The Communicator
Crystal Lake Elementary District 47 Newsletter - Winter 2020
IN THIS ISSUE
Superintendent's Message
Important Dates
District Highlights
Financial Update
Operations Update
Board of Education Update
Connect with Us!
SUPERINTENDENT'S MESSAGE
Last fall, District 47 established a cell phone committee made up of school administrators, teachers, parents, school psychologists and social workers. The committee was assembled in response to concerns expressed by D47 board members about the detrimental effects of screen time on our youth and the potential negative impact of cell phones on the learning environment.
The committee began by conducting research about student cell phone use and screen time and their effects on students’ overall mental health and well-being. Group discussions then centered on the pros and cons of allowing students to access cell phones during the instructional day. After several meetings, several key points emerged:
D47’s current cell phone procedure is not being implemented consistently within our schools.
Students do not need their cell phones for academic reasons during the school day as they have access to electronic devices (Chromebooks or iPads).
School administrators spend an increasing amount of time investigating issues related to bullying, harassment or threats made via cell phone by students.
Like other schools, District 47 is seeing in increase in the number of students dealing with stress, anxiety and depression.
Administrators and teachers alike are concerned about the negative impact of cell phones in school and the distraction it can cause for both students and educators.
In light of these findings, the district decided in January to strictly enforce our current student cell phone procedure as outlined in the student handbook. The procedure states that, at middle schools, students are allowed to carry a cell phone with them but it must be turned off; at elementary schools, students may bring a cell phone or smartwatch to school, but it must remain turned off and in the student’s locker.
To help the committee make informed decisions moving forward, we launched a survey in December/January for middle school students, staff and parents and the committee will be reviewing this feedback.
In closing, we invite you to do your own research on the impact of screen time and student use of cell phones at school. On Tuesdays, we post a “Tech Tuesday” column on the district’s social media channels (Facebook, Instagram and Twitter). In addition, there are some links below to related articles, including one about a school district in California that banned student cell phones earlier this year.
As we move forward, we will continue to prepare our students for the digital world, incorporating technology in the classroom to enhance instruction, and look forward to partnering with you -- our parents/guardians -- to help us model and teach appropriate and responsible use of technology. We hope you were able to attend our recent Parent University event which addressed this very topic. You can find the presentation posted on our website at www.d47.org/parentuniversity.
Sincerely,
Dr. Kathy J. Hinz
Superintendent
Articles:
Wait Until 8th Blog Post: You Are Not Getting a Phone
San Mateo High School Goes Phone Free
IMPORTANT DATES
February 2020
2/12 - Kindergarten walk-in registration (9am, 1pm, 5pm), CORE Center
2/13 - Kindergarten walk-in registration (9am, 1pm, 5pm), CORE Center
2/14 - Early Release Day
2/17 - President's Day; NO SCHOOL
2/18 - Board of Education meeting, 7pm, CORE Center
2/19 - Kindergarten Dual Language Meeting, 6pm, CORE Center
2/26 - Early Release Day
2/28 - End Trimester 2 (grades K-5) and Term 4 (grades 6-8)
March 2020
3/7 - Wehde Auction and Fun Fair (11am-2pm)
3/14 - Sodexo Future Chefs Competition at HBMS (10am)
3/16 - Board of Education meeting, 7pm, CORE Center
3/23 - 3/27 - Spring Break
3/30 - Classes resume after Spring BreakApril 2020
4/10- NO SCHOOL
4/16 - End of Term 5 (grades 6-8)
4/17 - Teacher Institute Day; NO SCHOOL
4/17 - D47 Student Art Show, 6pm-9pm, The Dole
4/20 - Board Meeting, 7pm, CORE Center
4/22 - Early Release Day
4/23 - 6th Grade Parent Panel, Hannah Beardsley Middle School
4/23 - Open House (Indian Prairie)
4/30 - D47 Spring Parent University, Hannah Beardsley Middle School
4/30 - Open House (Canterbury)
May 2019
5/6 - Open House (Hannah Beardsley, Lundahl, Bernotas, Wehde)
5/7 - Open House (Coventry, Husmann, North, South, West, Woods Creek)
5/14 - Open House (Glacier Ridge)
5/18 - Board of Education meeting, 7pm, CORE Center
5/20 - Early Release Day
5/25 - Memorial Day; no school
5/28 - Last day of school for grades 1-8 (if no snow/emergency days used)
5/28 - End Trimester 3 (grades K-5) and Term 6 (grades 6-8)
June 2019
6/15 - Board of Education meeting, 7pm, CORE Center
Click link for access to the complete 2019-20 school calendar.
DISTRICT HIGHLIGHTS
2020-2021 Kindergarten Registration
Kindergarten registration for the 2020-2021 school year is currently available online. Walk-in registration will also take place February 12-13, 2020 at the District’s CORE Center, 300 Commerce Drive in Crystal Lake. Click here for details.
Dual Language Meetings for Incoming Kindergarten Parents
District 47 has offered four Informational meetings about District 47's Dual Language program for incoming kindergarten families. Meetings were held February 4th, 6th, and 10th. The last meeting will be held February 19th at 6pm (English) and 7:15pm (Spanish) at the district's CORE Center, 300 Commerce Drive in Crystal Lake. For more information about the Dual Language program, visit the District 47 website.
2020-2021 Early Childhood Registration
Husmann Enters the Follett Challenge
Earlier this year, Husmann Elementary School entered the Follett Challenge, a program created by Follett to find and reward schools for their work applying technology, content and creativity in ways that engage students, foster literacy and promote critical thinking. As part of the competition, Husmann created a short video highlighting environmental change initiated at their school by their student-led EnviroTech club. Viewers were asked to cast their vote for Husmann’s video in January; 20 percent of a school’s final score is based on the number of votes their video received. Follett will announce the grant winners in March. Winners will receive $5,000-$30,000.
Lundahl Seventh Grader Wins National PSA Contest
Lundahl seventh grader Colleen McSweeney has been selected as the middle school winner for a national Protect Your Eyes PSA contest. The contest, open to students in grades 6-12, is hosted by ThinkAboutYourEyes.com and supported by The Vision Council and WeAreTeachers.com.
McSweeney’s PSA was submitted by 7th grade science teacher Amanda Stone as part of a class assignment during XLT (extended learning time). Approximately 125 entries were submitted and two winners (one from middle school and one from high school) were selected. Each winner will receive a college scholarship of $1,500 and have their winning PSAs made into a video for The Vision Council. The videos will be posted on the council’s website and on social media. To learn more, click here.
Hannah Beardsley Teacher Renews National Board Certification
Patricia MacNally, 8th grade language arts teacher at Hannah Beardsley Middle School, was recently recognized by the National Board Certification for Professional Teaching Standards for renewing her National Board Certification. MacNally is one of only a handful of District 47 teachers to achieve this prestigious recognition.
According to its website, National Board Certification was designed to develop, retain and recognize accomplished teachers and to generate ongoing improvement in schools nationwide. It is the most respected professional certification available in K-12 education. MacNally was one of only 175 educators in Illinois to receive National Board Certification in 2019. Click here to read more.
Bernotas Student Wins National Scholastic Writing Contest
Molly Sterzik, a sixth grader from Bernotas Middle School, was among five students nationwide to win a September 2019 SCOPE expository writing contest. "SCOPE" is a middle school language arts magazine published electronically and in print by Scholastic.
Sterzik's essay was one of 232 submitted by middle school students across the United States. Sterzik entered the contest as a student in Ms. Lancaster’s English Language Arts class. Students read the September "SCOPE" cover story called “My Life As a Refugee” about a 15-year-old Somali refugee named Bilan, who fled with her family to a refugee camp in Ethiopia. The essay called for students to write about the challenges Bilan faced and what is being done to help refugees like her. Click here to read more.
District 47 Schools Collect 9,823 Pounds of Food for the Crystal Lake Food Pantry
Woods Creek's student council ("Stu Cru") led their school's successful food drive in February
South Elementary School Launches "One School, One Book" Project
Hannah Beardsley Educator Recognized by Local VFW
Eighth grade social studies teacher Chandra Kwayzer was presented with the Smart/Maher Veteran of Foreign Wars National Citizen Education Teacher award on January 11 at the annual VFW Voice of Democracy/Patriots Pen Scholarship Awards dinner in Antioch. Kwayzer was recognized at both the local and district level in the national contest.
The Smart/Maher National Citizenship Education Teacher Award recognizes educators who stimulate student interest in America’s history, traditions, Americanism, and civic responsibility. Kwayzer’s nomination focused on her outstanding efforts to instill a sense of citizenship in her students through engaging history lessons as well as her enthusiastic leadership with the Hannah Beardsley Student Council and school musical productions.
Kwayzer received $100 and a certificate of recognition for the local award and $75 and a trophy for the district award.
“I am excited and humbled to be nominated for this award,” she said. “I appreciate the opportunity to highlight what our students are learning and how they are applying it to their daily lives.”
Spring 2020 Parent University - SAVE THE DATE!
District 47's 100th Anniversary
Tech Tips for Parents
Looking for help managing technology use at home? Check out Project B3 and the Internet Safety Guide for Parents on the District 47 website. Here parents will find an overview of the District’s Project B3 digital citizenship program as well as tips and resources for managing technology at home. Parents can also follow District 47 on Facebook (@d47schools) to check out the "Tech Tips" column on Tuesdays.
School Closing Information
District 47 2019 Annual Report
The District 47 2019 Annual Report has published. Click the image at right to catch some highlights from last year. We are proud of the great things happening in D47 and we're excited to share our news with the Crystal Lake community!
2018-2019 Illinois School Report Cards
FINANCIAL UPDATE
2019-20 Budget
On September 16, 2019, the District 47 Board of Education passed the 2019-20 budget. Click here to review this budget on the District’s website. Within this budget, the Board approved the Coventry renovation project, continued life safety work, and the continuation of strategic planning initiatives. All debt (2010 Build America bonds, 2018 and 2019 debt certificates) will be paid from the District’s operating funds, eliminating the need for property tax levied previously for the debt service fund.
While the majority of the D47 budget (approximately 80%) comes from local revenue sources, the District continuously looks for grant opportunities to fund initiatives as well as ways to streamline federal money that is provided to the District.
Tax Levy
After a public hearing at the District 47 Board of Education meeting on December 16, 2019, the Board voted 7-0 to adopt the 2019 tax levy. The requested aggregate amount of total property taxes to be levied for 2019 is $75.8 million. This reflects a 3.73 percent rate increase based on last year’s extended tax levy. Over the past five years, the tax rate has decreased from $4.39 (2014) to an estimated $3.83 (2019). For more information about the 2019 tax levy, visit the District 47 website.
OPERATIONS UPDATE
Coventry Elementary School Renovation
Coventry Renovation
This year, Coventry students and staff in grades 1-5 have been relocated to on-site mobile classroom units while the original school building undergoes a major renovation. The renovation is the result of a 2016 Health/Life Safety inspection, which showed a need to reconstruct the interior walls and ceilings of the original school, built in 1966.
Much progress has been made over the past eight months and the interior of the school has now been reconfigured. Current projects include drywalling and taping classrooms/common areas and tiling bathroom walls and replacing the existing HVAC units with more energy efficient HVAC units throughout. Over the next several months, lockers and cabinetry will be installed, plumbing will be finished, flooring and carpet will be laid, and doors, hardware and skylights will be installed.
While most of the work being done is inside the original school building, a new addition is being constructed, which will serve as the school’s new library media center. Air conditioning/heating units are also being removed from the roof and will be replaced with lighter, more energy-efficient units.
The majority of the renovation work will be completed by early June. Over the summer, updates will be made to the existing wing of the school (built in 2000), and additional site work will be completed.
Coventry staff, students and families refer to the renovation/mobile classroom adventure this year as “Camp Coventry” and they invite the community to follow them on social media (Facebook/Twitter: CoventryD47) for future renovation updates.
Other Summer 2020 Projects
Other tentative planned required Health/Life Safety projects for summer 2020 are primarily related to interior wall and door enhancement projects throughout the district. These projects, prioritized by the District’s architect based on immediacy, are estimated at $3.4 million. In addition to Health/Life Safety projects, other tentative summer 2020 projects include flooring replacement projects, locker replacement projects, painting projects, paving maintenance and other miscellaneous work to improve and maintain our facilities. All related required bids will be presented to the Board of Education for approval per Board policy.
BOARD OF EDUCATION UPDATE
District 47 Board of Education (back row, from left): Emily Smith, Dr. Betsy Les (vice president), Rob Fetzner (president), Jonathan Powell, and Ryan Farrell. Front row: Curt Wadlington and John Pellikan
Board meeting agendas and minutes can be found at the links below:
For board meeting dates and times, visit the D47 website.