Superintendent Weekly Update
Antioch CCSD 34 - September 30, 2022
FROM THE DESK OF THE SUPERINTENDENT
I want to send a big thank you to Village Trustee Mary Dominiak, Antioch Police Chief Guttschow, and Lake Villa Police Chief Tisinai for attending our last board meeting and partnering with our schools. We are blessed to have these amazing partners who care deeply about our students and are committed to improving our schools and our community!
I hope that you find some interesting and helpful information in this newsletter. You will notice a new section titled Staff Feature. Each week we will feature a staff member giving you an opportunity to learn a little bit more about the people who are committed to making your child's school experience the best experience in the best school district in Illinois!
I also encourage you to look at our Safety Night Flyer and the bios of a couple of our breakout speakers. Our district safety leaders, Vasiliki Frake and Maria Treto-French, will be giving a presentation on our district wide ALICE training and overall safety improvements as we continually work to make our schools as safe as possible. Speaking of partners, you will also notice that one of the breakout sessions features members from our Lake Villa and Antioch Police Departments who will talk about safety initiatives in their departments in relation to school safety and give valuable advice - you won't want to miss the evening packed full of valuable safety information!
STAFF FEATURE
Antioch CCSD 34 is staffed with many amazing people from a variety of backgrounds who work with, care for, and our devoted to making our schools a magical place for our students. Each week we will feature a staff member to give you a chance to learn more about these special people.
JULIE HIGGINBOTHAM
OAKLAND ELEMENTARY SCHOOL - 5TH GRADE TEACHER
Student Council Sponsor
Diversity Club Sponsor
About Me
I am a resident of Lindenhurst and live with my husband, David. My daughter Madison has “flown the coop” and is now an OR nurse in SC. During the summer, I reside in the NC mountains which enables me to do some of my favorite activities like reading, gardening, hiking, and traveling to see family.
Experience
This is my 22nd year teaching at Oakland Elementary but my 30th year teaching children from preschool to upper elementary. At Oakland, my experience resides in teaching science lab and 5th grade! Teaching and learning is the best!
Why I Am A Teacher:
During my college years, I never dreamed my path would take me to teaching. I always felt I would be in the medical field, but during my junior year of college, I started working in a preschool classroom. I realized I needed to change the pathway to my future. I called my dad and told him my plan and he was like, “What? You never even wanted to babysit growing up!” But, as my education continued, my parents and I realized this was the path meant for me. Teaching young minds, even at the preschool level, was engaging and watching the child “light up” as they explored and learned more about their world made me more determined to be creative, and to create lessons that engaged students completely. Now, 30 years later, I still love influencing young minds. I look forward each day to greeting my students, building relationships, and challenging them to persevere through struggles as they grow and learn.
Degrees Earned:
Bachelor of Science in Child Development and Family Relations
Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education
Masters of Science in Educational Leadership
Aurora University: Endorsement for Gifted Education
COMMUNITY SAFETY NIGHT - OCTOBER 3!
LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES
Hillcrest Gardens
Students from the Structured Learning Program classes and Miss Gerdes' 3rd grade class helped plant and water the flowers. It was a fabulous opportunity for students to gather knowledge on how to plant a garden, as well as learn what plants need to survive. These transformed gardens will undoubtedly enrich the STEM classes with the valuable lessons of pollination, seed dispersal, and bee life cycles.
GIVING THANKS
October is National Physical Therapy (PT) Month
Our PT has the overarching goal of ensuring that all of our students are safe and as independent as possible as they move around our schools and access their education.
Thank you, Amanda! Your hard work and dedication to helping our students should be celebrated all year long. Your contributions to our teams, and your commitment to your students and families does not go unnoticed.
Happy National PT Month!
Custodian Appreciation Day - October 2
How do we even start to say "Thank You", each and every day we know that we will have a school environment that is clean and safe for our students and staff. You help keep our schools running, it sure takes a village to cleanup after over 3,000 people that walk our buildings on a daily basis especially now. You may feel at times that your dedication goes unseen, please know that we couldn't do it without you. You are port of the unsung heroes that walk the halls every day making sure our students have a safe space where they can learn and grow. Custodians are responsible for more than just sweeping floors, wiping tables, and hitting the lights at the end of the day. They are a schools' first line of defense against viruses (like COVID-19), harmful bacteria, and disease. In providing a clean and safe environment, custodians help enhance the physical well-being of all students. we are grateful to have you as part of the team!
District-Wide
- Monday, October 3 - School-Family Safety Night at AUGS at 6:30 p.m.
- Friday, October 7 - NO SCHOOL, Staff In-Service
- Monday, October 10 - NO SCHOOL, Indigenous Peoples' Day
Hillcrest Elementary School
- Friday, October 14, Boosters Club Halloween Bash
Antioch Upper Grade School
- Thursday, October 6, 8th Grade PSAT Testing with D117 High School Staff at AUGS Gym
- Wednesday, October 19 - 21, Camp Timber Lee
Help Wanted
Our open positions can be found on our website under Department/Human Resources/Employment/View our open positions or by clicking here.
Amy Mahr
Director of Human Resources
AMahr@antioch34.com
847-838-8457
Newsletter Topic Suggesitions
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Past Weekly Updates
For those of you who are new to my newsletter, you can find past newsletters on our website by clicking on this link.
Administrative Services Center
Email: info@antioch34.com
Website: www.antioch34.com
Location: 964 Spafford Street, Antioch, IL, USA
Phone: 847-838-8401