Volume 22, No. 2| September 5, 2018
News From the August 28 Meeting
Summer Projects Enhance Learning and Safety
A series of interior and exterior summer projects enhanced the learning spaces and safety of school buildings. In addition to the largest project, the carpet replacement project at Northbrook Junior High, improvements included:

  • New flexible furniture for Northbrook Junior High Library. The adjustable tables and chairs are on casters so they can be easily moved around to accommodate different activities.
  • Safety improvements at the junior high include replacing an emergency generator and upgrading some of the hallway fire doors.
  • Landscaping was replaced around the perimeter of Greenbriar School to improve safety; green areas were enhanced around the playground.
  • Two smaller learning spaces were combined to create a new classroom at Westmoor School for the Young Explorers Foundations program, which opened this year.
Students work in groups at the Northbrook Junior High Library in new furniture installed over the summer.
  • WiFi Internet capacity is being improved at all four schools. Over the summer, work was completed at three schools with additional access points and improved cable networks to enable use of mobile devices. Work continues this year to complete the project at Westmoor School.
Three Teachers Join District 28 in August
The Board of Education approved three teachers, who were hired in August and began working at the start of the school year. District 28 welcomes:

Claire Greene, NBJH Library/Media Specialist
Ms. Greene has a master’s degree in library and information science from Dominican University. She has worked in several school libraries in Chicago, Park Ridge and Downers Grove. She has a bachelor’s degree in Spanish from Northeastern University and most recently taught Spanish in Des Plaines District 62. 

Kristina Wagner, 8 th Grade Special Education Teacher
Ms. Wagner has experience as a special education teacher at St. Mary of the Woods School in Chicago and Skokie District 65. She earned her master’s degree in special education from Nova Southeastern University and her bachelor’s degree in special education at Loyola University Maryland.

Jessica Hulings, 5 th Grade Teacher Greenbriar
Ms. Hulings is excited to move from the position of Technology Support Specialist she held last year to a classroom teacher this year. Ms. Hulings first joined District 28 as a classroom assistant and also worked as a long-term substitute for math intervention. She brings knowledge of mathematics and STEAM to Greenbriar, where she co-led the Coding Club last year. She has a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Trinity International University.
Board Briefs
Mentors Support New Teachers
Teachers new to District 28 get a jumpstart on the year with a two-day orientation the week before school starts. Each teacher is paired with a mentor, whom they work with for two years. Each mentoring team spends three to six hours a month together. The group meets as a whole once a month, according to Assistant Superintendent Dr. Kris Raitzer. New teachers also draw on their learning teams for guidance and support.

Teachers Use Summer for Learning
District 28 offered 30 professional summer learning sessions this year led by fellow teachers and administrators. More than 250 staff members, or 75 percent, registered for at least one session over the summer, Dr. Raitzer reported. Popular sessions included Tech Camp and Literacy Studio.
District Happenings
Sixth grade students received their iPads Aug. 27 during a parent/student orientation
District Begins iPad Rollout for Learning First
Learning First, Technology Second is the focus of expanding students’ access to technology and infusing classroom learning with innovation. The school year kicked off with sixth-grade students and parents gathered on Aug. 27 for orientation and distribution of individual iPads.

"This is one more step in the process of unlocking the full potential in all children," Superintendent Larry Hewitt told the families at orientation.

All kindergarten and third-grade classrooms also have received individual iPads for students. Students in sixth grade will carry their iPads throughout the school day and may bring home the devices to complete homework assignments and projects as needed. The younger grades will leave the iPads at school. Devices previously used in those grades were redistributed to other grades.

This is the first year of transitioning to an iPad environment as part of the district’s Learning First initiative. Learning First follows a framework for using technology in the classroom developed by educator Liz Kolb. The framework offers teachers guidance on when and how to best use iPads along with various apps and resources to engage, enhance or extend learning.

#NB28FirstDay Winner
More than 150 photos by parents and staff were posted to the District 28 social media accounts during our #NB28FirstDay photo contest on our first day of school, Aug. 22.

The district office staff participated by selecting their favorite three photos. The parents of the winning photo, right, received a $25 gift card from Marcello's!

You can follow District 28's social media accounts and also find links to each school's accounts and teacher accounts by following us on any or all of the social media channels linked below.

Thank you to Marcello's for providing our prize!
#TLC28
District 28’s official hashtag! You can search the hashtag on Twitter or Facebook to monitor posts from teachers, administrators and the district accounts. This hashtag helps us tell the story of Teaching, Learning and Caring in District 28.