District 102 Families,
The 26-27 school year is off to a great start! For those new to the District, WELCOME! For all of our returning families, THANK YOU for helping to make D102 a destination district and a safe, engaging place for students to learn, grow, and play.
For many of you, this has been a summer of questions: would school actually start on time, would the construction be done, and what is going on inside the buildings? Hopefully you enjoyed walking through our three 25-26 ‘construction’ buildings last night. There are so many positive changes, and so many more still to come.
We are now entering what I am calling phase 1.5 of our two-phase Renew D102 project. While there is still a little work going on in the buildings - before and after school hours, on weekends, and over long breaks - you will soon see the Cafeteria at Forest Road completed, the new classrooms at Barnsdale open, and the Gym at Cossitt ready for play. We anticipate these Phase 1.5 projects will finish late this fall, before the holidays. I will provide updates in future newsletters. As I write this message, the final layer of the new playground surface is being applied at Ogden, and the installation team at Congress Park is mounting the new playground equipment. We estimate that both of these playgrounds will be open to students and the community very soon.
While we have much to celebrate in the successes of our Renew D102 projects, we have even more to celebrate in other areas of our Strategic Plan. I had the opportunity to share these successes with our Board of Education at our last meeting. I have attached the presentation HERE in case you would like to take a look. After the Illinois School Report Card is released in October, our Teaching & Learning Team will also present the annual Academic Report.
Communication - Always Improving
At the September meeting, I shared with the School Board that one of my top priorities this year is improving communication. While we have made great strides over the last few years, I believe in our mission to continuously improve. With that in mind, here are a few ways I hope to improve communication and connection with families of D102:
One of the most impactful ways to connect and collaborate is by attending one of our Board of Education Committees. These committees help shape the direction of District 102, and your voice and perspective are needed to keep our district strong, proactive, and supportive of all students and families. Click HERE to indicate your interest in attending (or just receiving updates) about any or all of our BOE Committees this year. For more general information (e.g., meeting dates and times) about these D102 Committees, please visit the BOE Committee information. We will also post information about all committee meetings on the main page of our website.
Please save the date for our first of two D102 District Dialogues on the evening of Tuesday, October 20th, at Park JH. I am looking forward to sharing the following:
Progress and next steps on all Renew D102 construction projects
Progress toward the objectives of our Strategic Plan,
General Q&A
Be on the lookout for information from your child’s school about Coffee with the Principal and Superintendent. We want to create a casual space for you to hear about and ask questions about your building’s School Improvement Plan (SIP), developed by the staff in alignment with the District's overall strategic goals. I anticipate these coffees starting in late September and running through October.
We have expanded the capacity of our PowerSchool system to make it easier for you to engage with your child’s teachers and view your child’s progress. This is a new communication tool we are rolling out this year. Lots more information to come.
Finally, I would encourage interested parents and community members to attend our Board of Education meetings. We meet once a month - this year starting at 6:00 pm in the Park JH Library. In the past, the BOE scheduled Executive Session meetings prior to the Open Meeting, sometimes delaying the start time. To respect the time of community members in attendance, the BOE has decided to move the start time earlier and address any Executive Session needs toward the end of the meeting.
I wish each of our students, families, and staff members a successful school year. Please know that I welcome the opportunity to connect whenever questions, ideas, or concerns arise. Together, we will continue to ensure high expectations and continuous improvement for all students and staff in D102.
With gratitude,
