Monthly Highlander
December 22, 2023
Dear Proviso Community,
As we approach the festive season, I extend warm greetings and heartfelt wishes to each member of our cherished Proviso community. The holiday season is a time of reflection, joy, and unity, and I am honored to take this opportunity to convey my sincere wishes to you and your loved ones.
As we navigate through another year of challenges and triumphs, it is heartening to witness the resilience and spirit of our community. Our students, families, and staff continually inspire us with their dedication to education, growth, and the well-being of one another.
May this holiday season be filled with moments of joy, love, and connection. Whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, or another meaningful tradition, may the spirit of the holidays bring warmth to your homes and hearts.
As we bid farewell to this year, let us welcome the new one with optimism, hope, and a shared commitment to the success and flourishing of our schools and community. Together, we can look forward to finishing this school year with continued learning, collaboration, and accomplishments.
I express my deepest gratitude to our entire Proviso, faculty and staff for your ongoing support and engagement. Your commitment to the success of our students and the prosperity of our community is truly commendable.
I would also like to extend a special holiday greeting to our Board of Education for their time, commitment, and dedication to the Proviso school community.
Wishing you and your loved ones a joyous holiday season and a New Year filled with health, happiness, and prosperity.
Warm regards,
Dr. Bessie Karvelas
Acting Superintendent
Proviso Township High School District 209
Proviso West High School's NJROTC Shines in Annual Military Inspection
Proviso West High School's NJROTC recently hosted its Annual Military Inspection (AMI) on December 18, 2023, a special day where cadets and officers showcased their dedication and skills. Conducted by the Area 15 NJROTC Manager, Master Gunnery Sergeant Rampa, the inspection included tests on cadets' knowledge and marching, all of which they successfully passed. Dressed in their uniforms, cadets exemplified the values of NJROTC and expressed gratitude to parents, school administration, and especially the Area Manager, Senior Chief Hawley-Williams and board member, Jenny Barbahen for their support and participation in this significant event.
The Counselors’ Collaborative – Scholar Success Through Collaboration
Beginning in the 2022 – 2023 school year, the counseling teams from each campus meet at least once a month to collaborate and learn together. The Counselors’ Collaborative grew out of a need for standardized procedures and professional learning for the district’s counselors. The monthly meetings focus on growth and development by establishing a community of learners and providing professional development and support to school counselors.
Dr. Sharon Williams, Deputy Superintendent of Schools and Derrick Svelnys, District Coordinator of Data and Enrollment, partner with Julie Fregien, the district’s OneGoal leadership coach to plan and facilitate the monthly collaboratives. The most recent session focused on using data to support counselors’ work with scholars. Mirroring the school and district leaders’ data tool, the counselors’ dashboard was introduced to the team. Ms. Fregien facilitated guided practice with Dashboard. School teams used Dashboard data to create Senior Priority Lists. These lists will support the Graduation Excellence strategies to improve each school’s graduation rate.
Anastasia Skoupas, College and Career Counselor at Proviso West High School exclaimed, “We became data nerds in under two hours!”
Amy Paulus, College and Career Counselor at Proviso Math and Science Academy shared: “The counselors’ Dashboard is a helpful tool to drill down to identify students who need our extra support and attention.”
As leaders of Social Emotional Learning (SEL) in schools, PTHS D209 counselors have begun to learn and practice the Three Signature Practices of SEL from the CASEL Foundation (https://casel.org/).
The three signature practices are:
1. Welcoming/Inclusion Activities
2. Engaging Practices
3. Optimistic Closures
At the December meeting, Dr. Williams led a high energy welcoming activity where each member of the team had four minutes to greet as many team members by name and make some type of physical connection. Team members reflected on the activity as a way to positively impact the energy and connection of the group. Counselors were actively engaged in activities throughout the meeting and Ms. Nikki Mejstrik, school counselor at PMSA, ended the collaborative by reflecting on the many talents and expertise of the counselors and how she appreciated learning and collaborating with her peers. Finally, Ms. Mejstrik wished the team a restful and peaceful winter holiday break. It was a fitting ending to the collaborative and the hard work our school counselors put in each day!
62nd Annual Holiday Basketball Tournament at Proviso West
The competition promises to be fierce and full of talent at the 62nd Annual Proviso West Holiday Basketball Tournament this year, scheduled to take place from December 27-30 at Proviso West High School!
Best of luck to all the 16 participating teams this year!
For more information on participating teams, game schedules and ticket purchasing, please click the linked website below!
