Palos     E Connect    118

Dr. Joe Dubec, Superintendent                                 Schools Working For Kids

December/January 2006-07

 

EConnect Archive

 

On behalf of our Board of Education, faculty and staff, I would like to send you the very warmest of holiday wishes.  The season brings a variety of celebrations and family traditions.  Many of us give gifts, use this time to be with our loved ones and share our hopes for the future.  As educators, the greatest gift that we can give to our pupils is to have each of them grow and develop to their full potential.  We are educating children for a future that we do not fully understand and for jobs that do not presently exist. We can only imagine the potential for technology, medicine, commerce and humanity in the years when our students will be adults.  Our wish for the season is to give each child the educational gift to be able to embrace the opportunities of the future and to create a better world for themselves and others.

 

Graduation Venue for the Class of 2007

We anticipate that 278 students will graduate in the class of 2007.  Graduation for the past few years has been held at the Moraine Valley Church.  The Moraine Valley Church, although a beautiful facility, is a church containing the religious symbols and icons which rightfully represent the beliefs of its congregation. We have been guests in their facility and have appreciated the accommodations that Moraine Valley Church has made to facilitate our past graduation ceremonies.  However, our obligation under federal law is to always seek a venue which is designed to be non-secular in nature and free from religious symbols and icons.  The Board of Education at its December meeting approved the use of the auditorium at Trinity College for graduation for the class of 2007.

 

Trinity College’s location is favorable to our area and the auditorium is a theater type of venue with a large stage.  Parking and access are very good and the auditorium contains no symbolism or religious icons. One of the strong considerations for Trinity College was the nature of the auditorium and our ability to continue to offer our students the quality of graduation experience that has occurred for pupils in the past.  Unfortunately, due to the size of the auditorium and our class, each graduate will only be able to bring a total of three guests and not the four that have been permitted in the past.  There will be a small amount of tickets that will be allocated in a lottery fashion to permit some pupils an additional guest.

 

The Board and administration considered a number of venue options in our area including banquet facilities, high school gymnasiums and even St Xavier College. In each case the size, location, comfort, or cost ruled these out.  We understand the concern for additional guests that some families have.  Please be assured that every effort was made to weigh all of the options as we meet our obligations under the law.  Finally, Trinity College as an institution of higher learning has committed to working with the communities in the area and has extended the use of their facility in a manner very favorable to Palos 118, and we wish to thank them for their cooperation.

 

2007-2008 and 2008-2009 School Calendars

The Board adopted the 2007-08 and 2008-2009 school calendars with opening dates and tentative closing dates as follows:

 

School Year                        Start Date                        Tentative Closing Date (if no snow days are used)

2007-2008                          August 22, 2007              June 3, 2008

2008-2009                          August 20, 2008              June 2, 2009

 

Please see the approved calendars on the district’s website at www.palos118.org.

 

 

School Improvement Plans

Annual school improvement plans for East, West, and South schools were presented to the Board of Education at its December meeting.  The plans represent goals for each school and are developed through a collaborative model with the professional staff.  In past years achievement information from the Illinois State Achievement Test (ISAT) were used to help guide the goal process. Unfortunately, this year the State Board of Education has yet to release this information.  School Improvement goals for this school year were based upon individual pupil assessments, the evaluation of individual pupil progress, and our school program analysis.   Parents have yet to receive individual pupil results on ISAT again because this information has not been released to school districts.  We are hopeful that in the New Year this information will be available to parents and our community.  At that time school improvement plans will be evaluated and adjusted as needed.

 

Palos School District 118

School Improvement Goals

2006-2007

Goal I – To Commit to Continuous Improvement

East

South

West

Increase reading achievement as demonstrated on local, state, and/or national assessments. Emphasis on:

·         Fluency

·         Extended Response

 

Increase math achievement as demonstrated on local, state, and/or national assessments. Emphasis on:

·         Computation

·         Algebraic Reasoning

 

Increase achievement in written expression as demonstrated on state and/or local assessments. Emphasis on:

·         Written extended response

 

Increase reading achievement as demonstrated on local, state, and/or national assessments.  Emphasis on:

·        Content Area Vocabulary

·        Functional Reading

 

Increase math achievement as demonstrated on local, state, and/or national assessments.  Emphasis on:

·     Computation

·     Geometric Concepts

 

Increase achievement in written expression as demonstrated on state and/or local assessments. Emphasis on:

·     Cross-Curricular Writing

·     Grammar

 

Improve student learning in language arts as measured by performance on local, state, or national assessments.

Emphasis on:

·                 Reading Comprehension

·                 Vocabulary

·                 Applied Writing Skills

(including grammar, punctuation, word usage)

·                      

Improve student learning in mathematics as measured by performance on local, state, or national assessments.  Emphasis on:

·                 Computation

·                 Measurement

 

Improve student learning in science & social studies as measured by performance on local, state, or national assessments.  Emphasis on:

·                 Content Area Reading Skills

·                 Data Analysis

 

Improve student learning with the implementation of a systematic approach to teaching academic vocabulary.

 

 

  

Palos School District 118

School Improvement Goals

2006-2007

Goal II – To Build a Connected Learning Community

East

South

West

Increase communication within school:

·         Morning Announcements

·         Office Behavior Referrals

·         Nurse Referral Form

 

Increase communication between home and school:

·         Parent-School Links to:

v            EBSCO

v            Study Island

v            Tumble Books

 

Continue articulation between elementary schools and middle school:

·         Joint Student Council

                venture East/West

 

Increase communication within school:

·             Increase communication

         within departments and

         teams with listservs

·             Share department quarterly

          meeting notes

·             Research availability of “H” drive access from home

Increase communication between home and school:

·             Maintain comprehensive

              web site with expanded use of               activity calendar

·             Promote use of online textbooks

·             Create database of email   addresses of parents

·             Explore additional uses of   technology to increase   communication

 

Continue articulation with high school/ elementary school

 

Increase communication between home and school:

·         Enhance parental

        education opportunities

 

Continue to utilize Palos West Intranet for daily staff communication and establish teacher resource links to share valuable information and post the building activity calendar.

 

Expand the connected learning community through project-based/service learning opportunities.

 

Goal III – To Provide a Safe, Orderly, and Caring Learning Environment

East

South

West

Continue emphasis on school security and safety:

·         Recess Rodeo

            5th grade classroom and

            building helpers

 

Continue and expand character education/student connection programs:

·         Grade Level Adoption – Ron Clark “55 Essential”

·         Reading to the Principal

·         Palos Pride Book

Include programs and initiatives that address health and wellness education:

·         Additional Physical Education period, Grades 1-5

·         Wellness Committee

·         Learning opportunities for

            wellness

Continue emphasis on school security and safety:

·         Maintain visitor check-in procedures

·         Provide adequate lighting in parking areas

·         Improve student bus/car drop-off  procedures

·         Continue to promote wellness through curriculum and Health Education Club

·         Create attendance “check points” throughout the day

Continue and expand character education/student connection programs:

·         Expand “back-to-school” administrative/ team meetings to review behavior expectations

·         Revise and expand student handbook

·         Increase recognition of Honesty, Respect, Responsibility among students

Promote student extra-curricular involvement

Monitor building security:

·         Analyze impact of new facilities

Connect District Character Education Program emphasizing respect, responsibility, and honesty to school events and programs.

 

Continue to provide direct instruction in personal safety practices for all students:

·         Internet safety for children

 

Expand opportunities for student recognition/leadership.

 

Include programs and initiatives that address health and wellness education.  Emphasis on:

·         Nutrition Education

·         Additional Physical Education period, Grades 1-5

·         Making Healthy Choices

 

Goal IV – To Manage and Plan for Financial Integrity

East

South

West

Continue to utilize funds for student learning and school improvement goals:

·         Joint Spending Committee

(Approval Process)

·         Team Budget Needs

Assessment (Spring ’07)

 

Save money through conservation:

·         5th Grade Recycle Team

 

   Maintain a balanced school budget

 

Continue to utilize funds for student learning and school improvement goals:

·         Support additional extra-curricular opportunities

·         Financially support professional development opportunities that relate to school improvement goals

 

Save money through conservation:

·         Continue recycling program

·         Promote energy conservation within the school

 

Maintain a balanced school budget

 

Allocate funds based upon student learning and school improvement goals:

·         Expand shared-decision

          making process to align           expenditures with school           improvement goals for:

v      PFA Funds

v      Staff Development

v      Instructional  Materials

 

·             Analyze instructional                    materials at each grade level           to determine future budgetary                        needs

·             Save money through                    conservation

v      5th Grade Recycling Team

 

 Maintain a balanced school budget

 

South Middle School Principal Search

Donna Clark, South Middle School Principal is retiring at the end of this school year. We have been in the process of a search for the next middle school principal.  As part of the process, parents, community members, and faculty were asked to offer input on an online leadership profile to be used to guide the selection process.  Feedback indicated that the next South principal should be an individual who will respect the collaborative environment that has made South the special and effective school it is. And, our new principal should be a “people person”  who has the communication skills to connect to everyone.  It was also considered desirable to have a principal who has had previous middle school administrative experience.

 

An open recruitment process was initiated using all of the usual administrative advertisement outlets and 238 personal letters were sent to superintendents and middle school principals in our metropolitan area announcing the vacancy. Fifty two applications for the position have been received. After an administrative screening of all fifty two applications, sixteen received an initial interview.  The field has been narrowed to four and two finalists are anticipated to complete the selection process in January 2007.   We have been impressed with the quality and talent of many of these candidates, and pleased there is so much interest in Palos 118 schools.  More information as to the next South Principal will be coming in the future.

 

Landscaping/Beautification Project

The Board of Education has employed Jay Womack, a landscape design architect from Wight and Company, to facilitate development of a landscape plan for each school.  Meetings with a committee from each school have been completed and Mr. Womack will be presenting completed plans at the January 16, 2007 Board of Education meeting.  We send a special thank you to everyone involved in the development stages of this project.  The completed plans will be reviewed by the Board.  Upon approval, the landscaping design for each school will become the guiding force for future landscaping and actual project implementation.

 

Happy New Year!

Comments and suggestions can be sent to econnect@palos118.org.