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January 2008 Greetings Happy New Year! I hope our Palos 118 community enjoyed some pleasant “R&R” with family and friends during the winter break. I know kids enjoyed the snow and festivities of the holiday season. Classroom learning peaks this time of year as students and teachers stretch their minds during this final semester of learning. “Behind the scenes,” administrators and board members are already hard at work planning for 2008-2009. Board of Education At its January 15 meeting, Board President Sheila Pacholski shared details on a Joint Board Of Education Leadership Dinner----hosted later this month by School District 118. The Superintendent and Board of Education of School District 118 will welcome superintendents and board members from our neighboring school districts. Mrs. Pacholski indicated that our Board of Education looks forward to the opportunity to start a conversation with our neighboring Southland school districts about our shared goals for public education. The leadership dinner is also a great opportunity for members of the boards of education in our geographic area to spend some time together. The keynote speaker will be Dr. Johnson, Executive Director of the Illinois Association of School Boards. Individual board members serve our children without compensation and should be acknowledged for their contribution to our communities. Palos 118 extends its thanks to Palos Township Highway Commissioner Gene Adams for his cooperation and assistance in stressing safety for students and drivers at our South campus. Palos Township, in conjunction with Palos 118, commissioned a traffic study encompassing the South campus and adjoining streets due to the volume of traffic on Meadowlark Lane. The results of that survey indicate that traffic to Palos South Middle School has minimal impact on Meadowlark Lane; no more than 25% of traffic in the area of question is attributable to South---according to the study. Present traffic patterns on the South campus were found to be safe and effective for traffic and students. Board of Education Vice President Rick Nogal stated that Palos 118 desires to be good neighbors to our community and further noted that the safety of our students is of paramount importance to the Palos 118 Board of Education. The Board is committed to continuing a cooperative, shared dialogue with Palos Township as we strive to procure solutions to traffic problems around our campuses. The Board of Education approved the following new Board of Education policies for immediate implementation. New policies are a reflection of the laws being changed. Current policies are available for view online at www.palos118.org. Click on the 3rd tab across the top listed as----BOARD---on the main page. Board policies are available under this heading. New policies can be found online in the next 2 weeks. (*Please note: There is a great deal of information available to the general public online. Our main district website contains quick links to each school’s individual website. Daily announcements are listed on the main pages of each individual school, as well as calendars, lunch menus, educational and fun links for students, school and district newsletters, school closing information, student showcases, and much more. Many parents find it convenient to set their child’s school website as the home page on their home of work desktop. If you need help doing this, no doubt your student can probably show you how!) Newly Approved Policies:
Policy 5:10 Equal
Employment Opportunity and Minority Recruitment, Policy
5:100 In other board news, building projections and a tentative staffing plan for the 2008-2009 year were discussed. At this early juncture, Kindergarten student numbers for 2008-2009 were not part of the projection. After our February Kindergarten Roundup, this information will used to disseminate a more precise projection to be discussed at our February and March board meetings. Monthly updates will follow throughout the spring. At this stage of planning, present class sizes are projected to remain the same. Palos East enrollment indicates the reduction of one section of grade 2. At Palos West, a reduction of one section of grade 1 is indicated. At Palos South, 3 fewer sections at grades 6, 7, and 8 will be required. However, the final staffing will depend upon the master schedule and any additional programs. It is important to note that one of the challenges in our enrollment projection is that pupil enrollment can be affected by changes in community mobility which is based on many variables such as buying and selling homes in our district----all of which are difficult to predict. The Board of Education approved a proposal for extra curricular activities at Palos West and Palos East schools. School Newspaper Club and Financial Literacy Club will soon be available to students at the elementary level. A school newspaper will be published monthly for students by students. Pupils in grades 4 and 5 can join the newspaper staff. The Financial Literacy Club will focus on students learning basic consumer and individual financial literacy. I am very pleased to maintain opportunities for students to experience an enriched educational experience with the addition of activities of this nature, especially at the elementary level. Information will be available to students in grades 4-5 in the coming weeks. I would like to thank our teachers who continue to come up with innovative ideas to extend the educational experience of students beyond the classroom. The Board of Education also approved the appointment of Shelley Mulchrone to the role of Assistant Principal of Palos East School for the 2008-2009 school year. Over 200 applicants applied for the role of Assistant Principal at Palos East School. It is with great pride that we welcome Mrs. Mulchrone to the administrative leadership team at 118. Shelley is not a stranger to 118. Mrs. Mulchrone has worked for 118 for the last 12.5 years as Speech and Language Pathologist at Palos East School. Mrs. Mulchrone holds a Masters level certificate of Advanced Study in School Administration. Mrs. Mulchrone will be involved with transitional activities until July 1 when she assumes the role of Assistant Principal. After being brought to the board Tuesday night, Mrs. Mulchrone replied to the board’s approval by saying, “It is my privilege and honor to represent a school district with such high academic and social standards for students. I have seen the integrity and hard work of the leadership team in 118 first hand and as Dr. Dubec says, I look forward to charting the course of the future with District 118.” Congratulations Mrs. Mulchrone!
Congratulations Mrs. Shelley Mulchrone! UPCOMING 118 EVENTS KINDERGARTEN ROUND UP--- THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 7 (not Friday, the 8th). East and West
Kids Bowling Party,
January 21 Centennial Lanes, Tinley Park. NO SCHOOL ON
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