The Park Ridge-Niles School District 64 Board of Education, at its May 3rd special meeting, approved a three-year contract and compensation package for Dr. Ben Collins, who will become Superintendent effective July 1. 

“I am just so excited for this,” said Dr. Collins at the podium after the Board officially approved his hiring. “I’m glad to have my family here because they’re a big part of my experiences and a big part of how I think about schools and how we teach students.”

“To everybody here,” Dr. Collins motioned to the room full of community and staff. “I just want to let you know that I’m going to work as hard as possible to make sure that our children have the best education possible and to make sure that all of our staff and our administration are supported every day because we do really, really hard work. So with that, I just want to say thank you and talk to you soon.

Read more on D64.org.

Below is an introductory video with Dr. Collins and why he's excited about this opportunity.

Below is a video with some Board members describing why Dr. Collins was chosen and what he brings to this role

The District 64 Board of Education will hold a special meeting on Thursday, May 11th, in the Hendee Rooms at the Jefferson Early Childhood Center. The special meeting will start at 6:30 pm with an organizational meeting to follow.

The agenda for the May 11 special meeting includes:

• Pledge of Allegiance
• Opening Remarks from the President of the Board 
• Public Comments
• Approval of Meeting Agenda
• Acceptance of Canvass of Votes for Election of Board Members for April 4, 2023
• Approval of Minutes: April 18, 2023 closed meeting; April 19, 2023 closed meeting; April 20, 2023 closed meeting; April 20, 2023 regular meeting; May 3, 2023 special meeting 
• Recognition of Retiring Board Members 
• Authorization for Board Member to Administer Oath of Office
• Adjournment sine die

The agenda for the May 11 organizational meeting includes: 

• Administration of the Oath of Office for Newly Elected Board Members 
• Call to Order & Roll Call 
• Public Comments
• Election of Board President 
• Election of Board Vice-President 
• Election of Board Secretary 
• Approval of Board of Education Regular Meeting Dates 2023-2024
• Review of Board of Education Committee Assignments
• Other Discussions & Items of Information 

• May 18, 2023 - 7 p.m. - regular meeting, Jefferson School 
• June 15, 2023 - 7 p.m. - regular meeting, Jefferson School 
• June 22, 2023 - THIS MEETING HAS BEEN CANCELED

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.

"This is just one of the best nights of my life," said an emotional Eric Bachmann as he stood in front of a full gym at Emerson Middle School. 

Last week was the Spring Concert at Emerson, which was also the final concert for Band Director Eric Bachmann before he heads into retirement after 34 years on the job.

The celebration featured two original pieces of music: "Stick Together" and "The Purple Eagle March". 

You can read more about the festivities at Bachmann's final concert on our website.

12 students have been selected to receive the 2023 District 64 Young Author Award! This year we had 375 District wordsmiths enter the annual contest to showcase their creativity and explore the limitless possibilities of storytelling. 

The project had to be an original fiction short story at a maximum of 20 pages long. 

Below are this year’s winners who have left their mark on our corner of the literary world! 

• Kindergarten: Amelia Donaghy & Delaney Handlon-2 Frogs and a Magic Stone-Roosevelt 
• 1st Grade: Gavin St. John - Froggy Meets a Friend - Carpenter 
• 2nd Grade: Kiara Bhat & Yuna Lui - The Cheetah’s Adventure - Carpenter 
• 3rd Grade: Moya Cox - The Lost Hat - Roosevelt 
• 4th Grade: Andrea Barbosa Urrestta & Brooke Nevruz - The Secrets of Hotel Bliss - Field 
• 5th Grade: Sephina Ali - Lost and Found - Roosevelt
• 6th Grade: Sam Sianis - Pompeii - Emerson
• 7th Grade: Sophia Labuz - The Seventh Hole - Lincoln
• 8th Grade: Eli Faulkner - Remembering to Forget - Emerson

The winners will be recognized at the May 18th Board of Education meeting. Thank you to the hundreds of students who shared their passion with us!

What's it like being a middle schooler in 2023? AMLE held a nationwide contest to figure that out, and Lincoln Middle School 6th grader Rebecca Macoratti received an honorable mention!

Hundreds of submissions were submitted to the contest, and students could consider a variety of prompts for inspiration but were encouraged to tap into their creativity and choose a format that most appealed to them. 

You can read Macoratti's submission here.

Roosevelt 3rd graders hosted their Wax Museum this week.

The third graders had the opportunity to research and read about an important person who lived or is currently living and that has made positive contributions to our world.

The students will be dressed up as this person and will come alive when tapped on the shoulder to inform you all about this famous person.

We loved seeing this affirmation wall at Field in Mrs. DiMaso's room!

On Thursday, the Symphonic Band and Philharmonic Orchestra from Lincoln embarked on a performance tour to Washington and Roosevelt. On Friday, the Symphonic Band and Philharmonic Orchestra from Emerson performed at Field, Carpenter and Franklin Schools.  

Elementary students at all schools were treated to a wonderful performance and got to see the different instruments in the band and orchestra families. It was so much fun spreading the joy of music and incredible talent around the district.

For more photos, click here.

Are you making summer plans? Thinking about Worlds of Wonder? You can register now online. WOW offers students a unique opportunity for summer learning and fun. Our summer program emphasizes creativity and critical thinking in a challenging and rewarding environment. 

Classes for students who have completed K-3 will be held at Washington Elementary School, while classes for students who have completed 4-7 will be held at Lincoln Middle School. 

• Session 1: June 14th - June 30th (No School Monday, June 19) 
• Session 2: July 5th - July 20th (No School Monday, July 3rd and Tuesday July 4th)

You can find all the Course Descriptions, Info, and Registration Links for WoW here on our website.

Registration is now open for ALL students, which includes kindergarten. Please go to our registration page and follow the instructions to register your child for the 2023-2024 school year. 

Also, keep in mind that we need your help to plan for the upcoming school year; please help us by registering before the June 1st deadline!

District 64, Emerson/Lincoln, and their PTOs have partnered to find two 8th graders at each school who have had a positive impact on the school to be awarded the Judith Snow Ethical Leadership Award. The recipients will be awarded $250 to spend as he or she chooses. The winners will also be recognized at the end-of-the-year celebrations and have their names on permanent display at the school. 

Do you know an 8th-grade student that has demonstrated ethical leadership? If so, visit d64.org/judith-snow-awards. The deadline to have your application and recommendations submitted is May 26th, 2023.

Do you want a job driving school buses? Lakeview Bus Lines is hiring!

• Up to $25/hour
• Weekly pay, benefits, 401K
• go to www.sunrisebus.com/careers or call (708)-234-5555 to apply

Comments and questions may always be directed to the Superintendent or Board members through these links:

Email Dr. Eric Olson, Superintendent or contact members of the Board of Education via email links.

Park Ridge-Niles School District 64 | 847-318-4300 | [email protected]

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