News from the August 27, 2019 meeting
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Teacher Training, Revised Instruction,
New Resources In Place For Math
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With the first phase of the math program review completed, there are numerous changes in place to improve classroom instruction this year, while a deeper look at instructional materials and practices continues.
Five months of intensive effort is reflected in classroom teaching practices as the new school year begins, said Assistant Superintendent Dr. Kris Raitzer.
Forty-one teachers working alongside the junior high math instructional specialist Nikki Penherski, external math consultant Kristen Clegg and NBJH Principal Dr. Scott Meek, updated the math pacing calendars, revised assessments, prepared communication to parents and planned for additional layers of support for students in the 2019-20 school year.
In addition, 13 professional development sessions were conducted for teachers and assistants over the summer.
Highlights of Phase 1 include:
Phase 1, Grades K-5
- Parents will receive a letter at the beginning of each math unit to communicate topics being covered.
- A home practice policy and differentiated home practice assignments will be implemented uniformly across grades K-5.
- In addition to 60 minutes of math instruction daily, teachers will use “Number Talks,” a math activity to develop students’ flexibility and fluency with computational strategies.
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Nikki Penherski, Junior High Math Instructional Specialist, works with 7th grade students alongside math teacher Karee Schwartz.
Ms. Penherski will spend most of her time working with students and teachers in the classroom to enhance instruction. Her position was created as part of the Phase 1 Math program review.
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Phase 1, Grades 6-8
- Pre-assessments were created and given at the start of the school year to help teachers identify gaps in knowledge of students. The assessments are designed to inform instruction and are not graded.
- Supports for eighth-graders that were offered this past spring will now be offered throughout the school year. Additional math X-block sessions are being added at each grade level. Junior high students will also have access to ALEKS, an online math resource that students can use to reinforce math learning later this fall.
- The NBJH math instructional specialist is working with junior high teachers in the classroom, offering math tutoring for students during X-block, and assisting with the ongoing work of the math program review.
Phase 2 Begins in September
As these changes are implemented, the Math Committee will dive into Phase 2 of the program review this school year. Phase 2 will start with teacher and parent surveys in September. Work will continue throughout the fall and winter to evaluate the number of instructional math minutes at the junior high, starting with a study of instructional minute allocation at comparable junior highs in the area.
Instructional materials, staff allocation and assignments, and instructional expectations in preparing students for both the Illinois Assessment of Readiness and the PSAT 8/9 (for eighth grade) will be reviewed. New instructional materials will be selected for the next school year.
Some of the measures of improvement that the district will be monitoring include improvement in the Illinois Assessment of Readiness scores, the placements of students in high school math, a continuation of a high number of students in the top two quintiles and fewer in the lowest two quintiles on the NWEA assessment.
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New District Children's Choir for 3rd, 4th and 5th
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The Board of Education approved a plan by Greenbriar music teacher Jeremy Bartunek to form the Northbrook District 28 Children’s Choir.
Dubbed “NB28CC,” the choir will be a fun, musical, and educational experience for students in third, fourth, and fifth grade, he said.
Mr. Bartunek is the general music teacher at Greenbriar School.
There will be three different choirs, organized by grade and vocal experience/ability, with each group meeting once a week after school. Three concerts will be presented throughout the school year as well as opportunities to perform in the community, he said.
Parents are invited to register students after agreeing to the parameters outlines in the NB28CC Handbook.
More details were emailed to parents and are available by contacting
Mr. Bartunek.
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Junior High Launches New Online Gradebook
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The new school year marks the opening of a new chapter in online student progress reporting at Northbrook Junior High.
NBJH has transitioned its online gradebook system from PowerSchool to TeacherEase. TeacherEase is easier to navigate, integrates with Google, and is very intuitive to use.
This is the same system used at the elementary grades for report cards. The junior high version includes an online gradebook system that provides secure access to families and students regarding student grades for individual assessments and assignments. Teachers can communicate with parents, sending emails and updates directly through the system.
The TeacherEase Parent Portal will allow parents/guardians to view their child’s performance on classroom assessments and view trimester report cards. This can be done anytime on any Internet-connected device (e.g., computer, smartphone, tablet).
Log-in information for the TeacherEase Parent Portal will be emailed to parents with a link to set up their account and set their own password.
Students can access TeacherEase through their own portal, to check assignments and assessment grades, by logging in with Google.
Parents will receive an email inviting them to set up a username and password following the junior high curriculum night on Sept. 4.
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Communications Advisory Committee Forming
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A new Communications Advisory Committee is being formed to enhance communication between parents, the community and the district.
The committee is part of a strategic communication plan for the 2019-20 school year outlined by Terry Ryan, the communications director.
There will be an open call for volunteers to serve on the committee with the goal of getting equal representation of parents, both working and stay-at-home, and of all schools and various grade levels.
Community members will also be invited to participate. Membership will be targeted to around 20.
The purpose of the committee is to:
- identify pertinent education issues and provide input on district communication.
- identify topics for parent education programs and forums to be scheduled periodically throughout the year.
- offer parent and community perspectives on important issues and existing communication channels.
Members will be asked to commit to attending four evening meetings per year and serve as ongoing communications ambassadors. A call for volunteers will be sent to parents in early September. The committee will be facilitated by the communications director and the superintendent.
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New teachers for the 2019 school year gather for a photo during two days of orientation Aug. 13 and 14.
The District 28 mentor program assigns a veteran teacher to every teacher new to the district regardless of experience. Mentors work with the new teacher for two years, and they meet as a group once a month.
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Safety Improvements And Procedures Open The School Year
Improvements that add extra layers of security to each school building are nearly complete.
All buildings will have cameras and an intercom system at the main entrance, and the school offices will be secure from the main hallway with electronic locks.
Superintendent Dr. Larry Hewitt noted there are also some classroom supplies and practices implemented that are part of a coordinated effort among all Northfield Township elementary school districts and first responders. Each learning area is stocked with an emergency backpack, which provides essential supplies for teachers and students to manage a short-term crisis. Classroom Emergency Response procedures were also updated to align with the township-wide initiative.
New teachers and support staff also received emergency response training before the start of school.
Additionally, each nurse’s office is equipped with an Individual Bleeding Control Kit. All Automated External Defibrillators located throughout the district also contain a kit.
New Guidelines For Parent-Teacher Communication
Dr. Larry Hewitt outlined new specific guidelines for parent-teacher communication. The new guidelines provide some steps that define a communication chain so parents understand what to expect, and teachers and administrators follow a uniform response.
“We encourage early, informal resolution of concerns whenever possible,” he writes.
The policy states:
When a concern is raised, we will:
- listen and clarify to make sure the concern is understood;
- ask the parent/guardian to share any proposed resolutions;
- gather additional information, if warranted;
- follow up with the parent to share appropriate information regarding resolution of the concern;
- offer other options to resolve the issue, if appropriate.
At any point, the parent or teacher may ask the principal/assistant principal to join the conversation, if one or the other feels it will be beneficial.
The new policy
will be added to the parent handbook and the teacher handbook.
Board Meetings To Live Stream On YouTube
In the interest of transparency and best practices, the board has agreed to begin recording meetings to be broadcast on the district’s YouTube channel.
Following a start-up cost of approximately $6,000 in equipment, the recordings are estimated to cost about $4,000 annually to produce.
District Offers 52 Summer Sessions For Teachers
The 2019 summer professional development program included 52 sessions -- 20 more than the previous few years. Many of the sessions are facilitated by our faculty, who share their expertise, and some are facilitated by consultants. The sessions focused on instructional skills and curriculum knowledge in literacy, math, social studies and technology. There were 996 participants – which shows that many teachers took multiple sessions.
Board Minutes
Each month, the Board minutes from the previous month are approved and posted on the website. View the minutes from
July 23, 2019
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STAY CONNECTED TO WHAT'S HAPPENING IN DISTRICT 28!
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#TLC28 #Innovate28
District 28’s official hashtags! You can search the hashtag on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram to monitor posts from teachers, administrators and the district accounts. These hashtags help us tell the story of Teaching, Learning and Caring in District 28 and the innovative teaching and learning around Learning First.
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