Dear CPS Colleagues, Families, and Supporters,
I want to thank the more than 1,500 CPS students who joined me at this year’s Peace Day Chicago celebration. CPS had wonderful representation, with students from 31 schools around the city coming together to advocate for safe and peaceful communities.
I was excited to see Peace Day events pop up at our schools as well, including at Libby Elementary in Chicago’s Back of the Yards community. Students and staff from Libby hosted a “Peace Walk” to honor family members, friends, and loved ones who have been lost to violence, and to send a clear message that children deserve to live in peace and harmony, not in fear.
With all the conflict in our world right now, including the turmoil many are experiencing in our city, I welcome this chance to call for peace in our communities and a safe, calm, and supportive climate in all of our schools.
Uplifting our Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Community
September is Deaf and Hard of-Hearing Awareness Month—a perfect opportunity to acknowledge our students who have hearing challenges, and the dedicated teachers and staff who support them in reaching their full potential and finding their rightful presence at school.
Around two-thirds of CPS students with hearing challenges are supported by itinerant teachers — instructors like Caroline Depcik, who travel from school to school to provide one-to-one support. Ms. Depcik is profoundly deaf herself, and brings a unique perspective to this critically-important work. Read more of her story here.
The remaining third of CPS students with hearing challenges are enrolled in one of our District’s 10 deaf and hard-of-hearing programs. These programs have entire classrooms dedicated to providing students with the specialized resources they need, including instruction in American Sign Language (ASL).
One of the greatest barriers facing students with hearing challenges is communication, which can lead to feelings of isolation. The National Deaf Center has excellent resources on how hearing people can help make this better, including:
- Always speaking directly to the person with the hearing challenge, not to anyone who may be with them.
- Letting the person with the hearing challenge decide how they want to communicate (ASL, apps, or typing or writing things down).
- Speaking clearly, but at a normal volume and a natural pace.
- Limiting movement while you talk so that the person with the hearing challenge can easily see your face.
As we wrap up Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Awareness Month, I want to say how inspired I am by the many ways our students with hearing challenges work to overcome the obstacles in their path, as well as the instructors who are showing this unique community of learners that they are bright, resourceful, and capable of doing great things.
Sincerely,
Dr. Macquline King
Interim Superintendent/CEO
Chicago Public Schools
Help Us Highlight Your School
We love highlighting the amazing things that are happening day-to-day in our schools, along with the people who are making them happen! Please share your stories with us using our Good News Form so that we can share them with the District!
A Look Around the District
Tubman Elementary in Chicago’s Lake View neighborhood celebrated this year’s International Day of Peace through group activities where students created their own peace symbols and shared ideas on the true meaning of peace.
Tarkington Elementary in the Chicago Lawn neighborhood inaugurated its brand new Parent Resource Room, a dedicated space where parents and guardians can work on coursework, search for jobs, complete applications, fulfill volunteer work, and access resources to support their needs and goals.
And in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, staff members at Cameron Elementary in Humboldt Park decorated their door with a monarch butterfly and led students in an activity about how the butterfly symbolizes the right to migrate and the resilience of those who journey in search of a better life.
Finally, Hughes Elementary in North Lawndale hosted its first-ever Mexican Independence Day celebration. Students, teachers, and families fully embraced the occasion through curriculum, cultural attire, and authentic lived experiences!
GoCPS Applications Now Open for the 2026–27 School Year
GoCPS is a one-stop-shop for exploring all of the academic programs that CPS has to offer. These include neighborhood schools, magnet programs, Career and Technical Education (CTE) opportunities, and selective enrollment schools.
Families can visit the GoCPS website to explore their options and access helpful training sessions on navigating the application process for both elementary and high school.
All GoCPS applications for the 2026–27 school year MUST be submitted by 5 p.m. on Friday, November 14, 2025.
Vaccine Recommendations from the Chicago Department of Public Health
With respiratory illness season right around the corner, the Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) is urging residents to stay up to date on their vaccines, including flu, COVID-19, and RSV — in line with the vaccine recommendations approved this week by the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH).
CDPH provides updated 2025-26 flu and COVID-19 vaccines at no cost to Chicago residents at its standing Immunization Walk-In Clinics as well as mobile and pop-up vaccination events across the city, including a series of events at each of Chicago’s City Colleges in October and November. CDPH currently has updated seasonal flu vaccines for anyone 6 months and older at immunization clinic sites, and will begin COVID-19 vaccination at these sites beginning Monday, September 29 for anyone 12 years and older. CDPH will begin COVID vaccines for children 6 months to 11 years once supply for this age group is available.
CPS also offers vaccine opportunities for students; please visit cps.edu/vaccines for more information.
A reminder that all CPS students are required to provide proof of their annual physical and vaccinations by October 15, 2025. For more information, and to learn about services available through the CPS Office of Student Health and Wellness (OSHW) families can visit cps.edu/oshw, or by calling the Healthy CPS Hotline at (773) 553-KIDS (5437).
CPS Scoreboard: This Week in District Athletics
IMPORTANT: Several changes have been made to the SY26 Stadium Policies regarding security, prohibited items, and new bag policies for spectators. Please review these changes before attending any athletic events at CPS-owned and operated stadiums.
Please Note: Individual school events may have different rules for their on-campus activities.
Congratulations to the Whitney Young Girls’ Golf Team on their fifth consecutive city title! Best of luck to the Dolphins in the IHSA state tournament! And come out to Indian Boundary Golf Course this Sunday, September 28 to cheer on our boys’ golf athletes in their own Chicago Public League Championship!
CPS SCORE! elementary fall schedules are now available! Student athletes are competing in volleyball, soccer, and cross country, learning key skills and gameplay techniques! You can find the schedules for your students and schools here!
CPS is proud to continue our partnership with Honest Game to ensure students are academically eligible to play sports in college if they so choose. Families can learn more about Honest Game’s services for their student-athletes through family-facing webinars being held throughout the year. Click here for information and to register.
For the latest content surrounding CPS student-athletes, make sure to follow us on social media!
Experience Fall in the Parks
Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month in the Parks
Join the Chicago Park District in celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month at events running through mid-October. View the complete list of events at chicagoparkdistrict.com/hispanic-heritage-month/cps
Paid Lifeguard Training Program for Teens Underway – Register Now
In the Lifeguard Explorers training program, participants learn the skills needed to be a lifeguard and pass the Chicago Park District Lifeguard Skills Test while getting paid! Participants must be 14-19 years old and live in Chicago. The fall session is offered at seven parks across the city in partnership with After School Matters. Classes began the week of September 22 and run through December 7. Learn more at chicagoparkdistrict.com/lifeguard-explorers/cps
For questions, please email play@chicagoparkdistrict.com.
Special Ticket Offers from the Chicago Bulls and Chicago Fire
There’s still time to take advantage of discounted Chicago Fire tickets for their remaining theme offers at Soldier Field!
- Hispanic Heritage Night: September 27
- Fan Appreciation Night: October 4
For each match, tickets start at just $20 and include a special-edition scarf! Click here to learn more and secure your tickets.
The Chicago Fire can also offer STEM and soccer programming for your students! If interested in learning more, please reach out to their group sales team at grouptickets@chicagofirefc.com, or call (872) 710-0550.
CPS staff are invited to cheer on the Chicago Bulls with an exclusive ticket offer for the below games.
- Bulls vs. Cavaliers: October 9
- Bulls vs. Pistons: October 22
- Bulls vs. Kings: October 29
- Bulls vs. 76ers: November 4
- Bulls vs. Spurs: November 10
- Bulls vs. Heat: November 21
- Bulls vs. Wizards: November 22
Important Dates
For more upcoming events around the District, visit cps.edu/calendar.
- Wednesday, October 8: Board Agenda Review Committee Meeting. Learn more at cpsboe.org.
- Monday, October 13: CPS offices and schools are closed in observance of Indigenous Peoples’ Day. No classes for students.
- Thursday, October 23: Board of Education meeting. Learn more at cpsboe.org.
- Monday, October 27: Parent-teacher conferences; no classes for students.