2/5/21 Enews from CCSD93

Dear Friend of CCSD93,

Messages From

Superintendent Hill:

As you know, each year in December we give a Satisfaction Survey to CCSD93's parents, students, and staff members. Respondents answer questions and provide 10-scale ratings across a wide range of categories encompassed in the educational experience. The resulting data is examined district-wide and at the school level and compared with previous years. This helps us understand what is working well within the district and better target where to focus efforts for improvement to provide the very best education to the children of our community. Principals and school Building Leadership Teams (BLTs) utilize their school's data to develop action plans and yearly School Improvement Plans, and our administrators use all of the data to inform decisions.

I will highlight the results of the 2020-21 Satisfaction Survey here over the next few weeks. Today I begin with our elementary students.

All students in grades 3-5 are given the survey, as the questions are a bit too sophisticated for our K-2 population. This year is, of course, out of the ordinary, and we adjusted the survey to add or reword questions to reflect the remote learning experience and remove those related to the school bus, building and environmentalism as most students had not attended school in person at the time of the survey. With a confidence level of 99% and a margin of error of 1%, the data should very accurately reflect the feelings of our 3rd-5th grade student population. Here’s a look at the overall elementary student data.

We found that ratings for main teacher, principal and overall satisfaction remained nearly identical to data from the 2019-20 school year, while the rating for school atmosphere improved by 0.4 and computer technology dipped by 0.4.

Digging a little deeper, we find that our elementary student responses reflect an attitude of feeling even more supported by their teachers than usual during this trying time. A higher percentage than last year agree that their main teacher gives interesting work (+2.06%), makes learning fun (+4.34%), tells the student how they are doing (+0.79%), and gives feedback on their work (+1.30%). This is a direct result of the outstanding dedication and commitment of our teachers to forge bonds with students and make learning interesting and fun while adjusting substantially to the method of educational delivery. It also speaks to how incredibly our students and families have been able to adapt to the events of the past 11 months.

While we are pleased with the relative stability of the overall results for elementary students considering the circumstances, we know that these results do not speak for each individual student. Now more than ever, the lack of results for preschool-2nd grade students is especially glaring, as these students are less independent than their older peers. We are continuing to evaluate and determine additional opportunities for supporting students and families moving forward.

The data will be used as described in the first paragraph above to help the district to improve. You will begin to see general results appear on school and district websites. We are grateful for each parent, student, and staff member for taking the time to give us feedback.

Please Continue to Practice Safety

Please continue to stay vigilant in practicing the three W's of wearing a mask, watching your distance, and washing your hands frequently to help reduce the spread of COVID-19 and contributing to conditions conducive to in-person learning.

Please read the following articles for the latest from CCSD93 and more.

Sincerely,

Dr. David H. Hill

Superintendent of Schools

CCSD93

Have a Young Child? Join Us Virtually

for Let's Play 2/13-2/21!

CCSD93's Birth to 5 Community Coalition is a partnership between many local organizations that specialize in providing care and services for the community's children ages birth to 5. Its goal is to ensure all children arrive at kindergarten ready to access the high quality education that CCSD93 is prepared to provide them.

This year, the Birth to 5 Community Coalition’s annual Let’s Play event which will be held online February 13-21! Families with children age birth to 5 will discover helpful resources from a variety of local organizations that provide care and services for young children and their families. It will include live virtual sessions on February 13 and partner videos posted through February 21 that focus on play ideas for families.

Register for the event for FREE at www.tinyurl.com/LetsPlay2021. Once you register, you’ll be able to pick up a free gift bag from the Carol Stream Public Library, which includes:

materials for live sessions
materials for some crafts and games
a free book
a free snack cup (and a soft feeding spoon for little ones)
flyers from the coalition and some partners

Registered children are also automatically entered into a raffle for e-giftcards or gift certificates. Let's Play! is made possible by funding through the DuPage Foundation's Bright and Early DuPage Grant. For more on the Coalition, visit www.ccsd93.com/Birthto5!

Spring Student-Led Conference

Signup Coming Soon

Each CCSD93 school will host Spring Student-Led Conferences on two separate afternoons/evenings between late February and mid March. Conferences will again be held virtually via Zoom, and online scheduling for conferences via PTC Wizard will open Friday, February 12 at noon. More information on signing up for a conference time, including the link to PTC Wizard, will be shared in the near future.

8th Graders Invited to Purchase MacBooks Soon

Next week, 8th grade families will receive information on the opportunity to purchase their 8th grader’s MacBook. One-time payments and four-month payment plans will be available. This offer is only available for 8th graders. Please watch for more next week.

Track Your Child's Bus With FirstView Bus App!

Families of all students who qualify to receive bus transportation were sent login information for the FirstView bus app on Monday, February 1. If you haven't yet, follow the directions and download the app to track your child's bus in real time!

Need Groceries? Visit Mobile Food Pantry at GBN on 2/6!

2/11 Board of Education Meeting Preview

CCSD93’s Next Board of Education meeting will be held Thursday, February 11 at 7 p.m. at CCSD93’s District Office, 230 Covington Drive in Bloomingdale. All community members are invited to attend. The following are among the agenda items.

A representative from ARCON Architects will review the plans for the Cloverdale Innovation Center and secure entrance project, which is scheduled to take place during the summer of 2022. The Board will then vote on the approval of the project.
The Board will vote on the approval of the 2021-22 Board of Education and Finance Committee Meeting dates.
There will be four revised Board Policies for first reading:
645.01 - Instructional Materials
645.02 - Instructional Materials Selection and Adoption
645.15 - Complaints About Curriculum, Instructional Materials and Programs
705.07 - Student Residency
There will be seven revised Board Policies for second reading:
635 - Before & After School Child Care Programs
645 - Acceptable Use of the Internet
645.03 - Electronic Media Publication
645.07 - Library Resource Center
655.04 - Student Conferences
674 - Animals in the Classroom
674.10 - Experiments Upon or Dissection of Animals
Superintendent Hill will review the progress of the Board Goals.
The Board will review preliminary student assignment projections and staffing for 2021-22.
Assistant Superintendent for Teaching, Learning & Innovation Jonathan Zimmermann will make a recommendation for a new student information and gradebook system, which the Board will vote on the adoption of.
The Board will vote on the approval of a transportation agreement amendment with First Student, CCSD93’s bus service provider.

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