Our schools and families are starting off fall with some fantastic school spirit! Field and Carpenter had their school-wide fundraisers today. For Field, it was the Walk-A-Thon, and for Carpenter, it was the Track-A-Thon. These events are always a favorite for our students.

Different schools, but the goals were the same...run a lot of laps to help raise money for new playgrounds designed to support children of all abilities! Field has already eclipsed their goal of $20,000 and has raised more than $28,000. Carpenter set a historical goal of raising $100,000.

Thank you to the Carpenter PTO and Field PTO for their work on these school-wide fundraisers, and we appreciate all the volunteers who made it happen.

Read more and view pictures from Carpenter's Track-A-Thon here.

Read more and view pictures from Field's Walk-A-Thon here.

All of our schools across District 64 do an excellent job creating a community within their buildings. This week we get a front-row seat to how Carpenter Elementary School does that with their Cougar Dens. 

What is a Cougar Den? It's a family within the school! Each den comprises students from each grade...so kindergarten through 5th grade, and they meet every month to do fun team-building activities. 

Read more online.

D64 Parent University Returns!

Our Parent University returns on October 18th! 

Join us for this free event with Dr. Justin Patchin, who is the Co-Founder and Co-Director of the Cyberbullying Research Center. Dr. Patchin travels the country and talks with students, educators, and parents about how to safely navigate social media and prevent the misuse of technology. 

Parents in the community are welcome to come to Dr. Patchin’s presentation on Wednesday, October 18th, at 6:00 pm in the Hendee Rooms (Jefferson School -8200 Greendale Ave Niles, IL 60714)

If you plan on coming, please RSVP here. 

Beans, Brew & Ben Part Two

The final touches have been put into place, and we're ready to host the community for another edition of Beans, Brew, and Ben! 

Join us for a community conversation with Superintendent Dr. Ben Collins on Wednesday, October 11th, from 9:00 - 10:30 a.m. This month, we'll meet at the Prospect Park Paula Hassell O'Connor Community Building (733 N. Prospect Ave., Park Ridge, IL). 

To give us an idea of how much coffee to bring, please click here to RSVP. 

Would you like to be a part of PT3 - Parents and Teachers, Talking Together? PT3 is a volunteer group in District 64 that works to achieve the mission of supporting the needs of students receiving special education services.  

Please complete this PT3 Commitment Form if you would like to join!

During the 2022-2023 school year, the work of PT3 was to unpack the Student Services audit from May 2022 and guide the next steps. You can view our efforts on the district website. This year, PT3 will focus on reviewing district programming and support recommendations for our future. This work directly supports our goal of clarifying and expanding the continuum of services in District 64. 

Upcoming Board Meetings

The following are the next regular Board meetings:

• October 19, 2023 - 7 p.m. - regular meeting; this meeting will be held at Lincoln Middle School
• November 16, 2023 - 7 p.m. - Jefferson School

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.

Calling all young artists! The City of Park Ridge and Park Ridge Farmers Market Commission are hosting a competition to feature artwork on the 2024 Park Ridge Farmers Market posters!

The contest is open to all children 12 years or older who live and/or attend school in Park Ridge. 

Go to parkridge.us/fmcontest for more information.

D64 Students and families are invited to complete a Solar Scavenger Hunt while walking a shortened route of the Park Ridge Solar Tour. The event is Saturday, September 30th. You can register by emailing [email protected] (please include name, school and grade.)

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

Email Dr. Ben Collins, Superintendent or contact members of the Board of Education via email links.

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

#engageD64