NT_010418

12 | January 4, 2018 | The Northbrook tower YEAR IN REVIEW 2017
northbrooktower.com
D31 celebrates another
year of improvement
Alexandra Nicholson
Superintendent
West Northfield District 31
2017 has been another
year of continuous
improvement for West
Northfield School District
31. Our focus remained
on the District’s sevenyear
strategic plan, and
we have made multiple
facility safety improvements
to increase security.
Highlights from the
strategic plan include:
• Goal 1: student growth
and achievement — District
31 is actively developing
and implementing
defined and coordinated
curricula for English language
arts and math that
identify standards-based
learning outcomes, as
well as align resources
and materials to achieve
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those outcomes.
Additionally, a multitiered
system of supports
has been developed and
implemented that provides
students with services
within and beyond
the classroom to ensure
academic, social and emotional
success.
• Goal 2: learning environment
— Winkelman
and Field schools developed
behavior systems that
clearly identify common
expectations that teaches,
monitors and positively
reinforces these throughout
the school year. Additionally,
District 31 has
developed a wide range
of after-school experiential
learning opportunities,
which promote creativity,
exploration and application
to help students discover
their passions and
interests.
• Goal 3: professional
practices — Proactive
and systematic professional
development is
being offered to all staff
that is focused on critical
areas and provides ongoing
implementation support
through coaching and
other resources.
A collaborative leadership
structure for shared
decision-making has been
developed and implemented,
including a district leadership
team, school leadership
teams and grade-level/
department-level teams that
are responsible for implementation
of the strategic
plan and are held accountable
for the achievement of
identified goals.
• Goal 4: engage families
and communities
– Communication with
families is expanding
through the implementation
of SeeSaw and Twitter
at Winkelman School.
Input from parents, students
and staff is being
sought through a variety
of surveys prior to making
final decisions, as well as
input regarding satisfaction
with District procedures,
offerings, etc.
• Goal 5: resources –
District 31 has maintained
its excellent financial ratings
from the State, and
our reserves are above the
minimum 35 percent established
via policy.
For more detailed information,
look for our District
newsletters.
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D30 fosters lifelong
learning in the community
Chuck Gitles
President
D30 Board of Education
Northbrook/Glenview
School District 30’s Maple,
Wescott and Willowbrook
schools proudly
serve both the Villages
of Glenview and Northbrook.
We exist to create a
community that craves
learning, fosters resiliency
and cares deeply for
every child. We continue
to value lifelong learning,
relationships, collegiality
and child-centric practices.
We are proud of our
District 30 students, who
continue to demonstrate
solid character and perform
at a high level, according
to multiple measures
of local and national
assessments.
Superintendent of
Schools Dr. Brian Wegley
is now serving in his third
year. He firmly embraces
the growth mindset that
continues to drive District
30.
In the spring of 2017,
Dr. Wegley was honored
with the Family Service
Center’s Heart of the
Family Award, in recognition
of his outstanding
support and contribution
to the well-being of families
in the community. We
are very proud to have
him lead Maple, Wescott
and Willowbrook schools.
Our Board of Education
goals are reviewed each
year through a collaborative
process with our administrative
team. District
goals for the 2017-2018
school year are:
• Increase child-centered
learning experiences
while implementing rigorous
instruction and coherent
educational programs
• Ensure District 30 facilities
possess the capacity
to support our evolving
and emerging programs
and contribute to optimal
educational experiences
District 30’s Assistant
Superintendent for
Finance and Operations
Dale Falk continues to
manage the District’s financial
operations.
Our financial outlook
remains promising, due to
the Board of Education’s
financial oversight, as
well as continued, strong,
local revenue and support.
District 30 has consistently
received the highest
level of state recognition
for its financial stability.
Most recently, the District
received a AAA rating by
Standard & Poor’s when
issuing $36.3 million in
bonds for the new Maple
School construction project.
In addition to these
bonds, the Board of Education
plans to contribute
an additional $5.2 million
from proactively planned
fund balances to not only
build a new school, but
also transform the entire
Maple campus over the
next two summers.
We are sharply focused
on finalizing plans for the
new Maple School, which
will be a tremendous resource
for our students
and community. District
30’s new Maple School
will begin construction in
the spring of 2018, with
targeted completion and
occupation in the fall of
2019. Follow our exciting
progress on this community
resource at www.
d30facilities.org.
We welcomed 16 new
staff members in August.
We are proud of the fact
that 86 percent of our
faculty holds a master’s
degree or higher. The
District’s outstanding
staff shows continuous
improvement due to a
world-class, comprehensive
and job-embedded
professional development
program, led by Assistant
Superintendent for Curriculum
and Instruction
Dr. Melissa E. Hirsch.
District 30 also embraces
community service
through food, toy
and book drives at our
schools.
We invite our community
to participate in
District 30’s 18th annual
Lew Blond Memorial 5K
Run/Walk, 1-Mile Run.
This community fixture
helps support ALS (Lou
Gehrig’s disease) research
through the Les
Turner ALS Foundation,
provides scholarships to
graduating seniors at the
high schools and allows
for special school projects.
The event will be
held at 8 a.m. on Saturday,
May 19, at Maple School.
For more information,
visit lewblondrun.org.
On behalf of our board,
administrative team and
staff, we thank our community
for their engagement
in and support of
District 30 as we continue
our development of our
most important resource:
our children.
Here’s to a great 2018!