2/14/20
In This Issue
CCSD93 strives to maximize the academic, social & emotional potential of each student.
Dear Friend of CCSD93,
Step Up Days To Help Students Transition to Next Grade Level
As CCSD93 has reinstated Meet the Teacher times for August 14, in part because of the value our community has expressed the event has in helping students feel prepared for the start of the school year, it is important for our families to know about another effort CCSD93 is excited for that will help students feel prepared for next school year: our new Step Up Days.
We know that students have the greatest opportunities for success if they feel comfortable in their learning environment, and we know that students can feel more comfortable by knowing what to expect. For these reasons, in mid- to late-May of this year, CCSD93 students from preschool through 7th grade will spend time during a school day getting to know their following year's learning space, educators, expectations, and curriculum.  
  • For preschoolers entering kindergarten, this means visiting their new elementary school building and touring its facilities. Preschool staff members will join, and students will buddy up with a kindergarten peer, meet the school's kindergarten teachers, and engage in fun activities with the staff. 
  • For current kindergarten through 4th graders, students will visit the spaces of their following year's classrooms, meet with the next year's teachers, and participate in fun activities with those staff members.
  • Fifth graders entering 6th grade will visit their new middle school simultaneously with peers from the other feeder elementary schools, participate in a whole group assembly where they will meet their new teachers, take on a fun challenge to help them learn how to operate locker locks, engage in team building, and take on a scavenger hunt to learn about their new building.
  • Current 6th and 7th grade students will meet the next year's teachers, participate in fun team building activities, and be introduced to their new curriculum. 
As always, across every grade level step, CCSD93 staff members will collaborate to best meet the personal needs of each individual student. There will also be evening events for 5th grade students and parents to visit their middle school. While some schools have done a version of Step Up Day in the past, we are thrilled to offer this across the district for the first time this year to help our students feel that much more prepared for the following school year. I thank our staff members who have worked throughout this year to plan and coordinate the new Step Up Days!

Please be sure to read the following articles to stay informed on the latest from CCSD93. Have a wonderful three-day weekend!
 
Sincerely, 

David H. Hill, Ed.D. 
Superintendent of Schools
CCSD93
CCSD93 Student Musicians Show Skills at Winter Concerts
Throughout the past few weeks, CCSD93 students in the Band program have put their musical skills on display with winter concerts! Fifth grade students got to play at their middle schools in late-January, while Jay Stream students took the stage last week and Stratford students played this week.  
Middle School Girls Basketball Teams Square Off  
at GBN
On Tuesday, Jay Stream and Stratford's 7th and 8th grade girls basketball teams squared off at Glenbard North High School, where these Jayhawks and Stallions will one day be Panthers together! The event featured great competition and sportsmanship! 
Find Out More About Elsie Johnson Teacher Aubrey Quidayan in CCSD93 in 93 Seconds! 
Elsie Johnson School teacher Aubrey Quidayan has been with CCSD93 for 18 years and has taught 2nd grade, 6th grade, 3rd grade, and now 5th grade. Find out a bit more about her, including her work to personalize the educational experience for each of her students and her favorite teaching memory, in the latest edition of CCSD93 in 93 Seconds!
Roy DeShane Student "Doctors" Put on an Educational Clinic
Students in the 4th and 5th grade Magnet program at Roy DeShane learned about the human body through an immersive unit where they passed "medical exams," becoming specialists, like neurologists and cardiologists, in different body systems. They also served as publicists, creating advertisements for their "hospital."

On Wednesday, their unit concluded as they treated visiting "patients" by researching their symptoms, coming up with diagnoses, and prescribing medications or courses of action!
Parents Invited to Dual Language  
Town Hall Meeting on 2/19
A committee charged with exploring ways to improve CCSD93's Dual Language program has recommended consolidating the program into a single CCSD93 elementary building. While no decision on whether to consolidate the program to a single school has been made, there are a number of potential scenarios under consideration across all three CCSD93 elementary schools that currently house the program (Cloverdale, Elsie Johnson, and Roy DeShane). No school currently has the capacity to take on the program's students without requiring at least a portion of its existing students to relocate.  

All CCSD93 parents are invited to a Dual Language Town Hall Meeting from 7-8:30 p.m. on Wednesday, February 19 at CCSD93's District Office (230 Covington Drive in Bloomingdale) to learn about the Dual Language program, its future, the possibility of consolidating the program into a single building, and how this would impact students. Translators will be available, and the event will be live streamed in English and Spanish at www.ccsd93.com . 

Click here for more information on the Town Hall Meeting. For more on the Dual Language program, including a video and podcast, visit www.ccsd93.com/DualLanguage . 

No School Monday, 2/17 for Presidents' Day  
There will be no school on Monday, February 17 as we observe Presidents' Day.
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