Saturday, March 9, 10 a.m. to 12:00 a.m.
Dank Haus, 4740 N Western Ave
Be part of Big Night, the biggest fundraising night of the year for Waters. Due to an event at the Dank Haus, we are unable to decorate the day before so we need lots of people on Saturday to help with set up. Along with decorating and set up, there is lots to do at the event! Please sign up to help.

Questions? Contact Vanessa Summer. 

Thursday, February 21 from 7:30 - 9:00 p.m.
Carbon Arc
4620 N. Lincoln Ave. 
Want to learn more about Big Night, our biggest event of the year?  Meet fellow parents and members of the planning committee while enjoying a snack and cocktail. Share your ideas and learn how you can get involved.  Contact Jaime Freedman if you have any questions. 

Saturday, April 6, 7 to 11 p.m.
Gideon Welles, 4500 N Lincoln Ave
Join us at Gideon Welles for a fun and competitive night of trivia run by Sandor Weisz. Questions? Please contact Jessica Kaune.

Thursday, February 7, 5 to 8 p.m.
Borelli's, 2124 W Lawrence Ave
Get out of the house after the Polar Vortex for Waters Dines Out at Borelli's! Join us on Thursday, February 7 from 5 to 8 p.m. If Waters generates over $500 in sales, Borelli's will donate 25% of sales (if under $500, 20%) to WatersToday. When ordering, please mention Waters.  Fundraiser for both dine-in and carryout. See you there! 

Calling all 3rd through 5th grade girls! The spring season of Girls on the Run kicks off in mid-March. Practice will be held from 3:30 to 5 p.m. on Wednesday and Friday afternoons at Waters Elementary. Interested girls need to commit to attend practice on both days. Registration is open now through February 14 at gotrchicago.org. Please review the flyer and contact Anna Harris with questions. 

Discounted tickets through Friday, February 22 
The biggest party of the year is HERE! Tickets are now on sale for Big Night 2019 – Saturday, March 9 at Dank Haus. Purchase your ticket by February 23 and receive $15 off the regular ticket price of $75 (use code EARLYBIRD). Tickets include a complimentary drink, food, music, and a whole lot of fun! When buying your ticket, be sure to purchase additional tickets for beer, wine, or our “signature cocktail” and avoid the wait at the door. Be on the lookout for our amazing online auction – so many new and exciting items coming your way!  Buy your tickets today!

What is a parent party? A parent party is a party hosted by a parent to be purchased by our Waters community. Past parent parties have included backyard BBQs, outdoor movies for kids, cookie decorating, game nights and more. Often times, multiple families get together and host larger parties such as wine strolls, beer tastings, food tastings, karaoke parties, dance parties, etc. Parent parties help build community and raise lots of money for our amazing school!

Be creative! You could host a backyard s'mores and fire pit party, a trip to the zoo with five kids, an ice cream party, a bourbon tasting party – the options are endless! You choose the place and all the details, the maximum number of people, who can attend (e.g. 1st grade, kids, parents), and the price per attendee. Costs incurred for parties are taken on by the host(s). All money raised goes to the school. 

Interested in hosting? Please submit your party plans by Saturday, February 9, and/or contact Vanessa Summer with questions.

Monday, January 14 to Friday, January 25
Waters Elementary, Volunteer Sign Up
The first semester visual arts exhibit, Our Stories: In Patterns, Symbols, Motifs & Glyphs, inspired by Yayoi Kusama, takes place on Friday, January 25, from 3:15 to 5 p.m. in the first floor hallway.

As always, it takes a dedicated team of volunteers to transform the first floor hallway into a colorful gallery to display our students' art. Please sign up to help for an hour or two – any time you can spare will help Mrs. Vecchioni showcase the creative spirit of the Waters students in this semester's visual arts classes.

Thank you for your help! Questions? Contact the volunteer team.

Donations Due Saturday, February 9
Big Night 2019 is right around the corner, and we are looking for unique items to include in our silent auction. Do you know someone who is a tattoo artist? Do you have a connection to a local restaurant? Did you write a book, paint, or do you create work you would like to share with our community? Do you know a barber or a stylist that would want to help our school?

Last year we raised over $25,000 from our online silent auction and know we can do it again. Contact us at bignight@waterstoday.org if you would like to donate to the auction or have a connection. We would love to hear from you! ​

Wednesday, January 16, 7 p.m.
Book Cellar, 4736 N Lincoln Ave
Mr. Leki will be reading his book, "The Fight Between Quiet and Noise," at the Book Cellar's local authors night next week. Five local authors will read and take questions as a panel. Please join us for this community discussion.

​"Quiet and Noise" is available for $10; a portion the proceeds supports the Waters ecology program. 

Monday, January 14 to Sunday, January 20
​One River School Lincoln Square
4625 N Lincoln Ave
One River School of Art + Design has developed a proprietary method for teaching art and digital design programs to students of all ages in a state of the art facility. We are so thrilled to have our school open in Lincoln Square. One River believes in the importance of community, which is why are pleased to announce our weeklong fundraiser for Waters Elementary! 

For our fundraiser, One River Lincoln Square will donate $50 for every new student enrollment who mentions Waters Elementary from January 14 to January 20. Let’s start the new year with this great cause and fill it with fun, inspiring artwork, and develop new friendships along the way.

Question? Please contact Robert Sebanc.

Saturday, March 9, 2019, 7 to 11 p.m.
Dank Haus
Save the date and book your sitters for our biggest party of the year! Tickets will go on sale in February.

Are you new to Waters or have you never attended Big Night? Learn more.

Deadline is December 8
Thank you again for making the 2018 Waters Pledge Drive a huge success! Please take a few moments to complete our survey. We'd love to get feedback from all families. The survey will close on December 8.

Wednesday, November 14 to Saturday, December 1
Celebrate the love of reading at our Scholastic Book Fair this week! One of our book fair goals is to ensure as many students as possible have access to and receive books. One of the ways we can do that is through the ALL FOR BOOKS program we implemented last year.

We will be collecting donations now through the book fair. Please consider donating $1 or any loose change and send it back to school with your child or donate during book fair hours. Your act of kindness will bring the love of reading into the lives of all of our students!
​
Questions? Please email Hilary Prosser.

Saturday, December 1, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Waters Annex, Gym and Hallway – 4540 N Campbell
Invite friends and family to shop local with fantastic handcrafted selections from talented local artists at the Waters Craft Market. While you shop, there will be lots of fun activities for kids, including the beloved Cake Walk and Giving Tree. Locally roasted coffee from Brü and artisanal breakfast pastries available when doors open; two fabulous food trucks will visit for lunchtime options. With all the fun and more, be sure to make it a family outing! 
 
Volunteer!
Volunteers are needed Friday, November 30 (evening) and Saturday, December 1. Be part of a super fun day, meet new people, and help raise money for your school. Sign up to help.
 
Giving Tree
We are collecting new or like-new toys, games and books. Friday, November 30 is the deadline for collection. Drop off locations include:
Waters School (bin by the fish tank)
2655 W. Eastwood (bin in vestibule)
4451 N. Campbell (bin on front porch)
 
Cake Walk 
We will need cake donations (or 12 cupcakes) to be used as prizes. They can be baked or purchased – whatever works for you! Disposable or cheap giveaway plate is best. Please drop off cakes by 10 a.m. on Saturday, December 1 at the Cake Walk table.

Questions? Email the Craft Market team.