Aug. 23, 2024

Dear District 70 Families,

We hope you are settling back into your routine after the first few days of school! It was inspiring to feel the excitement and anticipation in the air on the first day. From the moment the doors opened, every building was buzzing with energy and enthusiasm as students and staff alike dove into the new school year.

The smiles, the laughter, and the genuine joy of learning were evident throughout our schools, setting a positive tone for the year ahead. We are incredibly grateful for the continued support from our families and the community as we work together to create an environment where every student can thrive.

We look forward to seeing you all at upcoming adults-only Curriculum Nights being held at all the schools this week and in the following two weeks. Curriculum Nights are a great time to meet your child's teachers, talk with other parents/guardians, and learn important information to help your child throughout the school year.

Thank you for being such an integral part of our District 70 family. We look forward to the incredible journey ahead and the many achievements we will celebrate together this year!

Shine Bright,

Rebecca

Rebecca A. Jenkins

Superintendent of Schools

Libertyville School District 70

rjenkins@d70schools.org

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Teachers assess student understanding, learning, and growth in a variety of informal and formal ways throughout the school year. D70 uses several assessments that are administered to help students, teachers, and parents better understand strengths and areas that can be targeted for improvement.

• Students in kindergarten and first grades will be assessed next week, Aug. 26-30, using AIMSwebPlus. More information about this tool can be found in the AIMSWeb Parent Letter.
  
• Students in second through fifth grades will be taking the STAR assessments between August 28-30.

• Students in sixth through eighth grades will be taking the STAR assessments between August 27-30.
• On these dates, please make sure your child’s device is fully charged before coming to school.

Parents will be notified when the results from the assessments are available in the PowerSchool Parent Portal.

Ways parents can prepare their children for the benchmark assessments:
1. Make sure that your child attends school on time each day of testing.
2. Make sure your child gets a good night’s rest the night before testing.
3. Provide breakfast on the mornings of testing.
4. Remind your child to ask the teacher questions if he or she does not understand the test directions.
6. Let your child know that you have confidence in his or her ability to do his or her best.

Everyone is welcomed to get to know our newest district leader!

Student and staff safety and well-being are of the utmost importance to District 70.

In collaboration with the Libertyville fire and police departments, D70 continually re-evaluates and updates the Emergency Response Plans. D70 staff members are trained and are well-prepared for all types of emergencies. As required by the Illinois School Code, students and staff participate in fire, severe weather, bus evacuation, and law enforcement (Lockdown) drills throughout the school year to ensure students and staff know what to do in an emergency.

This year D70 will conduct an inaugural Safety Week from Sept. 16th-20th when a majority of the mandated drills will take place. More information about Safety Week will follow in the next family newsletter.

District 70 is using Safe2Help when students want to report information that might prevent bullying, suicide, or campus violence.

The program, Safe2Help is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and allows students, staff, and community members to confidentially share school safety issues. While District 70 encourages students who feel unsafe to confide in a trusted adult, that may not always be possible or students may want a different avenue to make a report. Safe2Help allows students to reach out for help via a mobile app, a text, a phone call, or through the Safe2Help.com website.

Information provided to Safe2Help is vetted by experts and shared immediately with D70 officials, mental health professionals, and/or local law enforcement and 911 if calls reference immediate threats. The program offers District 70 support by connecting students with tools and mental health resources to help students before they harm themselves or others.

Safe2Help takes the place of bullying and harassment forms once housed on the D70 website. The Safe2Help app has been shared with all students on school-issued iPads and the Chromebooks, as the website is saved as a bookmark. In addition, middle school students can find all the information on the back of student IDs and the Safe2Help website is listed on the D70 website at d70schools.org under the Safety.

Families Learning Together is a District 70 initiative providing learning opportunities for our parents, caregivers, and the community in an adult-only setting. Throughout the school year, D70 would like to host family events that are informative and relevant for our families.

We are looking for suggestions for this year's Families Learning Together series. Last year we hosted nine events throughout the school year. Topics included: Media Literacy and Social Emotional Learning; Self Care and Stress Management for Busy Families; General Safety Tips and Threat Assessment Information; Raising a Drug-Free Teen; CKLA Information for Parents and more!

This year we are looking for new topics that are relevant to our families and caregivers. Please fill out this form if you have a topic you would like to suggest. Thank you!