Community Newsletter

It is with sheer excitement that I have the opportunity to share with you our newest mission and vision statements, and core values for District 70. This is the result of many hours with our strategic planning committee and I am so grateful to them for dedicating time and energy to this important process.

Core values revolve around our single core value - students. Everything we do will continue to be student-focused. Our six guiding core values are:

Collaboration, Engagement, Excellence, Innovation, Safety, and Equity.

A mission statement communicates why we exist and why we matter to our community. Our new mission statement is to:

Empower student growth and achievement through equitable, challenging opportunities that promote excellence, innovation, critical thinking, and respect.

Lastly, our vision statement communicates our goals for the future, it is a look ahead into what we are becoming through our mission-driven, student-focused, value-based work. Our vision statement is:

Learning Together.

Together. What a wonderful word. The Libertyville community certainly understands the importance of togetherness. Your investment and involvement not only in your child’s progress and education but also in our district are noticed and appreciated by me and our staff.

I would like to invite you to join us to share your voice and thoughts with us as we continue to build our strategic plan for the future. You can do so through the strategic planning survey. Or, if you are interested in joining in person, the community meeting will be held on the evening of Dec 2nd and the afternoon of Dec 3. If you are interested in joining us, please sign up here.

The graphic below will begin to appear on our website and around all our schools and classrooms as a reminder of what we are working towards every day. I look forward to sharing more about how we see our mission, vision, and values coming to life around District 70!

Shine Bright,

Rebecca

Rebecca A. Jenkins

Superintendent of Schools

Libertyville School District 70

rjenkins@d70schools.org

Rebecca's Twitter

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Apply now!

Partner with District 70 through your business by joining D70 Partners for Excellence in Education.

Almost 100 local and national businesses and companies have partnered with District 70 over the last 25 years to enhance education through innovative and creative new programs in the classrooms.

Many businesses are drawn to be part of the partners' Mini-Grant Awards where D70 teachers and staff members are awarded grant monies to fund creative programs and projects. Teachers and staff develop new programs and then apply for funding through partners, with business leaders selecting the programs and projects to be funded. The program has been on hold for the last two years during the pandemic.

This will be the 25th year for the partnership's "Mini-Grant Awards" program, which has awarded more than $200,000 over the years for direct use in the classrooms.

Mini-grants can receive as much as $500. Monies have funded such programs as creating STEM activities for students, math and language support materials, literary works related to the study of immigration, collecting additional supplies to help teach math skills, incorporating handheld sensory materials to help students focus, and the design, creation, and implementation of a butterfly garden.

Apply now!

(More Information on business partners can be found on the D70 website at d70schools.org under Our District, under Business Partners.)

It's a brand new idea for D70 and we're very excited to be bringing student voice into the decision-making process as five eighth-graders will be joining the school board this year.

Highland Middle School students Alanna D., Bradley G. Eesha G. Lorin H., and Jordan L. will take turns each month to sit on the Board of Education and discuss a variety of topics with school board members.

Two students will rotate onto the board during each monthly meeting to make a 5-10 minute presentation on subjects that have been part of larger discussions in the Superintendent's Student Advisory Council. Supt. Rebecca A. Jenkins guides the group and encourages their engagement along with HMS Principal Dr. Jon Hallmark.

"We want a student voice at the decision-making table and this is one adventure of many that we will put in place that will allow student voice and access to the decision-makers because this school district is for the students," Jenkins said. "The challenge for students is to think about school differently."

To date, students have researched HMS recess by gathering data on what students are looking for during recess and ways to make it more engaging. The group also plans to examine student extracurricular activities.

Students on the SSAC were selected by teachers and already in leadership roles in the National Junior Honor Society, Peer Helpers, and Student Council.

Parent Event - Save the Date

Don't miss a parent event on community safety that District 70 is co-hosting at 7 p.m. on Nov. 2 at Libertyville High School (LHS). D70 & LHS have invited two speakers to focus on ways we can be safe as a community. No RSVP is required.

• April Oboikowitch from Be SMART will be presenting to parents on safe gun storage.
• Bruno Dias from the Department of Homeland Security will review the importance of threat assessment within our community and ways we can work together on safety. More information will be shared soon.

Partnering with Safety Experts

D70 continues to work with safety and security experts, focusing on student and staff safety. Paul Timm and Randy Braverman with Facility Engineering Associates (FEA) return this month to walk all five schools now filled with students and staff. They will scrutinize entry points, lunch and recess procedures, and review the new safety measures already implemented. Mr. Braverman also will spend time with lunchroom supervisors to review emergency procedures during lunch and recess.

D70 Safety Committee

The District 70 70 Safety Committee met this week and had great conversations about how to keep students and staff safe. Thank you to the 12 parents and 15 D70 staff members who volunteered to serve on this committee. Safety specialist Mr. Braverman from FEA and D70 School Resource Officer (SRO) Michael Camilo joined the group. During the meeting, the committee reviewed safety measures in place, initiatives currently underway, and plans for the future. The group reviewed data from a recent safety survey by checking areas of concern and new practices/procedures that are going well.

See Something, Say Something!

Have you seen signs up around our D70 buildings that say: See Something, Say Something? This is a national campaign started by the Department of Homeland Security. The "If you see something, say something" campaign raises public awareness of the signs of terrorism and terrorism-related crime and how to report suspicious activity to state and local law enforcement. Safety is a community effort.

Next Teacher Institute will be on Safety

On the Nov. 7th Teacher Institute Day, when students do not attend school but staff does, staff members will be learning about safety and conducting security training.

• During the day, staff will be training with the Libertyville Police Department on the "Run, Hide, Fight" program, which will be used in emergencies.
• Staff members will review what they have learned, and share a lockdown video created by D70 for staff and students.
• D70 schools will run an additional lockdown drill during the second half of the school year. While the lockdown will not look all that different for our students, it will be a time when teachers can have age-appropriate conversations with their students about what to do in an emergency. Teachers will talk with students about the importance of listening to the adult(s) in the room and they will review what their options and best options are during any emergency, such as leaving the building to get away from a threat.
• The day of professional development will include training on Stop the Bleed from the Libertyville Fire Department, which will train staff on how to handle medical emergencies.
• There also will be a presentation from clinical psychologist Dr. Doug Bolton on student resilience and post-traumatic growth.
• Staff will end the day partnering with yoga instructor Erin Murphy as she offers staff members an optional class on mindfulness, meditation, and movement.

This school year, District 70 is moving into the next phase of our WIN Time initiative across all four of our elementary buildings.

WIN Time stands for “What I Need” Time and is time spent each day during which students receive instruction or engage in activities designed to meet each of their individual needs in reading and/or math, as well as social-emotional learning. This initiative first began last year to meet the needs of the diverse learners in our schools. District 70 staff and administrators are excited about further enhancing this important initiative in 2022-2023.

Throughout the school year, teachers will collect data from district-wide standardized assessments, grade-level common assessments, and classroom assessments to create flexible student groups. During 30-minute WIN Time sessions, students may be working with their classroom teacher, another teacher at that grade level, or a specialist or service provider, and will receive intervention, reinforcement, or enrichment in identified areas.

WIN Time may include:

• Pointed and purposeful instruction at their independent level in math/reading/SEL

• Special education minutes defined in an Individualized Education Plan (IEP)

• Math and/or reading intervention services

• Gifted/enrichment instruction

• Speech services (language and/or articulation)

• Social work

• Occupational therapy

Teachers will work with school-based teams composed of the building principal, school psychologist, reading and math interventionists, and instructional coaches every eight weeks to analyze student data, determine new flexible groups, determine instructional focus, and design instructional activities. This initiative is a collective effort that prioritizes differentiation for all students.

Questions regarding WIN Time can be directed to classroom teachers, principals, or the Assistant Superintendent of Teaching and Learning, Dr. Erik Youngman at eyoungman@d70schools.org.

Let your child know you have their back even when times are hard. Supporting their choice not to drink alcohol underage shows them you admire their courage and are a true partner in their lives.

Check out this HMS video on alcohol prevention - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rSTq_2ZhFMg&t=17s

Assessments are coming!

D70 families can get a glance at our Illinois Readiness Assessment scores during the Oct. 24th Board of Education meeting and information on the Illinois School Report Cards will be available at the end of October. The second presentation of data will be presented later this year when we can look at our district’s scores in comparison to our surrounding districts and also when we have taken the second benchmark assessment with STAR Reading and Math in January.

New Teacher Mentoring

Mentor and new teacher meetings were held at the end of September. Mentors reviewed the benefits of formative observations for our new staff members. New teachers met with the members of the tech department to review tools they can use on the BenQ panels. The next new teacher meeting will be in November.

District 70 in partnership with the Illinois Principals Association (IPA) encourages all stakeholders to celebrate Principal Appreciation Week from Oct. 16-22, and Principal Appreciation Day on Friday, Oct. 21.

This state-endorsed recognition was first approved by the Governor of Illinois in 1990 and is celebrated annually. The IPA also joins the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP), the National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP), and the American Federation of School Administrators (AFSA) to recognize October as National Principals Month.

Principal Appreciation Day provides learning communities an opportunity to publicly recognize the work, commitment, and importance of principals, assistant principals, and deans throughout the state.

This month we celebrate the outstanding leadership of Adler Park Principal Kendall Miller, Butterfield Principal Dr. Candice Kehoe and Assistant Principal Adam Greenberg, Copeland Manor Principal Dr. Lori Poelking, Highland Middle School Principal Dr. Jon Hallmark, Assistant Principal Valerie Rivera and Dean of Students Kristi Martin, and Rockland Principal Jim Cieciwa!

The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) is looking for nominations for the Those Who Excel & Teacher of the Year Awards.

These awards honor individuals who have made significant contributions to Illinois’ public and non-public PreK-12 schools.

Any person or organization may submit nominations for the awards. ISBE will honor the 2023 Teacher of the Year finalists and all Those Who Excel award winners at a banquet on April 29, 2023.

Click here to nominate a D70 teacher.

Are you looking for something exhilarating, challenging, and rewarding to do? Do you have unscheduled times periodically throughout the year? Would you like to give back to your community and support the students and staff? Would you like to make a little extra money? Libertyville D70 is looking for Substitute Teachers for the 2022-23 school year.

Anyone with a bachelor’s degree can become a Substitute Teacher. D70 pays $130 per day and offers additional bonuses of $200, $225, $250, $275, $300, and $350 for days worked in the district. D70 provides a New Substitute Teacher Orientation to help prepare you to sub, and we will help walk you through the process of becoming a licensed substitute teacher.

Interested parties should contact Pete Theis, director of human resources, at ptheis@d70schools.org

1. Instead of sending fliers home in student backpacks, Libertyville School District 70’s Virtual Backpack is a place for families to find important fliers and information from community groups, schools, and the district.
2. The D70 website is your official guide to K-8 public schools in Libertyville.
3. You can also "like" District 70 on:

• Facebook and follow us on
• Twitter and
• Instagram to keep up with the latest photos, video clips, and news from across the district!

Email: rkollman@d70schools.org
Website: d70schools.org
Location: 1381 Lake Street, Libertyville, IL, USA
Phone: 847-362-9695
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LibertyvilleSchoolDistrict70/
Twitter: @libertyville