Dear Westbrook Families,

This year all students in grades 4 through 12 and teachers across Illinois will have an opportunity to participate in the seventh annual statewide Illinois 5Essentials Survey. This survey is designed to generate a detailed picture of the inner workings of your child’s school. As a parent, this opportunity will allow you to share your thoughts on the important elements of school effectiveness in a survey about your child’s school.

On behalf of the Illinois State Board of Education, the Illinois 5Essentials Survey will be administered online by UChicago Impact at the University of Chicago. The survey gathers data related to five indicators that can predict important student outcomes, including improved attendance and larger test score gains. These five indicators that affect and predict school success are:

· Effective Leaders

· Collaborative Teachers

· Involved Families

· Supportive Environments

· Ambitious Instruction

Prior research in more than 400 schools has shown that schools that were strong on at least three of these “5Essential” indicators were 10 times more likely to improve student learning gains in math and reading than those that were weak on three or more Essentials.

All teachers and 4th- through 8th-grade students will be responding to this survey. 5Essentials Reports will be generated for schools if their teachers and/or students meet the response rate threshold of 50 percent. Once complete, these reports will be sent to schools and districts and will be included in the State School Report Card.

Additionally, our district has chosen to provide the optional Parent Supplement survey. If at least 20 percent of District 57 Parents/Guardians complete this survey, a parent supplement report will also be generated. The parent data will not be reported on the State Report Card.

Your participation in the parent portion of the survey will help us understand the conditions at your child’s school and guide improvement. Your identity and survey responses will be kept completely confidential and will never be connected to you or your child.

The Illinois 5Essentials Survey for students and teachers will be conducted between now and March 31st. The Parent Survey Supplement will be conducted between now and March 31st.

To take the survey please visit https://survey.5-essentials.org/Illinois/ and select the appropriate survey to begin.

For more information about the Illinois 5Essentials Survey, or to view previous years’ reports, please visit https://www.5-essentials.org/illinois. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact 5Essentials Client Services at 1-866-440-1874 or 5essentials@uchicago.edu.

For your children,

Danielle Crandall

STREP INFECTIONS ON THE RISE

IDPH and the CDC are observing an increase in strep throat -- specifically invasive group A streptococcus (iGAS) -- infections among children. Early recognition, diagnosis, and appropriate treatment of these diseases in children and adults is very important.

The following steps can prevent the spread of strep throat:

• Wash your hands frequently with soap and water

• Avoid sharing eating utensils with someone who is sick with strep throat

• Cover your mouth when you cough or sneeze

• Stay home when you are sick

• See the doctor when experiencing symptoms so you can be tested and treated

Symptoms of Strep:

• Sore throat that can start very quickly and cause severe pain when swallowing
• Fever
• Red and swollen tonsils, sometimes with white patches or streaks of pus
• Tiny red spots on the roof of the mouth
• Swollen lymph nodes in the front of the neck
• Headache, nausea, vomiting, or stomach pain.

Julie Tworek, RN

847-394-7340 ext 2005

Westbrook teachers and staff work hard to support students and staff daily. We invite you to complete the google form if you would like to recognize a staff member or team for their hard work and dedication. We will pass on the good news to them. Thank you in advance for sending an encouraging word, as we know it will mean so much to them.