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Message from the Superintendent
The schools are alive with the sounds of....hammering, floor cleaners, carts moving supplies, teacher and para interviews, moving of furniture....the weeks of summer are filled with preparing for the next school year. While we had six weeks of summer school and extended school year classes at Forest Road and Barnsdale, Galileo Summer Camp was housed in Ogden School, and various other S.O.A.R. classes were held at Park, there is a great deal of work that goes into making sure the schools are ready on August 22 for the return of our students. We often take for granted all that occurs behind the scenes to ensure that our schools are ready when teachers and students return. Nothing "just happens!" It is all coordinated and planned. A huge thanks to Tom Akerman, Director of Buildings and Grounds, the Technology Department, and our buildings' custodians for everything they did to get things set to welcome in the 2018-19 School Year!
It has also been a busy summer of hiring. We will be featuring our 25+ new teachers and staff in upcoming editions of the District Newsletter. We welcome this incoming class of teachers, administrators and para-educators to District 102. They are excited to join the District 102 Team!
It is going to be an exciting year. As we continue to address the goals in our Strategic Plan, we will keep the community updated through the district website and monthly newsletters on our progress, hurdles, and successes. Early this fall, we will be sending a mailing to our community outlining District 102 pride points and opportunities that our community can take pride in. I will be presenting updates on the District at various locations this fall, allowing time for our community to engage in conversations regarding the direction of the district and education in general. Those dates will be posted in the September Newsletter.
We look forward to seeing all of the students back at school for a half-day on Wednesday, August 22. Enjoy the remaining weeks of summer!
Kyle
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E-Registration and Residency Days for 2018-19 School Year
The 2018-2019 school year will be upon us before you know it. As summer winds down, please don't forget that online E-Registration opens this month. The dates to prove residency are also listed below.
Online (E-)Registration
Beginning on July 31st, at least one parent must log in to the PowerSchool Parent Portal and complete the online registration process for each student attending District 102 in the Fall. Parents that have not already created a Parent Portal account must create one. To create an account, parents need an Access ID and Access Password for each student. Access IDs and Access Passwords were distributed via email. If you haven't received this email, you should contact the school or district office for an Access ID and Access Password.
Residency Days
At least one parent/guardian from all District 102 families must prove residency each school year in order to be fully registered for school. Three days are scheduled for the residency event held at Park Jr. High. The dates are:
- Tuesday, August 7th - 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
- Thursday, August 9th - 10:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.
- Makeup Date: Tuesday, August 14th - 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
To significantly reduce time spent at the residency event, please complete the online registration process beforehand. At the event, staff will verify that you have completed the online registration process, and provide assistance for those that have not yet completed the process.
Be sure to complete the
District 102 Residency and Custody Form before you come to prove residency. Please remember to bring the required supporting documentation as detailed on the form. Your status as a resident will not be confirmed if documentation is missing, incomplete or if further residency verification procedures need to be completed.
Fees and Payments
Payments must be electronic through Pushcoin or in cash; no physical checks will be accepted as payment during the residency event.
Parents access Pushcoin by clicking the Pushcoin link in the PowerSchool Parent Portal. A 2.79% + $0.25 fee exists for credit card transactions; there is no fee for payments via electronic check. Payment plans can be arranged; please inquire at the payment station during the residency event for details regarding payment plans.
The district will add mandatory charges to Pushcoin student accounts at the beginning of August. The fee schedule is approved by the Board of Education annually. To view the 2018-19 fees, please
click here. It includes the mandatory fees as well as information regarding optional items (calculators, recorders, PE Uniforms, bus transportation, etc.) that may be required at certain grade levels and buildings. This year the Board reduced Curriculum fees by $75 per student.
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Special Education Department
I am excited about starting my first year as assistant superintendent for special education in District 102. The district's mission on engaging children to develop creativity, innovative problem-solving, a passion for learning, and empathy reflects an emphasis on development that encompasses the whole child. As the district leader with oversight for all aspects of special education and early childhood, the growth and achievement of students with special needs is of utmost importance to me. I have spent my entire career working to bridge the worlds of special and general education in order to contribute to systems that serve a wide variety of learners with high expectations for all.
Prior to joining the District 102 community, I served as a director of special education in Avoca District 37 in Wilmette; an executive director of student services in Glenview District 34; a principal in Palatine District 15; a coach and consultant for the Northern Suburban Special Education District (NSSED); a special education teacher; and a second and third grades classroom teacher. I did not become an administrator until I had experienced over twenty years of teaching and coaching, and I feel that I bring this knowledge of the daily life of teachers and students into my role as an educational leader. Real learning takes place over time, and it is within the many small moments of a child's day that result in positive movement towards accomplishment of milestones and goals.
I welcome the opportunity to learn as much as I can during these first few weeks and months about the culture and community of District 102. I particularly enjoy hearing the stories of individual students and families, as well as their hopes, dreams, challenges, and successes. I look forward to partnering with you and the many fine professionals of District 102 in order to provide your children with a world-class education that promotes learning within all the dimensions of academics, behavior, and social-emotional development. As I travel within the district, please feel free to introduce yourselves and your children at special events as well as to reach out for a conversation if that better meets your needs.
Warm regards,
Terry Sofianos
Assistant Superintendent for Special Education
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Forest Road Teacher's Music Now Available on iTunes
Florentin Tise, music teacher at Forest Road School, has his first piano album now available on iTunes! To view song selections and to download "Piano Hymns for Prayer and Meditation" please click here.
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New Assistant Principal Appointed at Congress Park and Ogden Avenue Schools
Sunny Sue Chang Jonas, formerly an assistant principal and RTI/MTSS coordinator in Chicago Public Schools, has joined La Grange School District 102's administrative team as the new assistant principal of Congress Park School and Ogden Avenue School. Jonas' appointment was approved at the June 18 Special Board of Education meeting and she took the reigns in this newly created position on August 1. Jonas was selected after an interview process that included staff and administrators.
Jonas has spent the past three years in the Chicago Public Schools system. Prior to serving as an assistant principal and RTI/MTSS coordinator at LEARN 6, she held the position of education and youth services coordinator at World Relief in Wheaton where she supervised and evaluated instructional, social and athletic programs for 300 K-12 refugee students. In addition, Jonas served as an adjunct professor at Lewis University, Wheaton College, Pratt Institute and Northern Illinois University. Jonas began her administrative career in 2007 as the kindergarten program and assessment director at New Haven Reads and LEAP in New Haven, Connecticut. She also served as a principal intern in the New Haven Public Schools system for two years. She launched her teaching career in 2002 at Beaverton Public Schools where she taught kindergarten, second grade and music at McKinley Elementary School in Beaverton, Oregon.
A graduate of the University of Chicago with a bachelor's degree in sociology, Jonas also holds a master's degree in early childhood and elementary education from Lewis & Clark College. She completed her second master's degree at Teachers College, Columbia University by earning her degree in educational leadership. She is currently pursuing her doctoral degree in bilingual education at Northern Illinois University.
Jonas has garnered awards and recognition including a Socioeconomic Inequality Fellowship with the University of Chicago for 2018-19, Yale RULER social-emotional learning grant with Columbia University's Summer Principals Academy (Teachers College), Project DREAMS Fellowship for educational leadership (Northern Illinois University), 4-H University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Lego robotics and embryology grants, and Lyric Opera 3rd-5th grade scholarship for attendance to 2016-17 Opera in the Neighborhoods program. She is also a member of Alpha Upsilon Alpha. Additionally, Jonas has presented at local and national conferences including the Illinois Resource Center's Conference for Teachers Serving Linguistically and Culturally Diverse Students (2014 & 2017), University of Chicago's Pozen Center Conference for Human Rights (2015), and the National Refugee and Immigrant Conference (2014).
A resident of Wheaton, Jonas and her husband Mark, a professor of philosophy and education at Wheaton College, have two children, Henry and Pearl. She enjoys reading, biking, cooking, and e-scrapbooking.
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We will welcome several new people to the district this year. You will read more about the new teachers in upcoming editions of the newsletter. In addition, we welcome new staff and those in new roles within the district:
Terry Sofianos
- Assistant Superintendent for Special Education
Juan Lyle - Director of Technology
Sunny Sue Chang Jonas
- Assistant Principal at Congress Park and Ogden Schools
James Robinette
- Principal at Congress Park School
Laura Finnegan - Accounts Payable
Deborah Handke - Payroll Clerk
Ana Maria Mojarro - Office Assistant at Forest Road School
Melissa Carbone - Health Aide at Forest Road School
Karli Stamer - Assistant Principal at Cossitt and Forest Road Schools
David Holt - Director of Human Resources & Public Relations
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Dates to Remember
(Please visit a school or the
district site
for additional dates.)
August 7: Residency Day, Park Jr. High, 8:30am-4:30pm
August 9: Residency Day, Park Jr. High, 10am-6:30pm
August 14: Residency Makeup Day, Park Jr. High, 8:30am-
12:30pm
August 15: 7th Grade Orientation, Park Jr. High, 8:30am
August 16: Kindergarten Open House & Parent/Child Bus Ride,
3pm
August 19: Ogden PTC Event: New Family Welcome, 2-4pm
August 20-21: Teacher/Staff Institute Days (No Student Attendance)
August 21: Congress Park Kindergarten Meet the Teacher and Curriculum Day, 3pm
August 22: First Day of School (Half Day)
August 23: Board of Education Meeting, Park Jr. High LRC, 7pm
Forest Road Back to School Party, 5:30pm
August 24: PreK Open House ((9am for AM Class & 10am for PM Class)
August 26: Cossitt Back to School Family Picnic, Denning Park, 4-6 pm
August 27: PreK Classes Begin
August 30: Park Open House, 6:30-8:30pm
September 3: Labor Day (NO SCHOOL)
SAVE THE DATE: The Cossitt Fall Clothing Sale will be held on Saturday, September 29 from 8am - 1pm. Visit their website to register to sell:
www.cossittptc.org/clothingsale
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La Grange School District 102 | 708-482-2400 | 333 N. Park Road |
La Grange Park, IL 60526 |
www.dist102.k12.il.us
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