|
Willow Springs Property
At the April 2 Committee of the Whole Meeting, the Board discussed potential next steps related to the Willow Springs Property. With the resignation of Member Aubert, the Board will be appointing a replacement member by late May. As a result, the Board decided to pause any discussions regarding the Willow Springs property until a new member is appointed.
Recognition of Former Board President Aubert
The Board recognized former President Dawn Aubert, who resigned on April 2, 2024. Member Aubert faithfully served as a member of the Board of Education since 2021. During her tenure, she served as a member of the Parent Teacher Advisory Behavioral Intervention Committee and LT Community Advisory Council. Member Aubert gave generously of herself to the task of providing board governance and guidance to the Lyons Township High School community, and she unselfishly devoted her time and energies not only to her duties as members of the School Board but also her understanding and appreciation of public education in our society. The Board of Education of Lyons Township High School District 204 warmly expressed its gratitude and appreciation to Dawn Aubert, paid tribute to her leadership, and wished her continued success during the years ahead.
Board Reorganization
As a result of the recent resignation of Board President Dawn Aubert, the Board conducted a reorganization of board officers. Pursuant to Board Policy 2:10, Jill Grech was appointed as President. In addition, the Board elected Tim Albores as Vice President, and Jill Beda Daniels as Secretary.
2024 Summer Workshops Approved
For summer work requiring board approval of expenditures, a proposal, review and approval process is utilized involving Division Chairs, the Director of Equity and Belonging, the Director of Student Services, and the Director of Curriculum and Instruction. The approval process includes prioritized criteria, submission of proposals, individual review by the curriculum office with applicants, and board approval of workshops.
For the summer of 2024, 28 summer curriculum and program development workshops were approved. Highlights include:
- Co-Teaching training and a co-teaching workshop for teachers who will begin co-teaching in the fall.
- Cultivating Curriculum workshop for teams of teachers to create a unit of study incorporating Culturally Responsive materials.
- Workshop for Multilingual Teaching teams to develop integrated content.
- Workshops for freshman core course teams who have been a part of the curriculum review last year so they can include culturally responsive teaching and leading and SEL standards.
-
Workshops for sophomore core course teams who have been a part of the curriculum review this year so they can include culturally responsive teaching and leading and SEL standards.
-
Time to train Instructional Coaches on implementing Surface, Deep and Transfer Learning.
- Time to plan professional learning for the 2024-25 school year.
- Workshops based on curriculum change proposals:
- Updates to two special education classes.
- Updates as required by Indiana University for Spanish IV ACP.
- Updates to the AP Psychology and AP Physics 1 courses as necessitated by
the College Board.
2024-2025 Additional Textbook & Instructional Materials Approved
The Board approved a second round of textbook and instructional material requests. Changes included new workbooks for English Learners, an adjustment of Freshman English Courses, changes to Sophomore English, a book for the new AP African American Studies course, high Interest book selection for English I Cross-Categorical, a LIFE program resource, and a change in Driver Ed books to reduce costs for students.
Approval of Intergovernmental Agreements
The Board approved intergovernmental agreements with the Villages of LaGrange and Western Springs. The agreements include information related to reciprocal reporting, digital image access, and the assignment of a school resource officer at each campus.
Amended 2024-2025 School Calendar Approved
The Board approved an amendment to the 2024-25 school year calendar that includes the following items:
- Election Day is a state holiday. In a previous election year, districts were allowed to use an e-learning day for election day; however, this is not allowed for Election Day in 2024. As a result, the calendar was modified to include November 5, 2024 as a school holiday. In order to make up for the loss of an instructional day, February 14, 2025 will include a regular attendance day rather than a holiday.
- The calendar also includes a modification that assigns Monday, January 6 as a Teacher Work Day, Friday, March 21 as an Institute Day, and Friday, May 30 as a student final exam day.
- Following these changes, the 2024-2025 school term calendar includes the following significant dates:
- First Day of Student Attendance (Monday, August 19, 2024)
- Last Day of Semester 1 (Friday, December 20, 2024)
- First Day of Semester 2 (Tuesday, January 7, 2025)
- Spring Break (March 31, 2025 thru April 4, 2025)
- Class of 2025 Commencement Ceremony (Wednesday, May 28, 2025)
- Last Day of Semester 2 - Grades 9-11 (Friday, May 30, 2025)
Superintendent Report
LT Superintendent, Dr. Waterman, provided the following information during his Superintendent’s report, including:
- Dr. Waterman shared an update regarding the most recent Board of Education Community Chat, which was hosted on Tuesday, April 9 in the South Campus Library. Members Dillon and Nava participated and were provided with an opportunity to discuss a variety of topics with community members.
- Dr. Waterman shared information related to the spring assessment season. On April 12, all Freshmen took the PSAT 8/9 at South Campus and on Monday, April 15, Sophomores took the PSAT and Juniors took the SAT. This resulted in 3,000 assessments being administered throughout our campuses.
- Dr. Waterman also presented a Vita Plena Award to Ibet Herrera. Ibet started at LT in the role of South Campus Main Office Receptionist for the 2018-2019 school year, and transitioned to her current Administrative Assistant role in the South Campus Assistant Principals' Office the following school year. During her time at LTHS, she was previously involved in supporting student activities as an advisor for both National Hispanic Institute and Latinos Juntos. She has also supported the LTHS community by serving as the interim Liaison to the Hispanic Community as well as providing translation and interpretation services to assist families in our community. She is also very involved in storytelling through music and through the Mariachi Sirenas band that she is a member of. She has performed throughout the Chicagoland area including at cultural events and professional sporting events. Mariachi Sirenas also performed at LTHS as part of a heritage month assembly. Congratulations to Ibet!
Student Representative to the Board Report
Student Representative to the Board, Sophia Szymanski, presented an update that included a variety of academic, athletic, and extra-curricular highlights and events.
LTEA Report
LT Education Association President Andrew Johannes shared it has been a busy two weeks since returning from Spring Break. On April 10, the teachers participated in the Instructional Sharing Symposium hosted by instructional coaches. The teachers got to share their experiences and thoughts about strategies and interact with teachers from different divisions. President Johannes thanked Dr. Waterman for seeking the teachers’ input and the LTEA’s support of the proposed changes to next year’s school calendar. He also encouraged everyone to attend upcoming events at LT including the Spring Art Show, the Eurythmic Dance Company performance at Reber Center May 2-4, and the 11th Annual Car Show held on May 18.
President Johannes also recognized the following teachers for their accomplishments:
- Congratulations to the Menagerie Advisors Joseph Maffey, Mary Rohlicek, and Angela Gutierrez and the Tabulae Advisors Joseph Maffey and Jessica Roessler. Many students won awards at a national conference that they recently attended.
- Congratulations to the Math Team Advisors Jennifer Szczesniak, Jim Mshar, Alex Wojcik, Chuck Witt, and Laura Van Winkle. The Math team finished 15th place at the state meet.
- Congratulations to the Chess Team Advisors Michael Bodenhagen and Zainab Neeley for the chess team competing at the US Chess Federation High School Championships.
- Congratulations to Lisa Plichta and the other Spanish teachers. This is the 10th year that Lisa has organized the Pulsera project.
- Spanish Teachers, JoEllen Gregie and Ellen Acuna, brought 25 students to Mexico for the bi-annual immersion trip and Science Teachers, Annette Orrico and Angie Patel, brought 19 students to Costa Rica to assist in researching sea turtles.
- Thank you to Physical Welfare Teachers/Athletic Trainers Bob Fitcher and Kristine Vins for providing optional CPR/AED training to the staff.
Public Participation
There were 3 individuals who participated in public participation:
- Fred Whiting regarding the Willow Springs Property
- David May regarding the Willow Springs Property
- Becky Lorentzen regarding the CommUNITY Diversity Group’s Anti-racism Workshop
|
