District 90 Primer Newsletter

River Forest District 90 Primer

November 2016

Superintendent's Message

Dear Parents, Staff, Students, and Community Members,

The month of November is always a busy time for the District. The rush of activity starts with Halloween and extends to November's end, which is marked by the Thanksgiving Holiday.

As a result, students, faculty, and staff have been very busy for the past few weeks. District 90 has received its PARCC assessment results, which indicate that we continue to demonstrate strong academic achievement. While standardized assessments are important, the District uses multiple methods to gauge student progress. To learn more, please consider attending the December 6 Town Hall Forum at Roosevelt Middle School. The topic of discussion will be The Student Achievement Report and Assessment in District 90. Dr. Alison Hawley, Director of Curriculum and Instruction, will explain how the District uses standardized assessments to support student instruction. Please bring your questions and a friend!

In addition to the District's attention on assessments, our commitment to inclusiveness and equity continues. The Inclusiveness Advisory Board is seeking volunteers to support its charge to develop and implement an inclusive environment for all students, families, faculty, and staff. You can contact me at condone@district90.org for more information about the IAB and the role of a volunteer member.

Our students are reinforcing classroom instruction with extracurricular activies. For instance, congratulations go the 23-member Roosevelt Science Team that took the top spot in the Fenwick Jr. High Science Contest! While aspiring young authors are invited to submit their original work to the Young Authors Conference, which has a due date of December 23.

As we approach the Thanksgiving Holiday, please know that we greatly appreciate all that you do to support our staff and students. As you gather with family, friends, and loved ones, please know that I wish for your home to be filled with kindness and warmth.

With warm regards,

Ed Condon, Ph.D.

Superintendent

District News

Save the Date - Town Hall Forum

The entire District 90 community is invited to a Town Hall Forum on Tuesday, December 6 at 7:00 p.m. at Roosevelt Middle School. The normally scheduled Committee of the Whole Meeting will be reorganized into a meeting using the Town Hall format. Hosted by Board of Education President Ralph Martire and Superintendent Ed Condon, the topic of discussion will be Student Achievement Report and Assessment in District 90 and will include presentations by Dr. Alison Hawley, Director of Curriculum and Instruction, and Phil Earvolino, an independent data consultant.

The Town Hall Forum is scheduled to deliver a briefing about the types and role of assessment in District 90. It will also provide information on how to interpret results, how to remain engaged with teachers and schools, and helping students' social and emotional development. Please bring your questions and insights. We hope to see you there!

District 90 Receives PARCC Results

District 90's PARCC assessment (Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers) results have been released by The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE). The results indicate that District 90 students and schools continue to demonstrate strong academic achievement. At many grades, District 90 students achieved levels of proficiency that more than doubled the state average. Read more ...

Water Quality Update

In late August, the District received the final results of tests conducted for lead and copper on all 131 sinks, faucets, spigots, and water fountains across the District. We immediately disconnected from service the water outlets that were found to have levels of lead and copper that exceeded the Environmental Protection Agency's action levels. Read more ...

Temporary Sidewalk Closure - East side of Franklin from Central to Lake

The Village of River Forest has communicated the following information:

The sidewalk on the west side of Franklin Avenue between Lake Street and Central Avenue is closed temporarily due to ongoing construction in the area. The closure is expected to last for approximately three weeks. The sidewalk and exit/entrance to MB Bank on the east side of Franklin remains unobstructed. Until the sidewalk is reopened pedestrians are encouraged to cross at controlled intersections where stop signs are present and be alert to motorists in the area.

For families and students, the District strongly recommends that you travel on the east side of Franklin Avenue between Lake Street and Central Avenue. This way, pedestrians can avoid crossing Franklin Avenue in the middle of the street, which is dangerous, especially for children. Please stay safe and watch for traffic when traveling to and from school!

Inclusiveness Advisory Board Seeks Volunteers

District 90 is committed to providing an equitable learning experience for all students and an inclusive environment for all families and staff members! You can help with this goal. Please consider becoming a member of the District 90 Inclusiveness Advisory Board (IAB). Read more...

Parent/Teacher Conferences Held

Parents, guardians, and teachers across the District recently met to confer on their students' academic and social/emotional development and progress. These important conferences represent a time-honored tradition and opportunity for families and faculty members to work together on behalf of students. District 90 teachers spent weeks preparing for these meetings and appreciated their conversations with parents and guardians. Please know that parents don't have to wait until conference time to speak with their student's teachers, but can arrange a time for questions throughout the school year, as well. Thank you to the many families who participated in this important event.

Young Authors Wanted

Calling all young authors! It's time to get your writing entries ready for the

Young Authors Conference. Submissions are due to your writing teacher by December 23. Entries must be legible, and can be typed or handwritten. They may be any reasonable length. Original examples of writing can include poetry, essay, graphic novel, short story, or illustrated story. Please remember that all entries should be non-violent and appropriate for school. Each submission should include:

A sturdy cover
Title Page
Dedication Page
About the Author Page

The Young Authors celebration of our student authors will be on Saturday, February 11, 2017.

Resident Social Media Survey

The Village of River Forest is in the process of considering the development of a social media channel to share news and information with residents. Village administrators have asked for your help. Please take a moment to participate in a brief survey to help administrators better understand how you use social media, and what kind of information you'd like to see shared on a social media channel. This survey will take less than five minutes to complete.

You can also share the survey link with your fellow River Forest residents: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/RiverForestSocialMedia. The social media survey will remain open until Friday, December 2.

Lincoln Election Results

In tandem with the recent national election, Lincoln students and faculty participated in an in-school election to select a name for the new school mascot. The Lincoln Eagle mascot has been a feature at the monthly schoolwide assemblies. Classes walked to the school's special polling place where students voted to select the Lincoln Eagle's formal name from a field of four names that were chosen by students. From the nomination process to Election Day voting, taking part in this important school election helped students understand and get an early start in our nation's electoral process. Principal Casey Godfrey announced the election results on Wednesday, November 8. AND THE WINNER IS ... Eddie the Eagle!

D90 Celebrates Halloween and Cubs' World Series Victory

The week starting on October 31 proved to be an exciting and busy time for Lincoln, Roosevelt, and Willard. The week started with Halloween festivities and a parade of characters at Lincoln and Willard Schools. Dressed in a variety of costumes, students and faculty members paraded past families and neighbors around the schools. The week ended with the Cubs winning the World Series after 108 years. The District's Cubs fans and well-wishers throughout the Village basked in the glow of Victory. District 90 designated November 4 as Cubs Day in District 90 and encouraged students and staff to wear their Cubbie Blues, Cubs gear, or school spirit clothing to acknowledge this historic event. Below are several pictures from Halloween and Cubs Day in District 90.

The pink note on Teddy Roosevelt's picture says, " The last time the Cubs won the World Series, I was president."

Roosevelt Team Wins Fenwick Science Contest

Congratulations goes to Roosevelt's team for taking five of the top 25 spots, including first place, at the 40th Annual Fenwick Jr. High Science Contest. Roosevelt students competed against 538 students from 38 schools in this year's competition. The Roosevelt team was comprised of 23 students who competed by answering questions in varied science disciplines, such as biology, chemistry, physics, earth science, and astronomy. Roosevelt's five high scorers are Katie Cahill, 20th place; Nate Mitzenmacher, 13th place; Peter Zeh, 6th place; George Bourgikos, 4th place; and Cole Ruehle, 1st place. Faculty members Charles Juister, Corin Kadlec, Alex Mendrala, and Amy Rains helped students prepare for this event.

River Forest Citizen Corps Conducts Search for New Chairperson

The River Forest Citizen Corps (RFCC) is a community volunteer organization that is sponsored by the Village of River Forest. The RFCC is in the process of searching for a new chairperson. With the motto, Neighbors Helping Neighbors, it is seeking an action-oriented individual with the energy and willingness to maintain and grow the current cadre of volunteers. Other responsibilities include maintaining the RFCC's ability to provide First Aid/ CPR training, encourage family and community preparedness, and support responses to all types of large scale emergencies. The chairperson will be responsible for the administration of the organization and work with the leader of the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT).

This is an important volunteer position in the community. The person selected will be able to perform almost all duties from home at an average of one hour a week. Interested? Contact Ron Sherman at rfcitizencorps@gmail.com.