LP Link: Dec. 9, 2022

The LP Link is published bi-weekly during the school year to highlight the latest districtwide news and events at Lake Park High School. Contact Sherri Anderson, Director of Communications, if you have any questions, comments, or suggestions for content.

Spotlight on Student Handbook Committee

Each month, the LP Link will spotlight an area of District focus with the goal of sharing valuable information and resources with our school community. This month focuses on the priority to conduct a comprehensive review of the student handbook, which contains the school’s attendance and behavioral expectations.

Committee Composition and Focus

The decision to commit to a year-long review process follows the difficulties of the last two years and supports the District’s goal to ensure a safe environment that is conducive to learning. A committee of diverse stakeholders has convened: one Board of Education member, two parents, five students, and 17 Lake Park staff members. This working group has been meeting monthly since September.

In the initial meetings, the committee established norms and a common understanding of why discipline is used. Members also learned about Senate Bill 100, landmark legislation passed in the Illinois Senate (January 2015) that explicitly requires schools to minimize exclusionary discipline practices such as suspension and expulsion, while increasing the use of alternatives to suspension.

Identified Areas and Next Steps

Six areas have been identified for potential revisions: dress code; cell phone policy; cheating and plagiarism; insensitivity and hate speech; student IDs; and attendance. When the meetings resume during second semester, research groups will present how Lake Park has opted to handle these items as well as how they are addressed at other suburban high schools. The committee as a whole will make recommendations on how to move forward with the handbook. This important work will lead to an updated student handbook that reflects the values of the Lake Park community while accounting for current legal mandates and the realities of being a student in the early 21st century. The goal is to present a final product to the Board of Education in the spring.

Thank you to our volunteer committee members for their time and input! For this year, the committee will continue to meet on a monthly basis. Once this comprehensive review is complete, it is anticipated the committee will meet one time a year or as needed to conduct an annual review of this document.

Bell Schedule Proposals

Presentation to Board previews Early Release and Lancer Period for 2023-24.

During the Monday, December 5 Board of Education meeting, Assistant Superintendent for Administrative Services Dr. Jessica Foster and Lake Park Education Association (LPEA) Vice President Chris Benak presented information about restructuring the SMART Day Bell Schedule for 2023-2024 and beyond. The shared goals are to provide students with additional instructional time and staff with increased opportunities to collaborate on curriculum development that addresses District priorities and individual student needs. Furthermore, the schedule is intended to provide consistency in the school calendar for families.

Collaboratively, the District and the LPEA developed the new Early Release Bell Schedule (to be implemented weekly on Wednesdays) and a new Lancer Period Bell Schedule (to be implemented monthly on a Thursday as needed). When paired together with the existing regular bell schedule, these restructured bell schedules meet the collective needs and interests of staff, students, and the District. The Board asked questions and will take a formal vote at the January 23, 2023 meeting.

SHIELD Testing

Voluntary testing to sunset at the end of semester; December 20 final test day.

During the past two school years, Lake Park High School has been proud to partner with the University of Illinois to offer free, voluntary COVID-19 saliva testing through the SHIELD Illinois program to all students and staff. As at-home tests and vaccines have become more readily available, the number of Lancers who are opting-in to participate has decreased significantly. As a result, weekly SHIELD testing will sunset at the end of first semester. The last day for SHIELD testing at both campuses will occur on Tuesday, December 20. The District remains committed to the health and safety of our school community and has the ability to quickly reestablish the SHIELD Illinois program should any unanticipated needs arise.

Seal of Biliteracy

Earn distinction for demonstrating proficiency in multiple languages.

Students who are enrolled in a World Language course (AP, Level 4, Level 3: French, German, Spanish) and English as a Second Language courses are encouraged to register for this exam. The Seal of Biliteracy will be awarded to qualifying Lake Park students who demonstrate proficiency in both English and one or more of the following: Arabic, Bulgarian, Chinese, French, German, Gujarati, Hindi, Polish, Russian, Spanish, Ukrainian, Urdu, Vietnamese.

The Seal of Biliteracy, offered by the State of Illinois, will appear on the student's diploma and official school transcript. Earning this distinction is an honor that students can share with universities, future employers, and service organizations who value individuals with bilingual skills.

To earn the Seal of Biliteracy, students must meet approved proficiency levels on state-approved English and World language assessments, as outlined on the Intent to Participate form (due by Wednesday, January 11, 2023). Applying for this recognition is voluntary and students are responsible for the cost associated with taking the qualifying assessments. For questions, students should contact a World Language teacher or Pia Laudadio, World Languages Curriculum Leader.

Spring Athletic Registration

Registration will open for student-athletes on Thursday, December 15.

Spring athletic registration opens Thursday, December 15. All student-athletes must be registered prior to tryouts and/or practice for the following sports:

Boys Baseball - Monday, February 27

Boys Gymnastics - Monday, February 13

Boys Tennis - Monday, February 27

Boys Track & Field - Monday, January 16

Boys Volleyball - Monday, March 6

Girls Badminton - Monday, February 27

Girls Soccer - Monday, February 27

Girls Softball - Monday, February 27

Girls Track & Field - Monday, January 16

Please use this link to access the new registration system: Lake Park FamilyID Athletic Registration. Parents/Guardians will be asked to create an account that will be used for all registrations. Visit the Athletics website for more information or contact athletics@lphs.org.

2023-24 Course Selection

Looking ahead to important dates and deadlines for registration.

The arrival of the new calendar year signals planning for the next school year already. In January 2023, students will begin registering for the 2023-24 academic year.

Course Selection Dates:

Class of 2024 - Juniors: January 17 to January 26

Class of 2025 - Sophomores: January 17 to January 26

Class of 2026 - Freshmen: February 2 to February 10

Class of 2027 - Incoming Freshmen (8th Grade): January 19 and January 20

Parents/Guardians are strongly encouraged to carefully review the Academic Planning Guide as a reference along with the grade-specific information that will be sent via e-mail by the Counseling Department when school resumes after winter break.

Spirit of Excellence

Nominate Lancer students, staff, and alumni by the January 17, 2023 deadline.

The Lake Park Educational Foundation is accepting nominations for this year's Spirit of Excellence awards. The Spirit of Excellence Awards were established to support and recognize the accomplishments of Lake Park alumni, students, and staff.

Parents/Guardians and community members may nominate Lake Park graduating seniors, faculty members, and staff members for these prestigious awards. Please visit the Spirit of Excellence Awards web page for the nominations, guidelines, and forms. Student and staff nominations are due Tuesday, January 17, 2023.

If you have questions regarding the nomination process or the awards, contact Becky Wyatt, executive director of the Lake Park Educational Foundation, at (630) 295-5264 or rwyatt@lphs.org.

Welcoming the Class of 2027

Incoming freshman families invited to learn about academics at East Campus.

Lake Park High School’s Incoming Freshman Family Night will be hosted at East Campus on Wednesday, January 18, 2023. Lake Park looks forward to welcoming future Lancers next fall, and this event represents the first opportunity to be directly involved in developing a high school educational plan.

The evening will begin with a presentation in the Dice Auditorium that will include a review of Lake Park's placement process, academic planning and course selection, and other key information to be successful in high school. The program is designed to benefit parents/guardians and students. To accommodate all attendees, the starting times are staggered:

6:00 p.m. Medinah Middle, Peacock, St. Walter

6:30 p.m. Roselle Middle, Westfield, Trinity Lutheran

7:00 p.m. Spring Wood, St. Isidore, Queen of the Rosary

An open house will follow to allow families to tour parts of the campus, visit elective classrooms, and meet faculty and staff from each department, including curriculum leaders and counselors. Additionally, Lake Park counselors will visit middle schools on January 19-20, 2023 to preview information with your future Lancers.

#LancerStories

Lancer for Life speaks virtually about experiences as an American diplomat.

On Tuesday, November 29, World Language and Social Studies classes were invited to listen via Zoom to Lancer for Life (Class of ‘95) Brandon Borkowicz share his experiences as a State Department Foreign Service Officer. He is currently serving as the Deputy Consular Chief at the U.S. Consulate Guangzhou and was home briefly in Illinois for the Thanksgiving holiday. The virtual format was necessary due to the challenge of China’s COVID Zero policy.

Multilingual in Mandarin, Spanish and some French, Brandon talked about his overseas tours in Beijing, China (during the COVID-19 evacuation of Mission China); Bogotá, Colombia; Nassau, The Bahamas; and Baghdad, Iraq. He spoke about the importance of both writing and interpersonal communication and mentioned how the Lake Park English Department instilled those skills, which were later honed while attending Bradley University and the American University Washington College of Law.

Brandon and his wife, a fellow Foreign Service Officer, will complete their tours next summer and return to work in D.C. Lake Park appreciated him speaking during a class period at each campus about his life and work as an American diplomat, what it's like to work in foreign affairs, and how the work of diplomats overseas impacts our lives in the U.S.