Wauconda High School Request for Approval of a New Course

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Superintendent of Schools Associate Superintendent Assistant Superintendent Assistant Superintendent Assistant Superintendent
Dr. Daniel J. Coles Business Services Curriculum & Instruction Special Education Human Resources
William Harkin Laura Beltchenko Janis Morgan James LePage
TO: Board of Education
FROM: Dr. Daniel J. Coles, Superintendent of Schools
DATE: September 2, 2010
SUBJECT: Input on Parameters for the 2011/12 School Calendar
The Superintendent is seeking Board direction regarding parameters that would be used in
developing the 2011/12 school calendar.
Background: Once these parameters are identified, the Superintendent will meet with the
Calendar Committee (comprised of teachers and administrators) in order to obtain their input on
a draft calendar for 2011/12. A final calendar recommendation will be brought to the Board for
approval at the December Business Meeting. This timeline would allow ample opportunity to
inform staff and parents to assist them in planning for the 2011-2012 school year.
Three options are being presented to the Board. All three options mirror the 2010/11 calendar
with respect to beginning in mid-August and ending in late May. As was the case in the previous
three school years, starting in mid-August allows for two important initiatives to be achieved.
First, a mid-August start enables Wauconda High School to complete 1 st Semester Finals before
Winter Break. Enacting this type of calendar would gain 1 – 2 weeks of high school instruction
typically lost when finals take place after Winter Break. Second, starting in mid-August provides
the maximum amount of instructional time for our 3-8 th graders to prepare for the state tests.
The state tests over the years have been moved from late March, then to the middle of March,
to now the beginning of March. The more time our students receive instruction on our
curriculum, the better they will do on these important assessments.
The differences among the three options will be presented first followed by the similarities.
© Wauconda CUSD 118
September 2, 2010
1961
Wauconda CUSD 118 Celebrates 50 Years of
“Learning for Life – Building Partnerships for Success”
WAUCONDA COMMUNITY UNIT
SCHOOL DISTRICT 118
555 North Main Street, Wauconda, Illinois 60084-1299, (847) 526-7690, Fax (847) 526-1019, www.cusd118.lake.k12.il.us
First Class Schools • Wauconda Grade • Robert Crown • Cotton Creek • Wauconda Middle • Matthews Middle • Wauconda High
2011