CICS Bucktown

Your talent is worth it: certified teacher salaries begin at $70,000. 🌟

At Distinctive Schools, we are investing in educators who believe every student deserves rigorous learning, a thriving culture, and the opportunity to shape their future. 🚀

We manage a network of unique and innovative K-12 schools with opportunities all across Chicago. We’re also proud to offer a competitive benefits package, including comprehensive healthcare (medical, dental, vision), 25+ paid holidays, 403b matching, paid family leave, and more!

👉 Join our mission to build the future of learning and apply today: bit.ly/DSTeachers

🏐🏀 Open Gyms are coming up this week!

Join us and get some extra reps in before the season starts:
• Volleyball Open Gym — Wednesday from 4:00–6:00 PM
• Basketball Open Gym — Thursday from 4:00–6:00 PM

Bring your energy, invite a teammate, and come put in the work! 💪

Our wonderful Summer Learning kindergarten teacher, Ms. Veronica, is keeping learning fun and engaging all summer long! Students practiced using magic markers to write letters and words while building their literacy skills. They focused on the letter L, explored short u CVC words, and learned about long u words through hands-on activities and creative writing practice.
We are so proud of our young learners for their hard work, enthusiasm, and growth. Learning never stops at CICS Bucktown, and our students are having a great time while strengthening their reading and writing skills! 📚✏️☀️

Join us on Wednesday, June 24th, from 1:00–3:00 PM for “Bill of Writes: Our Voice. Our Art. Our Future.”
Our talented CICS Bucktown students participated in the BOWS Grant project, using art and storytelling to express their ideas, experiences, and dreams for the future. Through this meaningful opportunity, students explored the power of their voices while creating inspiring works of art that reflect their unique perspectives.
A special thank you to Gloria Rivera and Norrisa Pearson for helping organize and support this incredible project. Their dedication helped provide students with a creative platform to share their stories and showcase their talents.
We hope you’ll join us in celebrating our students’ creativity, self-expression, and hard work. Their voices matter, their art inspires, and their future is bright! 🎨✨📖🦅

Happy Pride Month! At Distinctive Schools, we are dedicated to creating inclusive, joyful, and welcoming communities where everyone is celebrated. This Pride Month, we are proud to celebrate our culture where every student, family member, and staff member feels seen, heard, valued, and cared for.

Our Summer Learning Kindergarteners with Ms. Veronica are having so much fun learning and exploring! ☀️📚🦆
This week, our students learned all about the letter D for Duck 🦆 and practiced identifying long i and short i words through creative painting activities. For Fun Friday, they enjoyed hands-on learning, building their literacy skills while expressing their creativity through art.
We love seeing our young learners stay engaged, curious, and excited about learning all summer long! 🌞🎨✏️

Distinctive Schools is honored for the opportunity to work with the BOWS grant and the University of South Florida. As we conclude our third and final year, we would like to highlight the work of CICS Bucktown’s amazing 4th graders (Room 204). Under the direction of Gloria I Rivera and Norrisa Pearson, they created masterpieces that focused on civics and centered around collages, community, and song.

🎉 Big news, CICS Bucktown families! We are excited to officially welcome Mr. Samuel Lee as the next Principal of CICS Bucktown beginning in the 2026-27 school year!

Mr. Lee brings more than 15 years of experience in education, including roles as a classroom teacher, instructional coach, assistant principal, and school leader. Throughout his career, he has been deeply committed to building strong school communities where students feel known, challenged, supported, and inspired to grow. 🌱⚡

Mr. Lee is incredibly excited to join the CICS Bucktown community and looks forward to partnering with students, staff, and families to continue building a joyful, inclusive, and academically challenging environment where every child has the opportunity to thrive. Please join us in welcoming Mr. Lee!

We are so grateful to Mr. Kliebert for the last 15 years, leading with care, dedication, and a deep commitment to students, staff, and families. As he begins a new chapter this fall, please join us in thanking him for his years of leadership.