109 News

Good afternoon, 109 families:

There’s nothing better than the beginning of a new school year. It has been wonderful to see the excitement and anticipation sweep through the district over these last two days. I sincerely hope that all of our families had a wonderful summer with opportunities to relax, recharge, to do what fills your cup and spend quality time with family and friends.

This was not a quiet summer in DPS 109. We’re proud that nearly 200 staff members participated in some aspect of professional development to keep learning and growing as educators. It’s always fun to welcome our new teachers every year, but this year is particularly special because we have a handful who attended DPS 109 as students!

School safety and security, sadly, will continue to be a prominent part of school life. We have partnered with Districts 106 & 112 to bring on board a shared Director for School Safety & Security, Solveig Jurmu, who will lead this effort. Look for an interview with her in a future issue of 109 News. Officer Lauren Maldonado will continue on in her role as our School Resource Officer, interacting with students and imparting the important lessons she has now for several years.

As you may be aware, over the past year, the district has been engaged in a 20-year master facility planning progress. The board will hear an informational update on the various strategies being explored at an upcoming meeting later this month.

I look forward to an amazing year ahead!

Sincerely,
Michael V. Simeck
Superintendent of Schools

As your principal emailed the other day, we are keeping a close eye on the upcoming heat wave that is supposed to impact the Deerfield area. The safety of our students and staff is a top priority. All of our buildings are air conditioned, but please help ensure your student is set up for success by making sure they are dressed appropriately for the weather and bringing a water bottle with them if they need it.

If you haven't done so, please log in to Skyward Family Access and complete the required forms:

1. Acknowledging that you have read the handbook
2. Declaring your family's wishes when it comes to photo/video & directory information

Click below to get started!

BOE meetings are held monthly at our district office and are open to the public. We know families today are REALLY busy, so if you don't have time to attend, we write up a summary and send it to you in every issue of 109 News following the meeting. Click the BOE Recap logo to read this month's summary of the August meeting. It also has a link to watch the live stream of the meeting via YouTube.

Next Tuesday, the Board of Education is holding a Committee of the Whole meeting at 6:30 p.m. to hear an update on the Master Facility planning process. An agenda will be posted no later than 48 hours prior to the meeting. The meeting will be livestreamed on our YouTube channel featured above. As always, you can follow along with the MFP process on our website under the tab that says "Our Future."