DECEMBER 2023
FAMILY NEWSLETTER
SUPERINTENDENT'S MESSAGE Dear CCSD21 Families and Community Members, It’s hard to believe that December is already upon us! As we enter this holiday period, I hope you are able to have ample opportunities to connect with your individual school and see the various types of shows and concerts and all the traditions we tend to engage in over the holiday season. We have a number of updates this month, more of which can be found in the video below. Some highlights for you all: ● ● ●
Approving a contract with Advocate Medical Group for our student-based health center Congratulating several students on their recent instrumental/musical successes Showcasing the various artistic talents of our students through the Seasons Greetings Holiday Card Contest.
We hope that December, although a busy month, will be a good month for all of you. Please take time as winter break comes to relax, connect with family and friends, and just enjoy this holiday season. We’ll see you in January! Respectfully, Dr. Michael Connolly Superintendent of Schools View the full video message here: Message from the Superintendent: December 2023 IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER… ● ● ● ● ● ●
Friday, December 8 – Preschool Non-Attendance Day Thursday, December 14 – Board of Education Meeting, 7 p.m. Monday, December 25 – Start of Winter Break (No School) Friday, January 5, 2024 – Last Day of Winter Break Monday, January 8, 2024 – Institute Day, No Classes Tuesday, January 9, 2024 – Classes Resume
BUSINESS OFFICE UPDATES ● CCSD21 approves contract with Advocate Medical Group, awards construction contracts for school-based health center: Construction on the center is slated to begin in December, be substantially completed by March 2024 and a slated grand opening the month after that. Micheal DeBartolo Assistant Superintendent for Finance & Operations/CSBO micheal.debartolo@ccsd21.org Tel. 847-520-2707
● CCSD21 initiates $1.12 million transfer from educational to debt service fund for financing of CSCAO: “The debt certificates issued to pay for the building pledged existing revenues, outside of property taxes, in order to ensure they were paid off during a reasonable and responsible period of time without immediately utilizing a large amount of existing funds.”
COMMUNICATIONS UPDATES ● Thank you to all the students who submitted designs for the 2023 Season’s Greeting Card Design Challenge. There were more than 160 entries and the decision was not an easy one to make. We appreciate the efforts all students took to create unique and artful designs, and we encourage you all to continue your creative endeavors. The following designs were chosen. Cassandra Young Director of Communications cassandra.young@ccsd21.org Tel. 847-520-2728
● The new year will bring a renewed focus on our social media accounts, so come along with us for the journey (by giving us a like or follow)! ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○
Facebook X (formerly Twitter) Instagram Threads (coming soon!) YouTube LinkedIn ParentSquare Happy Holidays! (contributed by Sofia Horwitz, communications intern and senior at Buffalo Grove High School): Happy Holidays to everyone who is part of CCSD21. You all make a tremendous impact on the community that we have created and grown throughout this year. Read more here.
COMMUNICATIONS UPDATES (CONT.) ●
In case you missed it! A number of middle school students across the district were named to the Illinois Music Education Association’s District 7 Junior Honor Band, Orchestra or Choir. Here are some highlights, and congratulations to those students! ○ London – Band and Orchestra, Choir ○ Holmes – Concert and Jazz Bands ○ Cooper – Choir
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Last month, we commemorated and honored our nation’s heroes throughout the district. Our schools had special events and activities that showcased our deepest gratitude to the men and women who have served and continue to serve in the armed forces. Their sacrifice and courage in preserving our freedom deserve our utmost respect and recognition. Here is an album of pictures, along with one video from Kilmer, of our students participating in activities throughout the week.
EQUITY & LEARNING UPDATES ● MAP Growth and MAP Reading Fluency Winter Benchmarks: During the first two weeks of December, students in grades 2-8 will take a MAP Growth test from NWEA. MAP Growth scores help teachers check student performance by measuring achievement and growth. Read more about that here. Beatrice Reyes Childress Assistant Superintendent for Equity & Learning beatrice.childress@ ccsd21.org Tel. 847-520-2743
● Exciting Reading Opportunity K-5! Congressman Brad Schneider is sponsoring a reading incentive through the Brad’s Bookworms Program for children in grades K-5. Children who participate in the program are asked to read and log 10 books with help from parents, grandparents, older siblings or other family members, and track their progress toward this goal. Students who meet the 10-book goal will be invited with their families to a recognition ceremony with Congressman Schneider in early 2024. Students are also invited to take part in a contest to design a bookmark, and copies of the winning bookmark will be distributed to all children who complete the 10-book goal. We would love for your child to participate, and more information can be found here. Complete the online registration here by Jan. 2, 2024: Brad's Bookworms | Congressman Brad Schneider (house.gov) or by filling out the form attached to this email and either emailing it directly to ari.botbol@mail.house.gov or mailing it to 111 Barclay Blvd, Suite 200, Lincolnshire, IL 60069.
EQUITY & LEARNING UPDATES (CONT.)
Let’s Celebrate! Did You Know… As a district we are proud to celebrate the diversity of our learning community! Some of the celebrations taking place during the month of December include: Pearl Harbor Day, St. Nicholas Day, Hanukkah, Winter Solstice, Bodhi Day, Las Posadas, Christmas Day, Kwanzaa, New Year’s Eve - If you’d like to learn more, click on the links! If there is a celebration that we missed, don’t hesitate to reach out and share it with our Language Services Department. Report Cards and PowerSchool Parent Portal The first trimester ended on Nov. 16 and report cards will be available to parents/guardians and students by 4 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 1. Report cards can be accessed by logging into the PowerSchool Parent Portal. Specific information is needed to connect that account to your child(ren) Access ID & Password are available from the school office if you do not already have one. Once in the PowerSchool Parent Portal, you can access student report cards by clicking on the “Student Reports” button. The report card will be listed under the “Currently Published Reports” area.
SUPPORT SERVICES & SCHOOL SAFETY UPDATES
Kim Cline Assistant Superintendent for Support Svcs. & School Safety kim.clilne@ccsd21.org Tel. 847-520-2717
RSVP for the event here!
SUPPORT SERVICES & SCHOOL SAFETY UPDATES (CONT.) Engaging in Learning: This month, we are sharing a number of options for parents to engage in learning from community and school partnerships. Parents, school administrators and classroom teachers are partners in education. With the increase in the number of students with cell phones and access to social media apps, schools are in a place of spending more time investigating concerns that happen outside of school day. 10 Ways Parents Can Keep Kids Safe Online and Resources for Educators. UPCOMING EVENTS FROM THE GLENBARD PARENT SERIES Eight Failures/Setbacks that Can Make a Child a Success Tuesday, Dec. 5 at noon and 7 p.m. “Fails” can be the precious silver lining of a chance for character building and developing more grit—if we help them process their mistakes well. Here are specific and unexpected advice about what to say, what not to say, and what to do to help children in eight categories of tense situations with a three-step approach to any kind of failure: A child’s mistake or rebellion doesn’t have to become the headline of their childhood, but instead can be a launch pad to a better future. View the program trailer here. It’s Okay to Not Be Okay: Solutions to Help You Heal Tuesday, Dec. 12 at noon and 7 p.m. It’s okay to talk about not being okay. A conversation on recovery and asking for help needs to come next. What that help looks like will be a focus here. Learn how we can overcome the isolation, the pressures to be excellent, and the fear of being perceived as vulnerable or spiritually weak. Join us and learn the warning signs of mental health conditions, and the expectations for recuperation. Here is hope, and better ways to live well. NAMI will present an extended workshop "Supporting Our Youth/Ending the Silence (warning signs, local resources) to follow! Dialing Back the Inner Critic: Compassion and Kindness in Parenting Tuesday, Dec. 19 at noon and 7 p.m. Are you ready to reduce the limiting beliefs of inner-critical thoughts- rid the perfectionist tendencies that loop in your brain and your body? Meeting yourself and others with kindness is the antidote to fatigue, burnout, and stress. Learn about the importance of care for ourselves at a time where compassion fatigue and burnout are happening too often. Understand the importance of prioritizing our well-being as a way of modeling wellness for our families. Learn how to recognize the compassionate voice within you rather than letting the critical voice be the driver in your head. Here is a moment of pause that will help you through the holiday season.
SUPPORT SERVICES & SCHOOL SAFETY UPDATES (CONT.) OMNI’s Nurturing Parenting Group: This 10-week therapeutic program provides parents/guardians with research-based tools, tips and skills to better understand their children and make the best possible decisions for them while building healthy life-long relationships. View the flyer here.
HUMAN RESOURCES UPDATES Virtual Job Fair! Do you know a December graduate? We are really excited about a virtual job fair that we are offering to potential candidates. We will be meeting with candidates virtually from across the area on Monday, Dec. 11. Robert Gurney Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources robert.gurney@ccsd21.org Tel. 847-520-2724
This is for positions that could start as early as January 2024! Here is a flyer with a link that allows candidates to sign up to meet with an administrator. This is a great opportunity to be guaranteed a chance to meet with a school administrator to talk about a future position. We have current openings in the following areas: ●
Pre-K Teachers
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Social Workers
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Special Education
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Speech Language Pathologists
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Psychologists
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Nurses
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ESL
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Teaching Assistants
We’re hoping that if you know someone who is graduating in December and is interested in working in this area that you will consider forwarding it to them. We have sent a personalized invitation to more than 45 universities and colleges across Illinois, Wisconsin, Iowa, Indiana and Minnesota. In addition, if you know of someone who has 60 college credits and is interested in subbing, please encourage them to apply to be a part of our sub pool. To be eligible to sub as a TA or teacher, they will need to apply for their short-term sub license through ISBE. This licensure is valid through June 2025.
BOARD OF EDUCATION November 9, 2023 Board Meeting The livestream video of the Nov. 9 Board of Education meeting can be viewed here. View board bits here.
Next Meeting The next regularly scheduled Board of Education meeting of Community Consolidated School District 21, Wheeling, Cook County, IL, will be held on December 14, 2023 at 7 p.m. at the CCSD21 Community Service Center and Administrative Office, 959 W. Dundee Rd., Wheeling IL, 60090
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COMMUNITY CONSOLIDATED SCHOOL DISTRICT 21 959 W. Dundee Road Wheeling, IL 60090 Tel. (847) 537-8270 www.ccsd21.org
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