Health and Safety
School Climate and Safety
South Loop Elementary School is a PBIS (Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports) school. We follow The South Loop Way (Be Safe, Be Respectful and Be Responsible) on a daily basis. The goal of PBIS is to increase consistent positive teaching and reinforcement strategies that promote expected behavior. We ask that parents use the same tools at home when reinforcing positive behavior. Ask your child: Are you following the South Loop Way? Are you being Safe? Are you being Responsible? Are you being Respectful?
We use lion paws as a reward system for classrooms following the The South Loop Way. At the end of each month, classrooms with the greatest number of lion paws are rewarded with a small token for following the The South Loop Way. You can use this same system at home on a daily, weekly or monthly basis depending on the age of the child. Rewards should be realistic: ice cream after dinner, stickers, rent a favorite movie, etc. The goal is to provide a safe and engaging environment for everyone.
Medical Compliance
Immunizations: Students entering school for the first time, entering Kindergarten, first grade, fifth grade and those entering schools in the State of Illinois for the first time at any grade level must have current medical exams and all required immunizations.
Dental: Students entering kindergarten, second grade and sixth grade must have current dental exams. Those entering preschool must have medical exams and lead screening.
Eye Exam: Any student entering Kindergarten or entering a CPS school for the first time must complete an eye exam.
Waivers for religious or medical reasons must be submitted in writing as described in the Board of Education Policy 704.1. Medical exclusions begin during the month of October.
Please submit a copy of these completed forms to the school nurse (mailbox located in the Main Office) or fax 773- 534-8689. For more information about CPS immunizations and medical requirement, visit the CPS website.
For Medical Forms, visit the Virtual Backpack.
Nut-Free and Candy-Free School
South Loop Elementary School is a gum, candy, and nut free school. Please do not send any of these items to school with your child. If you child brings a lunch to school, please confirm that it does not contain any items which contain nuts. If your child brings a "Lunchable" to school, please open the package and remove the candy, gum or nut products before sending your child to school with the "Lunchable".
Our nut free policy includes ALL tree nuts including but not limited to: almonds, brazil nuts, cashews, chestnuts, hazelnuts, macadamia nuts, pecans, pine nuts, pistachios and walnuts. In consideration of all of our students, please refrain from ALL nut products. We have students with severe nut allergies. In order to ensure the safety of all of our children, please follow the South Loop Way and adhere to this school-wide policy.
There are some nut alternatives we can suggest in lieu of peanut butter or almond butter. Students may bring lunch items to include Sunflower Seed Spread (Sunbutter) or Soy Nut Butter since neither of these contains actual nuts. These items are available at stores such as Trader Joe's and Whole Foods.
Breakfast and Lunch
South Loop Elementary School's Free Breakfast Program is available to all students. No application or enrollment is required. Breakfast is served in the classroom for all grades.
Students can bring their own lunch or have a hot lunch at school. Do not send glass bottles, candy, gum, soda or peanut products. South Loop Elementary School is a candy, gum and nut free school.
Breakfast: Free
Lunch: Regular Fee $2.25, Reduced Fee $.40
Milk: $.35
Fees may change. Lunch applications for free and reduced lunch are distributed on the first day of school.
You can view updated breakfast and lunch menus on the CPS website by clicking here.
Emergency Planning in Schools
Every Chicago Public School creates a plan that helps the school manage an emergency event. Schools update these plans on an annual basis. Staff members are familiar with emergency plans and it is important that parents understand their role in the Chicago Public School emergency planning efforts. Three important areas in which parents can assist in emergency planning for schools are:
- Reinforce your child's understanding of the ELSA emergency codes.
- Ensure the emergency contact information in your child's file is up to date and accurate.
- Know where to find information if there is an emergency in your child's school and understand the process which will be followed to reunite you with your child.
ELSA Emergency Codes
E – Evacuation
Fire alarm is sounded or an announcement orders the school to be evacuated. Students and staff report to pre-designated exterior around the school
When an evacuation from a school due to fire or other hazard is called, school personnel will escort students to a pre-designated area around the school. In certain situations to ensure safety, students may be moved to an alternate location which is part of the overall school emergency plan.
L - Lockdown
No one moves unless otherwise announced by school administrator or emergency personnel. All exterior doors, classroom doors and windows are closed and locked until further direction.
S – Shelter-in-Place
Appropriate for weather emergencies such as tornado or a threat in the neighborbood. Students and staff proceed to the pre-designated interior location.
A – All Clear
Incident has resolved and the school is returning to normal operations.
Parent/Child Reunification
Following an emergency, school staff will follow an orderly plan to reunite parents/guardians with their children, particularly younger children. In certain emergency situations, the following protocols will be followed:
- Parents/guardians may be directed to a Parent Reunification Staging Area.
- Custodial parents/guardian or persons on the child's emergency pick-up list may be asked to show identification - even if school staff are familiar with you.
Contact/Information Resources
- Contact your local school and update your child's emergency contact information on a regular basis.
- During a Lockdown or Shelter-ln-Place, police/fire will not allow anyone access to the school area.
- CPS will provide regular updates to the public via their main telephone line (773-553-3335), their website www.cps.edu and local radio and television outlets.
- Telephone lines may experience heavy use during an emergency and not work because they are overloaded. If you have access to the internet, TV or radio, please use that instead of phones to allow the school to use them to obtain any emergency help they may need.
For more School Policy Information, please refer to the Parent Handbook distributed to every student at the beginning of the school year.
