109 News

This is the next to last issue of the year. Next Thursday, we will have a special end of year/graduation issue. As always, please reach out to communications@dps109.org if you have any questions or ideas!

Last week, we honored our friend and former Board of Education member Maureen Wener with the dedication of a Little Free Library and bench in the west courtyard of Wilmot. The Village of Deerfield also graciously donated a tree that will help provide shade for years to come. The library is now officially marked on the Little Free Library website and is open for the community to enjoy. Please feel free to help us keep this community resource stocked and thriving.

Recently, DPS 109 held a districtwide social event to honor our seven retirees that will be completing their tenure with us at the end of the school year. We thank them for the years of service they have given to the students and community!

Pictured above from left to right:

Mike Medow, 3rd Grade Teacher at South Park

Amy Karasick, 4th Grade Teacher at Kipling

Dawn Saarva, 6th Grade Math Teacher at Shepard

Erika Yaffe, 8th Grade Instructional Assistant at Shepard

Juli Mages, Administrative Assistant at Wilmot

Ilene Grossman, 2nd Grade Teacher at Walden

Sally Wyman, Operations Manager, Buildings & Grounds Department

We have been busy honoring our retirees on social media... you should see some of the heartwarming comments people have been leaving! Head to the DPS 109 Facebook page below and check them out or leave a tribute of your own!

If this isn't your first year in DPS 109, you may remember that last year around this time, we asked you to help us set the baseline for a new Key Performance Indicator for the district, our Net Promoter Score. Tomorrow, look for an email asking you to rate us on a scale of 1-10 that will also provide space for useful feedback as we seek to continually improve our experience for all of our stakeholders.

We had an action packed May board meeting!

There was a great presentation about the ELA curriculum review, and for What's Good in 109 we recognized our track & field athletes from Caruso & Shepard that qualified for state!

We also heard a great presentation from the Sole Mates, a new after-school running club that just started at Kipling this year and recently achieved their goal of running a 5K (on a VERY hot day on the DHS track!) Congratulations to these students, along with Mrs. Sepper and Mrs. Cacioppo, for their determination and perseverance!

We are so happy to see our incoming kindy friends have the chance to come check out their new school for next year! If you haven't fully registered yet (or know a friend that hasn't), make sure to do it soon! Visit dps109.org/kindy for more information.

DPS 109's Solveig Jurmu was featured in the most recent Community: The Anti-Drug newsletter with an article about the Social Media & Digital Safety Night we held at Shepard this past winter. The tips she shares are important ones you may want to consider with summer right around the corner!

The Deerfield Bannockburn Fire Department is holding an upcoming community event on June 13th. Info in the included flyer.

The upcoming Art Festival lets local student artists set up booths for a fee and sell their wares. Here's the link to sign up for the event: https://amdurproductions.com/2024-youth-deerfield-art-festival-registration-form/.

You can also visit the village website to learn more about the festival and for your chance to win a $100 gift card to use at the festival.