Family Newsletter

December 9, 2022

Dear District 15 Families,

I can hardly believe this is the last family newsletter of 2022! It feels like just yesterday our students were arriving for the first day of school, but instead, we are in that unique time between returning from Thanksgiving break and preparing for winter break.

Our staff are hard at work and our students continue learning new things each and every day, which creates this general hum only found in schools in December! The excitement in the air is palpable – our teachers are leaning in and engaging students to finish 2022 strong!

As always, we’ve shared important information and reminders that will help us all work together as we approach the upcoming new year.

Winter Break Reminder

Winter break begins on Thursday, December 22 with school resuming on Monday, January 9, 2023. Please note that our 12-month staff frequently take time off during our breaks and our building may be closed on various days depending on vacation schedules. If you need to go to your child’s school for something, we suggest reaching out via email first to determine the best time to stop by.

*one-five Foundation

Doing some holiday shopping on Amazon? Help the one-five Foundation raise funds at no additional cost to you through your Amazon account! Sign in to smile.amazon.com and sign in with your Amazon account or create a new account if you are not already an Amazon user.

Once signed in, select the one-five Foundation, and our organization will receive 0.5% of almost all of your purchases! Please remember to sign in through smile.amazon.com when making your purchases. Click here for more information.

*Students in Need of Winter Clothing and Outerwear

District 15 serves a large and diverse group of students from a range of socio-economic backgrounds. As the days get colder, we have a number of students that do not have the right cold-weather clothing. We have many members of our D15 community who do not have basic winter clothing. They need items such as gloves, hats, and there is a significant need for snow pants in various sizes. We will be taking donations at the District office located at 580 N. 1st Bank Drive Palatine. If you are able to do so, your help would be greatly appreciated!

Join District 15 and Dr. Bolton on Wednesday, December 14, 2022, for our final Parent University of 2022. The session will be held in the Walter R. Sundling Junior High Auditorium. The presentation begins at 6:30 p.m. and will include time for a Q & A. This evening will be very informative, so try to join us! I promise it’ll be time well spent.

This will be our final community newsletter of 2022, but you will receive December’s Board Briefs following the regular Board Meeting on Tuesday, December 13. Not receiving Board Briefs? Click here to join our email list.

Whatever holiday you and your family celebrate or traditions you hold dear, I hope you are able to spend quality time with loved ones in the coming weeks. I wish you all a truly happy and healthy holiday season!

Your partner in education,

Laurie Heinz

Superintendent of Schools

The Rolling Meadows Park District has programs planned for January 16 and 17. It will be $60 for 9 am-4 pm, with extended care available before and after.

Jan 16: http://apm.activecommunities.com/rmparks/Activity_Search/40388

Jan 17: http://apm.activecommunities.com/rmparks/Activity_Search/40389

Thank you to all the families who participated in this week’s Hour of Code Event! We had over 50 families attend the event in-person or virtually. Families learned about the importance of computer science and used a computer language called ‘Blockly’ to learn how to code. Code tells a computer what actions to take, and writing code is like creating a set of instructions. By learning to write code, you can tell computers what to do. You can use this skill to make websites and apps, process data, and do lots of other cool things. It’s like learning another language. Students who code learn better in other subjects, excel at problem-solving, and are more likely to attend college. If you would like to learn more about the Hour of Code, check out https://hourofcode.com/us.

You can find a recording of the event on our Parent University webpage at https://www.ccsd15.net/parentuniversity

Do you have a current 4th or 5th grader that would like to participate in D15’s instrumental music program next school year? Log into your Campus Parent account and access your Inbox for an important survey to register. If you have any questions, contact Instructional Coordinator Beth Rihtar (rihtare@ccsd15.net) with questions.

We are excited to share our January 2023 Parent University. Our presentation will be on-demand on January 26, 2023. Topics for the presentation include how to support developing literacy in the home, community resources, and information about World Read Aloud Day on February 1, 2023.

Join the Student Services department for an upcoming virtual Parent University night on Monday, December 12 from 5:30-7 pm.

Please RSVP here.

All English learners in District 15 will participate in our federal and state-required ACCESS testing from January 11- February 28. This assessment will measure students’ growth in proficiency in speaking, listening, reading, and writing in English. Please join us for a virtual parent meeting on December 8 from 6:30-7:30 p.m. to learn more about this assessment and how best to support your child (flyer linked here).

Please join us to learn more about Dual Language Programming for potential incoming kindergarten students. Meetings will be held at Jane Addams on February 2, at Winston Campus on February 9, and at Kimball Hill on February 13. Meetings will be held at 6:30 in English and 7:30 in Spanish. If you would like to learn more about our Dual Language program, please plan on attending one of these meetings and watch our Dual Language Informational Video.

• January 5, 2023

• January 12, 2023

• January 19, 2023

• January 26, 2023

• February 1, 2023

• February 6, 2023

• February 16, 2023

• February 22, 2023

Time: 12:00 - 3:00 p.m.

Location: Palatine Library, 700 N. North Court, Palatine

As the weather gets colder, please make sure you check your information in Skyward. This system feeds into our Blackboard system which is what we use to send notices such as cold weather/school closure notices.

Please log in to Skyward to update your contact information (email address, cell phone number*, and/or home number).

If you'd like to receive text messages from D15 and/or your principal:

1. Log into Skyward to update your contact information.
2. Click on "Employee Information."
3. Then "Personal Information."
4. From there click "Request Changes" and enter your cell phone number in the "phone 2" field.

EVEN IF YOUR CELL PHONE IS ENTERED IN THE "Phone 1" field, it also must be entered as "phone 2" in order to be recognized as an SMS/text number.

The staff data is updated in our communications system weekly. The changes occur every Tuesday night.

Having trouble logging in to Skyward? Please contact Data Services: Lucy Gazda, gazdal@ccsd15.net (x3054) or Bridget Byrnes, byrnesb@ccsd15.net (x3056).

Please note that all students in District 15 will receive a meal in the cafeteria regardless if they have money on their account. Nutrition Services will send out notices to families that will need to add funds to their students' accounts. Please remember to check your students' accounts in School Cafe on a regular basis. Money can be added to accounts through the School Cafe app or at each school. There is a 5% service fee to add money to an account using School Cafe. Checks can be made out to Nutrition Services.

The one-five Foundation has once again offered its annual mini-grant program for staff members of Community Consolidated School District 15. These projects support a wide range of opportunities for the students of the District with a focus on programs or technology.

This year, 15 grant applications have been submitted by our staff. These amazing projects will have an impact on thousands of students across all grade levels in 11 different school locations throughout the district. This week, the Foundation went to our schools to announce the winners!

We are so grateful to the Foundation for donating $18,913.75 to make these grants possible!

Interested in being a part of the great work the one-five Foundation does? Please email coordinator@onefive.org for information about what our trustees do and how to apply!

• December 8 - Multilingual Parent Advisory Council (MPAC): Understanding the ACCESS Test
  
• December 12 - Parent University: Sensory Supports and Strategies for Students with Disabilities
  
• December 13 - D15 Substitute Teacher Training
  
• *Tuesday, December 13 - Board of Education Meeting
  
• December 14 - Parent University: Supporting the Mental Health Needs of Children in a Post-Pandemic World
  
• December 22 - Winter Break Begins
  
• January 9 - School Resumes