Fresh Food & New Menus at Noble Schools

By The Noble Schools

“Noble students – when you walk into the cafeteria on your first day of school, get ready to smell something delicious cooking. Noble Schools is seriously upgrading their food menus and entire meal program this year. Our Dining Services team worked hard last year to get student feedback about how they felt about the food at their campus. And we heard you. No more are the days of lukewarm, pre-made meals. No more are the days of getting to the cafeteria late in the day, only to find that your favorite food item is out. From now on, meals at your school will be served fresh every meal period with plenty of options to choose from.”

 

CPS opens Monday with scaled back COVID-19 measures but unyielding vaccination rates

By Sarah Karp for WBEZ

“Chicago Public Schools will start the school year on Monday with only about 54% of students in district-run schools fully vaccinated against COVID-19, after a summer in which relatively few children in the city got their first or second shot. Vaccination rates still vary widely across the district, with some schools where nearly all students are vaccinated and others with less than 10% inoculated. This comes as more people are protected after having had COVID-19 but with the country facing the most highly transmissible version of the virus yet.”

 

K-12 enrollment in Chicago Public Schools could drop by as much as 15,000 students this fall

By Sarah Karp for WBEZ

“This fall, the student population of Chicago Public Schools could continue its dramatic downward slide and drop below 300,000 elementary and high school students. Ten years ago, CPS enrolled 378,000 students in kindergarten through 12th grade. That’s the lowest predicted enrollment, based on current grade level enrollment and birth rate data, from researchers who specialize in using data to address civic problems. Last year CPS enrolled 314,500 students plus 15,000 preschoolers. The researchers predict K-12 enrollment could be as low as 262,000 by 2025.”

 

Illinois eases COVID quarantining and testing as school year starts

By Samantha Smylie for Chalkbeat Chicago

“The state’s department of public health and the state board of education announced late Friday that Illinois has adopted the latest Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance for K-12 schools and childcare centers. State officials said the expansion of vaccines for children 6 months and older, a decrease in hospitalizations, and other public health mitigations factored into their decision to update their guidance.”

 

Chicago commits to 100% renewable energy at city facilities by 2025

By Katie Pyzyk for Utility Dive

“The city of Chicago on Aug. 8 announced a five-year agreement with Constellation Energy to purchase 100% renewable energy for all city-owned facilities and operations by 2025. In 2025, Chicago will begin partially sourcing energy from a new, 593 MW solar installation that Constellation partner Swift Current Energy will develop in central Illinois. Initially, it will partially power high energy consumption facilities, such as airports, the central library and a water purification plant.”