WELCOME TO THE FAST 5
A compilation of "snackable" news, announcements, and important reminders!
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What's Happening in District 65? The Fast 5 is sent weekly in English and Spanish to staff, families, and community members. Don't want to receive the Fast 5? Unsubscribe by clicking the link at the bottom of this email. Happy Reading!
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D65 Virtual Strategic Plan Reflection and Engagement Session May 17, 6pm |
On Monday, May 9, the strategic planning efforts were shared with Board Members and our community as part of the Curriculum & Policy Committee Meeting. The community is invited to provide additional feedback during a virtual stakeholder engagement session on Tuesday, May 17, 2022, 6-6:45pm.
D65 is nearing the culmination of our year-long process to develop the district’s new strategic plan. Input received over the course of the year from various stakeholder groups as part of our curriculum audit, student assignment planning, master facility planning, and also collective visioning helped to develop the draft of a new five-year strategic plan.
All of this input has informed the development of a dynamic, actionable plan, including core values and goals. In addition, measures are being developed to ensure the district remains on track and accountable for our progress.
Virtual Strategic Plan Reflection and Engagement Community Session
6pm-6:45pm
Spanish interpretation will be provided.
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Schakowsky Announces Community Project Funding for CREATE 65 |
On May 9, Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky visited D65 to formally announce the funding of $600,000 for the CREATE 65 Teacher Residency Program. The program began in 2021-2022 in three schools, and the funds will support the district in welcoming 15 new residents in cohort 2 of the program.
CREATE 65 is an intensive, deeply experiential one-year teacher preparation program that puts teacher residents in classrooms with students four days a week. They learn the craft of instruction under the guidance of an experienced D65 educator while they are completing their Master’s level coursework at a partnering university (Northwestern University and National Louis University). After completion, educators are ready to teach immediately after graduating.
District 65’s commitment to establishing a residency program is about training teachers for District 65 classrooms. The program emphasizes equity, and high-quality practices, and focuses on diversifying our workforce. We recognize the importance of representation and the talent we have across the district. This is a key strategy for reducing barriers to the profession, creating career opportunities, and engaging in effective practices to meet students’ diverse learning needs.
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Illinois Prison Project Speaks to Haven Eighth Graders |
In April, the Illinois Prison Project (IPP), a nonprofit organization dedicated to finding justice for excessively sentenced incarcerated individuals, visited the eighth-grade student body at Haven Middle School. The 8th-grade students just finished reading chapters from Just Mercy (Adapted for Young Adults): A True Story of the Fight for Justice by Bryan Stevenson, as well as other nonfiction articles, essays, poems, and Ted Talks that take a closer look at our criminal justice system.
It is the third year in a row Haven has hosted the IPP. Through its education work, led by formerly incarcerated people, IPP spreads awareness to community members, policymakers, and officials about the harms and racial injustice wrought by the criminal legal system and mass incarceration. They fight against regressive policies, racist practices, and a system that treats people as disposable. Its mission focuses on hope, compassion, and humanity.
Renaldo Hudson, Anthony Jones, and Maria Garza, all ambassadors from their fellowship program, spoke to the eighth graders alongside a formal presentation.
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Camp Night: Exploring Options for Fifth-Grade Camp |
Join us on Wednesday, May 18, 6:30pm to help us create an alternative to the Camp Timber-lee experience that captures the unique benefits that it has brought to our children in the past. Prior to the pandemic, fifth-grade students across D65 participated in an overnight camp experience focused on outdoor education. Come share your ideas through a virtual, interactive ThoughtExchange and help us find an alternative that not only offers D65 students a holistic, community-building experience but also aligns with our current academic and SEL curriculum.
Virtual Camp Night
May 18, 2022
6:30pm
Meeting ID: 899 9112 3508
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High Five! April Recipient: Kim Hamilton |
Congratulations to D65 licensed staff member Kim Hamilton, one of the recipients of the April High Five! Celebrating Excellence in District 65 Award. Kim is a 4th-grade teacher at Dawes Elementary and was nominated by a D65 staff member, who shared, “Kim has been instrumental in the lives of our students. She has spent four years as co-chair of the African American Achievement Committee (AAAC) and has also been a member for the past 13 years. Before the pandemic, Kim noticed that students of color were underrepresented in the morning chess club and wondered if it was due to the cost. She created a free after-school chess club for students to learn the basics of chess and how the game works. Last year she led a Bring, Brag, Borrow PD session for educators and staff to share ideas that encourage the achievement of African American students. It has been her mission for every school to adopt the AAAC. Kim and a group of teachers created the AAAC Establishment document to help other schools within the district get started. Each year she helps lead the Black History Month celebrations. A few weeks ago, a former student who now attends ETHS stopped by to tell Kim that because of the impact she made on her in 1st grade, she now has a 4.0 GPA. Kim is wonderful to collaborate with, an amazing teacher and has our students' best interests at heart. Kim Hamilton deserves this nomination.”
Thank you, Kim, for your commitment to your students and efforts centering on inclusion and equitable outcomes for all students is exemplary and something we are striving for across the district.
D65 April monthly award recipients were recognized at the April 18 Board of Education meeting and received a $100 gift card from sponsorship provided by Byline Bank and a framed certificate.
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Evanston/Skokie School District 65 |
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