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District 64 eNews March 3rd, 2023

Improvements to Registration

Registration for all students starts on March 7th, and today Superintendent Dr. Eric Olson sent out a letter to the community regarding registration improvements and the implementation of a June 1st deadline.

"Dear District 64 Families,

It’s that time of year again when we shift some of our attention to next year, which leads to registration. For all students, including kindergarten, registration begins on March 7th. We made a few improvements to the registration process this year, and we’re implementing a June 1st deadline.

So, if you’re planning on sending your child to a District 64 school for the 2023-2024 school year, make sure you register before the deadline of June 1st, 2023. For any families who do not register by this date, you’ll receive a records release as we’re assuming you’re going to another district.

Why are we making this change? As a District, we often look at different processes and how to improve. One thing we noted was that a large number of families were waiting until the last minute to register their children. This delay makes our back-to-school planning efforts extremely difficult. "

You can read the rest of the letter on our website.

D64 Board Selects Demetri Touzios To Fill Vacant Spot

At Monday’s special meeting, the District 64 Board of Education selected Demetri Touzios to fill its vacant Board member position. Touzios, a Park Ridge resident, will be officially sworn in at the March 16th regular meeting.

The District 64 Board unanimously voted to select Touzios to fill the spot left by Dr. Woitowich, who recently resigned. Touzios’ term will end in 2025. There were 12 applicants for the vacant position, and the Board interviewed all 12 on Monday.

“The Board is basically the foundation of the community. Everything that happens in the community starts with the Board. Our children grow in school and evolve, and the people they are going to be in the future starts now,” said Touzios when talking about why he wanted to be on the Board.

“It’s nice to think you can be part of something that’s a little bit bigger than yourself,” said Touzios.

Preview of March 6th Board of Education Meeting

The District 64 Board of Education will hold a regular meeting on Monday, March 6th, in the Hendee Rooms at the Jefferson Early Childhood Center. There will be a closed session at 6 pm with the regular meeting starting at 7 pm.

Below is the agenda for the March 6th regular meeting (rescheduled from February 16):

Closed Meeting [5 ILCS 120/2(c)(1),(2), & (10)]
Pledge of Allegiance
Opening Remarks from the President of the Board
Student/Staff Recognition: Park Ridge Community Fund Holiday Drive; District Spelling Bee
Spotlight on Field School
Public Comments
Approval of Meeting Agenda
Approval of Mediation Agreement with Student 2022-2023 (2)
Approval of 2022-2025 Collective Bargaining Agreement between the Board of Education and Student Staff Council (SSC) of District 64
Approval of 2022-2027 Collective Bargaining Agreement between the Board of Education and PRTAA
Discussion & Approval of Summer 2023 Construction Projects: Emerson Flooring & Lincoln LRC Restoration
Discussion & Approval of Quest Food Management Services Contract Renewal
Preliminary Enrollment Projections & Discussion of Staffing Plans for 2023-2024
Approval of Recommended Personnel Report
Consent Agenda: bills, payroll, and benefits; approval of financial update for the period ending December 31, 2022; approval of BWP contract for the superintendent search; destruction of audio closed recordings (none)
Approval of Minutes: closed meeting on January 26, 2023; regular meeting on January 26, 2023; special meeting on February 1, 2023; closed meeting on February 1, 2023; special meeting on February 9, 2023; special meeting on February 27, 2023; closed meeting on February 27, 2023
First Reading & Adoption of Policy 2:210 Organizational Meeting of the Board
Other Discussions & Items of Information: upcoming meeting agenda; FOIA requests; memorandum of information: organizational meeting of the board; and public comments emailed on January 26, and February 1, 2023.
New Business
Adjournment

Upcoming Board Meetings

March 16, 2023 - 7 pm - regular meeting, Jefferson (Hendee Rooms)
April 20, 2023 - 7 pm - regular meeting, Jefferson (Hendee Rooms)

Looking to catch up on past meeting highlights? A summary of each meeting is available on our Current Board News webpage.

Please confirm meeting dates and times on the Board meetings webpage.

Battle of the Books Champs

The Franklin Falcons have earned the prestigious title of 2023 Battle of the Books Champions. Franklin Elementary competed against seven other local schools in the annual contest hosted by the Park Ridge Public Library.

“Success comes with team building,” said the enthusiastic and proud champs. “The competitions are really fun. They seem scary at first, but you realize that they really are a lot of fun. Don’t be scared to join next year!”

For more than three decades, 4th & 5th graders from Park Ridge schools have competed against each other, showcasing their knowledge of the books selected to read.

Led by Ms. Hetzke, Franklin's LIS, the Falcons won the Battle of the Books for the first time in eight years and did so in impressive fashion. Franklin 5th grader Ben Bozeday read all 40 books on the list this year!

Home Stretch for St. Baldrick's

We have entered the home stretch of the St. Baldrick's Fundraiser! With the head-shaving events coming up on March 8th, the Lincoln/Emerson Baldies have raised nearly $370,000!! We're getting closer to the goal of $500k, and we're confident it's within reach with your help.

As a part of Emerson's fundraising efforts, Mr. Teater's hair is now...purple! A fun and creative way to help the SGA team donate some extra cash.

Lincoln held a student/faculty basketball game with all of the proceeds from ticket sales and concessions going to St. Baldrick's.

Fans got their price of admission and then some as Principal Szwed threaded the needle with a great pass to Ms. Brady for the win in overtime!

You don't want to miss this video - check it out!

Thank you for all the support as we close in on our goal of $500,000!

ELF Announces Dissolution & Says Thank You to the Community

District 64's Elementary Learning Foundation, otherwise known as ELF, officially dissolved at the end of last month.

The group awarded more than $835,000 in direct grants over the course of 25 years.

We thank ELF for their dedication and service over the years, and they asked that I share this letter with the community. Below is just an excerpt, but the entire thing can be read on our website or by clicking the image below.

"We are sad to share that the District 64 Elementary Learning Foundation, more widely known in the community as ELF, has dissolved our organization effective February 21st, 2023. Due to several challenges, including current trustees’ limited availability and recruitment difficulties, we chose to make the difficult decision to dissolve. It is our hope that, along with support from the D64 Administration and D64 Board of Education, ELF may be revamped and reorganized in the future.

We, our Board of Trustees, will be leading the dissolution alongside our accountant to ensure the remaining funds are dispersed according to our By-Laws, which states “Upon the dissolution or liquidation of the Corporation, and after payment of provision for just debt and liabilities, all remaining assets shall be distributed to the Board of Education of the Park Ridge-Niles Community Consolidated School District 64”. It is the intent of D64 to disperse any funds equally among the 7 D64 schools."

Continued on our website

Lincoln Presents Cinderella

Lincoln Middle School presents Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella - Youth Edition. The musical starts with performances on Friday, March 17 at 7 pm at Emerson Middle School.

You can buy tickets to Cinderella by following this link.

There are more than 100 students in the cast and crew for this production! Tickets are $6 online and $8 cash only at the door. It is a family-friendly show and lasts only 1 hour with no intermission.

Below is the rest of the schedule: