Search for Assistant Superintendent for Academics

District 86 is currently working with the Illinois Association of School Boards (IASB) on a search for a new assistant superintendent for academics. We officially posted the position on Feb. 20 ( http://bit.ly/32yVI8L), and have had 20 people apply for it so far. 

One of the key steps for ensuring the success of this important endeavor is to get feedback from our stakeholder groups about this position, including what attributes they believe the next assistant superintendent for academics should possess. With this in mind, we will be holding a pair of meetings with students, staff, parents/guardians and community members on March 6. The first meeting will be with representatives from the Parent-Teacher Advisory Committee (PTAC), Principal-Student Advisory Council (PSAC), Parent-Teacher Organization (PTO) from Hinsdale Central and Boosters from both high schools. The second meeting will be with members of the extended District 86 community.

On Friday, Feb. 28, we sent an email in which we announced that we are seeking approximately 50 parents/guardians and community members to participate in the second meeting, which will be held in room 216 at Hinsdale Central from 1 p.m. to 1:45 p.m. Our goal is to bring together a group of individuals who are representative not only of our schools, but also the diverse learning needs of our students. If you are interested in taking part in this discussion, please fill out the brief Google Form found at http://bit.ly/2wcGwCc. Please do not fill out the form unless you know you are available on March 6 at 1 p.m. The deadline for filling out this form is today (Monday, March 2) at 4 p.m.  

Update on Math Curriculum Alignment Work

The Math Pathways Team continued its work on the alignment of the district's math curriculum during its meeting on Feb. 28. The team created a draft mission statement that will guide its work moving forward. It also began developing program goals that are connected to the district's strategic plan, and brainstorming potential course and pathway options for future research and investigation. 

Summer School

Registration for summer school is now open. You can access the link for registration, as well as important information about the district's summer programming (e.g., location, transportation, course offerings and fees), by visiting https://d86.hinsdale86.org/summer . You can also contact our summer school principals if you have any questions (Sue Grady, 630-570-8091, sgrady@hinsdale86.org ; Sarah Porod, 630-570-8245, sporod@hinsdale86.org ). 

D86 and Parent Network Speaker Series

On March 11, District 86 and the Parent Network will host a Speaker Series event that will feature a conversation with Dr. Patrick McGrath about the issue of anxiety among children and teens. During the event, which will take place in the Little Theater at Hinsdale South from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., Dr. McGrath will discuss the different causes of anxiety, and the ways that parents/guardians and schools can help students challenge their fears in a healthy and safe manner.

You can access a flyer for the event by visiting http://bit.ly/37fKGGh.

InspirED Youth Engagement and Leadership Conference 

Hinsdale Central juniors Sarah Kizior, Christopher Robinson and Madison Ward had the opportunity to attend the InspirED Youth Engagement and Leadership Conference that was held in Chicago. The three students were joined at the event by Lisa Tazelaaar, who is a physical education teacher at Central and one of the district’s social-emotional learning coaches.

The goal of the conference was to provide students with evidence-based tools and strategies that would enable them to take an active role in improving the climate at their schools. It also gave students the chance to collaborate with each other and identify the resources that would work best in their buildings.

You can access additional information about our students' experiences at the conference by visiting http://bit.ly/2TnT8hD.

Boys Basketball at Hinsdale South

The varsity boys basketball team continued its winning ways by defeating York 43-34 to capture the West Suburban Conference Championship. The Hornets were led by Bobby Durkin (14 points) James Ruzicka (12 points) and Billy Durkin (eight points). With the victory, the team moved its record on the season to 28-3 and 11-1 in conference.

We congratulate Coach Moore and his team on their incredible success this year, and wish them the best of luck at Regionals.

Boys Swimming and Diving

Members of the boys swimming and diving teams from Hinsdale Central and Hinsdale South turned in `outstanding performances at state. Below are some of the highlights.

The team from Central also finished in eighth place overall. You can access the results from the state meet by visiting https://wildkitaquatics.com/main/eths/2019/State/.

We congratulate both teams on their successful seasons.

Math Team from Hinsdale Central

In last week's update email, we shared that the math team from Hinsdale South put in an incredible performance at the Regionals for the Illinois Council of Teachers of Mathematics (ICTM). We are excited to share that the team from Hinsdale Central also excelled at that competition.

The team from Central took first place overall, and earned top two finishes in a number of individual events: Grant Zhang (first place – sophomores), Stella Dang (first place – juniors), Ryan Halpin (first place – seniors), oral team (first place), freshman and sophomore eight-person team (first place), junior and senior eight-person team (first place), algebra team (first place), geometry team (first place), algebra 2 team (first place), pre-calculus team (first place), freshman and sophomore two-person team (first place), junior and senior two-person team (first place), Alex Yang (second place - freshmen), Sidh Leekha and Alex Jin (tied for second place – juniors), and Thomas Mercurio (second place – seniors).

We congratulate the members of the team on their impressive accomplishments.

Future Healthcare Professionals Club 

The members of the Future Healthcare Professionals Club from Hinsdale South recently visited the DuPage County Coroner’s office, where they learned about the career opportunities that exist in the forensics field. 

We thank Dr. Richard Jorgensen for hosting our students and sharing his knowledge with them. We also thank Tracy McDonald for all of the work she does with the students in her role as the faculty sponsor for the club.

Hinsdale Central Activities Update

The latest update from Hinsdale Central's activities department featured news about several of the school's clubs and organizations. Below are some highlights.

You can access the update from the activities department by visiting http://bit.ly/32ybHE6.

Carolina Ortiz

A photo taken by Carolina Ortiz from Hinsdale South earned first place and Best of Show honors at the Darien Woman's Club Creative Youth Art Fair.

We congratulate Carolina on this impressive accomplishment.

Kayleigh Excell

There was a great feature in last week's edition of The Hinsdalean about Hinsdale Central senior Kayleigh Excell. In the piece, Kayleigh talked about her hearing impairment, and how she is helping people better understand those who deal with "invisible disabilities."

You can read the story by visiting http://bit.ly/2PydEeo. Photo credit to Jim  Slonoff from The Hinsdalean.

Black History Month

Hinsdale South and Hinsdale Central organized a number of outstanding events and activities in honor of Black History Month that brought students, staff and community members together to listen, learn, discuss and celebrate. One of the events was a Black History Month Symposium at South that featured black students speaking their truth about “Overcoming Fear." Another event was a Town Hall Meeting at Central that featured students sharing their lived experiences about how they see themselves in the school, its classrooms and its culture.

Special shoutout to the members of The Culture at South for all of their work on the school's events and activities throughout the month. The Culture is a student group that is committed to projecting positive images of people of color in the Hinsdale South community.

You can access some of the photos from the monthlong celebration at South by visiting http://bit.ly/2T7Eoo2.

Social Communication Class at Hinsdale Central

On Feb. 21, students from the Social Communication classes at Hinsdale Central, three of their peer buddies and teachers Jennifer Madonia, Sasha Boheme, Maggie Buoy, Jim Kupres and Leah Scott packed boxes and made meals for those who are served by Feed My Starving Children. They also labeled bags and helped in the organization's warehouse.

The Social Communication classes help students with special needs "increase their ability to take another’s perspective, increase problem-solving capabilities, and develop and

understand how our body is connected to communication and personal relationships with

others."

Amazing job, Red Devils. We applaud your efforts to help those in need.

"Throw Kindness Like Confetti" Day

Hinsdale South celebrated its 4th Annual "Throw Kindness Like Confetti" Day last week. Hand-written notes of positive affirmation were placed on every student locker in an effort to model and practice the daily acts of kindness that reflect what it means to have South Pride.

Institute Day

Below are a couple of highlights from the Countywide Institute Day on Feb. 28 that were sent to us by our department chairs.

Self-Defense Training

The Hinsdalean published an article last week about the three-day training on self-defense that District 86 hosted for physical education teachers from our schools and several surrounding districts. The training was provided by R.A.D. (Rape Aggression Defense) Systems, and was focused on showing teachers how to conduct dynamic, realistic and safe simulation exercises in any self-defense training venue. You can access the article by visiting http://bit.ly/2VwFGdS. Photo credit to Jim  Slonoff from The Hinsdalean.

The D86 teachers who participated in the training plan to incorporate what they learned into their lessons with their students, with the goal of helping the students enhance their decision-making skills and increase their self-awareness.

Katie Zawacki Tosh

Katie Zawacki Tosh, who is a current English teacher at Central and the former director of student activities and assistant department chair for English at South, was named by Chicago Athlete Magazine as one of its 2019 Clif Bar Athletes of the Year. You can check out the magazine's official announcement by visiting http://bit.ly/39baR2t. Photo credit to Mike Killion.

Way to go, Katie.