December 6, 2018

The next SIP Day is Friday, December 21. Students in grades 1-8 will have early dismissal at 11:30 a.m. to allow time for District staff to work on school improvement activities. Please note that half-day students (Early Childhood Special Education, Pre-K, and Kindergarten) do not attend school on SIP days. For the full list of 2018-19 SIP days, Click Here.

Winter Break officially begins on Monday, December 24 and school will resume on Monday, January 7.

District 41 relies on parent feedback when planning for the future. Please share your thoughts through the annual 5Essentials survey. Click Here to take the survey!

Each school needs 20 percent of parents to participate in order to receive a results report. Here are the response rates for each school to date:

Abraham Lincoln - 15 percent

Benjamin Franklin - 9 percent

Churchill - 11 percent

Forest Glen - 13 percent

Hadley - 10 percent

Thank you to all who already took the time to complete the survey!

Hadley 8th grade students were surprised to hear the personal story of someone they see everyday. During a Problem-Based Learning Unit about raising awareness to help "invisible" groups in society, Hadley custodian Elvis Sejko spoke to students about his life in Albania and his journey to America. Thank you for connecting with the students, Elvis!

As part of a Problem-Based Learning Inquiry unit, Hadley 8th graders are researching the question: “How do journalists report the real story in order to inform and inspire action for everyday citizens?.” To help them, students met with Jake Griffin, the Assistant Managing Editor for watchdog investigative reporting at the Daily Herald. Mr. Griffin shared insights about how he chooses topics, the importance of backing his articles with data and evidence, and shared examples of stories he has written. Mr. Griffin will continue partnering with the students as they begin their own investigative processes. Thank you to Jake Griffin and the Daily Herald!

Get in the holiday spirit by attending one of the upcoming winter orchestra concerts. No tickets required!

5th Grade Beginning Orchestras Concert - Forest Glen & Churchill

Wednesday, December 12, 7:30pm - at Ben Franklin Gym

5th Grade Beginning Orchestras Concert - Lincoln & Ben Franklin

Thursday, December 13, 7:30pm - at Ben Franklin Gym