Today is Veteran’s Day and I want to say thank you to all of those in our community who are currently serving or have served in our military. And to our families who have active or retired members of the military; thank you for your role in loving and supporting our men and women in uniform!

A couple of weeks ago, the Illinois State Report Cards were released. I would like to share some highlights from the District 70 report. I would be remiss not to acknowledge that these results are extraordinary and are due to the dedication of our staff here in District 70.

It is also important for you to understand that while we are proud of what the report card does and does not show, it is useful data in helping districts identify what is working and what needs improvement. It is not, however, a complete picture of what students experience or have available to them in our buildings and classrooms.

Our ultimate goal is to measure the progress of our students on an individual basis. Each child grows at their own pace. If we measure progress against ourselves, we will never settle for “good enough” and will always be looking to see how we can improve locally to prepare our students for success in and out of the classroom.

Here are five highlights for District 70:

1. Exemplary and Commendable. Three schools were named Exemplary (in the top 10% in the state) – Adler, Butterfield, and Copeland – and two were named Commendable (meeting and exceeding expectations, and outside the top 10%) – Highland and Rockland.
2. Student Achievement is Up! Students are achieving well above state averages in English Language Arts and Mathematics, as well as outperforming the district’s scores on the 2020-21 report card.
3. Closing Learning Gaps Faster. The district’s student growth percentile is increasing at a higher rate than average. This means students are closing gaps of knowledge and achievement and surpassing their growth trajectory at a faster pace than is typical.
4. More Student Time and Attention. Class sizes are below the state average and the district maintains an average 15:1 student-to-teacher ratio, which is two fewer students per teacher than the state average.
5. Funding Quality Classrooms First. Spending per pupil has increased in recent years; however, those increases are commensurate with the rate of inflation and are reflected in our teacher and staff salaries and benefits and are within our current level of local funding.

• Salaries and benefits are rising because the district maintains a 94.7% staff retention rate, an anomaly in the state, and more than 85% of staff hold a master's degree or higher.

• It should be noted that the district’s administrative ratio is lower than the state average with an admin-to-student ratio of 183:1, compared to 147:1 in the state.

In addition to these highlights, we are also identifying areas we will be addressing with gusto in the coming weeks and months including supporting students through increasing pre-algebra readiness, and closing the moderate and small equity gaps. More to come!

For now, we celebrate all that our staff does to support our students to new levels of success and growth each year.

Shine Bright,

Rebecca

Rebecca A. Jenkins

Superintendent of Schools

Libertyville School District 70

rjenkins@d70schools.org

Rebecca's Twitter

Rebecca's Instagram

To prepare for the winter weather, we will be conducting a TEST of our emergency notification service (School Messenger) at about 6 p.m. on Nov. 15, 2022. District 70 uses the system to deliver phone calls, emails, and text messages to families when the decision is made to close schools. The test will include all three forms of communication.

It is important to test the system to make sure we are reaching our families in case of an emergency. If you do not receive the TEST message by phone and email, please notify your school office on Nov. 16, to review your contact information. If you do not contact the school, you will not receive important notifications from District 70.

To receive a text message, you must opt-in by texting 67587 with either a Y or a YES as the message you send. (This may not be activated for 48 hours from when you opt in.) This text (SMS) service is used in the event of school closings, school emergencies, and sometimes to report late buses.

Plans for our 2023-2028 Strategic Plan are well underway! We have developed a new mission, and vision statement, and updated our core values as well as new graphics. Surveys have been sent to staff and families, and community members, too. In addition, we are offering focus groups to gather more data. The community focus groups are listed below.

Focus Groups:

• The D70 community will be invited to Strategic Plan Focus Group meetings on:
  

• 6 p.m. on Nov. 17 for the community, civic, religious, and business leaders, and residents without children attending D70 schools at the ERC;

• 6 p.m. on Nov. 21 for District 70 families at the ERC;

• Sign up here to attend a community focus group in November.

The strategic planning meeting will be held as listed below. We have many special guests including the D128 superintendent, the Libertyville mayor, and recruiting student representation. This should prove to be a productive and purposeful event for all.

Sign up for Strategic Planning Committee Meetings (community, staff, administration, board) Sessions -

• 6:00-9:30 p.m. on Dec. 2 at Butterfield School.

• 11:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Dec. 3 at Butterfield School.

In today’s day and age, student vernacular can include colorful language that, as a result, triggers an in-depth threat assessment at a school the building level. The vast majority of these instances of students using threatening language are determined, through a rigorous and thorough investigation, to be unsubstantiated or not credible.

District 70 uses the Navigate 360 threat assessment system to guide staff teams in such instances when a threat to self or others is triggered. Navigate 360 was developed based on the nationally recognized threat assessment models Comprehensive School Threat Assessment Guidelines (CSTAG) and National Threat Assessment Center (NTAC).

Threat assessment teams participate in training to maintain unbiased, consistent documentation and assessment procedures throughout the entire case management process.

Every building in District 70 has an identified threat assessment team, consisting of an administrator, school social worker, psychologist, counselor, teacher, and law enforcement official (School Resource Officer). The collaborative team approach helps determine the threat level and the need for additional investigation, intervention, and support.

District 70 does not typically communicate unsubstantiated incidents with families unless there is a lockdown at school, a police response during the school day, a disruption to learning, or a credible threat is determined. The district is required to maintain student confidentiality in all instances, including those of safety and security, and discipline.

Locally and nationally, there is an uptick in unsubstantiated school threats. It is highly concerning when students use this type of language to communicate their stress, anger, fear, or anxiety. In District 70 we are continuing to build upon our student and family support for students who need assistance in regulating emotions, communicating stress, and working through their anger or frustration appropriately.

Risk Watch is an injury prevention program for children that seeks to prevent major unintentional injuries that threaten children.

Risk Watch was started by the National Fire Protection Association and was piloted in District 70 by Adler Park School 19 years ago with the help of the Libertyville Fire Department. The premise of the program is that by teaching children to recognize and avoid risks, they can lead fuller and more productive lives.

The Risk Watch modules are:

• Motor Vehicle Safety

• Fire and Burn Prevention

• Choking, Suffocation, and Strangulation Prevention

• Poisoning Prevention

• Falls Prevention

• Firearms Injury Prevention

• Bike and Pedestrian Safety

• Water Safety

These topics are presented as assembly throughout the year at each of our four elementary schools under the direction of nurses from Advocate Condell Medical Center, Libertyville Fire Department firefighters, and Libertyville Police Department officers.

Dear D70 - Where do I find the district calendar?

• The districtwide and school calendars are all posted on our website at d70schools.org by clicking on Our District to Calendars. Instructions on how to merge the D70 calendars into your personal calendar can be found at the top of the calendar page.
• Did you know if you click on an event on the calendar, you will get more information on the event? Sometimes the details of an event will tell you the time, place, and where the event will be held - all information that is too much to list in the title of an event on the calendar.
  

Dear D70 - Where can I find newsletters and letters?

• Newsletter and letters can be found under the department of Communications and then go to and click 2022-23 Letters, Newsletters.

Dear D70 - Where can I find the School Report Cards?

• School Report Cards can be found under Academics and/or Teaching & Learning. Or use the magnifying glass and search for "School Report Card."

D70 staff members participated in "Run, Hide, Fight" training with the Libertyville Police Dept. this week during a Teacher Institute Day focused on safety.

Officer Brian Yarc talked to staff about the options they have when faced with a threat at a school. Tips were shared in helping staff determine how to make the right choice. Officer Yarc is expected to visit all the schools to assist in safety planning and share his knowledge about what to do in emergencies.

During Institute Day, when teachers work on professional development while students are not in attendance, staff also reviewed their emergency plans for their school. Libertyville Fire Dept. Lt. Christopher Adams trained the staff in "Stop the Bleed" and basic first aid.

Clinical Psychologist Dr. Doug Bolton also delivered an amazing presentation on resiliency and post-traumatic growth. Staff was invited to participate in an optional meditation, mindfulness, and movement session with Erin Murphy after the official institute day was complete. Erin owns Black Cat Yoga and is one of our business partners in Partners for Excellence in Education.