Jane Addams Principal Sonia Ruiz Named Illinois Middle School Principal of the Year
VVSD Superintendent of Schools Dr. Keith Wood provided an update to the Board of Education at the January 27 Regular Meeting. Dr. Wood gave an update on long term, near future, and current events in the District. Dr. Wood also shared information on youth leadership projects in the District and community.
Jane Addams Middle School Principal Sonia Ruiz is the 2025 Illinois Principals Association Middle School Principal of the Year. Sonia entered consideration for the statewide IPA Middle School Principal of the Year Award after being named 2025 IPA Three Rivers Region Middle School Principal of the Year. In addition to being the leader of the Jane Addams MS learning community, Sonia also serves as the IPA Diversity and Equity Co-Chair for Three Rivers Region, and on a national scale, is a member of National Association of Elementary School Principals National Task Force on Race and Equity.
Sonia received the news in a surprise announcement at the Jane Addams Kindness Assembly on Mon. Feb. 3.
VVSD has three other staff members named winners of IPA Three Rivers Region awards.
Humphrey Middle School Principal Dan Laverty is the recipient of the 2025 IPA Three Rivers Region Herman Graves Award. The Herman Graves Award was established in 1991 to recognize outstanding service in connecting the IPA to its member schools throughout the state.
Bolingbrook HS Asst. Principal Claudia Gurney and BHS Lewis University Community Partner Kendric Cornelius are the recipients of the IPA Three Rivers Region Building Bridges Award. The Building Bridges Award honors those who work to continue building important relationships within schools and their community, such as the one Claudia and Kendric have fostered between VVSD and Lewis University.
VVSD Staff Spotlight- Heather Eck, Counselor, Humphrey Middle School
Humphrey Middle School Student Counselor is helping us celebrate National School Counseling Week 2025 by visiting with us for this edition of Staff Spotlight. "School Counseling: Helping Students Thrive," is celebrated to focus public attention on the unique contribution of school counselors in their school community.
National School Counseling Week highlights the tremendous impact school counselors can have in helping students achieve school success and plan for a career. Heather is in year 23 as a school counselor at Humphrey Middle School and opened our conversation by sharing why she wanted to become a school counselor.
VVSD Kindergarten Enrollment Begins Friday, February 28
SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT! All Returning VVSD Students Can Also Register for the 2025-26 School Year Beginning Friday, February 28
VVSD will open Kindergarten registration for the Class of 2038 on Fri. Feb. 28 through the online enrollment process. To be eligible to register, a student must be five years old on or before Sept 1, 2025, and the family must live with VVSD boundaries. Families of current VVSD students will be able to register via their Infinite Campus Parent Portal account, while families new to the District will be able to register online. Click here for more details about the enrollment process.
VVSD is also pleased to announce that registration for the 2025-26 school year for currently enrolled students will also begin on Fri. Feb. 28. You can register a currently enrolled VVSD student for the 2025-26 school year by accessing your Infinite Campus Parent Portal account.
Start the New Year by Joining the VVSD Team
VVSD is still hiring for a wide range of positions for the 2024-25 school year with an emphasis on adding to our teams of paraprofessionals, lunchroom/playground aides and special education teachers.
We are also seeking new team members including guest teachers, bus drivers, operations & maintenance, nutrition services, and special education staff.
VVSD’s employment opportunities offer schedules for staff members that are in synchronization with school schedules, making VVSD a great choice for parents who need to have their work schedule match up with the school hours, and Winter and Spring Break for their children. To see all VVSD job opportunities and to apply, visit www.vvsd.org/jobs
VVSD Nutrition Services Job Fairs
VVSD is hosting three upcoming job fairs specifically for openings with our VVSD Nutrition Service Team. The dates for these job fairs are Fri. Feb. 7, Fri. March 21, and Fri. April 11. All three job fairs are from
10 am- Noon. These job fairs will be hosted on the VVSD Indeed.com website.
VVSD Nutrition Services is hiring for the following positions: General Nutrition Services Team Member, Asst. Kitchen Managers.
VVEEF invites you to the “Wild, Wild West” on Friday, March 7
Yeehaw! Get ready to saddle up for the Valley View Educational Enrichment Foundation’s Annual Dinner and Auction, happening Fri., March 7 at 6 pm at the Bolingbrook Golf Club. Dust off your boots and mosey on down for a rootin’-tootin’ night of fun going full "Wild, Wild West"! Don’t get left in the dust—grab your tickets early before they ride off into the sunset!
VVEEF wrangles up funds for grants that benefit VVSD students and teachers. You can lasso some great items in the silent auction and raffle, or even bid online from your phone at https://VVEEF2025.givesmart.com.
Round up your posse and make sure you’re ready to chow down, sip some sarsaparilla, and dance the night away under the stars.
Don’t miss the wagon train—get your tickets today! To purchase tickets, click here (You can also use this link for donations and to register for our online bidding system).
The Brooks Middle School Library welcomed Kim Johnson from the Alliance for Civic Engagement to present a lunchtime program about the Greensboro Four. On Feb. 1, 1960, four North Carolina A&T students sat at a Woolworth’s lunch counter and ordered cherry pie. They were denied service because of segregation. The four students peacefully remained seated in protest of discrimination against Black citizens in the South. The Greensboro Four were among several in a long line of effective protesters who advanced awareness of segregation and, ultimately, the beginning of action toward justice. The students in the photo have slices of cherry pie to go along with their lunch as a reminder of how the brave actions of those in the civil rights movement created momentum for change. This program was made possible by a grant from the Valley View Educational Enrichment Foundation.
Thank you to our volunteers and partners who bundled up for the February RX Mobile Food Pantry. At least it was a very sunny morning on Tuesday! The next RX Mobile Pantry is Tue. March 4 at 9 am in the Bolingbrook HS northwest parking lot.
A school-wide effort at Wood View Elementary worked to collect 800 food items by the 100th day of school was successful! Kindergarten classes collected boxes, decorated signs for the boxes and read daily announcements with reminders about the food drive and the classes with the most. Older students went around to each class daily to write down how many items they each room had collected. All items collected were donated to the DuPage Township Food Pantry