NT_082318

northbrooktower.com School
the northbrook tower | August 23, 2018 | 33
A warm welcome
New District 28 teachers prepare for start of school year
District 30 welcomes 126 teachers to annual Institute Day workshops
Submitted by District 30
LEFT: New teachers and
their mentors are welcomed
to a two-day orientation a
week before school starts.
RIGHT: Northbrook District
28 Superintendent Dr. Larry
Hewitt introduces new
teachers to Northbrook
District 28 to kick off a
two-day New Teacher
Orientation on Aug. 14.
Photos Submitted
District 30 Superintendent
Dr. Brian K. Wegley
welcomed 126 teachers to
the Teacher Institute Days’
assembly for the last time
in Maple School’s multipurpose
room on Aug. 15.
By next August 2019, the
new Maple School will be
open, and the Teacher Institute
Days will be held in
a state-of-the-art facility.
Wegley spoke of how
as a district, the focus is
on the cycle of continuous
improvement — collegiality
and relationships,
and child-centric practices,
which leads to educating
all students.
He also showed a snapshot
of the district: 1,184
students; 404 at Maple
School; 415 at Wescott
School; and 365 (114 kindergarteners)
at Willowbrook
School.
In addition, Dr. Wegley
thanked the PTOs for their
ongoing support of the
schools and introduced this
year’s PTO leaders: Maple
Co-Presidents are Becky
Fliegel and Erin Sommer;
Wescott Co-Presidents are
Michelle King and Christie
Hartbarger, and Willowbrook
Co-Presidents
Assistant Superintendent Dr. Melissa Hirsch addresses District 30 employees at the
first day at its annual Institute Day workshops on Aug. 15. Photos Submitted
are Grace Zuercher and
Katie Schick.
This year administrators
are focusing on two
powerful Board of Education
goals: Increase
District 30’s capacity to
systemically collaborate
within grade-level teams
to execute the cycle of
continuous instructional
improvement and to ensure
that facilities possess
the capacity to support the
evolving and emerging
programs and contribute to
optimal educational experiences.
Other strategic work
outlined involved safety
and security and to improve
internal District 30
flow of information with
an enhanced intranet.
Board of Education
President Chuck Gitles
thanked the Teachers Association
for the collaborative
and successful negotiations
last year. He spoke
with pride about how District
30 is a destination
district for educators and
families.
Teacher Association
President Talia Block introduced
her team and
thanked the board and administrators
for the ongoing
support.
Maple School Principal
Dr. Nate Carter and
Assistant Principal Betty
Holzkopf introduced and
welcomed new staff, as did
Willowbrook School Principal
Scott Carlson and
Wescott School Principal
Chris Brown.
Assistant Superintendent
for Curriculum and
New teacher Lauren Marks, who will be the speech and
language pathologist at Maple School, smiles and claps
while hearing District 30 administrators outline the
upcoming school year.
Willowbrook School teachers (left to right) Heidi
Fletcher, Sue Weingarten, Kristin Sendaydiego and
Gifted Education Coordinator Robyn Kogan stop for a
photo at the first day of Teacher Institute Days.
Instruction Dr. Melissa E.
Hirsch commended the 40
teachers who participated
in the Summer Curriculum
program and helped revise
and fine-tune specific areas
of instruction for the coming
school year. The seven
projects included world
languages, science K-5,
social studies 3-5, virtual
reality to support Next
Generation Science Standards
(NGSS), math K-5,
NWEA-MAP reading, and
social emotional learning.