October 2023 Family Newsletter (English)

SUPERINTENDENT'S MESSAGE

Dear CCSD21 Families and Community Members,

I want to welcome everyone to October and the official beginning of fall. As we begin the second month of our school year, I hope everyone has settled into good routines and are having success in the new school year, and that it continues as we go through the rest of the first trimester and into the later fall and winter We want to work with you to really support our students in having a very successful school year

I wanted to highlight a few achievements this month, including one that parents might not be aware of. Every year, all of our school buildings are inspected by the Regional Office of Education for North Cook. Those inspections really catalog all of the health and safety requirements for all of our school buildings. We’re really proud of the fact that five of our schools – Hawthorne, Holmes, Longfellow, Tarkington and Whitman – received perfect scores, which is very unusual.

Two schools – Riley and Twain – came in with only one deduction, and the district as a whole saw a 37% reduction in citations. This feat is very unusual, but that is due to the dedication and the attention of our entire maintenance and custodial teams in making sure all of our buildings are well taken care of, are safe, and that we are following all of our codes from the ROE.

I also wanted to thank everyone for their participation in our most recent Safety Week, which marks the first time as a district we have dedicated an entire week to our various safety drills that are required throughout the course of the year We received strong feedback from staff, students and parents on how to improve this, and we’ll plan to host another weeklong event in the spring.

Finally, I wanted to highlight and say congratulations to the Arlington Heights Park District, which was awarded – along with its partnerships – for the Children at Play (CAP) Before and After School Care Programs at Riley and Poe Elementary School. The award of recognition also names CCSD21, Arlington Heights School District 25 and CCSD59 in Elk Grove.

I hope that as we get into the fall, and that weather starts to take root, that everyone is able to have a lovely October and into November It’s hard to believe we’re moving as fast as we are already into the school year.

Respectfully,

Dr Michael Connolly Superintendent of Schools

Watch the full video message here:

October 2023 Message

IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER…

● Monday, Oct. 9 – No School, Indigenous Peoples Day

● Thursday, Oct. 12 – Frost LMC Ribbon-Cutting, 6 p.m.

● Monday, Oct. 16 – Institute Day, No Classes

● Thursday, Oct. 19 – Board of Education Meeting @ CSCAO, 7 p.m.

BUSINESS OFFICE UPDATES

Micheal DeBartolo Assistant Superintendent for Finance & Operations/CSBO micheal.debartolo@ccsd21.org

Tel 847-520-2707

● New Equity & Learning offices at Hawthorne: As part of Community Consolidated School District 21’s summer projects, the second floor at Hawthorne Early Childhood Center was fully renovated to make room for the Equity and Learning/Support Services teams, which relocated from the Gill Administration Center Check out some photos from the new space!

● CCSD21 posts balanced budget for fiscal 2024: Following approval from the board of education during its September meeting, the district posted a balanced budget for fiscal 2024. Read more about it here.

● CCSD21 monitoring parking lot reconfigurations, considering 2-3 more during school year: The parking lot reconfigurations at Field, Frost, Tarkington and Whitman Elementary Schools are “going well,” according to Micheal DeBartolo, assistant superintendent for finance and operations, and the district is currently monitoring Longfellow Elementary School and London Middle School for potential redesigns Read more about it here

● CCSD21 earns perfect scores across five schools for annual ROE inspections: The district recently received perfect scores across five schools – Hawthorne, Holmes, Longfellow, Tarkington and Whitman – as part of annual inspections by the Regional Office of Education for North Cook. Two more schools, Riley and Twain, had only one deduction, and the district as a whole observed a 37% reduction in citations. Read more about it here.

COMMUNICATIONS UPDATES

● We are still celebrating our 75th anniversary! As an integral part of our community, we’d love your help in celebrating. Share your favorite memory with us here, and see others’ memories so far here!

C ng

Director of Communications

cassandra young@ccsd21 org Tel 847-520-2728

● Our website has a new look! You may have noticed the district website looking different over the past few weeks. We are excited to inform you we have launched a new and improved website that, we hope, will make your life easier!

Read more about the enhanced website. Go to the district’s website. Report website issues here.

● Season’s Greetings Design Challenge: Dr Connolly would like students’ help in designing a 2023 seasonal greeting card Our theme this year is “warm holiday wishes ” The card should make us feel warm, welcomed and uplifted – regardless of our differences It should highlight the season of joy, giving and community

Submit your entry here (submissions due by Nov. 6)

● Help us be a Princi-PAL! We are looking to start a new video series in which our principals answer questions submitted by you on whatever topic you can think of! It could be what superpower they would want, their favorite thing to do on a rainy day, what book they’re reading now…the questions are up to you! Please follow this link and submit your question today!

COMMUNICATIONS UPDATES (CONT.)

College Planning (contributed by Sofia Horwitz, communications intern and senior at Buffalo Grove High School): Fall for me has always been one of my favorites It's a busy time of year with pumpkin patches, hay rides, my birthday, and Halloween festivities You can almost feel the air change when fall is approaching The leaves begin to change to a beautiful array of oranges, reds and yellows Read more here

● This means “Change Wars!” Between Sept 11 and 15, students and staff at Frost donated their spare change as part of a schoolwide fundraiser that asked classrooms to donate coins in increasing increments. All funds – an astounding $2,907 in total! –will be put toward an all-school assembly. See more from the event here.

● Ribbon-Cutting Ceremonies: The district has hosted several ribbon-cutting ceremonies over the past month to celebrate two new playgrounds and three library and media centers (with a ceremony to celebrate Frost’s new LMC next week) Here’s a roundup of those ceremonies

○ Riley Elementary School (New playground)

○ Field Elementary School (New playground and LMC)

○ London Middle School (New LMC)

○ Kilmer Elementary School (New LMC)

EQUITY & LEARNING UPDATES

Beatrice Reyes Childress Assistant Superintendent for Equity & Learning

beatrice

childress@ccsd21 org

Tel. 847-520-2743

● The Arlington Heights Park District, CCSD21, Arlington Heights School District 25, CCSD59 in Elk Grove and the Village of Arlington Heights received an Illinois Association of Park Districts Intergovernmental Award for the Children at Play (CAP) Before and After School Care Program! CAP currently serves more than 1,000 families each year at 12 program and two remote sites, including Riley and Poe Elementary Schools within our district.

● The Kindergarten Individual Development Survey (KIDS) assessment is an observation-based assessment that helps teachers understand the abilities and behaviors they observe in children who have just begun kindergarten. Read more about it here.

EQUITY & LEARNING UPDATES (CONT.)

● Solar Eclipse in October! After six years, we finally have the opportunity to view another solar eclipse in America! Many people may remember the beauty and sense of wonder of the 2017 total Solar Eclipse when the moon crossed in front of the sun. The sun went dark, and the day turned into night. It is time to prepare for the next Solar eclipse in North America on Saturday, Oct. 14. Click here to learn more about this spectacular event, including tips on how to view the eclipse safely

Language Services

● Let’s Celebrate! Did You Know… As a district, we are proud to celebrate the diversity of our learning community! During this month, many countries around the world celebrate their day of independence. Many people in our community acknowledge their native country’s independence by displaying a flag, participating in festivals or parades. Some of the celebrations taking place during the month of October include: Indigenous People Day, Columbus Day, Italian-American Heritage Month, German-American Heritage Month, Oktoberfest, Polish American Heritage Month, Filipino History Month and Halloween - 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

● Join us at the Indian Trails Library! The Indian Trails Library has many events and workshops for students and their families during the month of October Check out the calendar of events for specific activities and times this month

HUMAN RESOURCES UPDATES

A new substitute role in CCSD21! In addition to our typical sub roles, we are adding a mid-day floater position for substitute teachers from 9:30 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. We are hoping this allows some members of the community the opportunity to sub while also being available for their child before and after school. Read more about it here.

Robert Gurney

Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources

robert gurney@ccsd21 org

Tel 847-520-2724

● “I’ve learned so much here about how to teach different types of students It’s really elevated my teaching skills ”

- Melanie Serevo, a preschool “specials” teacher at Tarkington and Hawthorne

Learn more about her “Why” here

● Joseph Eckert is not only one of four physical education teachers at Cooper, he’s also an alumnus of the district! Learn more about his story here.

INFORMATION SERVICES UPDATES

● October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month: Since 2004, the president and Congress have declared the month of October to be Cybersecurity Awareness Month, and we would like to offer some information to hopefully help everyone stay safe in the digital world Read more about that here

Mike Frantini Chief Technology Officer

mike frantini@ccsd21 org

Tel 847-520-2732

● Technology Funding and Financials: Funding for technology in schools is always a challenge, and here at CCSD21, we are always trying to do more with less and be extremely efficient with every dollar. There are great efforts in place to provide quality technology infrastructure, services and educational tools to amplify the student learning experience in a cost-effective manner Read more about that here

SUPPORT SERVICES & SCHOOL SAFETY UPDATES

● An artist who loves himself some Raising Cane’s. Meet Rising Star Benjamin D.

● A message from the school resource officers: Home Safety: Last month we discussed the importance of safety within our schools and how to maintain a certain level of safety, even in dire situations However, the one place that we need to feel even safer in is our own homes

Kim Cline Assistant Superintendent for Support Svcs & School Safety

kim clilne@ccsd21 org

Tel 847-520-2717

● Illinois Department of Public Health information on vaccinations

● CCSD21 invites you to get a better understanding of how IEPs and special education law works with attorneys Micki Moran and Neal Takiff Sometimes these two attorneys sit on opposite sides of the table, but for this presentation, they are coming together to share what they know about special education law so you can be a more informed team member

Use this link to sign up for the presentation Child care will be provided for children ages 3-10

● Free Mental Health Education Classes for Families, sponsored by the National Alliance on Mental Illness. Read more about that here.

BOARD OF EDUCATION

September 21, 2023 Board Meeting

The livestream video of the September 21 Board of Education meeting can be viewed 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 October 19, 2023 at 7 p.m. at the CCSD21 Community Service Center and Administrative Office, 959 W Dundee Rd., Wheeling IL, 60090