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Save the Date for Springapalooza!

4/6/2022

 
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Friday, May 6, 3:30-5:30 p.m.
​Waters Field


Mark your calendars for WatersToday Spring Community Event, Springapalooza!!!  


Springapalooza is a chance for our community to gather after school to mingle and enjoy our garden and school grounds.  Enjoy live music from our school choir and a sneak peak of the play Into the Woods!
 

Other activities incldue: 
Bike Decorating
A DJ
Food Trucks onsite with snacks available for purchase
Pizza Oven 

Want to help us make the event a success?  Sign up here.

Interested in learning more about Springapalooza? Contact Jessie Novak.

Big Night Parent Party Sign up!

3/29/2022

 
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Parent Parties are some of the most popular items in our Big Night auction. Would you like to try your hand at hosting this year? Get a group of friends together, host a party, meet new friends, and raise money for Waters! You choose the time, the place, and the details, the maximum number of people, who can attend (first grade party, kids party, parent party), and the price per attendee. Costs incurred for parties are taken on by the host(s). All money raised goes to Waters. 

Here’s a Few Party Ideas but Ultimately-It’s Up to You!!

Adult Game or Trivia Night                    
Neighborhood Scavenger Hunt
Rent the Davis for a Movie or Cartoons            
Nerf Battle at Local Park
Cooking Demo/Instruction                    
Kentucky Derby 
Kids cupcake (cookies, cakes,etc) decorating        
Bonfire/BBQ/Favorite Cuisine Feast        
Wine Tasting
Bowling Party                        
Bags/Bocce/Croquet Tournament
Parent/ Family Yoga                        
Kickball Party

Questions or a great idea? Contact Jamie Mueller for more details at jamiemueller08@gmail.com.

We Need Your Donations for the Big Night Silent Auction!

3/15/2022

 
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Big Night 2022 is around the corner and we are looking for all kinds of items for the silent auction. Do you have a talent or a connection? Do you happen to have a best friend who owns a restaurant who might donate a gift card or a tasting? Do you work for an amazing company that will donate a gift? Are you an artist who would like to donate a piece of work?  Have a favorite salon or spa that wants to donate a service? Do you belong to a CSA farm that can donate some veggies? 

If you would like to donate to the auction or have a connection, reach out to us at waterstdayevents@gmail.com or complete the donation form. We would love to hear from you!

WatersToday Info Session and Open Meeting

3/1/2022

 
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Monday, March 14 7-8:30 p.m.
Waters South Annex

Do you have questions about how our school fundraises? Are you interested in learning more about ways to get involved but not sure how to jump in?  We hope you'll join us at our Info Session and Open Meeting on Monday, March 14th at 7 p.m. Board members will give a quick introduction and then you'll have a chance to learn more about our events, volunteering for Art and Ecology, the WT board, and the Teacher and Staff Appreciation Committee.  We will also reserve some time at the end for questions. After the meeting, we will head to Rockwell's for a chance to chat with old friends and meet other parents after a very long couple of pandemic years!  We hope to see you there!

Check out the agenda or email waterstodayinfo@gmail.com with questions.  On the 14th, please use the patio doors near the garden and parking lot to enter the annex.

Lunchroom Compost Helpers Needed!

2/16/2022

 
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Do you want to have a big environmental impact? Do you like working with kids? Volunteer to support the Ecology Program by being a Compost Captain! After an orientaiton with Mr. Leki, you will guide students to sort their lunchroom waste between 11:30a-1:00p. Email Mr. Leki for the orientation and schedule.

Still Interested in Helping at Big Night?

2/2/2022

 
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Still interested in helping at Big Night?  We are always looking for more helpers and we especially need help with the silent auction this year.  Auction Committee members will help work through a list of past donors and local business to contact for potential donations and also identify possible new donors. It's a great way to learn more about the resources in our community and make a big impact on fundraising in just one to three hours of your time.  Click here to learn more about the Auction Committee and other volunteer opportunities for Big Night.  If you are interested in signing up or have questions, fill out the Google Form and someone from the Big Night Committee will get in touch with you.

Big Night Informational Meeting

1/19/2022

 
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Thursday, January 27 8 p.m.
Google Meet

Google Meet joining info:
Video call link: https://meet.google.com/jch-jccm-asp
Or dial: ‪(US) +1 470-499-3952‬
PIN: ‪297 643 875‬#

Big Night is our annual Spring fundraiser, taking place this year on Friday, May 20th at Artifact Events. Interested in learning more about Big Night or how you can get involved? Join us for our informational Big Night meeting! Meet the committee and hear about all the ways to get involved in our annual fundraiser.    There are plenty of ways to pitch in from an hour or two organizing donations to day-of event logistics!

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New Giveback Event at Enjoy

12/1/2021

 
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Sunday, December 12
4723 N. Lincoln Ave.

On Sunday, December 12, Enjoy will give back 20% of all sales on novelty socks.  Stop in to pick up some holiday gifts and stocking stuffers!

Volunteer Opportunity

12/1/2021

 
Do you like to organize? Sign up to help tidy and reunite the lost and found items. This is a great chance to volunteer in the school building every other week for ~15-30 mins. You will organize the items, check for labels to reunite items with the owners, take photos and post to Facebook. If this sounds fun, email waterstodayvolunteers@gmail.com to sign up.
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Waters Dines Out Potbelly Edition!

11/30/2021

 
Friday and Saturday, December 3 and 4, 4-8 p.m.
4709 N. Lincoln Ave

Waters Dines Out is back on at Potbelly this Friday and Saturday.  Visit the Potbelly on Lincoln from 4-8 p.m. and show this flyer at checkout and Potbelly will donate 25% of all sales back to the school.  We hope to see you there!
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WatersToday Committee Interest Survey

11/16/2021

 
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WatersToday is the parent led fundraising group that works with the school whole community to bolster community and raise money to support the Ecology program and other initiatives. 

Please fill out this survey if you are interested in getting more involved and helping plan the various fundraising and community events. Please note: There will always be opportunities to sign up for day-of volunteering shift for events, but we also need people to help with planning. 

Thank you in advance for lending your time and energy! 





Buy Your Limited Edition Waters Wildcat Hat Today!

11/16/2021

 
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Want to show your Waters school spirit this winter with a stocking cap of your own?  Now you can! Hats are available for $15 while supplies last!  Hats will be available for pick up at Jennifer Davidson's porch.  You will be contacted with exact address and available pick up dates. 

Buy your hat today at www.waterstoday.org/donate 

Please contact Jennifer Davidson if you have any questions.

Want to Get More Involved?

11/16/2021

 
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Virtual Meeting
Monday, December 13, 7 p.m.


WatersToday relies on volunteers to support our school community. Please attend our next meeting and fill out this survey if you are interested in getting more involved and helping plan the various fundraising and community events. 


Register for the virtual meeting on Monday, December 13th at 7:00pm
https://uchicago.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJ0rcO6vrDwrGtRfcGnrIk3C3XN02tmYDTsM 

Complete this Committee Interest Survey
https://forms.gle/kRybVyvumpCjeDqq6

Please note: There will always be opportunities to sign up for day-of volunteering shift for events (like the Book Fair 11/29-12/3!), but we also need people to help with planning and coordinating events. 

Thank you in advance for lending your time and energy!

Book Fair Volunteers Needed

11/16/2021

 
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November 29- December 3

The Book Fair is back - happening November 29 to December 3 in the Media Room (316)! It will be open to all classes during the school day.

We need volunteers! Can you spare some time to help great kids find great books? Many hands make light work for setup and clean up. As a Book Fair Helper, you'll help students shop for their favorite books while staying in their budget (especially factoring in sales tax). Sign up for a shift here.

Disclaimers: 
CPS requires all volunteers to be approved through their system. For questions, visit cpsvolunteers.org or call 773-553-1544.

Class visit schedule is subject to change without notice. Email waterstodayvolunteers@gmail.com with questions.

All For Books Collection!

11/16/2021

 
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Through November 19

The Scholastic Book Fair is back! It will be held November 29 - December 3. 

Prior to the book fair, our school will raise funds through a coin collection program called All For Books. The funds collected will be used to:

·Purchase books for Waters students in need during the book fair

·Donate to community organizations that are in need of books such as Circle of Help

Because of your generosity we have been able to provide many books to students in our community through this program over the years. Teachers will be sending materials home so please look for them and consider donating any loose change and return with the attached slip in a baggie by NOVEMBER 19! 

Please return the change to your home room teacher. 

Thank you!

WatersToday Coffee

11/16/2021

 
Thursday, November 18 8-8:50 a.m.
Waters Field

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Grab a cup of joe and join a few of the current Waters Today board members on the field at drop off Thursday morning. Find out more about fundraising and volunteer opportunities to get involved at Waters Elementary!
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Waters Dines Out Postponed

11/3/2021

 
Because of a separate Potbelly promotion, the Waters Dines Out event originally planned for tonight and tomorrow will have to be rescheduled. We apologize for the inconvenience. Stay tuned for a new date!

Teacher Feature: Mr. Rutkowski

11/2/2021

 
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With the pledge drive and walkathon behind us, we're super excited to kick off this year's Teacher Feature—and who better to start with than our brand-new principal, Mr. Rutkowski (pictured here with his family on a trip to Wyoming last summer).  

Waters Today: You've been at Waters for 2 months and change—congrats! What do you love most about being a principal?
Mr. Rutkowski: I love getting to go around the school to forge new relationships. There are so many names to learn and people to get to know and that is very exciting.   

If you had a robot assigned to help you accomplish one task every day at school, what would you program it to do?
A COVID eradication robot would be very helpful. 
 
We’ll get CPS right on that! Are you from Chicago?
I am not. I was born in New Mexico and have lived in 8 states along the way. Usually when people ask where I'm from my answer is Northern California because that’s where I spent the largest chunk of time as a kid.  

Interesting! So how was your elementary school experience different from that of our Waters' kiddos?
My elementary school didn’t have any stairs at all. Every classroom was on the ground floor.  
 
Besides super toned quads, what is the one thing you hope all students take away with them when they leave Waters?
A passion to discover themselves and the resilience to stay on that path of discovery. In other words, when they encounter adversity, or actively seek out a challenge, my hope is they carry the belief that they can figure out the way forward no matter what.   

Let's switch gears: When you're not busy principaling, how do you like to spend your time?
My Kindle gets a lot of use. I read a variety of things, during this time of year I seem to be more into thrillers and mysteries. 

Do you have any pets?
Not currently, but when I was little we had a golden retriever named Denali (after the tallest mountain in North America)

That's a great name. What's one thing that made you laugh recently?
One of the best parts about working in an elementary school is that you get a chance to laugh multiple times, every day. One specific instance last week was seeing Frida, Ms V’s turtle, dressed up.  

What about something that made you really, really mad?
Road closures due to the water main work on Western Ave. I had to take a deep breath and remember that the improvements are necessary. 

Ha! You have a few hundred people nodding in agreement with you right now. Ok, if you won a month-long, all-expenses-paid trip to any destination in the world, where would you go?
Costa Rica, because you can visit two different oceans in the same day and there are so many different adventures you can go on with beaches, forests, even volcanos.

Plus, no traffic! Ok, we can’t wrap this interview up without asking: Has our friendly Waters ghost paid you a visit yet?
Indeed the ghost has paid me a visit. We had a wonderful conversation. It’s important that every member of the Waters community feels connected, the supernatural are no exception. 
Thank you Mr. Rutkowski—we’re so glad you’re here!

Holiday Shopping and Dining Events

11/2/2021

 
November and December 2021

We are excited to have lots of holiday shopping and dining partnerships with our favorite local businesses! Shop on the Waters giveback dates and be sure to mention Waters when you checkout.  Each businesses will donate 15%-25% of your total back to WatersToday. Check out the calendar below to plan your shopping and dining!
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Spots Available in Euchre Tournament

10/28/2021

 
​Are you a Euchre master (or someone who likes to play cards)? We're looking for a few more players for the Euchre Parent Party on November 13th to round out our tournament. Come meet fellow Waters parents and enjoy a few games of cards along with snacks and beverages! Tickets available here. 
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