Welcome to our newly revamped family newsletter! Based upon the overwhelming feedback we received on our end-of-year communications survey, we are excited to introduce a fresh, user-friendly format designed to be more accessible and easier to read on all your devices. Thank you for being a part of our community, and we hope you enjoy this new experience!

• Grades 1-8: Wednesday, August 28
  
• Pre-K: Thursday, August 29
• Kindergarten Group A: Thursday, August 29
• Kindergarten Group B: Friday, August 30

Your school's principal will communicate which group your kindergarten student belongs to.

Our full calendar can be found here.

Under state law, school districts may utilize “e-learning days” in lieu of emergency days.

The Community Consolidated School District 21 Board of Education will consider approval of the e-learning program plan renewal during its regular meeting on Thursday, August 15. The meeting agenda is posted online no less than 48 hours before the start of the meeting. Prior to approval of the e-learning program plan renewal, members of the public will have an opportunity to comment.

Board meetings are held at the Community Service Center and Administrative Office (959 W. Dundee Rd., Wheeling) and begin at 7 p.m.

We are thrilled to announce the opening of our brand-new District 21 Health Center! The center aims to provide comprehensive primary and preventative physical, mental and educational health services for children and adolescents within our district. These services are meant to improve the social/emotional, cultural and physical health of these groups, as well as the educational environment. As we get ready to head back to school, the center is here to offer essential services, including physical exams and necessary vaccinations, to ensure everyone is ready for a healthy and successful year! There are a number of other services provided, which can be found by visiting the health center's website. To book your appointment, visit the link below!

ICYMI! Eleven students between Holmes, London and MacArthur Middle Schools joined the Wheeling High School Marching Wildcats in early July as part of an immersion program to expose future students to the many facets of Wheeling's band program. Their experience culminated by marching with the Wildcats in the Fourth of July parade in Arlington Heights!

The district's Communications and Community Engagement Department recently took home five awards from the National School Public Relations Association, a professional association for school communications specialists, superintendents and others responsible for improving communication within school districts and between districts and the citizens they serve:

• Award of Excellence: "We are CCSD21!"
• Award of Merit: "CCSD21, CCSD59 enter intergovernmental agreement to share director of school safety and security"
• Honorable Mention: Welcome Kits
• Honorable Mention: Redesigned Newsletter for 2023-2024
• Honorable Mention: Kilmer's "Don't Be Late to School"

We'd like to introduce Kenny Munao, a senior at Prospect High School, who will be joining us throughout the year as our communications intern.

"I wanted to intern for District 21 to get real-world experience in media and make more content for people to see. I haven’t been here for long but I already feel a part of the tight-knit community that is District 21."

Read more about him here, and welcome Kenny!

Our Summer Learning Academy has focused on supporting learning in math and language arts for more than 450 students in first through eighth grades.

Check out a couple of highlights below!

Our third- to fifth-grade staff in June attended Benchmark Phonics & Word Study and a Taller Fonetica professional development session. As we continue our focus on instructional strategies that will lift the level of literacy in District 21, staff will implement these resources next year as part of their reading workshop time. Professional Development will continue throughout the school year in all elementary grades, focusing on the Reading Brain and Phonics and Word Study.

Did You Know… As a district we are proud to celebrate the diversity of our learning community! During this month many countries around the world celebrate their day of independence. Many people in our community acknowledge their native country’s independence by displaying a flag, participating in festivals or parades. Some communities celebrating in the month of August include India, Afghanistan, Ukraine, Uruguay, and Kyrgyzstan. If you’d like to learn more, click on the links! If there is a celebration that we missed, don’t hesitate to reach out and share it with our Language Services Department.

Hit the ground running this year! Students missing five days of school in the first month fall behind in critical reading and math skills for the rest of the year. Prepare students for a successful year by making sure they are in school everyday!

The beginning of Kindergarten is just around the corner, and we couldn't be more excited to embark on this incredible journey with you and your child. This is a monumental step in your child's educational path, filled with new experiences, friendships, and opportunities for growth.

We aim to ensure each child's formal schooling experience is positive and enjoyable by crafting a unique plan for the first days of kindergarten, tailored specifically to meet the needs of our young learners. Each class will be divided into two groups, with half attending on August 29 and the other half on August 30. This approach allows kindergarten teachers to focus on students' social and emotional growth and establish structures that enhance independent learning in a small group setting.

At the beginning of August, you will receive a ParentSquare message notifying you whether your child is in Group A or Group B for the first week of school, following the schedule outlined below:

• Thursday, August 29: Group A kindergartners attend a full day of school from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. (no school for Group B)
• Friday, August 30: Group B kindergartners attend a full day of school from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. (no school for Group A)
• Tuesday, September 3: ALL kindergarteners begin a regular full-day schedule

Kim joins the district from Berwyn South School District 100, where she served as assistant principal at Hiawatha Elementary School. She has also been an elementary classroom teacher in Skokie/Morton Grove School District 69 and in the Chicago Public Schools.

Read the full story here.

The Illinois State Board of Education has extended the timeline for the short term substitute license through 2028. We had some wonderful new sub candidates that applied to work with us this past year. Many of these subs are right from our community! We’re excited for these additions to our sub group but we’re not done yet. We are continuing to hire subs this summer. Please let your neighbors and friends know that we are hiring for next year.

We still have openings in our sub pool for the following positions:

• Secretary - $100/day

• Health Assistant - $100/day

• Teaching Assistant - $125/day

• Teacher - $141/day

• Registered Nurse - $309/day

• Long term teacher (more than 10 days in the same classroom) - $227/day

In addition, any subs who work 100 days this year will receive a $1,000 bonus at the end of the year.

Check out this video on how to apply for a short-term substitute license, and this link for more information.

As part of a routine Chromebook refresh cycle, incoming Kindergarten, third, and sixth grade students will receive a new Chromebook shortly after school begins. All new students will also receive a device in this same timeframe. Returning third and sixth graders will return their existing device and receive their new device in a swap process in the first days of school. All other returning students will utilize their existing Chromebook that they have had over the summer for this upcoming school year.

All students will also view a Chromebook care and safety presentation with their teacher where they will learn about how to care for their device and how to stay safe.

Please prepare your students' existing Chromebook for the first day of school by ensuring it is properly charged and in the case. Should there be an issue with the Chromebook, please reach out to your child’s school or principal.

With the start of the school year fast approaching, we want to let you know of a few ways that families can learn about student classroom assignments and schedules:

• PowerSchool Parent Portal (K-8): On Aug. 21 after 3 p.m., schedules and classroom assignments will be available in the Parent Portal. The portal will be open for both parents and students.
  

• ParentSquare Message (K-5): By 3:30 p.m. on Aug. 21, parents of students in grades K-5 will receive a ParentSquare message with the same information that is available in Parent Portal about homeroom teacher assignment.

• SchedulePick Up/Locker Setup (6-8): Students in grades 6-8 will be able to attend a schedule pickup at their middle school. At this time, students can walk their schedule and test out their locker combinations. Please watch for communication from your middle school principal about dates and times as these are building-specific.
  

Reminder to follow the CCSD21 Information Services on Instagram, X, and YouTube to stay up-to-date with all things CCSD21 technology. We’re excited to welcome students back to school soon!

The CCSD21 preschool program services eligible children ages 3 to 5 years old.

The district screens the child to identify if the child is eligible to participate in the program. If you are interested in having your child screened for preschool, complete this request for a screening. Our teams work to screen children throughout the entire year and are excited to meet new families!

In response to the state mandate of educating students about Erin’s Law, CCSD21 will be

hosting a curriculum called "Be Seen and Heard," a prevention-oriented child sexual abuse

program for all students in grades K-8. This curriculum is designed to create an age-appropriate, safe and engaging environment where students will learn about the difference between safe and unsafe touch, the difference between safe and unsafe secrets, and the importance of speaking up to trusted heroes and adults.

Parents are invited to attend a special information meeting to preview the concepts of the “Be

Seen and Heard” curriculum before we host them in the schools. Join us on Tuesday, September 10, at 6 p.m. via Zoom (click the button below this text to join the Zoom!).

If you do NOT wish your child to participate in these lessons, please contact your student’s

school. Information on the exact date in each school will be shared in the school newsletter.

The presentation will be in English, here is a link to the presentation in Spanish.

Schools play a vital role in creating a secure learning environment, and one tool that District 21 uses is the Standard Response Protocol (SRP). The SRP is a common-sense approach to emergency preparedness that provides consistent, clear, and shared language and actions for everyone in a school community. Rather than focusing on specific scenarios, SRP emphasizes five core actions:

• Hold: This is used for minor disruptions or when more information is needed. During a hold students remain in their learning spaces and learning occurs as normal. This may be used if an ambulance is called for a student or staff member.

• Secure: This is for external threats, such as severe weather. Everyone moves inside and secures doors.

• Lockdown: This is for internal threats, like an intruder. Everyone stays in place, locks doors, and out of sight.

• Evacuate: This is for emergencies requiring immediate exit from the building.

• Shelter: This is for weather-related emergencies, such as tornadoes. Everyone moves to a designated safe area.

The livestream video of the July 18 meeting of the Board of Education can be viewed here.

The next regularly scheduled meeting will be held on August 15, 2024, at 7 p.m. at the District 21 Community Service Center and Administrative Office.