Sept. 27, 2024

Dear District 70 Families,

Thank you for participating and partnering in our district’s first Safety Week. I recognize at times that school safety can be a difficult topic. We are grateful to Mr. Johnson, director of safety and security, for his leadership and expertise in this area and the improvements he has already made to our communications and protocols.

This week I want to highlight and draw your attention to our Families Learning Together programming this year. We are excited to partner with the Family Action Network (FAN) which provides timely webinars and local events for parents to connect with one another and experts on a variety of relevant topics.

I highly encourage you to review the list of upcoming events this fall and make plans to attend at least one that matches your interests and/or your child’s needs.

Our building and district teams remain open and willing to provide support or assistance as we partner with you on your child’s education. Please do not hesitate to reach out if you need.

Shine Bright,

Rebecca

Rebecca A. Jenkins

Superintendent of Schools

Libertyville School District 70

rjenkins@d70schools.org

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Join us for Student Services Parent Connect from 9-10 a.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 9th at the Educational Resource Center.

New Asst. Supt. of Student Services Zuica Donev is holding open meetings with parents and guardians throughout the year for a chance to share information and expectations. Ms. Donev joined District 70 this year.

"I'm looking forward to meeting and connecting with parents," Ms. Donev noted. "This is also a great opportunity to connect with other families, share ideas, and explore resources together."

Student Services Parent Connect are open to any D70 parent or guardian. The group meets at the ERC, 1381 Lake St., across from Butterfield School.

Libertyville High School (LHS) PreACT - Current 8th grade students who live in the District 128 boundary are automatically registered for this important high school placement assessment. For more information, click HERE or on the button below.

Throughout the past month, the Teaching, Learning & Assessment department has been engaged in a continuous process of data analysis. We've been meeting with grade-level bands or departments to review our district data.

• In K-5, we meet with each grade level at each building and review data such as Aimsweb, STAR, and IAR (as appropriate to the grade level). Classroom teachers, principals, interventionists, and GTE (gifted, talented and enrichment) staff attend these meetings to review student data.
• In grades 6-8, our coordinators met with the Math and ELA departments to review initial spring IAR scores to look for trends in the data. Teams identified areas of strength and areas to focus on moving forward.

Families Learning Together is a District 70 initiative to provide learning opportunities for our parents, staff, caregivers and community.

This year District 70 has partnered with FAN. FAN is an organization that curates a high-quality speaker series for local school districts and other government groups. These events are free for our families and staff to attend.

Topic: Meditations for Mortals: Four Weeks to Embrace Your Limitations and Make Time for What Counts

Presenter: Oliver Burkeman

Interviewer: TBD

Date: Oct. 7 at 7 p.m.

Location: Zoom Link: www.bit.ly/BurkemanFANSponsor

Program Information: Burkeman worked for many years at The Guardian, where he wrote a popular weekly column on psychology, “This Column Will Change Your Life.” His books include the New York Times bestseller Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals and The Antidote: Happiness for People Who Can’t Stand Positive Thinking. He has nugget after nugget of insight and brilliance and compassion and humor about grind culture, the overlords of "productivity" and "success," the demands on our attention, the importance of "enough." His earlier book Four Thousand Weeks (the number of weeks you'll live if you are lucky to make it to 80) is a huge bestseller, with countless tributes from readers who liberated their lives from the dreary fantasy of getting it all done.

Topic: "Rising Together: Crafting Connections Through Baking"

Presenters: Jürgen Krauss, Ellen King

Interviewer: TBD

Date: Oct. 8 at 7 p.m.

Location: NSCD - North Shore Country Day 310 Green Bay in Winnetka (in-person only)

Program Information: Well, who doesn't love a program centered on baked goods?! Krauss had a great run on the Great British Baking Show, a kind, low-key, skilled baker who wowed the judges many times. Local fave bakery Hewn Bread (our own local bread store in Libertyville) co-owner Ellen King has struck up a friendship with Krauss and invited him to the US for a few days of baking and learning. There will be yummy treats at the FAN event -- a great opportunity to come out with the family, relax, and enjoy yourself!

Topic: The Last Human Job: The Work of Connecting in a Disconnected World

Presenter: Allison Pugh, Ph.D.

Interviewer: Nick Hatzis, M.D.

Date: Oct. 23, 2024

Location: TBD

Program Information: Pugh is a Professor of Sociology at Johns Hopkins University whose research and teaching focus on how people forge connections and find meaning and dignity at home and work, and how economic trends – from job insecurity to commodification to automation – can make that harder. She is the 2024-25 Vice President of the American Sociological Association. A nice take by Pugh on the AI revolution from a sociological stance. She developed the concept of "connective labor," referring to work that requires emotional recognition and interpersonal skills. This book is about the primacy of "being seen," of listening with empathy towards understanding, and witnessing and reflecting. She argues for the importance of connective labor in the face of the army of chatbots and system reboots. A perfect program for those seeking human connection (i.e., all of us).