START UP to GROWN UP:
WHERE WE’VE BEEN AND WHERE WE’RE GOING
2012/2013 ANNUAL REPORT
BOARD OF DIRECTORS Janette Alvarez
Parent Representative
Mary G. Boehler
President Retired, Northern Trust
Crystal Bush
Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP
John R. Hall
Melanie Madigan
Kenneth V. Perkins
Mark Hallett
Michael Milkie
Celena Roldan
Secretary Retired, Goose Island Beer Company Psychotherapist
Vice President McCormick Tribune Foundation
Patricia Horsch, Ph.D.
Retired, Erikson Institute Chairman Emeritus Metropolitan Family Services Bryan W. Jackson Latin School of Chicago
Ricardo Estrada
Agustin Gomez-Leal, AIA
Wallin/Gomez Architects Ltd David S. Kinnear Kinnear Wealth Management Group Maria Guerra Office of Mayor Emanuel
George W. Locasto
Retired, UBS-O’Connor
Noble Network of Charter Schools
Kevin K. Mitchell
Teacher Representative
Rev. Corey A. Nelson
First Presbyterian Church
Victor S. Nelson
Treasurer Retired, Northern Trust
Charles D. O’Kieffe
Retired, RBC Dain Rauscher
Chairman Emeritus Retired, Insurance Broker Erie Neighborhood House
Alejandro Silva
Silva Capital Management, LLC
Marvin Smith U.S. Cellular
Velia Soto Principal
Susan M. Taylor
Retired, Fidelity Investments
DEAR FRIENDS: The 2012-2013 school year was a big one for us here at Erie Elementary Charter School. The culmination of eight years of growth, challenges and successes led us to a big achievement: Our first graduating class of 8th graders, all moving on to college prep high schools. We are very proud of what our first graduates accomplished while at Erie and we can’t wait to see what they do as they take the next step towards college. And that’s not all! As our 8th graders were choosing which high schools to attend, celebrating their years at EECS and going on their last college field trips while at Erie (all the way to the University of Michigan and Notre Dame!), we were expanding our campus to include a gym, computer lab and brand new library. We finally have a building worthy of our hard working faculty, staff and students. Our building is now fully ADA accessible and we have a proper gymnasium for the first time since we opened in 2005. We are thrilled to have a space that will serve us for many years to come. We’ve always worked hard to give our students the education they deserve, and now we can do that in a space that inspires students to do their best work and values the importance of enrichment activities. Most of all, we can’t wait to see what great things our graduates do as they make their way through high school and on to college. Thank you so much for joining us on this journey. Without your support and participation, we would not have made it to this historic year. We look forward to many years of successful EECS graduates with all of you by our side. Please come by and visit any time! We’d love to show you our new addition and the great work of our students. Warmly,
WE CAN’T WAIT TO SEE WHAT GREAT THINGS OUR GRADUATES DO AS THEY MAKE THEIR WAY
Velia Soto Principal
Mary G. Boehler Board President
THROUGH HIGH SCHOOL AND ON TO COLLEGE.
WHO GOES TO EECS? 414 EECS students in 2012-2013 EECS students are 76% Hispanic
19% African American 3% Multiracial 2% White
47%
live in the surrounding neighborhood
11%
receive Special Education services
86%
qualify for free or reduced lunch (earning less than $44,000 annually for a family of 4)
51%
families receive food stamps
19
EECS families live in situations so unstable they are considered homeless
WHAT WE’VE LEARNED
HIGH EXPECTATIONS
DISCIPLINE
RESEARCH SHOWS THAT HIGH EXPECTATIONS ARE A SIGNIFICANT DETERMINANT OF DECREASED DROP-OUT RATES AND HIGHER RATES OF COLLEGE ATTENDANCE.
IT’S NOT LIKE SOME KIDS ARE GOOD AND SOME KIDS ARE BAD.
EECS expects every student to go to—and graduate from—a four-year college.
HABITS MIGHT BE HARD TO CHANGE, BUT THEY ARE NOT IMPOSSIBLE TO CHANGE.
To make that expectation clear to students and parents, EECS names every classroom after a college or university. Also, every student, from kindergarten through 8th grade, goes on a field trip to a college campus every single year. By 8th grade, students have been on at least 9 college campuses during their time at EECS.
Research from How Children Succeed, by Paul Tough
SOME KIDS HAVE GOOD HABITS, AND SOME KIDS HAVE BAD HABITS...
EECS students learn to develop positive behavior through the Habits of Heart, Work and Mind. With practice, EECS students form habits that make them good friends, prepared students and active learners. Our goal is for students to do the right thing...when no one is watching.
SUPPORT CHILDREN GROWING UP IN STRESSFUL ENVIRONMENTS FIND IT HARDER TO CONCENTRATE, TO SIT STILL, TO REBOUND FROM DISAPPOINTMENTS, AND FOLLOW DIRECTIONS. OVERWHELMED BY UNCONTROLLABLE IMPULSES AND DISTRACTED BY NEGATIVE FEELINGS, IT’S HARD TO LEARN THE ALPHABET. That’s why EECS has a full-time case manager and social worker on staff to support students and get them the resources they need to get back to learning. At EECS, no student “falls through the cracks.” With five special education teachers, three special education assistants, and two reading specialists, all struggling students get the support they need.
CHILDREN NEED TO BE RESILIENT TO SUCCEED. FIRM GUIDANCE AND LOVING SUPPORT THROUGH PERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS FOSTERS RESILIENCY. EECS knows that personal relationships with every student are critical to our success. That’s why we keep our class size low: 1:12 teacher-student ratio (grades K-2) 1:23 teacher-student ratio (grades 3-8) When teachers come to EECS, they stay. Over a quarter of our instructional staff have been at EECS for 5 years or more. Research from How Children Succeed, by Paul Tough
SUCCESS!
EECS is a Level 1: Excellent School, according to Chicago Public Schools. EECS outperforms comparison schools by 10% on the ISAT. EECS graduates have gone on to some of the city’s best college prep high schools and are coming back to volunteer and visit. EECS’ youngest students are already talking about what college they’ll attend.
RISING STANDARDS Last school year, the State of Illinois changed the “cut off” for what is considered meeting or exceeding state standards. The much more rigorous standard is a reflection of the nationwide trend towards a more challenging set of learning standards called The Common Core. While at EECS we are not content with our results, we are proud that our students continue to improve each year. Also, we don’t shy away from the higher expectations of a more stringent standard, we embrace them, because we know high expectations are a strong predictor of future success.
56% 54.6%
43.9%
47.1%
42.4%
37.3%
* Graph represents percent meeting/exceeding standards, with all years adjusted for new “cut-off”.
PREPARING STUDENTS FOR THE FUTURE:
ERIE’S DUAL LANGUAGE PROGRAM BILINGUALISM AT A YOUNG AGE IS SHOWN TO IMPROVE ‘EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONING’ SKILLS, LIKE PROBLEM SOLVING, REASONING AND MEMORY. LEARNING A SECOND LANGUAGE AT A YOUNG AGE APPEARS TO REDUCE ANXIETY, AGGRESSION AND LOW SELF-ESTEEM IN CHILDREN, DUE TO IMPROVED CULTURAL UNDERSTANDING. WHEN A CHILD LEARNS A SECOND LANGUAGE AT A YOUNG AGE, LEARNING A THIRD IS THAT MUCH EASIER. WITH THE ECONOMY BECOMING EVEN MORE GLOBAL, THE ABILITY TO COMMUNICATE ACROSS MULTIPLE LANGUAGES IS A CRITICAL LIFE SKILL. EECS has a dual language, English-Spanish immersion “stream” that stretches from kindergarten through 3rd grade, and will continue to grow to 8th grade. All students in the dual language program will be bi-literate--able to read, write and speak in both Spanish and English.
“My 2nd grader is in the dual language program and can already read, write and speak Spanish. We do not speak any Spanish at home, so everything he has learned is due to teachers at Erie. The dual language program has expanded his world view, made his brain move faster (you should see him do brain teasers in no time!), and opened up a whole world that I could not have given him.” --Annie Matyi, EECS Parent
“With two decades of experience in dual language programs, I can confidently say that Erie Elementary Charter School is a model of dual language in the Chicago metro area. Erie’s excellence is evidenced by students’ academic and linguistic performance, parent satisfaction, and teacher commitment.” --Sonia Soltero, Ph.D., DePaul University
MEET OUR FIRST GRADUATES
THE CLASS OF 2013 “Learning the habits [of heart, work and mind] really helped me accomplish my goals, like getting my homework done.” --Carlos Cruz, EECS Alumnus
100%
OF ERIE ELEMENTARY CHARTER SCHOOL’S FIRST GRADUATING CLASS WENT ON TO COLLEGE PREP HIGH SCHOOLS. This includes selective high schools like Lane Tech, and Lincoln Park High School’s International Baccalauerate Program.
WHAT IT COSTS WHERE IT COMES FROM TOTAL: $4,582,614
2%
Public Private
15% 83%
Other
WHERE IT GOES TOTAL: $4,447,945
1% 8% 93%
Program Administration Fundraising
Figures taken from the Statement of Functional Expenses for the period of July 1, 2012 to June 30, 2013 and exclude revenue and expenses related to New Market Tax Credit financing as well as depreciation. For complete audited financial statements, visit www.eriecharterschool.org or call us at 773.486.7161.
WHY WE NEED YOU In 2012-2013, 75% of expenses were spent on faculty and staff, because EECS understands that teachers are the most important factor in student success. The majority of EECS public funding comes from the Chicago Public Schools’ per pupil reimbursement rate. The CPS per pupil tuition reimbursement rate has changed minimally in the last few years, despite rising costs.
THANK YOU/GRACIAS $100,000 and above Perkins Malo Hunter Foundation Walton Family Foundation $50,000 to $99,999 Crown Family Philanthropies $25,000 to $49,999 Charles D. O’Kieffe $10,000 to $24,999 First Presbyterian Church of Lake Forest Geary Rimmer Vincent Wolf Foundation John and Patricia Hall JaMel and Tom Perkins Family Foundation Kautz Family Charitable Fund Madigan Family Foundation The Pauls Foundation Kenneth V. and Leola H. Perkins Springboard Foundation Wells Fargo Advisors
To our many friends and supporters who made contributions between July 1, 2012 and June 30, 2013.
$1,000 to $2,499 J. Brian and Kathleen Barnett Blum-Kovler Foundation William P. and Mary G. Boehler Donald and Gail M. Curtis Agustin Gomez-Leal and Carrie J. Davis Digital Coda, Inc. Drinker Biddle & Reath Fourth Presbyterian Church of Chicago Hispanic Housing Devlopment Corp. Robert and Saran Hutchins ING Community Fund, Inc. Jeff and Molly Keller Jeffrey and Molly Lowe Patrick and Sara Nash Eleanor Nicholson Norcon, Inc. Robert R. McCormick Foundation Patrick G. and Shirley Ann Ryan Foundation Marvin L. Smith John DeCarrier and Carmen Solano DeCarrier David and Jeanne Varwig
$500 to $999 Abbott Fund Matching Gifts $5,000 to $9,999 Toby Bernstein Advocate Bethany Health Community Fund Thomas F. and Crystal Pruess Bush Anonymous Mark S. Hallett and Carmen Vidal Hallett Edgar and Deborah Jannotta, Sr. Charles H. and Beverly E. Shaw Foundation David and Andrea Kinnear Steven D. Fox Nancy Vincent Charitable Fund Richard and Janice Geddes Victor S. and Mary R. Nelson Ernestina Hernandez John and Jane Schreiner Raleigh G. Hegwood Patricia and Christopher Horsch Leon G. Locasto $2,500 to $4,999 Mary McClure Miller Foundation Keating and Caroline Crown Corey A. Nelson and Melissa Earley Steven and Nancy Crown James and Suzanne Neaylon, III Kinnear Family Wealth Management Fred and Susan Perkins Dorothy A. Oremus and John H. Lindauer John H. and Mary Helen Ray Locasto Family Foundation Ida and Hipolito Roldan, Jr. William A. and Deborah S. Montgomery Celena Roldan Moreno Clare Muñana Target Field Trip, Scholarship America Ricardo Estrada and Beatriz Ponce de Leon Garth and Susan Moseley Taylor Alejandro Silva, Jr. John D. and Suzanne L. Van Pelt Eugene L. and Anna Jean Woroch
$250 to $499 Michael and Lauren Crandall Lee and Kitty Freidheim Chris Roehm Maria Guerra Illinois Network of Charter Schools Russell and Elisabeth Kinnel Ryan and Laura Kraus Valerie S. Lewis William M. and Julie Ann Lindstrom Scott and Sarah Mills Daniel G. and Chiquita P. O’Leary Patrick and Katherine Perkins Bernard B. Rinella Robert and Marletta Darnall Family Charitable Fund Vondale Singleton Jeffrey and Nadere Sternberg Target Take Charge of Education C. Roger and Susan T. Van Vuren James and Bonita Wilkes Lloyd L. Zickert $100 to $249 Ryan and Sarah Airola Miguel and Cindy Alvear Anderson and Moore Charles W. Armstrong Dorothy H. Ballantyne David R. and Bobbi B. Barclay John Barker Gabriela Basurco Eric Bell Bensinger Dupont & Associates Tim and Elle Bruno Robert and Patricia Burt James P. Cahill Chicago Sinai Congregation Lee A. and Kim Clair John V. and Margaret T. Crowe Kathleen Crown Sarah Lynne Evans Funding Factory Rosa Garcia Thomas R. and Nancy A. Hanson Jay and Helena Harron Mark Hersh
Bryan W. Jackson Elizabeth and Randy Jenson Julius and Elaine Loeser Emmett Kearney Paul Kepes R. Jackson and Meredith Kinnel Latinos Progresando Stuart and Sally Lesser Anne and Rocque Lipford Shiralee Mack Jean A. McCaffrey James R. McDaniel Stephen and Rita McElroy Blythe and David Mendelson Gerry and Penelope Miller Scott A. and Cynthia A. Mulcahy David F. and Dorothy M. Myers, Jr. Alexandra and Aram Nikitas Ofelia Guerra and Andres Ochoa Todd Perkins and Catherine L. Olson Eugenie Pabst Kenneth L. Perkins Lisa D. Perkins Puerto Rican Cultural Center A. Rafael Ravelo Jimmy Reyes Paul F. and Kerry A. Russell Thomas and Judith B. Sanger Sharibel Shamoon David and Suzie Shoub Ricardo and Consuelo Soto Jennifer K. Stamper Kimberly Stephens Michele M. Thompson Wilmont and Bonnie Vickrey Terry Pieniazek Lorena Alonso Elisabeth Issleib
Charlie Jaimus Jose Jorge JustGive David and Jennifer Kelly Daniel B. Kiss David S. and Phyllis Kupperman Hillary Locke Claudia Lule Allison Michiko Maruyama Melvin E. Guthrie Jr. Trust Caroline Moellering Kim Vender Moffat Henry Dwyer and Helen Murray Rajiv Naidu Michael and Julie Oleshansky Maria and Miguel Perez Teresita Soto Carol Swanney Tim Urquhart Jonathan C. Williams Thomas Zbierski
$1 to $99 Mario Alvarez Richard Armstrong Justin Carr Howard A. and Katrina Chandler Christopher Collins Frederico d’Escoto Electronic Scrip Lynn I. Freeman Joshua Hale Raymond and Rosana Hernandez John Ireland
IN HONOR OF THE CLIENTS OF KINNEAR FAMILY WEALTH MANAGEMENT Kinnear Family Wealth Management
IN HONOR OF MARY BOEHLER Lee and Kitty Freidheim IN HONOR OF KEN PERKINS Frederico d’Escoto JaMel and Tom Perkins Family Foundation Russell and Elisabeth Kinnel David and Suzie Shoub C. Roger and Susan T. Van Vuren IN HONOR OF NANCY VINCENT Stuart and Sally Lesser
IN HONOR OF FUN FUNDAMENTALS YOGA CLASS Digital Coda, Inc. IN HONOR OF MELANIE MADIGAN Patrick and Shirley Ryan Foundation
IN-KIND CONTRIBUTIONS Bacci’s Pizzeria Billy Corgan Celena Roldan Moreno Chicago Event Management Chicago Run Christy Webber Landscapes Costco Dominick’s Safeway Company Drinker Biddle & Reath Dunkin Donuts Gemini Bistro Goose Island Beer Company Jewel-Osco Kenneth V. and Leola H. Perkins Marcello’s Mark S. Hallett and Carmen Vidal Hallett McDonald’s Hispanic Network Mireille’s Studio Norcon, Inc. On Your Mark Coaching and Training Potbelly Sandwich Works Premium Pizza Ricardo Estrada and Beatriz Ponce de Leon Starbucks Co. Trunk Club U.S. Cellular Vienna Beed Hotdogs Windy City Classic Tickets
Also, a big THANK YOU to all the EECS parents who fundraised for Erie in the 2012-2013 school year.
Erie Elementary Charter School 1405 N. Washtenaw Chicago, IL 60622
ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED
www.eriecharterschool.org