PARENT 411 11.29.22

In the last edition of the 411, I shared with you the ongoing work that the administration is undertaking in light of our recent MAP scores and recent state report card. Our entire District team of administrators, faculty, and staff are addressing the opportunities at hand and executing a plan together and I believe that the people that we have in place are the right, highly-qualified, and dedicated educators for this work. We are looking forward to this continued journey. Purposeful change and improvement excite us because, at our core, they are what we do best as educators.

Since My Last Update

• Our Instructional Leadership Team (ILT) studied the data and gathered more information to define our opportunities correctly and determine a focus on:
• 6-8 Math
• K-8 Reading
• Instructional Coaching
• Each school building's faculty and staff met separately to discuss immediate and long-term steps to address the opportunities and expectations that myself and our ILT identified
• I spoke about our District plan and next steps at the November 15 Board of Education Meeting

In the Coming Weeks

• All principals are putting building-specific plans in place under direction from the Vail Kieser, Director of Teaching and Learning
• As assessment update will be provided to the Board of Education at the regular meeting on December 13
• We will continue to update our District 67 families about our ongoing work through regular communications

Following up on Let's Talk: Teaching and Learning

The District hosted a Let's Talk: Teaching and Learning on November 3 to discuss the implementation strategies and changes purposefully underway that are aimed at improving and delivering on specific shared goals and to answer parent/guardian questions. We received many questions that we did not have time to answer but would like to share those with you.

Matthew L. Montgomery, Ph.D

Superintendent

This is a month of Thanksgiving and the Spirit of 67 Foundation is thankful

• For all of our school family of donors and sponsors that generously support us through the year,

• For all of the employers that match donations (does yours?),

• For everyone who thinks of creative ways to enhance education and writes a grant request,

• For the teachers and administrators who help implement the grants

• For our Spirit of 67 Board that works tirelessly all year long for our students and especially

• for our students who learn, grow and shine best when they are enjoying the grants in their classrooms.

Tuesday, November 29th is Giving Tuesday. Please talk to your families about the work the Spirit of 67 does for your children’s education. What a wonderful holiday gift it could be to make a donation in your student’s honor! www.spiritof67foundation.org

Join the Lake Forest and Lake Bluff Police Departments and the District 65, 67, and 115 Parent Organizations for a new event series to educate parents and adult community members about important safety topics.

SAVE THE DATE: Our next presentation will be held January 17, 7:00 - 8:30 PM in the DPM Gym, 95 W. Deerpath Rd., Lake Forest. The topic is Internet Safety for Parents. The Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force is dedicated to developing responses to online enticement of children. Learn how you can help in your home.

• Agenda will be posted prior to the meeting on the District 67 Board of Education website.
  
• Livestream Link
  

• Agenda

• Recording of Meeting
• Board President's Report
• Superintendent's Report

• School Spotlight: Everett Elementary School - Watch Below!

The District has contracted with Champions since 2012 to provide after school care for families across District 67. After a decade with the same partner, it is important for the District to send an invitation to bid to see if there are any other service providers that best meet the needs of all involved. This is a normal procedure for the District, and does not imply any dissatisfaction with Champions and in fact, Champions will also be invited to submit another bid. Should any change in provider occur, this would not take effect until fall of 2023 and the current program will not be altered in any way for the remainder of the 22-23 school year.

In Case You Miss It?

On Monday, November 14, the District hosted a forum in-person and online for our community to learn more about a possible April 2023 referendum to address the highest priority LFHS facility needs. Watch the video above to catch up on the content of the forum!

We Value Your Input!

Please submit your questions and feedback using this link so that we can hear from you!

Where Can You Learn More?

Visit the District website for more information about the Capital Facilities Plan. You will find a FAQ document on the website that will be updated regularly as the District addresses questions related to this process.

Did you know that District 67 offers Lake Forest residents with children ages 3-5 years an exemplary early childhood experience in the Community of Learners Early Childhood Program? The purpose of the program is to optimize the potential of each child through nurturing individual student growth in an integrated preschool setting?

Please save the date for a Parent Early Childhood Information Session on Wednesday, January 11 from 9:30 - 10:30 AM at Sheridan Elementary School, 1360 N. Sheridan Rd., Lake Forest. Parents/guardians will learn more about the program and have the opportunity to visit the classroom to see the program in action.

Visit the Community of Learners webpage for more information and to enroll!

DPM students will have the chance to purchase a cookie with a decorating kit or participate in a decorating station, complete with festive frostings & sprinkles on Friday, December 2!

Click here to learn more about these programs.

Sunday, December 4 in the LFHS RMA

• 3:00 PM: Band and Orchestra Concert
• 4:45-6:45 PM: Spaghetti Dinner
• 7:00 PM: Choir Concert
  
  

Tickets are on sale NOW! Purchase online now until Thursday, Dec. 1 through our website https://lfhsapplause.org/spaghetti-dinner/.

• Adult Dinner & Concert: $25 / $30 at the door
• Child Dinner & Concert: $20
• LFHS Music Student Dinner: $15
• Concert Only: $10 / $15 at the door
  

The online Silent Auction includes a 2023-24 parking spot, Graduation packages with reserved seating/parking, Prom packages, art from local artist René Romero Schuler and more!
LINK: www.lfhsapplause.org. Online auction bidding ends Thursday, Dec. 15, 8:00 PM. ANYONE can bid on the auction items. The winner should be local, as we will not ship physical items.

Raffle tickets may be purchased in person during the event. Raffle items include: a year of coffee at the LFHS Grind, a gift basket from Forest Orthodontics ($600 value), Racquet Club of LB gift basket ($200 value), local artist Mark McMahon poster and more!