The folks at Willow School celebrated in the ridiculously adorable and creative Wildcat tradition. Kindergarten classes became the "Willow Nursing Home" for centenarians of every stripe. First-grade classes donned hard hats to see what they could make out of 100 legos, popsicle sticks, cups, etc. And, of course, can't forget the crazy hats.

Teachers at James Hart are utilizing technology to give their students learning experiences beyond the school grounds.

Students in Mrs. Pons' class have enjoyed "Mystery Skypes" in which the class skypes with people around the world They've talked to people in such places as Puerto Rico, Brooklyn, and Poland.. Most recently they skyped with park rangers at Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming and talked about climate and wildlife habitats.

Seventh-graders in Ms. Rutledge's and Mr. Lagger's social studies classes recently traveled back in time with the help of Google Expeditions. Students entered a virtual world on their devices allowing them to explore conditions and artifacts from history. 

District 153 has received a waiver to administer a paper and pencil PARCC test. 

The District had been administering the test on computers for the past two years, as required by the state. Due to an insufficient number of devices available, students needed to be rotated in and out of testing classrooms causing major disruptions to schedules for over a month.

District 153 estimates it will take one week (not including make up days) to administer a paper test because all students can test at the same time.

"We just re-claimed at least three weeks of instruction time with this waiver," said Kathy Schaeflein, Director of Curriculum and Instruction. 

PARCC testing in District 153 will begin on April 9th.

Read more about it in the HF Chronicle.

Illinois school districts are still waiting to receive an estimated $350 million in additional education funds from a new funding formula passed last year. First, funding was held up by the Governor's veto of the bill. The General Assembly overrode the veto, but the State Board of Education says about 20 technical issues with the funding formula need to be resolved before any additional money can flow to schools.

At this time, District 153 is not sure how much additional funding, if any, to expect from the new formula. We have been receiving essentially the same level of General State Aid as last year. 

District 153 has not received any payments this school year for mandated categorical items like transportation, special education and prekindergarten. The State currently owes District 153 about $600,000.