Gower 62 Community Newsletter

It has been an exciting week in Gower and we are all looking forward to the first day of school tomorrow! It is unique (and we've noticed it's starting to catch on elsewhere:), but our First Day Friday gives us the best start to the school year and we encourage our new families who might be wondering why we take this approach to let us know what you think after your children share how their day went tomorrow. Our Gower West and Gower Middle campuses are ready to go and they both look amazing! Our Annual Meet and Greet and PTO-sponsored Back to School Bash held last night were attended by hundreds of families and captured the excitement and anticipation for the first day of the 2024-25 school year!!! If the positive energy and excitement throughout our opening Teacher and Staff Institute Days this week and last night's events are any indication of what is to come, then all the makings are there for another fantastic school year!

As the 2024-25 school year gets underway, please take a moment to refresh your understanding of the Rules of the Road as they relate to stopping for school buses that will be sharing the road with all other drivers once again. Your patience, along with a clear understanding that it is illegal to pass a school bus with its stop arm extended, will help keep our students safe. Our buses are equipped with stop arm cameras and footage of violations will be shared with our respective police departments for further action. Your patience is always appreciated in our drop-off and pick-up lines as well. After the first full week of school, our car riders will have the process down. Trust the process... The same is true for our bus routes. The first few days may be delayed here and there, but we'll be in full stride after about a week. Your patience, understanding, and cooperation are appreciated! We're in this Together!

To those new to the Gower School Community, "Welcome!" We're so glad to have you and hope that we have exceeded all of your expectations for having a great start to the school year! Gower is an amazing school district with so much to offer. Be sure to visit our Gower PTO and Gower Foundation websites. These partner organizations do a great deal for our school community and they are always looking for ways to engage with and involve our families. We enjoy such a tremendous level of community support in Gower and do not take any of it for granted! Your ongoing support is what drives us to serve the Gower Community and to work so hard to live up to our district motto: Children at their Best!

NOTE: The 2024-2025 school year marks the 20 year anniversary of our district motto and our Board of Education is at the early stages of a Strategic Planning effort as we head into the next quarter of the 21st century. If you are interested in taking part in a 'Core Stakeholder Team' made up of 35-45 Board Members, Administrators, Staff Members, Parents, Students, and Community Members that will help us to shape our district’s Mission and Vision along with our Core Beliefs, Values, and Goals, please let us know by completing this Interest Form.

If you have any questions, or would like to discuss any other Gower Community topic further, please reach out to me directly at vsimon@gower62.com.

With appreciation and excitement,

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 offered from those in attendance. The Board saluted the new teachers who will be joining Gower this school year. Principals Murphy and Capizzi introduced their new staff members and the Board welcomed them to the Gower family! We wish our new teachers and staff a great 2024-25 school year!

The meeting continued with a presentation by Dr. Gary Zabilka from Educational Leadership Solutions (EdLS). EdLS has been selected to lead Gower's Strategic Planning process for the coming school year. Dr. Zabilka gave the an overview of the process and answered Board member questions. Gower's mission and vision turn 20 this year! The Board and administration are excited to begin the hard work of Strategic Planning and look forward to collaborating with various stakeholders to come up with the future vision for Gower!

The meeting continued with the monthly Superintendent's Report which included separate, more detailed reports on the district's Curriculum Review Update as well as a review of the district's Community Relations and Equal Educational Opportunities and Equity Narrative. The Board reviewed a series of additional monthly reports, as well as the Tentative Fiscal Year 2025 Budget. The tentative budget is available online and will be approved at the September 25, 2024 board meeting.

The Board acknowledged the importance of the Board Charter and the continuity and consistency in school governance it has provided. The Gower School District 62 Board of Education Legacy to the Community, as set forth below, was developed by the Board of Education as part of the Board Charter and shall be recognized as the expressed collective values, beliefs, and aspirations of the Board as established by resolution.

Gower School District 62 Board of Education Legacy to the Community

• Student centered, anchored by what's best for kids.

• Steady administrative team.

• Strong administrators in new principal positions over time that facilitate a positive and effective school culture.

• Collaboration - work together to leave Gower 62 even better than we found it.

• Supportive school district that reflects a community which is an example of what America can be.

• Monitor and enhance the district's standard of excellence.

• Continuing to foster and cultivate a strong sense of community among everyone who makes up Gower 62 (teachers, staff, parents, students) that thrive on a respect for diversity, growth and individuality that makes a complete community unit.

• Well-organized (by 5Essentials standards).

The Board did not enter Executive (closed) session. The meeting adjourned at 8:39 p.m.

The next regularly scheduled Board of Education meeting is scheduled for September 25, 2024 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.

The Board saluted the EIGHT new certified staff joining us this school year at Gower! We are very excited to have them join the Gower family! They bring a wide range of experience and knowledge and will be great assets to the district!

First photo: new Gower Middle teachers, from left to right: Shannon Ahern, 8th Grade ELA; Andrea Chandler, SpEd Resource; Ellie de Buhr, Art; Krissy Hopkins, 5th Grade Math

Second photo: new Gower West teachers, from left to right: Chrissy Ivnik, District Math Specialist; Grace Anderson, 3rd Grade; Juliana Gutierrez, Social Worker; Kayla Serritella, SpEd Resource

NOTE: The 2024-2025 school year marks the 20 year anniversary of our district motto - Children at their Best! - and our Board of Education is at the early stages of a Strategic Planning effort as we head into the next quarter of the 21st century. If you are interested in taking part in a 'Core Stakeholder Team' made up of 35-45 Board Members, Administrators, Staff Members, Parents, Students, and Community Members that will help us to shape our district’s Mission and Vision along with our Core Beliefs, Values, and Goals, please let us know by completing this Interest Form.

We are so excited to have our K-8th graders back at both our campuses tomorrow! The teachers and staff have been hard at work preparing for this school year and are ready to go!

We will welcome our pre-K/EC students on Wednesday, August 28th for their first day.