Good Afternoon CSUS Families and Caregivers,
February is almost here! We’re entering the month with much to celebrate - upcoming Lunar New Year and the ongoing learning, reflection, and celebration accompanying Black History Month. We hope you will join us this Wednesday
from 5:30-7PM for Scholar Led Conferences. Please see below for exciting information about Black History Month, Report Cards and the Weekly Homework Calendar, the PCO February Break Gift Card Drive, and important upcoming dates at
Cambridge Street
Black History Month
The tradition of Black History Month dates back to 1915 when Carter G. Woodson and Jesse E. Moorland organized to research and promote achievements
by Black Americans and other peoples of African descent. We recommend this video resource to talk with scholars about the “need” for special months
(e.g. Women’s History Month, Black History Month, Hispanic Heritage Month, etc.) dedicated to learning about minoritized groups in the U.S. In CPS and at Cambridge Street, our aim is to explore, understand, and celebrate Black
history and achievement not just in February but throughout the school year. This week our Librarian Ms Danen shared this wonderful digital library of texts by Black authors to promote independent reading - enjoy!
Report Cards Now Available in Aspen
Scholar report cards are now available for you to view in ASPEN. For instructions on how to view your child’s report card,
click here. If you would like a paper copy mailed home to you, please click here.
While we are excited to share your scholars’ progress with you, we have also heard from families that navigating Aspen and Google Classroom to support scholars with assignments across the quarter or semester can be challenging.
Our educators are committed to streamlining and improving our systems to better support caregivers’ access to assignments and grades. As we plan these adjustments, we are eager to hear from you about your experience using these
platforms and supporting your scholar’s work. Please consider completing this survey to help inform our next steps. I also will also be holding a Parent Coffee at CSUS in the coming weeks to continue this conversation.
If you have questions or would like to discuss grades or other aspects of your scholar’s learning experience at Cambridge Street, please do not hesitate to connect with me or with members of our teaching team.
Scholar Led Conferences on February 5 | 5:30-7PM
CSUS is hosting Scholar Led Conferences as a mid-year opportunity for scholars to showcase their schoolwork and discuss progress on their educational goals with you.
CSUS PCO February Break Gift Card Drive
The CSUS Parent Caregiver Organization is pleased to announce our annual gift card drive to support families in our community
over the February break. We plan to hold similar drives before each school vacation period.
How You Can Help:
- Contribute funds to our Gift Card Drive and the PCO will purchase grocery gift cards to be distributed directly to families by the CSUS staff.
- Kindly consider donating $25 or $50 gift cards from one of the following stores*:
- Market Basket
- Target
- Star Market
- *We welcome gift cards from other stores, but the ones mentioned here are of particular use to our families.
- Please drop off your kind donation at the CSUS main office labeled “PCO Gift Card Drive.”
Thank You For Your Generosity!
Your continued help and support of these drives ensures that we can provide food security to more families over school vacations throughout the year.
CSUS PCO Board
CSUS School Council Presentation on Math and Upcoming District Math Night on February 13
On January 23, the topic of our Cambridge Street School Council presentation
was Math at Cambridge Street. We came together virtually and in person to hear from CSUS Math Coach Marisa Berenbaum about math concepts and curriculum across grades 6-8 and also spent time specifically reviewing recent acceleration
in curriculum at Grade 7. The slides from our January 23 meeting are available here for those interested; we are working
on making video of the evening available as well.
For folks interested in exploring and celebrating middle school mathematics, there will be a District Math Night on February 13 located at CSUS.
The evening will include...
- 7th Grade Information Sessions at 5:45PM & 6:10PM
- Connections to community partners including Young People’s Project, Math Circle, CPS STEAM Initiative
- Opportunities to learn more about i-Ready and ST Math and the Grade 7 AMP’d Program
- See the full flyer here for more information!
CSUS Homework Expectations and Weekly HW Calendars
In an effort to keep scholars, caregivers, and out of school time providers informed regarding weekly assignments,
our teaching teams are sharing weekly homework calendars. These will be posted on our website for reference and easy access.
Grade 8 Weekly Homework
Grade 7 Weekly Homework
Grade 6 Weekly Homework
Other Important Upcoming Dates
- February is Black History Month
- February 5: Scholar Led Conferences for all grades | 5:30-7PM
- February 12: Rising 6th Grade Information Night | 5:30-7PM (for current 5th graders and their families)
- February 13: Upper School Math Night from 5:30-7PM at CSUS
- February 17-21: February Break, No School
- February 29: Ramadan begins
- March 19: Staff Professional Development Day; No School for scholars
- March 31: Eid al-Fitr, No School
Thank you for entrusting us with your scholars’ education, and for your ongoing support of our community.
Go Cobras!
Christen
Head of School
Cambridge Street Upper School