Keeneyville School District

Keeneyville School District 20

5540 Arlington Drive E

Hanover Park, IL 60133

Phone Number (630) 894-2250

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September 28, 2016

Greenbrook 4th Graders showing pride to be a Gator!

Ignite the power and potential of each student!

As the fall season take hold, students in District 20 have established this year's learning routine and I am very happy to report that we have had a very strong start to our school year.

There are many exciting things happening in District 20 this year. From our march toward One to One student technology to expanding elementary school after school programming, to our brand new 5th through 8th grade Theater program, the 2016-2017 school year is shaping up to be an exciting one with great expectation for success!

Our mission to ignite the power and potential of each student is supported by key beliefs in the unique strengths and talents of every child, a safe, secure, and respectful learning atmosphere, an essential partnership between school and home, and the efficient management of district resources.

We look forward to the learning ahead and the many opportunities to support each child in District 20 toward reaching their maximum potential.

Here's to a great fall season and a successful October!

Sincerely,

Dr. Michael Connolly

Superintendent

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Greenbrook School Revamps PBIS for 2016-2017.

By Andy Gibbs, Assistant Principal

By now, many of you have heard about the PBIS (Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports) programs that are in our students' schools. Greenbrook is no exception. The Gators have had PBIS in place for a number of years, but this year its Tier 1 plan has taken a turn for the "Positive."

Individual students are able to earn positive praise in the form of Gator Gotchas when they are "caught" demonstrating the school expectations of acting Responsible, Respectful, and Safe. These are earned, saved, and spent on rewards such as having a teacher's chair for a day, lunch with a teacher or principal, extra time for activities or other similar rewards.

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Vacancy on the Keeneyville ESD 20 Board of Education

During the September 22nd Board of Education Meeting, Board President Scott Williams announced with regret the resignation of Board Vice President Jennifer Johnson effective immediately. The Board thanks Mrs. Johnson for her almost six years of service and hundreds upon hundreds of hours spent working to ensure Keeneyville is a great place for kids to learn. The Board of Education and wishes her well in the future.

By law, the Board of Education must appoint a replacement within 45 days to fill the vacancy and is now accepting applications from District 20 residents who are over the age of 18, a U.S. Citizen, and a resident of the district for at least one year. The deadline for submitting an application is Friday, October 14, 2016. The successful appointee will serve until April 2017.

For additional information and application please click here.

Waterbury First Grades Implement the Daily 5

by Dr. Debbie Guzan, Principal

Waterbury's first grade teachers have been working with their students on strengthening their students' academic learning skills and stamina by implementing the Daily 5 into their literacy blocks again this year. Beginning the first week of school, the first graders have been working on building their reading and writing stamina, learning the behaviors of the Daily 5 and fostering classroom communities. During this time, the teachers have been learning about each students' strengths and needs as readers in order to plan appropriate instructional groupings and activities.

The Daily Five, designed by educators Gail Boushey and Joan Moser, is a way of structuring reading/writing blocks so every student is independently engaged in meaningful literacy tasks. These five research based tasks are ones that will have the biggest impact on student reading and writing achievement, as well as help foster students who love to read and write. Daily 5 tasks include Read to Self, Read to Someone, Listen to Reading, Work on Writing and Word Work and are introduced individually to the students.

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District 20 Launches 5th-8th Grade Theater Program

District 20 is very excited to announcethat a new after school theater program will launch later this fall and is open to all interested 5th through 8th grade students. The program will culminate in May with a full production of Wizard of Oz at Lake Park High School West Campus. The program will be directed by Ms. Melanie Hughes, Waterbury Music Teacher and Mr. Logan Andrews, Spring Wood Music Teacher. Click below to view more information on the program and production.

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September Board of Education Briefs

The Keeneyville Board of Education held its September Regular Board Meeting on Thursday, September 22, 2016. The Board held a public hearing on the 2016-2017 budget and approved said budget that evening. Please click on learn more for additional highlights from the meeting.

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Moving Teachers and Students to One to One.

by Emmie Pawlak, Dir. of Teaching and Learning

Many parents have attended their building's 1:1 Chromebook conversation. Most parents have filled out their student's permission slips to have access to Google Apps for Education. Now the real fun begins! The current rollout begins in third and fifth grade at each elementary building. Chromebooks will rotate through the middle school, starting with 8th grade for approximately 9 weeks, then to 7th grade for approximately 9 weeks, and then to 6th grade for 9 weeks. There will also be additional Chromebook and Windows enabled laptops for students to access outside of 1:1 in each building.

All students, even those that will be using technology intermittently, have been taught grade appropriate skills about digital citizenship. The district has used many resources from Common Sense Media, a group dedicated to helping parents and teachers teach students how to be good digital citizens. Many resources for parents are available on their website: www.commonsensemedia.org The district takes digital citizenship very seriously; we hope that parents will partner with us in keeping all our students safe. In partnership with the districts feeding into Lake Park High School, the district would also like to invite you to a workshop on October 13th at Lake Park's East Campus from 6:30-7:30.

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A Balanced Budget that Meets the Needs of District 20 Students

During its September 22, 2016 Regular Meeting, the Board of Education approved a District Budget for the 2016-2017 school year that will fund several exciting initiatives and new programs for the benefit of District 20 students and is balanced.

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