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| Members of Spring Wood's Dare to Dream Club Volunteering at Feed My Starving Children |
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Igniting the power and potential of each student!
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We are at 19 school days and counting before the end of the 2015-2016 school year! We hope that you have found this school year as successful as we have and we are looking forward to ending the year strong as we head into May! Please check our district events calendar for the many end of year activities taking place throughout May.
We're always looking for ways to make sure this newsletter is seen by parents and community members so feel free to forward this email on to someone who may be interested in signing up to receive them by clicking the sign up link on our
District Home Page.
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Keeneyville District 20 is now on Facebook and Twitter! Please follow us for up to date news and information about our schools and events!
Stay Connected
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Board of Education Salutes those Going Above and Beyond for District 20 Students.
At its Regular Meeting on April 27th, the Board of Education bestowed six Board Salutes on members of the faculty and community that have gone above and beyond the call of duty for the benefit of Keeneyville students and families.
First honored was Ms. Janice Wissert and her service dog, Zippy. Janice and Zippy visit Waterbury's DESTINY Multi-Needs and Autism classrooms on a weekly basis to support the learning and social emotional development of students.
Mr. Nikhil Marathe, a District 20 parent, was honored by the Board for volunteering to lead several tech app design evenings for parents and students.
Finally, four District 20 teachers were honored for their work coaching our first ever Elementary Science Olympiad Team. Mrs. Jennifer Engstrom, Mrs. Nicole Johnson, Mrs. Jana Stevens, and Mrs. Jamie Vandenbrink worked with a group of over thirty elementary students from Greenbrook and Waterbury schools to prepare them for the upcoming May 7th Elementary Science Olympiad event.
Each of the honorees received a certificate, a small token of thanks, and will have their names added to the Board Salute plaque located in the District 20 Administrative Offices.
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Stalemate in Springfield Continues. Will there be a PreK-12 Budget for 2016-2017?
Dr. Michael Connolly, Superintendent
Unfortunately, there is not a great deal of movement to report out of Springfield this month. There appears to be a lot of conversations being held, but no clear cut plan for a state budget has yet emerged. We are still very concerned about the State's ability to get an education budget passed in time for the 2016-2017 school year.
Without an approved education budget, Keeneyville District 20 and other districts across the state will be supported solely by local property taxes. Keeneyville's loss of funding could be upward of $3 million and may require the district to dip into its limited reserves to make ends meet throughout the 2016-2017 school year. Other districts in DuPage County and across the state will be in far worse condition should this occur.
Keeneyville District 20 prides itself on maintaining balanced budgets, living within our means, and being good stewards of our valuable and limited local resources. We need to the State of Illinois to do it's part as well.
As parents, community members, and voters, please continue to be involved and let our state legislators know that failing to approve a budget that adequately funds our schools and other vital state services is unacceptable. Please consider calling, emailing or visiting your state legislators and tell them how important it is that they pass a budget that fully funds education in the communities they serve.
Click here for your legislators' contact information.
Keeneyville District 20 is a member of the Legislative Education Network of DuPage (LEND.) LEND has launched an
action network that will keep members updated with news, alerts, and ways parents and community members may get involved. I urge all parents and community members to join this network by clicking on the following link:
www.lend-dupage.org
A funded public education is a constitutional right of the residents of the State of Illinois. Please tell our elected leaders that we will not accept them not fulfilling their constitutional duty.
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International Week at Waterbury School
Waterbury Elementary held its annual International Week from Monday,
April 11 through F
riday, April 15. Grade levels decorated
their classroom doors themed around various countries
, and their students had the opportunity to l
earn about holidays around the world.
Students and staff members also discussed
what it means to b
e multi-cultural and bilingual with students sharing phrases such as "good morning" and "have a great day" during morning announcements each day. The highlight of the week is the Potluck Dinner and Multicultural Talent Show which was held on Thursday evening, April 14. The food was delicious, and the entertainment was even better! Waterbury's special guests were dancers from the Trinity School of Irish Dance who taught the students how to dance a traditional Irish jig! Additional acts included Waterbury's own dancers, singers, poets and game players. It was truly a night of student stars!
International Night
is a great opportunity to learn more about the diverse families that make up the Waterbury School community.
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Dia Del Niño's (Children's Day) at Greenbrook School.
Children's Day is recognized on various days in many places around the world to honor children globally. Dia de los Niño's has been celebrated in Mexico since 1925, usually on April 30. On Thursday, April 14, Spanish bilingual parents, staff and children joined together to celebrate. Dia de los Niño's is a day when children are honored for their role in society. This traditional event recognizes children, pays homage to their importance in culture and endorses their well-being. The bilingual parent advisory committee hosted this Spanish bilingual event with dance, food and fun. The evening began with a dance performance by
Grupo Folklorico Quetzal.
Children enjoyed getting their faces painted, having balloon animals made, and dancing to traditional music. The night ended with piñatas. Special thanks to all the families that participated in the event.
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Spring Wood Percussion Ensemble to Perform Original Piece of Music!
Composer and educator Kevin Lepper was commissioned to write a piece for our 8th grade Percussion Ensemble. Mr. Lepper composed "Newbie at the Beach" and has visited Spring Wood twice to rehearse it with our students. We are looking forward to our May 24th "Coffee House" Concert, held in Spring Wood's Commons at 7:00 PM to premier this new work.
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Board Briefs for April 2016
The Keeneyville District 20 Board of Education met for their Regular Board Meeting on Thursday, April 28, 2016. The Board discussed and took action on the following items:
The Board engaged in extensive discussion around how best to meet the recommendations contained within the facilities committee report and determined to hold focus groups over the coming months to get community feedback on how the district should prioritize committee recommendations.
Approved the following items:
- Board of Education meeting calendar for 2016-2017 (full calendar shall be posted on the district's website.)
- Approved several bids including sealcoating of parking lots and replacement of network switches.
- Approved the employment of Ms. Amanda Aubry as Assistant Principal for Early Childhood Education effective July 1, 2016.
The Board also heard a wonderful presentation from our Elementary Science Olympiad Team, who will be competing in their first Science Olympiad Competition on May 7th at South Middle School in Arlington Heights.
The next meeting of the Board of Education will be held on Thursday, May 26, 2016 at 7:00 P.M. in the Spring Wood Library.
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Waterbury's Littlest Learners Visit LEGOLAND!
On Thursday, April 21, Waterbury's kindergarten students, along with their teachers and parent chaperones,
spent the day at LEGOLAND Discovery Center in Schaumburg, Illinois. LEGOLAND Discovery Center Chicago is a LEGO family attraction for children aged 3-10, with rides, 4D cinema and a variety of top LEGO
attractions. During their time at the discover center, the kindergarten students were able to view MINILAND Chicago which features some of the iconic scenes from the city built entirely from LEGO bricks including the Willis Tower, Soldier Field and Navy Pier.When helping on the production line of the LEGO factory, each student was able to earn their own LEGO piece to take home.One of the highlights of the trip waswatching the short interactive 4D LEGO adventure film in the movie theater. Best of all, the students were able to use their imaginations in the LEGO building class and in free exploration throughout LEGOLAND.The students had a great time building cars and seeing how fast their cars traveled down the ramps and building boats and setting them afloat in the water tables. Everyone had a great time during their trip participating in and viewing activities that featured over 3 million LEGO bricks and nine attractions.
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Spring Wood Band Participates in VanderCook College of Music's BandFest.
The 7th and 8th grade Symphonic Band traveled to VanderCook College of Music (Chicago, IL) on April 6th to participate in the college's annual "BandFest". Aside from "BandFest", VanderCook routinely has school bands visiting their campus from other areas of the country to work with the faculty and staff of the college. This event was created to provide valuable feedback to bands and their directors in order to help promote musical growth as the school year winds down. The band received excellent compliments and helpful suggestions for improvement which has translated into some changes in the warm up and rehearsal procedures used to prepare for our May 19th concert.
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Waterbury Staff Participate in McTeacher Night.
On Tuesday, April 19
,
Waterbury
Elementary School held a
McTeacher's
Night fundraiser at the McDonald's in
Han
over Park on Lake Street. Their
McTeacher's
N
ight was a fun way to bring their staff members
together
in a family-friendly
event with the
opportunity to
spend time with students, parents, family members and community members
while raising funds for the school.
Thirty-two staff members
, worked the counter
, drive-through and more at
McDonald's
raising close to $1000
for the school during
the three hour event.
The funds raised will support future school activities and programming.
Special guests included Ronald McDonald and the Waterbury School choir.
The Waterbury staff
had it all covered, and
everyone
enjoyed a great evening.
McTeacher's
Night was courtesy of the Hanover Park McDonald's owner/operator, Jan Nelson.
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Incoming 6th Grade Orientation at Spring Wood Middle School
5/2/2016
7:00-7:45 P.M.
Spring Wood Middle School Carpeted Gym.
Enrichment Exposition
5/6/2016
7:00-8:00
Spring Wood Middle School Library
Spring Wood Chorus Recital
5/10/2016
7:00 P.M.
Spring Wood Middle School Commons
Spring Band Concert
5/19/2016
7:00 P.M.
Spring Wood Middle School Carpeted Gym.
School Improvement Day (Half Day of Student Attendance)
5/20/2016
Coffee House Concert- Jazz & Percussion Ensemble
5/24/2016
7:00 P.M.
Spring Wood Middle School Commons
8th Grade Promotion Ceremony
5/25/2016 (5:00 P.M.)
Lake Park West High School Auditorium
Board of Education Meeting
May 26, 2016
(7:00 PM)
SW Carpeted Gym
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Spring Wood 8th Grade Team
Front Row (from left): Mrs. Fellerath, Mrs. Nekyha, Mrs. Engstrom, Mrs. Doyle, Mrs. Schnite
Back Row (from left): Mr. Benages, Mr. Karner,
Ms. Johnson
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Spring Wood Explore Team From left: Ms. Benefiel, Ms. Coburn, Mr. Hubert
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Meet your Board of Education:
Mrs. Andrea Schnorr, Board Member
Year first elected: 2015
Hometown: Elmwood Park, IL.
Family: Ed (Husband), Matt (11), Kevin (6) and Simon (dog)
Do you have children currently attending or having graduated from District 20?
Yes. I have a 5th Grader at Waterbury and a Kindergartener at Waterbury.
Why did you run for the Board?
Keeping the community updated on what the District is doing is important. As a parent I felt there needed to be more communication from the District and the Board. I ran so I could help bridge the gap between parents and the Board.
What is the most rewarding part of being a member of the Board of Education?
Knowing that in the end you are trying to do what's best for the kids in the District so they can have a better experience getting an education.
What is your biggest challenge as a member of the Board?
Understanding that in the end you cannot always please everyone.
As an individual Board member, what is your biggest goal for Keeneyville District 20?
Enhancing the District's reputation and improving our relationship with the community.
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