2/7/20
In This Issue
CCSD93 strives to maximize the academic, social & emotional potential of each student.
Dear Friend of CCSD93,
CCSD93 to Explore Possibilities for Housing Dual Language Program in Single Elementary School
CCSD93's Dual Language program in its 5th year, with 221 students in 12 classes spanning kindergarten through 4th grade. Those classes are spread among three schools: Cloverdale, Elsie Johnson, and Roy DeShane. With the program continually growing and progressing, CCSD93 has convened a Dual Language Committee, comprised of Dual Language teachers and District administrators, to explore ways to improve the program and consider how it will look at the middle school level when it reaches that point.
The committee members have attended dual language conferences, conferred with a nationally renowned dual language consultant, carefully examined relevant research and data, visited multiple dual language schools throughout the country, and surveyed Dual Language families about their experiences and opinions on the program moving forward. Based on their findings, at last night's Board of Education meeting, the Committee recommended that the program be consolidated into a single building for kindergarten through 5th grade starting next school year in order to provide students with the best possible learning opportunities. 

Benefits of a Single Building
The Dual Language program being housed in a single school building would:
  • Enable the program's students to be placed in classes with a different mix of classmates each school year. Currently the program's classes are isolated into single class cohorts that progress from year to year within their buildings with the exact same group of peers.     
  • Allow CCSD93 to more effectively provide social and academic services to program students.
  • Provide program students with teachers, support staff, specialists, and administrators that are all trained in strategies to support language learning, rather than just their classroom teacher.
  • Broaden and strengthen the Dual Language family community.
  • Allow for improved instruction by providing increased collaboration opportunities for teachers to regularly communicate, plan with one another, and receive targeted professional development in a single building.
  • Better enable CCSD93 to respond to class size fluctuation by more equitably distributing resources and staff members.
  • Better meet the Dual Language program's stated goals of enabling students to become biliterate and bilingual while building multicultural competency by exposing students to a wider range of peers with diverse backgrounds.
In short, housing the Dual Language program in a single building would enable Dual Language students and families to receive an educational experience that much more closely mirrors the experiences of their peers who are not in the program. This simply cannot be achieved as the program currently stands.  

Next Steps
At this time, no decision has been made on a single location for the program, or whether the program will consolidate to a single building at all. However, based on the Committee's recommendation, it is up to CCSD93 leaders to continue to investigate possibilities for housing the program at a single, existing CCSD93 building. There are a number of potential scenarios under consideration across all three CCSD93 elementary schools that currently house the program. No school currently has the capacity to take on the program's students without requiring at least some of its existing students to relocate. 

As a result, we will host a Dual Language Town Hall Meeting to discuss the program, its future, and the possibility of consolidation, at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, February 19 at CCSD93's District Office (230 Covington Drive in Bloomingdale) where all parents will be invited to find out more about the Committee's research, specific scenarios being considered, what the impact of each scenario would be on CCSD93's students, and ask questions. The event will be live streamed on our website and archived for parents who cannot make it in person or would like to watch it later. Following the meeting, a determination on whether to consolidate the program; and if so, at which location; will be made by spring break. 

A separate message containing all of this information will be sent to all elementary school parents next week as well. To learn more about the Dual Language program, view this video or listen to our latest Talk D93 Podcast.

Please review the following articles to for more important information from CCSD93. Have a wonderful weekend!  
 
Sincerely,
 
David H. Hill, Ed.D. 
Superintendent of Schools
CCSD93 
Kindergarten Registration Rescheduled to 3/24/20
Kindergarten Registration for next school year's kindergarteners has been rescheduled from Tuesday, February 18, 2020 to Tuesday, March 24, 2020. The purpose of this change is so that CCSD93 kindergarten families can understand the status of the Dual Language program, whatever decision is made, when they register for kindergarten. CCSD93 is committed to having a resolution by this time.  
2020-21 CCSD93 Calendar Approved:  
Notable Changes Made to Benefit Students
At last night's Board of Education meeting, the 2020-21 school calendar was approved. Parents are invited to review the calendar linked here. It is important that parents understand that there are notable changes that were made to the calendar for next school year, all of which were made through the lens of benefiting student learning. They were developed, reviewed, and recommended by the CCSD93 District Learning Team, comprised of 40 parents, staff members, and administrators.  Please watch this video from Superintendent Hill for a detailed explanation of the changes. 
You can also review this list of some of the most notable changes:
  • Friday, August 14, 2020: CCSD93 staff will be out in our community stopping by the homes of every student in our boundaries to connect with families, say hello, and express our excitement for the start of the school year the following Monday. We are thrilled to meet our families where they are to set the tone for the year. This will replace Meet the Teacher events that were previously held in our schools.
  • Monday, August 17-Wednesday, August 19, 2020: The first three days of the school year will all be early release "Monday" schedules. This resulting professional development time will allow CCSD93 to better meet the needs of students sooner.
  • Monday, October 19-Thursday, October 22, 2020: These days will be all be early release "Monday" schedules as well. Wednesday and Thursday evening this week, we will host Student-Led Conferences. This is being done so that students can reflect on their school year earlier and make adjustments accordingly sooner to benefit their learning. 
  • Friday, October 23, 2020: There will be no school.
  • Monday, November 23 & Tuesday, November 24, 2020: School WILL BE in session because Student-Led Conferences will have been held a month earlier.
  • Friday, March 13, 2021: This will be a "Flex Day," which means as of now, we would plan for this to be a day off from school, but if inclement weather days are taken, this day may need to be in session. Parents will receive communications on whether this day is or is not in session as far in advance as possible.
  • Monday, April 5, 2021: There will be no school the Monday after spring break. 
Additionally, the following are key standard dates worth noting:
  • Monday, August 17, 2020: First day of school
  • Monday, December 21, 2020-Friday, January 1, 2021: Winter break - no school
  • Monday, March 29-Friday, April 2, 2021: Spring break - no school
  • Tuesday, May 25-Wednesday, June 2, 2021: The final day of school will fall in this time frame, dependent upon the number of inclement weather days used throughout the year.
Please be sure to watch the video above, take a close look at the school year calendar, and mark your personal calendar for the key dates, especially the changes!
Elsie Johnson School Earns Hanover Park Environmental Award!
Last week, Elsie Johnson School was awarded the Hanover Park Village Environmental Award at Hanover Park's Annual Community Awards & Recognition Banquet for their exceptional commitment to sustainability! In addition to the school's recycling and composting efforts, in the past year, Elsie Johnson School has kept Nautilus Lane clean through the Adopt-a-Street program and earned a Water Quality Flag from the DuPage County Stormwater Committee by participating in activities to improve water quality. Elsie Johnson School made such an impression on Hanover Park that they resurrected this award just for the school after not giving it out for several years.

Above are images of the students participating in the environment endeavors as well as Principal Rosanne Sikich, Elsie Johnson Environmental Club Chairs Cyndi Chapman and Margaret Uhlig, and Hanover Park Village President Rodney Craig receiving the award.
Jay Stream Class Produces Play
On Wednesday, students in Ms. Ann Kolling's 6th grade class at Jay Stream Middle School put on their rendition of "The Sound of Music: The Story of Orpheus & Eurydice" after studying ancient civilizations. Students created the sets, engineered the lighting, developed promotional materials, and acted the play for peers, parents, and teachers. While this kind of performance is an annual tradition for Ms. Kolling's class, this year was the first time the students were able to use the newly redesigned Innovation Center's stage area for the performance!
Sign Up for Spring Student-Led Conferences  Today!
Spring Student-Led Conferences are scheduled for evenings in early- to mid-March, with specific dates varying by school. All parents are invited to sign up online between now and noon the day before the Conference by visiting this page.

To log in, you can use the credentials you created when scheduling your November Conferences from earlier in the school year. In some cases, teachers will contact parents directly to schedule conferences. If you're unsure whether a conference is needed, simply contact your child's teacher.

Children will attend school on conference days. To check for your child's Conference dates, please visit your child's school website.
 
2/6 Board of Education Meeting Recap  
Gavel
The most recent CCSD93 Board of Education meeting was held Thursday, February 6. The following occurred at the meeting.
  • There was a Board Salute to Sportsmanship Award winners from the boys basketball, cheerleading, and wrestling seasons at both middle schools. Here they are with the Board!
  • The Board reviewed preliminary student class size and staffing need projections for 2020-21.
  • A representative from Arcon Associates reviewed renderings, preliminary plans, and cost estimates of the Western Trails Innovation Center and front entrance projects scheduled for the summer of 2021.
  • There were the following four revised Board Policies for first reading:
    • 500.12 - Compliance with State Officials and Employee Ethics Act
    • 500.85 - Ethics, Conduct & Conflict of Interest
    • 500.20 - Workplace Harassment Prohibited
    • 701 - Harassment of Students Prohibited
  • There were the following two revised Board Policies for second reading:
    • 720.14 - Administering Medicine to Students
    • 270.07 - School Board Meeting Procedure
  • CCSD93 Director of English Language Services Mireya Sanchez and Assistant Superintendent for Teaching, Learning & Innovation Jonathan Zimmermann gave a presentation regarding the Dual Language program, as described in the article above.
  • The Board voted to approve the 2020-21 school calendar.
  • The Board reviewed a new job description for an inclusion facilitator.
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