Come meet teachers, learn about our program and curriculum, and ask questions about our school and admissions process at an upcoming information session. The next info sessions are:
August 17
October 5
November 23
All info sessions are on Saturdays from 12:30-2:00pm, located in our upstairs classrooms at KAM Isaiah Israel, 1100 E. Hyde Park Blvd. Childcare is provided.
If you’re coming by car, the school is best accessed by taking 50th St. to Greenwood Ave., then turning south onto Greenwood and into the parking lot.
Join us Saturday, June 15 for an afternoon of creativity and fun while supporting our one-of-a-kind learning community! Food, wine, and childcare are provided.
This event is like nothing we’ve done before! We’re inviting our Hyde Park/Kenwood/Woodlawn neighbors to join Chicago Free School for a “Sip and Paint” gala and auction, 2-5pm. Tickets are $50 per adult guest and can be purchased via Eventbrite or from a CFS family or staff member. In order to get an accurate guest count for painting, tickets will not be available at the door.
At a sip and paint, guests become artists for the afternoon! Sip on wine while painting on your own canvas. Lead artist Meosha Thomas of Local Color Art Studio will be guiding adult guests in an informal group class to help you create a work of art you can take home with you. (Not a professional artist? Not to worry – it’s about a fun experience more than a perfect product!)
Upstairs, CFS teacher DeeAnn Reed will lead a children’s paint party for ages 3 and up. (They’ll be sipping on juice!)
Each adult guest will need a ticket, but the children’s paint party is included with the price of an adult ticket.
What else is included?
Wine poured by a professional bartender (so that glasses always stay at least half full!)
Food generously provided by Hyde Park Produce, Valois Restaurant, Rajun Cajun, The Sit Down, Cedars Mediterranean Kitchen, and Insomnia Cookies
Painting class, materials, and canvas to take home
Children’s paint party for children ages 3 and up
Entrance to our auction and raffle!
Proceeds of this event help support Chicago Free School, a 501(c)3 nonprofit independent school dedicated to democratic education, serving preK-8 students on Chicago’s south side. We believe in Choice, Voice, Inclusion, Community, and Exploration for all students, regardless of income. Your support means the world to us!
Chicago Free School camp is returning for summer 2019! We offer a full-day camp for pre-K through 8th grade. Sign up for just one week or all 7!
Families who register before May 10 qualify for the early-bird registration rate. Sliding-scale camp fees are available to current or incoming Free School families. For all other families, camp is $310 per week.
Come cook, create, build, hike, and more! Each week features a different theme and a variety of activities.
Learn more about CFS summer camp here. Registration is here.
The annual CFS online giving campaign is on until the end of January. At CFS, students are given a voice and provided opportunities to develop independence, compassion, and mastery at their own pace. They find their own passions and develop their own strengths. Chicago Free School believes in seeing the whole child. Unlike traditional schools, we don’t approach learning as a one-size-fits-all race; here, creativity and deep engagement are valued above standardized test scores and metrics.
Every family at Chicago Free School has a story of how a CFS education has made a difference in their lives. Please pass along our campaign to friends and family who appreciate the value of the respectful, student-centered approach CFS uses to help each child learn!
About 90% of our budget goes directly into our classrooms. We’re resourceful in making a little go a long way, so your donation of any amount will have a major impact. You can help us meet our goals here. Thank you!
As we excitedly begin our fifth school year on Tuesday, Chicago Free School welcomes our newest staff member, Saengjun (Waew) Luse.
Waew Luse grew up in Thailand, where she received a degree in chemistry and worked as an elementary school teacher before moving to the U.S. and continuing to work with young children. She has been been dedicated to the Free School philosophy for years and has previously been involved as both a CFS parent and volunteer. She writes,
“For me the Free School ticks so many of the boxes that a conventional setting misses. It allows children the space necessary to develop their own interests and abilities (and hence a love for learning), a community versus an isolated teaching space, and a humane system of discipline that treats children like people. Teaching at the Free School seems, in many ways, like the perfect fit because it will allow me to continue my life’s passion of working with children while also sharing many of the hands on skills I learned as a young girl, teaching skills learned at university and as a teacher, and commitment to the development of each child learned as a mother. I cannot wait to meet everyone and start the school year!”
Waew (pronounced “wow”) will lead a new 2nd/3rd grade homeroom, bringing us to a total of 5 classrooms and 6 full-time teachers! We are so pleased to have found another talented homeroom teacher to guide our students.
