Superintendent's Corner
August 27th, 2023
Welcome Back - Why is it so hot?
It has been exciting to be back in full swing and we are grateful for everyone's patience with the heat and having to cancel school at Avoca West on Thursday, August 24th.
Many have asked how it could be that we do not have air conditioning at Avoca West - it's 2023 after all.
There are still some schools in the township that do not have air conditioning. But we are the last district without the current ability to remedy this. Wilmette District 39 schools have installed air conditioning in all of its schools and are just waiting for transformers to arrive before they can turn on the air conditioning. And Winnetka District 36 just passed a referendum to fund the installation of air conditioning in its schools that do no have it.
Of course, addressing the shortcomings of aging buildings is about much more than air conditioning. Please take the time to read the report issued to the Board of Education last June that outlines the financial and facilities challenges facing the District. From windows to flooring to safety to security to air conditioning and learning spaces, there is a lot that needs to be addressed in our schools. This report outlines what a committee of 16 staff, parents, guardians, and community members found.
And Get Involved - The Facilitating Team Needs You
If you have learned enough about our finances and facilities challenges that you want to be involved in making a difference, please keep reading.
Our Board issued a charge in August that a Facilitating Team be formed to engage the community in which of three options the Board should pursue to address the District's finance and facilities challenges. (see attached charge statement)
That team has its first meeting on Tuesday, August 29th. And it will have many opportunities for you to help get the word out so people attend Community Engagement sessions, community members take surveys and/or participate in focus groups.
If you are interested in helping to be part of the solution that makes Avoca great for another generation, please email me at osburnk@avoca37.org
Emergency Drills in September
My administrators and I met with representatives from the Wilmette and Glenview police and fire departments this summer and reviewed our Emergency Response Plan.
Based on that feedback, we will be making revisions and slowly rolling them out this year. However, the central parts of our emergency response plans have been supported by local law enforcement.
In the coming days and weeks, our schools will be conducting drills related to: severe weather, fire evacuation, and lockdowns.
Marie Murphy's lockdown drill and other drills are on Monday, August 28. If you do not want your student to participate in the lockdown drill, please click on this link and complete the form.
Avoca West's drills will take place prior to the end of September. Specific notification will go out.
Panorama Survey
One pillar of our mission, Portrait of a Graduate, and strategic plan is enhancing our students' Social Emotional Learning (SEL).
Periodically, often at the beginning of the year, we survey students to gauge their sense of their own social emotional health and abilities so we can support them and / or identify areas for explicit instruction that we can improve.
Panorama is our survey platform for social emotional wellbeing and we will be surveying students at Marie Murphy this coming week.
Parents have a right to opt their students out of any survey, including Panorama. Opting out of Panorama at Marie Murphy may be done by clicking on this link.
Portrait of a Graduate - Our Vision for Students
In 2022, our community came together through a variety of means and provided extensive feedback about its faith in our schools and what we could accomplish, including our vision for our students when they graduate from Marie Murphy. That vision is embodied in the Portrait of a Graduate.
The Portrait identifies seven characteristics our students should demonstrate upon graduating from our schools and heading to high school.
Click on the picture to the right and read more about these and what they mean.
