait to see you there!

Urban Prairie Community S.E.E.D. Seminars

What is S.E.E.D. (Seeking Educational Equity & Diversity)? Founded in 1987 by Peggy McIntosh (author of White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack), The National S.E.E.D. Project is a peer-led development program that promotes change through self-reflection and interpersonal dialogue that builds capacity for more equitable communities.

What does it involve? Participants attend 8 monthly 2 1/2 hour-long seminars, where they explore their education in relation to race, ethnicity, gender, socioeconomic status, religion, sexual identity, abilities, and age, and how these factors currently impact their communities. These seminars will be co-facilitated by Rob Welcher and Jenn Zieinski.

How do I join? Contact Jenn Zielinski at either 312-858-4562 or jenn.zi…@urbanprairie.org to save your spot or get more information. Groups are limited to 15 participants who must commit to attending at least 7 out of the 8 seminars that run from 4:30-7:00 pm via zoom on the following Tuesdays –  Oct 26, Nov 30, Jan 4 & 25, Mar 1 & 22, Apr 26, & May 24

UPDATE: Aftercare

Please read this important update!

• Aftercare is currently full on Thursdays.

• There is still space in aftercare every other day of the week.

• Aftercare ends at 5:30 pm.

• We currently do not have sufficient interest to run an EC aftercare program. This means that students under 5 cannot attend aftercare, even as drop-ins, while students 5 and older will be with grade school aftercare.

• If you are interested in EC aftercare or have questions about this please reach out to ad…@urbanprairie.org.

Aftercare Fees

• Contracts are available in Operoo (www.operoo.com)

• One Time Drop-In: $50 a day based on space availability

• Late Fee (Not picked up by 5:30 p.m.) $25

* Any child not picked up from school by 3:20 pm will be entered into the aftercare program at the drop-in rate.

* Variable Tuition families please reach out aj….@urbanprairie.org to discuss adjustable rates.

Afterschool Activities

If you’ve been on the fence about signing up for afterschool programs, we encourage you to take the plunge and sign up!

Capoeira Afterschool

Led by Beto Defreitas, our capoeira summer camp instructor.

When:

Grades 1-3, Mondays, after school until 4:15 p.m.

Grade 4-8, Wednesdays, after school until 4:15 p.m.

September 20 – November 15

Session Fee: $150-$170

Flag Football Afterschool

Led by Movement and Games Instructor Adriana Kondrat

When: Tuesday, Grades 6-8, after school until 4:45pm

Dates: October 26 – December 7

Session Fee: $120

For curriculum and classroom-related questions and concerns, please start by contacting your class teacher or subject teacher.

Administrative questions may be directed to:

Kim George, Operations Coordinator, kimberl…@urbanprairie.org 

Sophie Baumgartner, Pedagogical Operations, sophie.ba…@urbanprairie.org

AJ Lee, Director of Operations & Finance, aj….@urbanprairie.org

Sharla Paul, Head of School, sharl…@urbanprairie.org

Jen Kang, Director of Curriculum & Instruction, jen….@urbanprairie.org

Jenn Zielinski, Director of Enrollment Management, jenn.zi…@urbanprairie.org