The RLAS-116 Strategic Plan is divided into 6 themes:

• Teaching & Learning
• Meeting the Unique Needs of Learners
• Social-Emotional Development
• Parent, Community, & School Partnerships
• Equity
• Securing the Future

Each month our Board of Education receives an update within each theme area. We'd like to provide a few key updates aligned to the Strategic Plan in this month's newsletter.

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Our District received approval of a grant application from three years ago to expand the preschool program (80 students) and the Prevention Initiative program (70 families). At present, space prevents expansion of the preschool program. The Prevention Initiative Program is able to expand some services in its present location.

We are excited to announce that earlier this month, our District submitted an application for the Early Childhood Construction Grant. We are hopeful that this grant will be awarded, providing an opportunity to renovate the current Administrative Service Center offices in order to expand our Preschool programs. We will learn the results of our grant application near the end of December 2022.

Are you interested in learning more about our Birth to Five Programs? Visit our website to learn more about the Prevention Initiative (Prenatal - age 3) and Mountaintop Project (Birth to 5).

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Last summer, Round Lake High School students participated in a number of internships through the Northwestern/Baxter program on Northwestern's campus with their Astronomy and Education departments. Since the start of the year, CTE (Career Technical Education) teachers have been working to develop a formal internship process. Teachers have also met with the College & Career Readiness best practices group to discuss implementation plans for Career Pathways Endorsements, dual credit, and upcoming events for students to participate in through the Lake County Workforce Development taskforce.

Additionally, last summer, 8 Round Lake High School students participated in Rosalind Franklin University's Science Saturdays Program. This 10-week (4 hours each day) program is targeted for students who may be interested in getting involved in the STEM fields. Students participated in in-person hands-on lab experiences. Some of the topics included: lab safety, DNA, tissue culture, pathology, digestive, pulmonary, and more!

We are so grateful for our ongoing partnerships with Northwestern, Baxter, and Rosalind Franklin University and look forward to many more years of creating work-force opportunities for our students!

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We began the creation of important resource videos last year and continue to expand the list this year.

We'd like to highlight our latest two releases this month.

• RLAS-116 Welcome Center
• English Language Arts

Please visit our District YouTube channel today for a comprehensive list of parent resource videos!

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Another important area of the Strategic Plan is Theme F: Securing the Future. One of the goals of this theme targets work on our Long-Range Facilities Plan.

Over the summer, the District completed a number of large-scale projects totaling approximately $8 million. Some of these projects included: asphalt resurfacing of the student playground at Ellis Elementary, asphalt resurfacing of the teacher parking lot at Beach Elementary, installation of a chiller and boilers at the Early Education Center, replacement of two large HVAC units, new ceilings and lighting in sections of Round Lake High School, and the installation of four new HVAC units, and new ceilings and lighting at Village Elementary School.

Additionally, a brand new playground was installed at the Early Education Center. Below is a video, created by the playground partner, highlighting the beautiful new space for children!

Tentative dates have been set for additional projects this school year into next summer. These may include:

• classroom and library build outs at Beach Elementary;
• concrete and parking lot surfacing at Murphy Elementary;
• asphalt resurfacing at Round Lake Middle School, Indian Hill Elementary, Early Education Center, Village Elementary, and Round Lake High School;
• concrete curbs and sidewalk repairs across the District, and
• roof replacement at the Early Education Center.

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Round Lake CUSD 116 provides its students with a district-created curriculum aligned to national standards to meet the individual needs of the students we serve. Our Atlas Curriculum Warehouse provides stakeholders access to view key components of unit plans in your students' core courses.

Because we are a large unit district, we have opted to slowly roll out the use of the Atlas Curriculum Warehouse. Therefore, all courses and grades will not be available for viewing. Currently, for the 2022-2023 school year, most English Language Arts, Math, Science, and Social Studies courses for grades Kindergarten through fifth grade are accessible. All other course maps are currently being developed.

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Our Twilight Tutoring Program is available to all RLAS-116 students in grades K-12. Twilight Tutoring provides students with virtual access to certified teaching staff after the regular school hours have ended Monday - Friday from 4:00 PM - 8:00 PM and Saturday - Sunday from 8:00 AM - 8:00 PM.

Teachers will assist with assignments as well as provide targeted academic support to students in math, science, ELA, and social studies.

Students may access the Help icon in a Canvas course to sign up for a tutoring session.

Please contact your child’s teacher or school administration if you have questions about the Twilight Tutoring Program.

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