Last week, Superintendent Horton shared a welcome message for students, families, and staff to kick off the new school year. The statement acknowledged the challenging last few years, but also recognized that together our District is moving from “Surviving to Thriving!” with the goal to provide a rigorous and equitable educational experience that addresses the needs of the whole child. 

Dr. Horton’s message also encourages parents to partner with District 65 in embracing our Big 5 as we start the 2022-2023 school year: 

• Courtesy
• Professionalism
• Dignity
• Respect
• Humanization

You can read the entire welcome letter to learn more about the District’s shift from “Surviving to Thriving.”

More than 1,200 teachers and staff attended Monday’s back-to-school employee Convocation. It was an exhilarating morning of bringing all of our team together after two years and celebrating a new beginning. Held at the Quad, the goal was to welcome and show staff we cared, inspire them, and provide some information about the 22-23 school year. The theme of the day was “Surviving to Thriving,” and focused on “bringing back the joy in teaching” and re-emphasizing that “all students are at the center of everything that we do.” The morning started with recognizing each school and celebrating staff with longevity awards. It included greetings from Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss and Board of Education President Sergio Hernandez. 

During the Convocation, administrators gave a brief overview of initiatives and celebrations. One celebration is that the District is 99.6 percent staffed, and there are a robust number of staff in the CREATE 65 Teacher Residency Program (funded by a federal grant)

for future school leaders.

Perhaps the most exciting was an announcement that the District is working in partnership with BloomBoard to offer a teacher apprenticeship program for District 65 paraprofessionals aspiring to become full-time teachers. This program will help reduce the teacher shortage.

Other changes are more proactive strategies in safety and security, including training, implementing new software, and creating new staff positions. One of the most significant initiatives is constructing a Fifth Ward School, which the Board approved in March.

District 65 is looking for parents who want to participate in the District's Superintendent Parent Advisory Group. Interested parents can apply using the 2022-2023 Superintendent Parent Advisory Group Application link. The purpose of the group is to develop meaningful relationships with families across the district while discussing district initiatives, school needs, and solutions to reach our districtwide goals. One representative and one alternate will be selected from each school. A total of five meetings will be held on October 12, December 14, February 8, April 12, and June 14 in the JEH Boardroom from 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm. The application closes on September 16, 2022.

Tuesday, August 30, from 6:30pm to 8pm

Oakton Elementary, meet by the Garden at the corner of Ridge & Austin

Calling all community members interested in joining forces for equitable climate action at District 65! We hope you can join our kick-off meeting to learn more about our climate action highlights and sustainability focus areas for the 22-23 school year and break out groups to get started planning climate action initiatives at our schools. 

To learn more about our sustainability efforts, visit D65 Sustainability.