Friends of Coonley

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Friends of Coonley Friends of Coonley is a not-for-profit org dedicated to supporting John C. Coonley Elementary School. Our first auction was held in 2006 at Mrs.

Friends of Coonley was founded in 2005 by local parents Linda Lesondak and Kathie Bock, then principal Kathy Kennedy-Kartheiser, and other community members. Murphy's Irish Bistro. The goal was to raise awareness of the school and any financial support they could get. More than 150 friends attended, exceeding all expectations, and the new organization was thrilled to raise enough funds to support a Spanish Language program. In 2007, the annual auction moved to DANK Haus where it remained through 2019. Over the years, FOC has supplemented Teaching Assistant positions; Arts, Language, Technology, Athletic and Library enrichment programs; instructional programs like social studies and so much more for all Coonley students. Coonley shows its giving spirit every dayβ€”inside our school and community, and beyond. In 2017, we launhed the Coonley Cares program, to highlight opportunities for students, parents and staff to share kindness, community-building efforts, service projects, and fundraisers that support fellow Chicago Public School students in need throughout the city. Thanks to your generosity, Coonley Cares has donated more than $75,000 for outside organizations and schools since its inception.

🏈 COONLEY COLLEGE GAMEDAY! πŸ’™πŸ’›Grab your spirit gear and join us for the North Center Tailgate Experience β€” an adults-only...
10/07/2026

🏈 COONLEY COLLEGE GAMEDAY! πŸ’™πŸ’›

Grab your spirit gear and join us for the North Center Tailgate Experience β€” an adults-only afternoon of football, food, friends + fun!

πŸ“… Saturday, October 17
⏰ 2–10 PM β€” come and go whenever works for you!
πŸ“ Banjavcic Garage & Side Yard (Leavitt)

We’ll have multiple outdoor TVs, cold drinks, great food, games + plenty of tailgate vibes. Whether you’re there for the football or just the fun, come hang out with your Coonley crew! πŸˆπŸ”πŸ“Ί

Adults only β€’ Spirit gear encouraged β€’ See you there! πŸ’™πŸ’›

https://friendsofcoonley.ejoinme.org/BuyParties2026

Sending all the good luck vibes to our 8th graders taking their high school admissions exams today! πŸ’™πŸ’›βœ¨You’ve worked har...
10/07/2026

Sending all the good luck vibes to our 8th graders taking their high school admissions exams today! πŸ’™πŸ’›βœ¨

You’ve worked hard, you’re ready β€” now go show them what you’ve got! We’re all cheering you on! πŸ“šβœοΈβ­

GOOD LUCK, 8TH GRADERS! πŸ’›πŸ’™

Run, walk and enjoy fall with your Cougar community! πŸ‚πŸƒ Join us Sunday, October 18 at 9 a.m. at Horner Park Fieldhouse f...
10/06/2026

Run, walk and enjoy fall with your Cougar community! πŸ‚πŸƒ Join us Sunday, October 18 at 9 a.m. at Horner Park Fieldhouse for the 4th Annual Coonley Family Fun Run. With a 5K, 1-mile run or walk, there’s an option for every fitness level. Enjoy the beautiful fall foliage, meet other Cougar families, and refuel with snacks and drinks provided after the fun. Just $30 for the whole family!

https://friendsofcoonley.ejoinme.org/BuyParties2026

10/05/2026

Some schools have recess. Ours has a bounce house situation β˜€οΈ

Pride Stride incentive = UNLOCKED: elevated recess is live on the field today, and the kids are absolutely thriving.

We could still use a few more grown-ups to chaperone β€” grab a spot: https://m.signupgenius.com/ #!/showSignUp/10C0C45ADAB2AA6F4C16-66011787-elevated?useFullSite=false

WHAT A PRIDE STRIDE! πŸ’™πŸ’›πŸƒβ€β™€οΈπŸƒβ€β™‚οΈYou ran. You cheered. You decorated. You fundraised. And now… we celebrate! πŸŽ‰A huge congr...
10/05/2026

WHAT A PRIDE STRIDE! πŸ’™πŸ’›πŸƒβ€β™€οΈπŸƒβ€β™‚οΈ

You ran. You cheered. You decorated. You fundraised. And now… we celebrate! πŸŽ‰

A huge congratulations to all of our Pride Stride winners:

πŸšͺ Best Door Decorations
πŸ₯‡ Ms. Conroy β€” Room 316
πŸ₯ˆ Ms. Metzler β€” Room 214
πŸ₯‰ Ms. Alley β€” Room 207
🍿 Winning classes get a Popcorn + Movie celebration!

πŸ’› Most Spirited Grade: 5th Grade
πŸ† Prize: An extra hour of Field Day!

πŸ’° Grade-Level Fundraising Champs: 4th Grade
πŸ† Prize: An extra hour of Field Day!

🫧 Top Fundraising Class: Mr. Chang’s class
And thanks to our very own Coonley 8th-grade entrepreneurs, bubblebroschicago , Mrs. Needleman’s class is joining the fun, too! Foam party happening Monday! πŸ«§πŸŽ‰

BUT WAIT… EVERYONE WINS!

We hit $100K, which means Elevated Recess bounce houses for ALL Coonley students on Monday! πŸŽͺ And with an incredible 96% of Coonley students registered, Treat Trolleys will be rollin’ through the school Monday + Tuesday. 🍿πŸͺ🍭

We could not be more proud of this community. Thank you to every student, family, teacher, staff member and volunteer who made Pride Stride such an incredible day. GO COUGARS! πŸ’™πŸ’›πŸΎ

One last way to help us celebrate! We still need a few parent volunteers on Tuesday to help the Treat Trolleys roll through the school and deliver some joy to our Cougars! πŸ›’πŸ­πŸ’›

Sign up to help with the Treat Trolley⁠: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0C45ADAB2AA6F4C16-66335397-pride #/

Here’s what’s happening at Coonley this week! πŸ’™πŸ’› Save this post for your weekly reminders + lunch menu. πŸ“ŒπŸ“Έ Tuesday, 10/6...
10/05/2026

Here’s what’s happening at Coonley this week! πŸ’™πŸ’› Save this post for your weekly reminders + lunch menu. πŸ“Œ

πŸ“Έ Tuesday, 10/6: School Picture Retakes + LSC Meeting at 6 p.m. in the Makerspace (Rm 007)

✏️ Wednesday, 10/7: High School Admission Test for 8th Grade

🚌 Thursday, 10/8:
β€’ 6th Grade Field Trip to The Forge β€” 9 a.m.
β€’ 8th Grade Sulzer Library Field Trip β€” 10:55 a.m.

🍎 Plus, this week’s lunch menu is all in one place!

And a heads-up for next week: 🚨
There is NO SCHOOL Monday, 10/12 in observance of Indigenous Peoples’ Day.

Have a great week, Cougars! πŸΎπŸ’›

πŸ›οΈ Shop local + support Coonley!Shop for Schools is back October 6–8! Shop at any of the participating Lakeview Roscoe V...
10/03/2026

πŸ›οΈ Shop local + support Coonley!

Shop for Schools is back October 6–8! Shop at any of the participating Lakeview Roscoe Village businesses and 15% of your purchase will be donated to Coonley Elementary. πŸ’™πŸ’›

There are so many great spots participating β€” boutiques, bookstores, kids’ shops, candles, bikes, jewelry and more. Swipe to see where you can shop! ➑️

Just be sure to select Coonley Elementary School at checkout so your purchase counts toward our school.

Three days to shop small, support our neighborhood businesses AND give back to Coonley. Win-win-win. πŸ›οΈβœ¨

πŸ“… October 6, 7 & 8
πŸ’™ 15% donated to Coonley
πŸ“ Participating shops throughout Lakeview + Roscoe Village

WE DID IT, COONLEY! πŸ’™πŸ’›Thanks to this incredible community, we officially hit our $135,000 Pride Stride goal! πŸŽ‰ And with ...
10/02/2026

WE DID IT, COONLEY! πŸ’™πŸ’›

Thanks to this incredible community, we officially hit our $135,000 Pride Stride goal! πŸŽ‰ And with Pride Stride happening TODAY, we’re not quite done yet…

🐾 NEXT STOP: $165,000! 🐾

Every dollar we raise beyond our original goal will go toward the next school upgrade from our parent survey + admin wish list. And if we make it all the way to $165K, students will unlock a MYSTERY REWARD β€” and they’ll get to vote on what it is! πŸ‘€πŸŽ‰

Whether you donated, shared your fundraising page, volunteered, cheered on our runners, or helped make today happen β€” THANK YOU. This community showed up in a huge way for our kids.

Let’s see how far we can go! πŸ’™πŸ’›

Happy Pride Stride, Cougars! 🐾

10/02/2026

when the room moms show up with a step stool and a dream ✨

Room 103 went full Wrigleyville: ivy walls, fairy lights, a baseball with every kid’s name, and the W flag hung high β€” because somebody around here has to hang a W. ⚾

This year’s doors are a race through Chicago neighborhoods:
K β†’ Lincoln Park | 1st β†’ Wrigleyville (us πŸ‘‹) | 2nd β†’ Hyde Park | 3rd β†’ Pilsen | 4th β†’ Chinatown | 5th β†’ Austin | 6th β†’ Bridgeport | 7th β†’ Ukrainian Village | 8th β†’ Little Village

Best-decorated door wins a movie party with popcorn, so… no pressure, everyone 🍿

See you at the starting line tomorrow!

ONE. DAY. TO. GO. πŸΎπŸ’›πŸ’™Coonley, we are SO close! We’ve raised $128,521 β€” 95% of our $135K goal! 🀯And a huge THANK YOU to o...
10/01/2026

ONE. DAY. TO. GO. πŸΎπŸ’›πŸ’™

Coonley, we are SO close! We’ve raised $128,521 β€” 95% of our $135K goal! 🀯

And a huge THANK YOU to our mystery donor, who challenged us to raise $6K last night and then MATCHED it when we did. πŸ’› You helped turn one incredible night of giving into an even bigger impact for our school.

Swipe to see the Top 5 classes leading the pack as we head into the final day! πŸƒβ€β™€οΈπŸƒβ€β™‚οΈ

We’re just $6,479 away from our goal β€” and 91% of Coonley students are registered. Let’s see if we can get BOTH of those numbers all the way there before Pride Stride tomorrow!

Every registration counts. Every donation counts. Every share helps. Let’s finish strong, Cougars! πŸ’™πŸ’›

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Www. Friendsofcoonley. Org
Chicago, IL

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