ERIE ELEMENTARY CHARTER SCHOOL
ANNUAL REPORT:
2009 2010
The mission of Erie Elementary Charter School is to nurture and empower students who, as lifelong learners, will attend selective secondary schools, pursue higher education, and successfully and productively engage in the local community and participate in a democratic society.
78%
of faculty are fluent in Spanish
3 95%
teachers have earned National Board certification Student Attendance
22% of students are English Language Learners (ELLs)
We write to you, our friends, colleagues and supporters, prouder each day to be at the helm of Erie Elementary Charter School (EECS), guiding a learning community based on collaboration, continuity and care. At EECS, everyone in the building believes that we are in the business of transforming lives—providing hope, opportunities and a sense of accomplishment in an environment where everyone is expected to contribute their best. By teaching students to be proactive citizens who can speak two languages, and instilling in our neighborhood’s children and families that graduation from higher education is within their reach, Erie Elementary Charter School is building the next generation of leaders who will represent their communities and the city of Chicago. Principal Designate Velia Soto and Interim Principal Eleanor Nicholson
Erie Elementary Charter School offers a special thank you to Dr. Eleanor Nicholson. Eleanor led EECS through two transformational years as the Interim Principal, lending her experience and expertise to mentor Principal Designate Velia Soto and strenghten EECS’ ability to pursue our mission moving forward. We will forever be grateful for her dedication, insight, tenacity and compassion.
EECS’ growth and development over the past five years is a result of the hard work and dedication of many, driven by the shared belief that there is no worthier fight than that to provide every child with a quality education. At the start of the 2010-2011 school year, we find ourselves in a permanent new home—one that will accomodate our expansion to middle school over the next two years, and support our plans for increased after school options, teacher planning and professional development, data-driven instruction and academic enrichment. Many heartfelt thanks to all of you for your generous support. Our doors are always open; please come visit us anytime!
Eleanor Nicholson Interim Principal
Velia Soto Principal Designate
DESTINATION:COLLEGE
DEAR FRIENDS:
A SMART CHOICE. Chicago’s Humboldt Park community has been identified by Chicago Public Schools as a
priority neighborhood in need of high-quality school seats. Left without the EECS option, the vast majority of students would have no choice but to attend the surrounding neighborhood schools—three of which average less than 8% of eighth graders exceeding state standards.* EECS, like all charter schools, is public, tuition-free, and open to anyone living in the city of Chicago. Like neighborhood schools, there is no selective enrollment process—EECS students are admitted based on a random lottery and reflect the population in other public schools. EECS has the same percentage of special education students and a higher percentage of low-income students and English Language Learners than the CPS average, yet our students consistently achieve at higher rates than those in surrounding schools. *Based on Chicago Public Schools 2010 Scorecard data (www.cps.edu)
A FAMILY AFFAIR
GROWING OUR OWN
Marisol Roman, a mother of three students at EECS, never doubted she was making the right choice for her kids; maybe that’s because Marisol was an “Erie kid” herself. She grew up attending the After School program at Erie Neighborhood House, the 140-year-old social service agency that founded the school in 2005.* When she heard about Erie Elementary Charter School, she applied right away.
Kindergarten teacher Ana Schreiner is no stranger to the Erie family either. Eleven years ago, Ana came to Chicago with her family after emigrating from Mexico. As a high school student, she enrolled in Erie Neighborhood House’s* TEAM mentoring program, and then worked in the Erie House After School program as a college student. When she graduated, Erie called her back once again.
“I was afraid that in any other school, my kids would be just a name. I can see that all of the teachers at Erie really know all of my kids, even if they’ve never had them in class.”
From the first time she walked in the door at EECS, Ana says she has been so inspired by everyone’s passion, the staff’s willingness to go the extra mile for every single child, and the support from the administration to keep this energy going.
It’s the one-on-one interaction that EECS’ tight-knit learning community affords, a fact that has most profoundly affected her son Luis: “In a bigger school, he probably would have been pushed to the side, but everyone at Erie has done so much to help him. Mr. Montalván (Luis’ 4th grade teacher) has been such a blessing to him. He used to be behind his classmates; he was shy and really had problems with his self-esteem, but now I see a whole new Luis!” Since EECS uses “looping” classrooms, where groups of students and their teachers stay together for two years, Luis will remain in Mr. Montalván’s class for 5th grade.
It’s that sense of collaboration and care that Ana believes really drives the school: “EECS has done a great job encouraging their teachers to share information and to seek each other’s help to improve as professionals and individuals.” Most of all, Ana knows how important it is for children to maintain and feel proud of their culture, while also being given the best educational opportunities available—ideals that are at the center of EECS’ mission. “I could not be more grateful and glad to have come back to the same place that first opened its doors for me,” she explains.
* While EECS and its founding partner Erie Neighborhood House share a common goal of strengthening our community through education, EECS and Erie House are two separate 501c3 nonprofit organizations with independent budgets and distinct revenue streams.
Work.
Fostering the Habits of
To foster a college-going culture beginning in kindergarten, EECS classrooms are named for colleges and universities, and every class takes an annual field trip to a local institution of higher education: our 5th graders have
visited 5 college campuses.
EECS Kindergartners ask questions on a field trip to DePaul University.
STATEMENT OF ACTIVITIES Fiscal Year 2010 (July 1, 2009 to June 30, 2010) REVENUE
1%
Government Private
Revenue and expense breakdowns are based on the EECS Fiscal Year 2010 audit. For complete audited financial statements, visit www.eriecharterschool.org or contact Assistant Director of Development & Communications, Adrienne Lange at 312-432-2236.
EXPENSES Student Instruction
20%
Management & General
Student Fees
Fundraising
79% TOTAL: $2,871,677
1%
8%
91%
TOTAL: $2,825,285
Heart.
Fostering the Habits of
INVESTORS
‘10
Fiscal Year
THANK YOU
to our many friends and supporters who made contributions between July 1, 2009 and June 30, 2010. Your dedication to high-quality elementary education is truly inspiring.
$100,000 and above Perkins Malo Hunter Foundation
John and Jane Schreiner McCormick Foundation Matching Gifts
$50,000 to $99,999 Crown Family Philanthropies Nancy Vincent
$500 to $999 Abbott Matching Gifts Ricardo Estrada and Beatriz Ponce de Leon Fourth Presbyterian Church of Chicago Agustin Gomez-Leal and Carrie J. Davis Thomas R. and Nancy A. Hanson* Raleigh G. Hegwood Corey A. Nelson Oppenheimer Family Foundation Alejandro Silva, Jr. Susan Thomas James T. and Bonita C. Wilkes Eugene L. Woroch
$25,000 to $49,999 Charles D. and Cornelia M. O’Kieffe EECS Parent Fundraising $10,000 to $24,999 Comcast Foundation Field Foundation of Illinois First Presbyterian Church of Lake Forest Geary Rimmer Vincent Wolf Foundation Kautz Family Charitable Fund George and Charlene Locasto Madigan Family Foundation Mary McClure Miller Foundation Kenneth V. and Leola H. Perkins* $5,000 to $9,999 John and Patricia Hall JCCC Foundation Springboard Foundation $1,000 to $4,999 Blue Foundation William and Mary Boehler Donald M. and Gail Curtis Robert and Saran Hutchins Donald P. and Byrd M. Kelly Foundation Victor S. and Mary R. Nelson Kenneth L. Perkins Thomas and JaMel Perkins* William and Happy Pross
$100 to $499 Jim and Sue Ahrens* Charles W. Armstrong* Jane Bell Scott* David and Karen Beré* Lee and Kim Clair Daniel J. Epstein Steven Fox Ruth B. Gramlich Mark Hallett and Carmen Vidal-Hallett Charles E. Herman* Barbara P. Isserman Keller Family Foundation* Russell and Elisabeth Kinnel Sara and Armando Medina Ministers and Missionaries Benefit Board of American Baptist Churches* Virginia G. Monroe* Alleyne Morison* Patrick H. and Katherine Perkins
* Donations made in loving memory of HARRY VINCENT, JR. Harry was a beloved member of the EECS community, and a member of the Erie family for many years. His contribution to education has made a tremendous impact on children today, and will continue to improve the lives of many children well into the future. We will forever be grateful to him, and the entire Vincent family.
Vincent J. Petrovski and Janice P. MacLeod* Lee Haines Radsch and Jamie Haines Tuck* Thomas and Judith Sanger Rom and Debbie Tamondong* C. Roger and Susan T. Van Vuren David L. and Jeanne Perkins Varwig Joan W. Ward* Elizabeth I. and Reinald Werrenwrath, Jr. Robert and Lisa Youman, in honor of George and Charlene Locasto’s 25th Anniversary M.B. and Edna Zale Foundation Lloyd L. Zickert $1 to $99 Ruth Delgado Dawson Duckwitz, in memory of Mary Savino M.E. Guthrie, Jr. Richard and Katherine Hassinger Joyce W. Jaynes* Daniel W. and Claudia C. Krueger David S. and Phyllis Kupperman Michael P. and Joy L. Leavitt* John S. and Deborah McCollister* Helen Mehler* William B. and Katherine H. Miller* Jed W. and Joyce B. Morison* Marsha A. Nathan* Patricia B. Newell Carl E. Nielsen and Kathleen Carr-Nielsen* Elizabeth R. and William R. Oostenbrug* Peter W. and Carole E. Segal* Garth and Judith Smith* In Kind Chipotle Mexican Grill Alpha Psi Lambda Iota Chapter, DePaul Drinker, Biddle & Reath, LLP Sheila Faut Fourth Presbyterian Church of Chicago Mark Hallett Perkins Investment Management Mary Remein Patrick H. and Katherine Perkins Peter W. and Janet Voss Wallin/Gomez Architects, Ltd.
We sincerely apologize for any inadvertent errors or omissions, and ask that you contact Assistant Director of Development & Communications, Adrienne Lange at 312-432-2236 to update our records as needed.
Mind.
Fostering the Habits of
“I volunteer for Erie Elementary Charter School because of the culture it has had since its inception: we all profoundly care about creating an optimal place for young people to learn and grow and thrive. This concern is infused into everything the school does, from how the learning day is planned to professional development for teachers, to after-school programs and campus visits for students. I truly believe the school does a great job already, but we’re always striving to be better, too.” -Mark Hallett, EECS Board Member Senior Program Officer, McCormick Foundation
THE EECS DIFFERENCE Our 2010 scores on the Illinois Standardized Achievement Test (ISAT) showed great improvement from last year. According to the Chicago Public Schools Scorecard data, 74.1% of EECS students are meeting or exceeding state standards in math and reading. This is an increase of 10 percentage points from our 2009 data. What’s more, we’ve also seen that the longer students have been at EECS, the higher they are achieving. In 2010, EECS students significantly outperformed those in other public schools in our neighborhood. PERCENT OF STUDENTS MEETING OR EXCEEDING GRADE-LEVEL STANDARDS EECS School 1
74%
School 2
67%
66%
55%
School 3
Christopher Bahr*
Michael Milkie
Mary G. Boehler Treasurer
Corey A. Nelson
Ricardo Estrada Chairman
Eleanor Nicholson* Charles D. O’Kieffe
John R. Hall
Cindy Osorto
Mark Hallett Secretary
Kenneth V. Perkins Teresa Rosado* Celena Roldán
George Locasto
Alejandro Silva
Melanie Madigan
Phillip Smith*
* Completed terms in 2009-2010. Patricia Horsch, Lolita Lopez, and Velia Soto joined the board in 2010-2011.
^ The 2009-2010 Erie Eagle, by 3rd grader Alicia Collazo
Victor S. Nelson
Agustin Gomez-Leal
Troy Harden Vice President
*Based on composite ISAT scores; CPS 2010 Scorecard data
The EECS student body voted to adopt the Eagle as Erie’s mascot. Each year, the students will vote to decide which of their classmates’ drawings will be the official Erie Eagle for that year.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS Fiscal Year 2010
Edison Ureña Nancy Vincent
EECS
TO OUR PARTNERS IN THE COMMUNITY: We are honored to share our growing school’s accomplishments over the past five years with you. We continue to be inspired each day by the gains of our students, the dedication of EECS parents and staff, and the tremendous support we have received from people like you. Too many of Chicago’s children are without quality educational options, a deficit that places them at greater risk for a myriad of negative outcomes. Regardless of their level of income, the education of their parents, or the community in which they reside, children have the right to an affordable quality school option in their neighborhood—it is a need that is evidenced by the thousands on wait lists across the city, and one that we are proud to address at EECS every day. The struggle facing public education is undeniable; our city’s schools are burdened by large class sizes, inadequate facilities and a lack of resources. We seem to know what does not work, and we think it is time to explore innovations with promise. Despite the fact that the vast majority of EECS students receive free or reduced-cost lunch, and many come from challenging circumstances, 74 percent of our students are meeting or exceeding grade-level standards—academic gains that surpass those of surrounding schools. We look forward with great optimism and excitement to sending off EECS’ first graduating class in 2013 to some of Chicago’s best high schools. Thank you for all you have done to get us here.
Ricardo Estrada Board Chair
Nancy Vincent Former Board Chair
Current Board Chair Ricardo Estrada and Former Board Chair Nancy Vincent
100% 20
of students visit a Chicago-area college Students in the average classroom
247
students in grades K-5
82% Latino 15% African American 3% Caucasian
100%
of lead teachers are fully certified
88% of students qualify as low-income
The students, parents and staff of Erie Elementary Charter School gratefully acknowledge our partners in the community: The Chicago School of Professional Psychology Illinois Network of Charter Schools Erikson Institute Erie Neighborhood House Tohkon Judo Academy Ravinia Festival
1405 N. Washtenaw Chicago, IL 60622 T 773-486-7161 F 773-486-7234
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