Dear District 30 Community,

This month's Board of Education meeting encompassed several key priorities including the public hearing and adoption of our 2024-25 fiscal year budget, as well as reports on our school improvement plans. I invite you to explore the details in this newsletter.

With continuous school improvement at top mind, I want to highlight some critical improvements that are underway in District 30 to bolster both the emotional and physical safety of our students and staff.

This summer, District 30 began a third-party assessment of all current District 30 crisis management practices. This review process will yield recommendations on how to increase security measures within our district. We will then move forward later this year on implementing appropriate recommendations.

Please know that District 30 is committed to reviewing and updating our crisis management processes annually. This includes periodically collaborating with outside experts to make certain we are utilizing optimal protocols to protect students and staff.

We also continue to foster a culture of safety and belonging in our classrooms through the RULER program (Recognizing, Understanding, Labeling, Expressing and Regulating emotions).

This fall, using RULER, Maple completed a school-wide charter, and classrooms throughout our elementary school created their own charters. These charters are a teacher-led, collaborative process among students to determine "How do we want to feel in our classroom and school?" They then agree upon actions they can do in class or school to promote positive feelings and experiences for all.

I hope you have been following your school's electronic newsletter each Friday to learn more about each month's RULER topic and how you can develop it with your child(ren) at home.

All of our efforts toward both emotional and physical safety are well aligned with our Strategic Plan. Within the plan, our district promises that:

• We will drive continuous improvement, which will be supported by holistic data that reflects the needs of our students.

• We are striving to cultivate a safe, positive, and engaging climate of belonging to meet the social, emotional, and physical needs of our community.

I thank you for your partnership in helping us achieve these priorities by participating in RULER and adhering to all safety rules within our schools. Our sense of community and cooperation is what makes District 30 strong.

Sincerely,

Dr. Emily K. Tammaru

Superintendent of Schools

The Board held a public hearing on the 2024- 25 fiscal year annual budget, then formally approved a budget that aligns spending to our new District 30 Strategic Plan.

The operating budget includes $35.3 million in projected receipts and revenues, as well as $34.7 million of disbursements and expenditures.

The operating budget includes capital improvement costs relating to the second year of its multi-year restroom renovations at Wescott and Willowbrook schools.

The budget is available online at the district website at district30.org under Business Documents.

During the committee meeting, Dr. Tammaru provided details on how the school improvement plans (SIP) are developed and how continuous improvement drives our work in District 30, supporting our Strategic Plan commitment to ongoing improvement based on holistic data that reflects student and staff needs.

"Our school improvement plans truly are a collaborative process, " she explained. "I am proud to work in a district where the plan is written by people who are implementing it, and it really drives conversation within our schools."

As part of her presentation, she detailed a new data retreat launched at the end of last school year to evaluate the successes and opportunities from the previous year to set goals and develop strategies.

School principal teams and members of their School Improvement Plan (SIP) plan teams presented details on each school's three 2024-25 SIP goals, each that are aligned with objectives from the District 30 five-year strategic plan.

Presentation teams were: Maple Principal Dr. Sam Kurtz, Maple Art Teacher Mrs. Dawn Nettelhorst; Wescott Principal Dr. Chris Brown, Assistant Principal Ms. Alison Keller, and Fifth-Grade Teacher Sammi Nadel; and Willowbrook Principal Mrs. Katie Compagno, Assistant Principal Mr. Erik Brekke, and SIP plan team members Second-Grade Teacher Dena Kelly and School Psychologist Megan Boarini.

Each team also highlighted strategies that will be used to work toward these goals during the school year.

As part of the Superintendent's Report, Dr. Tammaru and the principal teams of Wescott, Willowbrook and Maple Schools presented details on the Aug. 21 opening day of school and how their activities supported their school themes. While different, these themes share a common thread in working to foster a culture of belonging and inclusion, which is aligned with the objectives of the District 30 Strategic Plan.

Northfield Township school districts remain committed to aligning their start and end of school dates as much as possible, as well as breaks, to support planned family activities and travels.

Key dates from the calendar draft include:

• First Institute Days on August 18 and 19, 2025
• First day of student attendance set for Wednesday, August 20, 2025
  
• Winter break December 22, 2025 through January 2, 2026
  
• A spring Institute Day on February 27, 2026
• Spring break March 23 through March 27, 2026
• Last day of school tentatively set for Thursday, June 4, 2026

The Board is slated to adopt the calendar at its October 24 meeting.

The Board approved Maple School's annual 7th-grade Springfield trip scheduled to take place on November 9 and will be again run by WorldStrides.

Maple Principal Dr. Sam Kurtz said staff is excited to continue this positive and enriching tradition for students.

The Board approved the purchase of a used 2021 Bobcat Toolcat for Maple School that will improve District 30's snow removal capabilities, with better ability to move this piece of equipment between schools when inclement weather requires.

As part of the treasury function overseen by the Northfield Township Trustees of Schools, the District 30 Board of Education must adhere to a recent public act requiring the appointment of one of the trustees of schools. The Board approved Dr. Tammaru to this two-year position.

The Board approved a contract with LinkIT Data Warehouse to provide District 30's data management. Dr. Tammaru highlighted the company's ability to enhance our data management capabilities and improve district decision-making processes. She noted that LinkIT seamlessly integrates data from various sources, including the district's student information system, assessment platforms, and other educational tools.

Board Vice President Mr. Ammar Rizki reviewed the August meeting of the TrueNorth educational cooperative, which featured discussion focused on the organization's inclusive practices. He highlighted that District 30 will soon have an opportunity to offer input on these practices in the near future.

The Board of Education consists of seven members elected from the general public to serve the entire Northbrook/Glenview School District 30 Community. The Board provides governance for the district by hiring and evaluating the superintendent and approving a budget, policies, and goals that align with the district's strategic plan. Board members are:

• President -Jeff Zuercher
  
• Vice President - Ammar Rizki
• Zivit Blonder
  
• Keith Karchmar
• Pamela Manicioto
  
• Patrick Wang
• Dr. Stephanie Yohannan

Northbrook/Glenview District 30 exists to create an inclusive community that inspires learning, fosters resiliency, and cares deeply for every child. We honor childhood and foster intellectual, physical and social-emotional growth. District 30 serves more than 1,200 students in pre-K through 8th grade across Willowbrook, Wescott and Maple Schools.

We prohibit harassment and discrimination of all forms within our district and follows all policies and procedures to ensure a safe environment for all.

Email: communications@district30.org
Website: district30.org
Location: 2374 Shermer Road, Northbrook, IL, USA
Phone: 847-498-4190