School District 57
From the Desk of the Superintendent
April 19, 2024
Dear District 57 Families,
I am immensely grateful to all who attended last night’s District 57 Staff Retirement Open House Celebration! Our retirees—Alice Chapman (21 years in D57), Mary Hunt (34 years in D57), Heidi Jorgenson (33 years in D57), Donna Kennedy (23 years in D57), Diane Reddinger (11 years in D57), Laura Stamison (29 years in D57), Randy Steen (20 years in D57), Michelle Walsh (30 years in D57), and Carolyn Young (26 years in D57)—were honored with heartfelt tributes and warm wishes for the next chapter of their lives. Their dedication and contributions to our school community over the years have left an indelible mark, and we are forever grateful for their service. Congratulations, Retirees!
I would also like to express sincere appreciation to the District 57 Board of Education, the Mount Prospect Education Association, the Mount Prospect Educational Support Professional Association, and the District 57 administrative staff for their hard work and invaluable support that made the retirement celebration a resounding success.
Save the date - you are invited to attend an important May 2nd Community Engagement Event hosted by our Board of Education. The event runs from 5:30pm-7pm and takes place in our Lincoln Middle School West Gym. The event features our District’s architecture firm speaking on the District’s preparation for full-day kindergarten and the facilities improvements necessary at Lincoln Middle School. Details are in the flyer below. Hope to see you there!
Last night, District 57’s Board of Education Regular Business Meeting followed the open house celebration. You can watch the meeting in its entirety here. Below is a recap of some of the important information presented at the meeting.
Incredible District 57 Student Athletes Celebrated
Coach Laura Juliano shared the details of our Lincoln Middle School 7th Grade Girls Volleyball Team’s outstanding season. They were conference champions with a 10-0 record, and placed second in the Sweetheart Tournament against schools outside the conference area. They finished the season third in the conference tournament. I’m so proud of these students for their collaborative spirit - great job!
Fairview's Special Education teacher Katianne Olson highlighted our District 57 Special Olympics athletes. Congratulations to all for your bravery and hard work! Sammy won a silver medial in 50m run and 5th place in the softball throw; Connor took 6th place in 50m and 5th in the softball throw; Khaleb won silver in 50m run and 5th place in softball throw; and Teddy took gold in the 50m run and silver in the softball throw. Incredible work! These truly are remarkable accomplishments, and these students embody the spirit of excellence and sportsmanship. Thank you to Katianne, Carol Bemben, Sara Cilia, and Paul Meske for coaching our Special Olympians!
NSSEO 2024-2025 Budget Report
Dr. Meg Schnoor and Julie Jilek from the Northwest Suburban Special Education Organization (NSSEO) presented their FY24-25 budget. You can watch it in its entirety here. District 57 partners with NSSEO to provide services for students with the most severe disabilities within our district. This valuable partnership ensures we provide quality education to every student, every day, and we are so deeply grateful for their vast knowledge. The NSSEO budget report for next year shows an overall decrease in financial impact on the district. The Board will take action on the NSSEO budget at next month’s May 16th meeting.
Staff Professional Learning & Curriculum Review
Dr. Kristin Vonder Haar, Assistant Superintendent for Teaching & Learning, and Aaron Wilkins, Assistant Director for Professional Learning, provided the Board with a thoughtful framework for staff professional development as well as a plan for professional learning in the upcoming summer months. The framework for our staff professional development starts with the Strategic Plan direction in mind and connects this to the School Improvement Plans at each school to ensure our professional development integrates the two, achieving meaningful, timely growth in the focus areas. You can view the memo here and watch the presentation in its entirety here. In the 2024-2025 school year, the primary focus for professional development will be on literacy so as to align with the new Illinois Comprehensive Literacy Plan and the rollout of our new reading resources.
The team also presented a curriculum review update - the document can be viewed here and the video segment here. There are a lot of exciting things happening in this area, including a full review of our accelerated programming that involves a partnership with Northwestern University’s Center for Talent Development. Other curriculum review areas include inquiry-based learning, 7th and 8th grade computer technology, and world languages. Stay tuned for more updates in these areas in the future.
Thank you once again to everyone who contributed to the success of the Staff Retirement Open House Celebration. Our community is truly a special one.
In the spirit of education,
Dr. Mary Gorr
Superintendent
Dr. Mary Gorr
Email: mgorr@d57.org
Website: https://www.d57.org/
Location: 701 West Gregory Street, Mount Prospect, IL, USA
Phone: 847-394-7300
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dist57/
Twitter: @dist57