Gower 62 Community Newsletter

As an educator, I've always had the sense of being able to celebrate the new year twice. Once in August to kick off the start of a new school year and again at midnight on January 1st to flip the calendar from one year to the next. Two opportunities to take in all of the new developments, resolutions and new commitments. Two opportunities to spend time looking back and reflecting on the progress made while starting to look ahead and plan for the future as best we can. How fortunate is that?!

It's at this time of year in and around schools - and especially those that are wired for continuous improvement like Gower West and Gower Middle - that you'll start hearing a lot about what lies ahead. High school course selection for our 8th graders, next year's staffing and hiring plans from our principals, and lots of tweaks, course corrections, and new ideas about, "This is how we're going to do that next year", from staff. On Tuesday night, our Core Stakeholder Team worked to build goals for our district's Strategic Plan for the next 5 years and, just last night at our Board meeting, we approved the school calendar for 2025-2026 and 2026-2027. Lots of examples of looking ahead.

While all of this is important and very much forward leaning which I am a huge fan of, I do think we benefit from being reminded how important it is to keep a clear perspective on all of the things that are in front of us right now. In more cases than not, we just don't know what will happen and need to be able to rely on our strengths and the core values that drive what we do and how we do it in times of uncertainty. I am excited to share the work from our Strategic Planning Process as it is finalized in the coming months, but do want to provide a sneak peek now.

The Core Stakeholder Team made up of over 50 parents and staff were asked to identify the core values that make up the engine of Gower School District. This is the list of their Top 8: Achievement, Knowledge, Safety, Equity, Teamwork, Personal Growth, Respectful, Community. I couldn't agree more. We took the extra step of asking representatives from our Gower Middle Student Council what they saw as the core values in Gower and they aligned across the board with two exceptions. One, they replaced 'Personal Growth' with 'Health and Play'. Two, they replaced 'Equity' with 'Belonging and Courageous'. Wow! And to be even more specific, 'Belonging' was defined as, 'being accepted and liked by others', and 'Courageous' was defined as, 'standing up for what you believe in, even when risky.' If this is what lies ahead for the Gower Community in the form of a Strategic Plan, I would say that we have a lot to be proud of and our future is in good hands.

Over the last few days, I have received a number of questions from parents regarding what they are hearing and reading about in relation to what lies ahead for schools given recent changes at the federal level related to immigration policy, gender policy, school funding, among others. As I shared earlier, in more cases than not, we just don't know what will happen and need to be able to rely on our strengths and the core values that drive what we do and how we do it in times of uncertainty. Although we have no reason to believe that these recent changes would have a direct impact on either of our schools in Gower, we are keeping a close eye on what is happening at the federal level as it relates to school policy and working with regional and state education agencies to ensure that our school district is prepared should any changes be required. Earlier today, the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) released Non-Regulatory Guidance on Immigration Enforcement Actions for schools to consider and a quote was shared from our State Superintendent of Education that I agree with wholeheartedly, “ISBE firmly believes that schools should be a safe haven for all students, where students should be able to learn without fear. We can and should do everything within our power to protect our students and their right to learn while in our care."

In Gower, we say, 'Children at their Best!' As I see it, in order for that to be true, it's us... the adults... that have to be at our best.

Thank you for your ongoing support of our school district! As always, if you would like to discuss this or any other Gower Community topic further, please reach out to me directly at vsimon@gower62.com.

Dr. Simon

Superintendent of Schools

Recording Secretary to the Board of Education, Kate Schillinger, 630.286.4929

Click here for the monthly Superintendent Reports and here for our meeting agendas.

Regular Board Meeting Summary: The meeting was called to order and there was no public comment from the community. Gower West Principal Melissa Capizzi and 4th Grade Teacher Mrs. Amy Toth recognized representatives of the 4th Grade Service Club at Gower West for their work so far this school year. The students received certificates from Mrs. Toth and were congratulated by the Board of Education. More information can be found in the report linked above.

The meeting continued with the monthly Superintendent's Report. The Superintendent's Report included a separate review of the Final 2025-2026 School Calendar and the Draft 2026-2027 School Calendar.

The Board reviewed a series of monthly reports and a number of Board policy revisions were approved as part of a 4-year revision cycle. The 2025-26 and draft 2026-27 calendars were approved for posting and can be found on the District's website here.

The Board did not enter into Closed Session and the meeting adjourned at 7:41 p.m.

The next regularly scheduled Board of Education meeting is scheduled for February 19, 2025 at 7:00 p.m. in the Gower School District Board Room, Gower West, south end of campus Door #B22. As always, you are invited to attend and share your thoughts and feedback with the Board.

Congratulations to the Gower West 4th Grade Service Club! The club has assisted with projects at Gower West, helping in the communities of Burr Ridge and Willowbrook, worked as a team and served as models for other students by following the District's social contract. Great work everybody!

More information on what the Service Club has done this school year and will continue to do can be found in the Board Report linked here.

Pictured left to right: Josie Lachman, Nicolette Baran, Ben Choi, Sadie Farazi, Elan Kampanatkosol, Stone Smith, Lucia Camarena, Ella Radak, Suzie Ploskonka and Xander Mayyou.

At last night's Board meeting, the Board approved the final 2025-2026 School Calendar. A draft of the 2026-2027 School Calendar was also approved. You can access the calendars here. Parent and staff feedback on the 2026-2027 calendar is welcome and can be directed to the District Office and/or the Board Recording Secretary, Kate Schillinger, kschillinger@gower62.com or 630-286-4929.

Thursday, January 30: Annual STEM Night/Science Showcase (6:00-7:30 pm at Gower West)

Friday, February 14: Early Dismissal

Monday, February 17: No School, President's Day