Jefferson Early Childhood Center Principal Michele Barkley presented to the School Board how Jefferson is building community and belonging with our District’s youngest students. Jefferson has hosted many events throughout the school year that promoted that togetherness and taught the importance of belonging and accepting others regardless of their differences. 

Barkley recognized the importance of their Parent Advisory Committee in making all these events a success. “Thank you for dedicating your time and energy to Jefferson. Your willingness to volunteer reflects your genuine concern for the well-being and success of our community,” said Barkley.

On top of that, we also got to celebrate the Jefferson Butterfly Buddies! More than 30 Jefferson students attended the meeting to be recognized for being Butterfly Buddies throughout the year. This program recognizes students who are fabulous friends to others, lend a helpful hand, or are wonderful workers! 

The District 64 Board of Education held a regular meeting on Thursday, April 18th, in the Hendee Rooms. 

VIEW BOARD MEETING

Approval of ELA Curriculum

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Assistant Superintendent for Student Learning Dr. Samantha Alaimo led a presentation on the K-8 English-Language Arts (ELA) curriculum and the adoptions of Amplify CKLA and HMH Into Literature. You can view the presentation here. 

The K-5 English-Language Arts (ELA) Curriculum Review was conducted by Meghan Keefer, K-5 ELA Curriculum Specialist, and included administrators and K-5 classroom teacher representatives from all five elementary school buildings. Other staff, including psychologists, SPED teachers, Library Information Specialists, English Language Teachers, and interventionists, were all part of the committee. Consultative support was also provided by Dina Pappas, K-5 Science/SS/K-8 Health Curriculum Specialist, and Kara Forrest, K-8 Intervention Facilitator. 

The 6-8 ELA Curriculum Review was conducted by Lindsey Harrington, ELA department chairperson, and Ursi Cosentino, ELA department liaison, along with ELA classroom teachers from Emerson and Lincoln. Other staff, including SPED teachers, English Language Teachers, interventionists, Library Information Specialists, instructional coaches, and administrators, were all part of the committee. Consultative support was also provided by Meghan Keefer, K-5 ELA Curriculum Specialist.

“We’re really excited about this adoption. Truthfully,” said Dr. Alaimo. “We feel really good about our decision.”

Amplify CKLA will be adopted for grades K-2 for the 2024-25 school year. More dialogue needs to be had about the structure and schedule for Amplify CKLA at the grade 3-5 level, which will be implemented in 2025-26. The total cost for Amplify CKLA is $330,878.  

HMH Into Literature will be adopted for grades 6-8 and 5th grade C of C ELA. The total cost for HMH Into Literature is $439,190.

Approve Contract for Regular Education Transportation Services

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Safeway was chosen to provide regular education transportation services through the 2026-27 school year. “Going out to bid was advantageous at this time; we’re looking to save approximately $300,000 using this model for regular education,” said Chief School Business Official Dr. Adam Parisi. 

Approve the Fifth Amendment to the Special Education Transportation Services Contract

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This extends the agreement with Lakeview Bus Lines for special education transportation services through the 2024-2025 school year. 

Approve Lincoln Phase 1A Construction Contract with Midwest Mechanical

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Phase 1A will be done at Lincoln Middle School starting this summer. You can read more about what phase one entails in this January 25th Board Meeting recap. The $10 million worth of bonds sold earlier this year will pay for this work. 

Phase 1 at Lincoln is a different project than the possible $98.3 million bond measure on which we have been gathering community input regarding the District's critical safety and facility needs. You can find more information on the possible bond referendum at www.d64.org/2024proposal.

The approved contract with Midwest Mechanical was for $1,677,864. This initial contract covers much of the design work for the next 14 months and pre-purchases of some mechanical equipment. 

Approval of Recommended Personnel Report

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Consent Agenda

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Approval of Minutes

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Upcoming Board Meetings

The following are the next Board meetings:

• May 16, 2024 - 7 p.m. - Hendee Rooms at Jefferson
• June 27, 2024 - 7 p.m. - Hendee Rooms at Jefferson

Looking to catch up on past meeting highlights? A summary of each meeting is available on our Current Board News webpage.

Please confirm meeting dates and times on the Board meetings webpage.

Your input is invaluable as we host presentations about a possible bond referendum. We aim to address our highest-priority capital facility needs, with a special focus on health, safety, and security upgrades, mechanical and infrastructure improvements, and improvements to instructional and student support spaces.

You can find more information online at www.d64.org/2024proposal.

Upcoming Events That We Are Hosting

• Wednesday, April 24th - 6 pm - Presentation before the EM/FI/FR/CA band concert - At Emerson Middle School
• Wednesday, April 24th - 7:30 pm - Virtual Presentation - RSVP For Link
• Saturday, April 27th - Noon - Presentation & Tour of Lincoln - At Lincoln Middle School

If you plan on attending any event, RSVP so we can plan and have the proper setup.

We also want to share with you these three short videos that highlight some of our most significant needs and issues. The facility video tours are important in showing our families and the community what these spaces look like. You can watch them by clicking on the pictures below.

District 64 students competed in the Special Olympics at Prospect High School over the weekend. Awesome job, everyone! What a fantastic day on the track and field.

Julia, Kimi, Simone, Aidan, Cece, Isaac, Ben, Dominick, Josh, Augie, and Henry proudly represented D64. 

Congrats to all of our athletes who participated, and thank you to the volunteers who made this great day happen.

The 2024 Uke Fest rocked! Washington Elementary School students had a cool opportunity to team up with The UkeTones and play this all-ukulele spring concert. Here is a quick video showcasing their skills! 

We heard favorites like This Land Is Your Land, Let It Be, You Are My Sunshine, and How Far I'll Go. It was an awesome afternoon of music and learning between the students and senior musicians. 

Thank you to Mrs. Manchur, the Washington Ukelele Chorus, and The UkeTones for the concert!

Franklin students brought idioms to life last week as the Falcons celebrated Idiom Day. 

Two peas in a pod. I'm all ears. You're out of this world.

Are these starting to jog your memory of what an idiom is? They are word combinations that have a different figurative meaning than the literal meanings of each word or phrase. I hope that doesn't go in one ear and out the other. Alright, I'm done! 

Franklin students had an even better imagination and brought some of these phrases to life with costumes, props, and shirts. You can see some of them here. 

Thank you to the Park Ridge City Council and Mayor Marty Maloney for the Proclamation of April being Healthy Living Month and for helping us educate the community on the importance of having healthy bodies and healthy minds.

Curriculum Specialist Dina Pappas was at the City Council meeting to talk about our campaign and how students have been doing various challenges each focusing on different aspects of health and wellness.

Next week is Screen Free Week (April 22-28). We're encouraging students to explore activities that don't involve screens.

Please check out this link for more information on Healthy Living Month and the weekly challenges!

April is Autism Acceptance Month. The month aims to promote understanding and acceptance of people with autism, advocate for their rights and inclusion in society, and highlight the need for research and policy development. It is also an opportunity for us to celebrate the abilities of every individual.

Comments and questions may always be directed to the Superintendent or Board members through these links:

Email Dr. Ben Collins, Superintendent or contact members of the Board of Education via email links.

Park Ridge-Niles School District 64 | 847-318-4300 | news@d64.org

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