School Scene - Monthly Newsletter, December 2022

Prospect Heights School District 23

December 16, 2022

Happy and Healthy New Year!!

Dear Parents and Staff,

Which is your favorite to watch...

1) The Year in Review Specials

2) College Football Bowl Series

3) New Years Eve Party Coverage

4) Binge watching a series you've put off?

Usually, I really enjoy the year in review because of all of the good stories and accomplishments of my favorite local sports teams...not this year.

College Football is always on at my house, but the way Tennessee dropped in the rankings makes this year's bowl games a little bitter tasting for me.

I know this will make me sound really old, but ever since Dick Clark stopped, I can't take it. Ryan Seacrest?? No thanks. On the local side, Janet Davies and Mark Giangreco kissing? Again, no thanks.

So I guess that leaves me with binge watching this year. Is there a new season of "Only Murders in the Building"?

Better yet...maybe I'll leave the TV on in the background and get back into the kitchen this break! I have not made lasagna in a while.

However you plan to fill your days over the next few weeks, I hope you will take time to reflect on the past year; recounting the joys and sorrows, challenges and successes help us to learn from the past and plan for the future.

On behalf of the Board of Education and the District 23 Staff, we wish you and your family a very Happy Holiday season. Whether you celebrate Hanukkah, Christmas, or other holidays this break, we hope you are able to spend time with friends and family!

Lastly, as we prepare for 2023, we were so happy to see so many families at our D23 Family Heritage Night. One of the stations asked participants to decorate a "Happy New Years" sign and take a photo. We invite you to click the link below to watch a short video collage of these photos.

From the D23 Family to yours, we wish you a very Happy and Healthy New Year!

We're looking forward to great things for D23 in 2023!

Best wishes!

Dr. A

Upcoming Events

Eisenhower

Early Childhood Winter Concert

12/20 5:00pm

All concerts at MacArthur Middle School @ 7:00pm

Sullivan Band & Chorus 12/19

Sullivan Orchestra 12/21

No School

12/23 - 1/8/2023

Winter Break

1/9

No School- Institute Day

1/16

No School-

MLK Day

Board of Education Meeting

January 11 @ 7:00pm

Grodsky Admin Building

Quick Links

Visit the D23 website

Link to: Board of Education Agendas and Meeting Highlights December 14, 2022

Anne Sullivan Student Ambassadors Lead the Pledge of Allegiance

Representatives of the Sullivan Student Ambassadors led the Pledge of Allegiance and shared reflections about their work this year. They highlighted the "One Word" assembly they planned and led, their crafts projects shared with the seniors at Aspired Living, the Veteran's Day visits, and the upcoming Fun Run they will coordinate for the entire District in May.

Survey Data and Discussion

The Board of Education reviewed data from the Public Opinion Survey and considered the recommendations from the Citizen's Task Force. Following the discussion, the Board agreed to move this item to a vote at the January 11 meeting. This vote will determine whether or not the Board will place a referendum question on the April 4 ballot.

The recommendation from the Citizen's Task Force was to approve this measure as it was presented in the public opinion survey. The presentation can be found HERE.

Sullivan School Improvement Presentation

Once each year, the School Improvement Team from each of the schools presents on their goals to the Board of Education. Principal Traci Meziere and faculty Mrs. Hartmann, Mrs. Travis, and Ms. Whitcomb reviewed the important work related to the Strategic Goals and their Improvement Plan.

This presentation can be found HERE.

EDP Program Review - NO INCREASE in EDP Fees

Extended Day Program Director, Kris Lebrect provided an overview of the EDP enrollment, programming, and goals. The Board thanked Ms. Lebrect for her creativity and commitment over the past few years.

Asst. Superintendent Mrs. Amy McPartlin recommended that the Board hold EDP fees with NO INCREASE for 2023-24.

News and Information

Equity and Excellence Needs Assessment

District 23 is conducting an Equity Audit this year to identify strengths and needs as we develop our next Strategic Plan. We invite you to share your thoughts and perspective be completing the following brief needs assessment. All responses are confidential and surveys are due by January 20, 2023.

Click HERE to complete the D23 Equity and Excellence Needs Assessment

Testing our Emergency Notification System

We will be testing our emergency notification systems in preparation for the upcoming winter months. On December 19, between 2:00 and 2:30, you can expect to get a phone call and a text message from the school. This process will generate a report showing how well our messages were delivered.

If you receive these messages, there is nothing for you to do. However, if you notice that you do not receive notifications by 2:30 PM on December 19, then please contact your school office for assistance.

We hope not to use our emergency notification systems this winter, but given the unpredictability of Chicago winters, we need to be prepared.

Calling All Kindergartners!!

Dear D23 Families,

We are trying to identify children who will be attending kindergarten in the fall of 2023.

All children who will be five (5) years old on or before September 1, 2023 are eligible.

Parents who will be enrolling their child for kindergarten in District 23 will be required to provide a certified copy of the student’s birth certificate.

In addition, three (3) current proofs of residency, a current physical with immunizations, and a vision and dental exam are also required. Birth certificate and proofs of residency are required when registering.

Health requirements should be met prior to the first day of School.

Parents of eligible children will need to contact our school office at 847-870-3875

prior to the registration dates. At that time, we will collect information from you

regarding your child.

More detailed information/forms will then be mailed to those families who have contacted us.

Kindergarten registration will take place at Eisenhower School, 1 N. Schoenbeck Rd., Prospect Heights, IL 60070 (at the corner of Camp McDonald and Schoenbeck Rds.) from 8:30AM - 4:00PM Wednesday, February 1st through Friday, February 24th.

We look forward to seeing you and your child!

iPad Do's and Don'ts

As you prepare for what we hope is a great holiday season with your children at home, we wanted to share some ways to ensure that your student's iPad, an important device for learning, isn't lost among the discards of wrapping paper, left at the grandparents' house, or featured as a centerpiece of the holiday buffet table. All kidding aside, winter break is a great time to review and/or reset screen time expectations at home while also making sure the iPad is charged and ready to go as students end break.

So, in the spirit of the holidays, here are some "Do's" and "Oh, No's"!