South Loop Elementary School, Chicago IL

Announcements

Principal's Corner: NATO Summit Update

Dear CPS Parents and Staff:

As you are aware, the City of Chicago is preparing to host the upcoming NATO summit on May 20-21, 2012. The summit is being held at McCormick Place.

Some parents have asked whether there will be any impact to Chicago Public Schools and if there here any special precautions that were being taken by Chicago Public Schools. Based on discussions with the NATO Summit organizers, the CTA and the Chicago Police Department, other than some possible traffic delays, we are not anticipating any significant issues to our school's daily operations.

We do recommend that students and staff allow for extra travel time for those who attend schools in the vicinity of the Summit and associated events. In planning for travel, please visit the following websites to get the latest information on transportation and road closures:

1) For those that ride the CTA, there will be some rerouting of services. For a detailed summary of CTA information related to NATO, please read their web page: http://www.transitchicago.com/nato/

2) For those that ride the Electric District line, there will be a number of station closings. For a detailed explanation of the station closings, please read the article:http://metrarail.com/metra/en/home.html

3) The NATO host committee released detailed plans for road closures and transportation issues related to the upcoming NATO Summit on May 20-12. For a summary and map, please visit the web page: http://www.chicagonato.org/secret-service--road-closures-announced-for-nato-summit-press_release-15.php

CPS schools will continue to maintain close communications with the NATO organizers, CTA and the CPD throughout the summit. CPD has also committed to having additional police presence in the area of the summit throughout the summit. We will continue to keep you updated as new information becomes available.

We want to assure you that safety is our top priority and we will work to ensure that it is not compromised. If you have any concerns, please contact the Student Safety Center at (773) 553-3335.

A New Look, A New Perspective

The Local School Council and the School Administration are pleased to announce the launch of our new school website. The new website features:

Simplified navigation
New professionally developed branding
A new school mascot
An improved calendar
And most importantly, more information about our school!

Don't let the simplicity of the site fool you. The new site is built on a sophisticated content management system which will make it easier to update and help us to keep the information current.

Hundreds of volunteer hours went into development of the new branding and new website by members of Local School Council's Marketing & Communications Committee. The goal of this effort is to enhance communications between school and home, and to help our school with its fundraising activities. The new website provides a foundation for future initiatives which will further enhance communication.