Volume 22, No. 7 | January 24, 2018
News From the January Board Meeting
Math Students Prove Skills in National Exam
It’s one thing to be good at math, it’s another to prove yourself in a national competition and score among the top 1 percent of your grade. That’s exactly what happened for 8 th-grader John Raub Jr. when he joined 26 other District 28 students in the American Mathematics Competition 8, a 25-question, 40-minute exam competition.

Seventh-graders Jeehyung Yoo and Olivia Zhao placed second and third in the school at the 7th-8th-grade level, scoring in the top 5% nationally. In fact, this year’s results also netted the highest three-person score for the district since students started participating five years ago, according to Becky Heller, the Gifted and Talented Coordinator who organizes the event.

The Board of Education recognized their accomplishments at their Jan. 22 meeting and presented the students with certificates of recognition.


At right: Dr. Larry Hewitt and Board President Tracy Katz Muhl congratulate John Raub Jr. and Jeehyung Yoo for their accomplishments on the AMC-8 Math Competition. Olivia Zhao also received recognition but was unable to attend.
Full-Day Kindergarten Fee Dropped for 2019-20
When the district implemented full-day kindergarten three years ago, an enrichment fee of $300 per student helped fund the program amid revenue uncertainty.

The district’s financial picture has improved since then: state funding is now consistent; property tax revenues are increasing due to new property development; and investment income is increasing as interest rates rise. Also, the rate at which the district can increase property tax revenues has increased from less than one percent to about two percent for three straight years.

“We’re in a much better place now than we were at the time we enacted the fee,” said Jessica Donato, Chief School Business Official.

As a result, the Board of Education agreed to drop the $300 full-day kindergarten enrichment fee for the 2019-20 school year.

“(The fee) was a lot for a family,” said Superintendent Larry Hewitt. “When we looked at our neighboring districts, this puts us in alignment with them.”

Other fees, including curriculum, transportation and summer school, will increase slightly for all grades. The curriculum fee will increase by $5 to $125 for grades K-5 and $130 for grades 6-8. Summer School class fees will also increase by $5 to $110 per class for district residents.

Fees for Young Explorers Early Childhood Program, before-and after-school care and sixth-grade Outdoor Education will remain unchanged.


Committee of the Whole to Review Standards-Based Reporting

The Board of Education will meet at 7 p.m. Jan. 29 as a Committee of the Whole to review the Standards-Based Reporting initiative.

The meeting will be held at the HOH Community Room in the district office.
District News
Music Program Receives Two National Awards
Northbrook District 28 has been honored with two Advocacy in Action Awards from Music for All, Inc., a national music education organization.

The Advocacy in Action Award designation is presented to music programs, schools, and communities across the United States that demonstrate outstanding achievement in efforts to provide access to music education for all students.

District 28 received awards in two categories, Recruitment & Retention: Gold award for “Alumni Band Festival,” and Decision-Maker Interaction: Bronze award for “Success through Collaboration.” A national panel of educators, administrators, community leaders, and business leaders selected the winners. 

Watch the video above to learn about the "Success Through Collaboration" award and learn about the impact of the district-wide music program and read the full story to learn more about the awards and see the Alumni Band Festival video.
Need to Know News
Jackie Rhew, LCPC CADC, will present a parent workshop on student anxiety at 6:30 p.m. Feb. 6 at the NBJH library.
Student Anxiety Workshops
for Parents Set for Feb. 6
Behavioral Counselor Jackie Rhew, LCPC CADC, will present a parent workshop on student anxiety and what parents can do to help at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 6. The session will be held at NBJH library. S

Jackie is co-founder of the Center for Emotional Wellness of the Northwest Suburbs and has co-authored "The Successful Parenting Workbook." She has conducted hundreds of workshops for schools and parents on anxiety, school refusal, parenting and self-injury. 

She will present a parent workshop at 6:30 p.m Feb. 6 at NBJH.

To sign up for this voluntary program, please RSVP to  Karen Hanusiak.  
The orchestra teaching team will be on of the groups performing at the Faculty Recital
which will begin at 7 p.m. Jan. 29 at Northbrook Junior High.
Faculty Recital Jan. 29
Come enjoy the talents of our music team and staff at the annual Faculty Recital, at 7 p.m. Jan. 29 at Northbrook Junior High. Keri Stone will perform an Oboe trio with two former students, Keri, Bryan Kyrouac and Chelsea Freedman will perform a flute trio, Anca Apatean will perform concert piano, the orchestra staff will perform as an ensemble, and there will be a surprise full-group ensemble performance!
#TLC28 #Innovate28
District 28’s official hashtags! You can search the hashtag on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram to monitor posts from teachers, administrators and the district accounts. These hashtags help us tell the story of Teaching, Learning and Caring in District 28 and the innovative teaching and learning around Learning First.