Leyden Pride
August 8, 2022
Important Dates
Aug 8 - New Eagle Experience (freshmen and transfer students)
Aug 9 - Materials Pick-Up (sophomore, juniors, seniors)
Aug 10 - Materials Pick-Up (sophomore, juniors, seniors)
Aug 15 - First day of school
- Freshman - 7:30 a.m. Advisory
- All other students - 9:50 a.m.
Sept 5 - No School, Labor Day
Sept 6 - Open House
Communication resources and expectations
At Leyden, we understand each individual has their own preferred ways of getting important information, and to that end, we strive to offer numerous methods to connect families with our school and provide information that is timely and useful in supporting students’ education such as:
Leyden Pride Weekly Newsletter - Every Monday afternoon, families can expect to receive this newsletter by email which includes upcoming events, news, announcements, feature stories and community news. If it’s informational, it will be offered here. If there is an action-required, it will be offered in this newsletter and also as a specific email to families.
Social Media - We post stories of interest on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and produce high-quality videos that are shared on YouTube. Find us @LeydenPride and utilize the hostage #LeydenPride as well for event reminders, stories, shout-outs, photos and activities.
Website - A district-wide website provides information about academics, activities, athletics and offers specific sections for students and parents. In the upper right, please note the “translation” options which provide text in dozens of languages. Additional items to locate and bookmark:
Publications (The weekly Leyden Pride is archived here!)
Slides (featuring events and announcements)
Translations - The Leyden website offers translations in many languages by clicking in the top right corner. All social media is available for translation in the user settings. Many of our videos are translated, and auto-translate is a permanent feature on YouTube, accessible in the settings options. Direct letters and emails are translated into Spanish and Polish, in all except the most urgent situations.
Crisis Communications - The safety and security of our students and staff is our top priority. If an urgent situation arises, our first action is to secure the human beings in our buildings and get them each to safety. Quickly following, families can expect to receive information by phone, text, and email as appropriate. Please ensure contact information is up-to-date in our systems if a family relocates or changes phone numbers or emails.
Please email us directly at PR@Leyden212.org if you have any suggestions that might help us improve our communication efforts.
New Eagle Experience: Monday, Aug 8
(For incoming freshmen and transfer students and families)
For students:
1 - 6 p.m. (Mandatory)
For families:
Family BBQ Dinner, 6 p.m.
Family night Program, 6:30 - 8:30 p.m.
These events provide an opportunity to connect with the Leyden community and prepare for the start of the school year. We kindly request freshmen and transfer students and their families only.
Fall athletic information
Calling all student-athletes! Fall sports start this week! There are many opportunities including cross country, football, golf, soccer (boys') swimming and diving (girls') tennis (girls') and volleyball (girls'). Students who are interested in playing a fall sport must register before the first day of practice and have a current physical on file in the athletic office.
For a full list of sports, tryout information, registration and schedules, please review:
Link: Fall Practice Starting Dates
Go Eagles!
COVID cases rising
With COVID cases rising across the country and specifically in our communities, we ask that students please stay home if experiencing any symptoms of sickness. This is crucial to the safety and health of our school community. If a student does test positive for COVID, they are to remain home for five days, and are encouraged to wear a mask for an additional five days upon their return to school.
Welcome to new West Principal Arturo Senteno
Leyden Pride Pavers for sale
$25 discount extended through August
Leyden announces the inaugural sale of Leyden Pride Pavers to commemorate the new concession stand at the stadium. This is a great opportunity to pay a tribute to teachers, coaches, teams, families and students, celebrate a milestone such as graduation, or memorialize a loved one. As Leyden approaches its 100 anniversary in 2024, the Leyden Pride Pavers are a great way for our school community to be a part of the tradition!
For more information and to order a paver, please visit www.leyden212.org/pavers and fill out the purchase form.
Leyden welcomes new teachers
Leyden welcomes several new teachers to the 2022-23 school year. These new teachers have degrees from all over Illinois and beyond, including Loyola University, Northeastern Illinois University, and University of Illinois Champaign.
Our new staff include:
East Leyden:
Emma Holli-Murphy - Science
Ilija Sisarica - ELL/Bilingual
Bear Timmer - Business Education
West Leyden:
Julio Alvarez - English
Laura Casey - Special Education
Robert Daniels - Special Education
Michelle Knight - Special Education
Krystle Kozin - Special Education
Claudia Matz - Modern Languages
Kelsey Nasset - Family & Consumer Sciences
Henry Rothenburg - Science
Olivia Ruffatto - Science
Dimitrios Sereleas - Special Education
Angela Waddell - Student Services
East/West Leyden:
Selena Barrera - Special Education
Kara Kirkus - Modern Languages
Teslen Sadowski - English/Drama
Christina Schmidt - ELL/Bilingual
Michael Vaschur - Music
Record number of Leyden students earn roles in the Illinois High School Theater Festival
The Illinois High School Theater Festival has selected six of Leyden’s students to be a part of All-State Shrek, the Musical 2023 production!
These students either auditioned for a role or interviewed to be a member of the crew, against the top theatre students in Illinois to be selected to be a part of this production. This is the largest number of Leyden students in history to ever be in this theater festival’s production.
"Of the 120 students both onstage and backstage to be selected for the state theater show, there are six Leyden students, the most we have ever qualified in the same year," said Leyden's theater director Frank Bavone. "I think the reason for that, is that these students have been through such adversity over the past few years, and have worked hard to succeed - we debuted a world premiere that was two years in the making due to COVID! They pursued their passion to be involved in theater, when theater wasn't easy."
The students selected to be part of the production are:
West Leyden: Armani Gennell (Senior) - Pig 1, Daniel Moshi (Senior) - Pig 2, Rodolfo Torres (Senior) - Tech Crew
East Leyden: Julia Aragon (Junior) - Dulocian/Tap Dancer, Athiana Moran (Senior) - Tweedle Dum, Chloe Kovacevich (Junior) - Tech Crew
One of our new teachers, Teslen Sadowski, will also be a part of the production team, as Assistant Light Designer!
The production will be held at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, January 12-14. Congratulations to our Leyden actors and production students!
Summer English Learners (EL) class takes Art field trip
On June 24, Leyden’s Bilingual English Language Learner (ELL) summer classes took a trip to the National Museum of Mexican Art. Led by teachers Areli Diaz and Teresa Haworth, the students were able to see textiles, paintings and sculptures done by incredible brown artists. This museum houses work from Josephina Aguilar, Carlos Almaraz, and even an entire Frida Khalo exhibit.
Leyden awarded environmental grant
Leyden received a total of $20,800 in grant funds to install solar energy panels. Each campus received $6,400 from the Illinois Clean Energy Foundation, as well as an additional $4,000 from Cook County Solar School Grant. These funds covered the total installed cost of the solar arrays and established a 10-year maintenance fund to keep these panels running for years to come.
Each Leyden campus received three commercial grade solar panels and each array of panels produces 1.4 kWh of electricity. While this is a small amount of electricity compared to what we consume as a district, the intent is to expose students to this technology and concepts around sustainability.
Students will be able to track live data from each panel, learn about solar photovoltaic technology, and physically engage with the arrays.
Leyden video series wins national recognition
On June 17, NSPRA (The National School Public Relations Association) awarded Leyden’s own Karen Geddeis, Brandon Delgado and Dominik Skorynko with the 2022 NSPRA Golden Achievement on the submission of the Youtube Series: One Amazing Story.
Each month, this Youtube Series highlights a Leyden student/faculty story that inspires and shows the passion of the Leyden community.
In the News
*Subscriptions may be required for some articles
Education Theatre Association Names 15 Award Winners (Retired Leyden Staff Member, Vic Pilolla)
Leyden Dist. 212 Flips Switch On ‘Solar Celebrations’
Four 16th District Public Schools Receive Renewable Energy Education Initiative Funding
In the Community
New family health clinic opens
Greater Family Health recently opened at 10225 W. Grand Avenue in Franklin Park, and provides affordable, high-quality healthcare to all residents in the community. This facility will provide care that specifically assists our Leyden families, such as well-child care, sick care, school immunizations, school and sports physicals, disease management and laboratory services and testing. They offer translations, sliding fees and discounts, transportation, and welcome both insured and uninsured families.
The location will be open Mondays - Thursdays, 8:00 a.m. - 7:30 p.m., and Fridays and Saturdays, 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Appointments can be scheduled by calling 844-599-3700 or online at https://greaterfamilyhealth.org/request-an-appointment/. Walk-ins are always welcome.
Connect with us:
Email: pr@leyden212.org
Website: www.leyden212.org
Location: 3400 Rose Street, Franklin Park, IL, USA
Phone: 847-451-3000
Facebook: facebook.com/leydenpride212
Twitter: @leydenpride212