“Say your name and a word in Spanish that begins with that letter”: That’s how Mayra Velázquez's Two-Way Immersion (TWI) students at Oakton Elementary started a recent class. Introductions were necessary because they had some special classmates at their table: Northwestern University students!

Professor Denise Bouras’ Spanish students are visiting Oakton for a semester-long project about “artivism,” a combination of the words “art” and “activism” to describe art that conveys a message. Together the students are examining murals and songs to determine their messages, then creating their own artifact (a drawing, painting, poem, or other creative endeavor) that shows their understanding of the concept. All of this learning takes place in Spanish.

On their third visit together, students played an adapted version of the game “Headbands” to practice their Spanish vocabulary. They also played a trivia game about Spanish-speaking countries, which got quite competitive! The students will continue to work together until the project concludes in May.

The work on the Structural Deficit Reduction Plan (SDRP) continues! When July rolls around, the district will have taken decisive action to reduce its operating budget by $20 million over the past two years alone, putting D65 on a path towards much needed financial and organizational stability.

Despite the significant reductions already made, it will not be enough to put the district on solid financial footing in the long term. As we embark on the next phase of this journey, we invite you to be an integral part of the planning process by applying to serve on one of our three administrative committees. 

While difficult decisions lie ahead, they present an opportunity to reimagine a more sustainable, equitable, and thriving District 65 for current and future generations of learners. Your voice, experience, and engagement are essential as we navigate this next phase.

Applications are open now through 11:59 p.m. on March 24, 2025. To learn more about the purpose and structure of these committees, visit the SDRP page of our District 65 website (accessible right from the homepage).

Congratulations to staff member Mari Bliss, who was named this year’s recipient of the Illinois Speech-Language-Hearing Association's Exemplary Practice Award! Ms. Bliss is a bilingual speech-language pathologist who works as an Individualized Education Services (IES) Coordinator with District 65. Her passion for enhancing inclusion and equity in the way that individualized education services are delivered in the district has been invaluable since she joined D65 in 2022.

“Her niche for conducting high-quality speech and language assessments and language sampling analysis is considered the ‘gold standard’ for assessing language skills of children from culturally and linguistically diverse populations,” the (ISHA) wrote in the announcement of her award.

This statewide award is given by the ISHA “to recognize exceptional clinical-based, school-based, academic, research, and/or leadership practices by Illinois licensed speech-language pathologists (SLP) or audiologists.”

Construction on Foster School is well underway. We are so excited to return a neighborhood school to the Fifth Ward and welcome students to a brand-new, state-of-the-art building for the 2026-27 school year!

Want to stay updated on the school’s progress? The first Foster School monthly newsletter went out last week (see it in English and Spanish) and is open to the community. The newsletter will regularly include project updates, budget updates, construction photos, upcoming events, and more. 

If you can’t take one more email in your inbox, that’s okay, too! Foster School newsletters will be linked in the Fast 5 as a banner each month. Here’s a quick update:

• The project remains on time (opening for 2026-27 school year) and on budget ($48.5M).
• A mascot (phoenix), colors (maroon, orange, and yellow) and logo (below) have been chosen by the community.
• The first walls are scheduled to go up this week! More information is regularly updated on the Foster School webpage.

Seventh graders from Chute, Haven, Nichols, and King Arts recently took a field trip to ETHS! These students are taking Advancement via Individual Determination (AVID), a D65 middle school elective that prepares students for success in high school and beyond.

Students first visited the ETHS HUB to learn about the college and career and community service offerings at the high school. Then, they split into small groups led by ETHS senior student guides and rotated through several elective classes, visiting with current ETHS teachers and students to learn the specifics on each elective course. Some of the elective classes they visited included Engineering, Music Technology, Fashion, Computer Programming, Geometry in Construction, and Manufacturing.

Afterwards, 92% of students attending are more interested in going to ETHS and 85% said they better understand how ETHS elective classes can shape their future college and career pathway. View this short video to see AVID in action!