Greetings BSD2 Families, Students, Staff and Community Members, 

Our first day of classes is Wednesday, and I can hardly wait!

The start of each school year is always exciting because students, staff, parents, and community members approach what lies ahead with such optimism and positive energy. 

I’ve felt that vibrant spirit since December when the BSD2 Board of Education named me the new Superintendent of Schools. I also felt it this spring, when I joined the community in developing the District’s new strategic plan, and I’ve continued to feel it since I officially joined the District on July 1. I’ve spent my first few weeks in the District getting to know its staff and its programs, and familiarizing myself with the community we serve. While I still have much to learn and many more people to meet, I am already impressed by District 2’s commitment to “Learning & Growing Together.”

That is our new motto, and it is just one part of our new, five-year strategic plan. We also updated our mission and vision statements, beliefs, and strategic priorities, which are outlined below. The plan is the product of input from many stakeholders across our community. To develop it, students, parents, teachers, support staff, community leaders, administrators and members of the Board of Education all shared their perceptions of BSD2 schools and their vision for the future through interviews, focus groups, surveys and task force meetings. 

Now, the plan will guide the District’s priorities, decision-making, and work through the next five years. Currently, administrators are developing action steps to implement the plan, and a dashboard to monitor its progress. The District is also preparing to rebrand with a new logo later this year. For more information on the new strategic plan, visit www.bsd2.org/strategicplan, and to choose your favorite logo option, visit PollEv.com/bsd2newlogo.

To me, though, that motto – “Learning & Growing Together” – is what it’s all about!

Whether you're a parent, student, staff member, or community member, you will play an important role in this work. Together, we will ignite within our students a lifelong desire to learn and succeed in an ever-changing world. Thank you for being partners in this work with us! I’m grateful for the opportunity to work alongside you to fulfill the promise that this and every new school year presents. I am looking forward to a fabulous year ahead!  

Sincerely, 

Dr. Katie McCluskey

Superintendent of Schools

Bensenville School District 2

Our Vision: Our vision is to be an exemplary school system that empowers individuals to engage, grow and succeed.

Our Mission: Igniting a lifelong desire to learn and succeed in an ever-changing world.

Our Beliefs:

• The whole child is at the heart of all decisions.
• We value and invest in exemplary, dedicated educators.
• The curriculum is relevant, innovative and promotes rigor to fuel a passion for lifelong learning.
• Instructional practices engage and optimize the unique learning style of each child.
• Collaborative relationships are developed and nourished across school, family and community.

Our Strategic Priorities: 

**Diversity and social emotional well-being will be incorporated in all decision-making and strategic priorities.

• We will engage all students with diverse learning experiences from an appropriately aligned and challenging curriculum.
• We will develop and maintain a positive climate and culture to meet the needs of all stakeholders.
• We will hire, retain and support exemplary staff.
• We will ensure effective use of resources through fiscal planning and responsiveness.

In compliance with health guidance, District 2 will:

• continue all past cleaning practices.
• continue to use air purifiers and ventilation systems.
• promote staying up to date with vaccines.
• provide optional weekly Shield Testing for all students and staff, and for sports teams/clubs.
• recommend but not require masks (except in health offices, where they will be required).
• reinforce proper hand washing/sanitizing.
• continue to request that individuals that are ill stay home.

The District's protocols may change based on executive orders or future guidance from the health department.

District 2 will also ...

• continue to maintain a COVID dashboard, however, the health department has discontinued this practice, so this data will only be as accurate as what is reported to the District.
• safely reinstate field trips, concerts, and other events.
• provide opportunities for students to wash/sanitize their hands frequently.
• continue to send letters home to families if there is a positive case in their child's classroom.

District 2 is seeking public input on its COVID safety plans.

• Click here to share your thoughts.

Over the summer, the District’s COVID safety plans have been updated to reflect the latest COVID safety guidance from public health officials. 

Those plans can be reviewed below: 

• Click here for the BSD2 2022-2023 COVID Mitigation Plan (English)
• Click here for the BSD2 2021-2022 COVID Mitigation Plan (Spanish)

The SHIELD Illinois’ free saliva-based COVID screening program is set to return to all BSD2 schools this year. 

Enrollment is now open, and all students and staff are invited to participate in the program.

Anyone who participated in the program last year must register again to participate this year. 

• Click here to complete the SHIELD Illinois consent form for minors undergoing COVID-19 testing.
• Click here to learn more and sign up for the SHIELD Illinois COVID screening program.

The BSD2 Community Resource Fair will be held from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, August 20, at Blackhawk Middle School, and it will bring together a wide variety of local community service providers who will share the helpful resources they have to offer to BSD2 residents. 

Featured organizations include the Village of Bensenville, Bensenville Community Public Library, Bensenville Park District, Frida Community Organization, College of DuPage, DuPage County Health Department, Hamdard Health Alliance, Northeast DuPage Family Health Services, VNA Health Care, People's Resource Center, YWCA Metropolitan Chicago, Metropolitan Family Services, and Teen Parent Connection.

Required school health exams and immunizations will be offered at the fair.

The BSD2 Birth-to-3 Program will conduct free developmental screenings for children 6 weeks to 3 years old. 

• Click here for the Bensenville School District 2 Community Resource Fair flyer.

Give just one hour of your time each week as a Project CARE mentor, and you can make a big difference in the lives of District 2 students!

Project CARE is an academic mentoring program in which members of the District 2 community volunteer to help students refine skills they’re being taught by their classroom teachers. As a mentor with Project CARE Plus, you will mentor K-8 students in reading, math, science, or other subjects.

To become a mentor, join us on Wednesday, August 31, at 10 a.m. for a brief training session at the Educational Administration Center located at 210 S. Church Road in Bensenville.

Project CARE kicks off on Monday, September 12.

To volunteer with Project CARE or for more information, please contact Lara Schwarz, Community Liaison and Project CARE Plus-Coordinator, at 630-766-2605, ext. 3202 or lschwarz@bsd2.org.

• Click here for more information on Project CARE.

If social media is your thing, we’d love it if you’d visit our Facebook page, click the “like” and button, and follow our postings to keep up with the latest BSD2 News.

• Click here to visit the Bensenville School District 2 Facebook page.

District 2 has gone "green" in its approach to distributing community flyers.

Rather than sending flyers home with each student via backpack mail, District and community flyers are posted on the BSD2 E-Flyers page for parents to view or print 24/7.

It is estimated that this saves our schools hundreds of hours per year spent sorting and handling the materials, not to mention the number of trees and other resources saved in producing them.

• Click here for the current list of BSD2 E-Flyers.