Trimester 1 Newsletter

This is the season to be thankful, and we have a lot to be thankful for in District 146. First, we are thankful for our families. We celebrate families in District 146 as partners in the education of our students. You volunteer with PTOs, PTAs, and PACTs to support our schools. You attend Parent Teacher Conferences to set learning goals with your students. You donate to school drives in support of our communities. You support your students at sporting events, concerts, art shows, math challenges, culture fairs, and the list goes on. You take time to continue education at home to assure your children are well-rounded citizens. District 146 is thankful for you.

Our students make our schools the warm and welcoming places they are. They focus and work hard on academics, but also have fun taking part in extracurricular activities. Already this year we have seen students reaching between grade levels to help their peers, partnering with special education and multi-needs classes, and working with school clubs and groups to better our community. District 146 is thankful for our students.

We are also thankful for our staff. We have high-quality teachers who make learning engaging and fun for our students. We have dedicated food servers who make sure our students get a nutritional breakfast and lunch. Our paraprofessionals help make sure classrooms run smoothly. Custodial and maintenance staff make sure the buildings are clean and safe. Leading each building are top-notch principals who dedicate so much time and effort to our students and communities. Our Board of Education volunteers hours each week to make sure we have what we need to educate each student we have enrolled. District 146 is thankful for our staff and leadership.

I want to wish you all a wonderful holiday season filled with family, friends, rest, and relaxation.

Please click below to answer this trimester's question:

The most beneficial school to parent engagement includes...

During the first part of the school year, the Business Department dedicates much of its time to the creation of the new fiscal year budget. The 2024-2025 budget was approved by the Board in September. As always, fiscal responsibility is one of our top priorities. Once again, the District is eligible to help reduce property tax rates for our communities. Additionally, this year we welcomed a new food service provider who has been offering new meal choices and welcoming family input.

The 2024-2025 Budget was approved by the Board of Education at its September meeting, with a public hearing held prior. As always, the District’s budget reflects a continuing commitment to “Learning for All.” We continue to prioritize small class sizes and full inclusion for all our students.

Funding for the District’s educational programs is achieved with the support of the communities we serve. Property taxes and other local revenues are the primary source of income, amounting to 76% of this year’s budget. The State of Illinois is the source of 19% of District funding, while Federal funding is 5%.

The full District budget can be found on our website, along with the budgets and audits for the last 10 years. The District budget is managed with the goal of providing the best education possible while maintaining fiscal responsibility to the taxpayers of the District.

The District has qualified for Illinois’ Property Tax Relief Grant (PTRG) for the fourth year in a row. The PTRG requires the district to abate a portion of property taxes for two years in exchange for permanently-increased state funding.

For tax year 2024 (which will be reflected on 2025 tax bills), the District will be abating $2 million (the second year of the third PTRG), and $2.2 million (the first year of the fourth PTRG).

At the beginning of this year, District 146 contracted with Whitsons Culinary Group for our breakfast and lunch service. So far, we have heard positive reviews from our families and staff. Whitsons uses the FD MealPlanner site to manage monthly breakfast and lunch calendars. The calendars can be accessed on our website.

FD MealPanner allows families to access the breakfast and lunch options from any mobile device or computer. Families can build their students’ meals in order to view custom nutritional and allergen information. FD MealPlanner also offers a mobile app families can download to make searching for meals easier.

A new feature with Whitsons is the ability for families and students to rate and review meals. To rate menu options, follow these steps:

1. Visit the FD MealPlanner menu via the District 146 website or the MealPlanner app
2. Find your school and choose between the breakfast/lunch menu
3. Click on the menu item you wish to rate/review
4. Scroll past the nutritional information and ingredient list
5. Rate the item with one to five stars
6. Add a comment if you’d like

These ratings and reviews will only be seen by Whitsons staff members.

The District’s Buildings and Grounds team is gearing up for the colder weather. The snow shovels are being dusted off, sidewalk salt is being delivered to each school, and plows are being attached to the trucks. Throughout the year, the team has been busy maintaining the grounds at each school and making sure the buildings are clean and safe for our students. Here are some of the special projects that the team has overseen so far this year.

The final phase of the Central Middle School roof restoration project is nearing completion. All work in this second phase has been completed on Saturdays to avoid any disruption to the school day. This phase has included the application of a reflective coating on the entire roof surface, the installation of a new skylight in the art room, and the installation of new sheet metal caps on several brick piers on the building. Additional projects at Central are slated to begin the summer of 2025.

The District has continued replacing all of the schools’ parking lot lighting with new LED fixtures. At Central Middle School, 59 parking lot light fixtures were replaced. At Memorial, 24 fixtures were replaced. At this time, all school parking lot light fixtures have been changed to LED. In addition to the parking lot lights, 31 building-mounted LED wall pack fixtures were installed at Central Middle School. New LED wall packs will be installed at Memorial School, Kruse Education Center, and Fierke Education Center in the coming weeks. The District applied for and received over $30,000 from the ComEd Energy Efficiency Program for these projects. ComEd has estimated that the energy savings for the District will pay back the remaining expenses in less than two years.

Over the last year, the PTO at Kruse Education Center has fundraised for an outdoor learning area. The Board of Education approved the plan and gift from the PTO at a meeting last spring. An area was chosen on the north side of the retention pond and a landscape contractor provided landscaping and concrete footings for the 12' x 20' gazebo purchased by the PTO. This month, the Buildings and Grounds Team constructed and installed the gazebo. The PTO has purchased and provided outdoor seating for the outdoor learning area. Students and staff are looking forward to using the space this spring when the weather improves.

As winter weather approaches, the numbers of communicable illnesses reported in our schools tends to increase. This is a great time to be especially mindful of the many practices that can be followed to help prevent the spread of respiratory illnesses such as Influenza, RSV, the common cold, COVID-19, and Mycoplasma pneumoniae (M. pneumoniae). M. pneumoniae is a common cause of bacterial respiratory infections and we have recently seen an increase in cases. These infections are most common in young adults and school-aged children.

Here are some hygiene practices that can help prevent respiratory illnesses:

• Cover your coughs and sneezes. Cough into the bend of your elbow or upper shirt sleeve, not your hands.
• Wash your hands frequently with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. Use hand sanitizer when soap and water is not available.
• Stay hydrated with water.
• Disinfect commonly touched surfaces and shared items at home at least once a day.
• Teach children not to touch their mouths, noses, and eyes.
• Stay home when symptomatic (persistent runny nose or cough, fever, vomiting, rash of unknown origin, extreme fatigue, diarrhea, sore throat, etc.).

Children with symptoms of illness and/or a fever greater than 100.0 should stay home from school. A child who has a fever should remain home until “fever free” without fever-reducing medication for a minimum of 24 hours. Please do not give a fever reducing medication to your child and send them to school, as this exposes classmates and staff to illness. It also puts your child at a greater risk for a longer course of illness and the potential to pick up another virus. Medical notes are required for any student absent for four or more consecutive days due to illness.

Thank you for your continued partnership in health. Together we can decrease the spread of illness in our schools.

Each year the District’s Handbook Committee reviews the Student Parent Handbook and suggests updates. The Committee is made up of District administration, staff, principals, and parents.

The following changes were recently made to the Parent Student Handbook:

• New rules for motorized bikes and scooters have been added
• The truancy section has been updated for clarification
• The Cold/Inclement Weather Section has been changed to Extreme Weather Conditions to include warm weather
• Additional information has been added to the Discipline of Students with Disabilities section.
• A new Targeted School Violence Prevention Program section has been added
• The District’s Complaint Managers have been updated

The complete handbook is available online and as a PDF. If you have any questions, please reach out to your school principal.

Family engagement has been a priority at Central this year. Dr. Hantson, the CMS Principal, has hosted three PACT Meetings so far this year. He also sends video recaps to all parents so those unable to attend in person know what has been discussed. In November, CMS held an 8th Grade Parent Night where administration outlined graduation expectations and upcoming activities.

Representatives from each of the high schools students will attend were also present. Parents have also been able to volunteer to chaperone the All-School Social, sell Boo Grams, and help at the Book Fair.

Fierke’s Hives have been buzzing with excitement! At the end of September, new Fierke students were sorted into one of the six Hives at Fierke. They joined the other students who were previously sorted. In October, Fierke hosted a Hives Character Game Day where the Hives reviewed CHAMPS and Character Counts expectations while enjoying some fun games with their peers. In November, older students partnered with younger students within their Hive to read aloud books of their choice at the Hive Reading Day.

Clubs at Fulton are running at full steam! With over 50 clubs to choose from, students are sure to find one that matches their interest. Recently, the Student Council met with a representative from the Tinley Park Food Pantry and heard how they provide food and toiletries to about 160 families in the communities of Tinley Park, Oak Forest, Orland Hills, and Orland Park. The Fulton Morning News has been busy creating their weekly broadcasts, which can be found here. Other clubs, have proven to students that learning is fun, like the Crazy 8s Club who learned about geometry using glow sticks!

Students at Kruse recognized Hispanic Heritage Month this fall with art, speeches, and music. In art class, students learned about artist Frida Kahlo and created self-portraits in the same style as Kahlo’s art. Fourth grade students researched famous Hispanic Americans and practiced their speaking and presentation skills by sharing the research with their class. In music, students learned about several different types of music and dance in the Hispanic culture, dancing to mariachi, salsa, reggaetón and manda.

Memorial students continue to “grow” and look for ways to celebrate their school and community. After Dr. Trsar, Memorial Principal, dug 108 holes with his trusty drill, each classroom planted six tulip bulbs that will sprout in the spring. Students planted the bulbs, filled in the dirt, and took ownership over some of Memorial’s landscaping. Students were able to learn about nature, plant grown, and teamwork all while beautifying the grounds at Memorial. They look forward to seeing the results of their labor in the spring.

The District’s Family Support Specialists would like to introduce their new Family Support Specialist Newsletter. This monthly newsletter will include information that could be important to our families.

Please click below to read this month’s newsletter:
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Are you, or someone you know, looking for a job? District 146 has a number of openings that could be perfect for you!

The District has the following positions open:

• Paraprofessionals
• Learning Behavior Specialist Long-term Substitute
• Social Worker Long-term Substitute
• Substitute Teachers
• Substitute Paraprofessionals

For more information, please visit district146.org/employment.

December

5: Early Learning Screening (by appointment)

9: Board of Education Meeting, 6 p.m.

20: Half Day Student Attendance/Half SIP Day

20: Winter Break Begins

January

6: Institute Day (No Student Attendance)

7: Students Return from Winter Break

13: Board of Education Meeting, 6 p.m.

17: 2025-2026 Kindergarten Registration Opens

20: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day – No School

February

4: District Spelling Bee, 6 p.m.

7: District Math Challenge

10: Board of Education Meeting (at Fulton), 6 p.m.

12: Math Challenge Awards Night, 6 p.m.

13: Early Learning Screening (by appointment)

17: Presidents Day – No School

22: CMS Band Music-a-Thon, 10 a.m.

March

3: End of Trimester 2

Darcy Nendza, President

Julie Berry, Vice President

Rick Lloyd, Secretary

Dean Casper, Member

Patty Chlada, Member

Jill Dunlap, Member

Amy Hamernick, Member

Dr. Jeff Stawick, Superintendent

Dr. Wendy Wolgan, Director of Curriculum

Kelly Voliva, Director of Student Services

Jeff Charleston, Business Director/CSBO

Vern Bettis, Director of Technology

Matt Shanahan, Director of Buildings and Grounds

Brooke Dundas, Coordinator of Bilingual Education

Brianne Oliver, Special Education Coordinator

Carey Radke, Curriculum Coordinator

Dr. Damien Aherne, Fierke Education Center

Mrs. Megan Mitera, Fulton School

Mrs. Kim Hartnett, Kruse Education Center

Dr. Joe Trsar, Memorial School

Dr. Don Hantson, Central Middle School Principal

Mrs. Rebecca Ferrebee, Central Middle School Assistant Principal

Mr. Kevin Kuzanek, Central Middle School Assistant Principal