Gower 62 Community Newsletter

Click this link to listen to Simon Says as a Speechify-produced alternative.

The ongoing parent support and engagement in the Gower Community has been amazing this year! A recent example of this was clear with over 95% of our students participating in our 'practice eLearning Day' on November 25th. Having such a high percentage of students and our families being familiar with the eLearning process will be helpful should we face inclement weather in the coming months. Thank you! (I'm going to take a chance and knock on wood here).

The strong community engagement in Gower continued last week with a packed house for the Gower Middle Winter Concert and a standing room only crowd to enjoy our 2nd grade holiday performance! With seating for over 300 guests in the new Gower West gym, we had quite a crowd! Our students and staff work so hard to bring these performances to life and there's no better compliment than having so many people come together from across our school community to cheer them on! Gladiator Pride was on full display!

We do not take the level of support that we enjoy in our school district for granted. It is recognized as a huge advantage to the work we do across the district and we place the highest value on preserving and expanding our connections with parents. From our weekly Teacher Team meetings to our monthly Board of Education meetings to our more active social media presence, 'Parent Engagement and Support' is an ongoing topic and recognized as a key priority to get make sure that we get right. I often share that the work we do in public schools might be complex, but it can be boiled down to a handful of simple rules. One being, Relationships or Bust!

If you haven't done so already, be sure to visit the Gower PTO and the Gower Foundation to connect with others and find new ways to get involved in the Gower School Community. And be sure to reach out to our Teachers, our Principals, Assistant Principals, or our District Office directly to let us know where we have things right and where we can improve. Living up to our district motto, 'Children at their Best!' requires ongoing feedback and coordination and we always enjoy hearing from you. When asked, "How likely are you to recommend this school to a parent looking for a school for their child?", roughly 90% of Gower West and Gower Middle parents give an answer of 'Extremely Likely' from one year to the next on the annual 5Essentials Survey administered by the state. This is a high bar and one I can fully appreciate as a parent. Please be encouraged to keep sharing your thoughts and feedback with us. It makes a difference!

On behalf of our hard-working and dedicated staff, our experienced administrative team, and our supportive Board of Education, I wish you the happiest of holidays as we head into Winter Break and ring in the New Year.

As always, if you would like to discuss any other Gower Community topic further, please reach out to me directly at vsimon@gower62.com.

With gratitude and holiday cheer,

Dr. Simon

Superintendent of Schools

Recording Secretary to the Board of Education, Kate Schillinger, 630.286.4929

Click here for the monthly Superintendent Reports and here for our meeting agendas.

Regular Board Meeting Summary: The meeting was called to order at 7:00 p.m. There was no public comment from the community.

The meeting opened with three Board Salutes. The Board recognized 5th grader Suzie Ploskonka, Gower Middle's IESA State Cross Country Meet qualifier. She set personal records at Regionals and then again at State and had an all-around great season! She even earned a spot on the school record board! You can read more about Suzie's season here. The Board also saluted Gower West and PE Teachers Kima Spaulding and Doug Eccarius for earning another Illinois Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance (IAHPERD) Blue Ribbon Award. This is Gower West's 7th consecutive award and it recognizes exemplary health and PE programs in Illinois schools. Read more here. Finally, the Board congratulated the Gower Middle JV Girls Basketball team on an outstanding season. The girls advanced won both their Regional and Sectional gams and advanced to the state tournament. Congratulations to all on a great season!

The meeting continued with a report on the final Fiscal Year 2024-2025 audit from the District's auditors, Sikich LLP. As part of this annual report, it was shared that the estimated financial profile designation from the Illinois State Board of Education would be, 'Recognition' for 2025. This is the highest designation level and serves as evidence of fiscal responsibility and stewardship. After the audit report concluded, the monthly Superintendent's Report was presented to the Board. In addition to various updates across each of the 5Essentials for school improvement, the Superintendent's Report included a separate report and update on the English Language Learning Program, as well as the 2026-2027 and 2027-2028 school calendars. The Board encourages Gower families to provide feedback on the posted school calendars before they are approved in February.

The Board reviewed a series of monthly reports and those Board members who attended this year's Illinois Association of School Boards (IASB) Joint Annual Conference in Chicago in November shared what they learned from the conference. After the reports section of the meeting, the Board approved a number of policy revisions as part of a 4-year revision cycle as well as the 2025 Tax Levy.

The Board did enter an Executive (closed) session at 8:33 p.m. with the purpose of discussing "Other matters relating to individual students." 5 ILCS 120/2(c)(10) and"The employment, compensation, and performance of specific employees." 5 ILCS 120/2(c)(1). There was no additional action taken after the Board returned to open session at 9:28 p.m. other than adjourning the meeting at 9:29 p.m.

The next regularly scheduled Board of Education meeting is scheduled for February 18, 2026 at 7:00 p.m. in the Gower School District Board Room, Gower West, south end of campus Door #B22. As always, you are invited to attend and share your thoughts and feedback with the Board.

The Board Saluted three different groups at Wednesday night's meeting! Just goes to show there are so many great things happening in Gower!

Fifth grader Suzie Ploskonka was recognized for being Gower's IESA State Cross Country Meet qualifier this year! Over the course of the season, she improved from 15:12 in the two mile race, down to 14:25 at the conference meet. She continued to set personal records at Regionals and then again at State where she finished with a time of 13:40. Not only was this another personal record for Suzie, it also earned her a spot on the school record board! You can read more here.

Next, the Board saluted and congratulated Gower West and PE teachers Kima Spaulding and Doug Eccarius on receiving another Illinois Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance (IAHPERD) Blue Ribbon Award. The award recognizes exemplary health and physical education programs in Illinois schools. This is the 7th consecutive award that Gower West has received! To read more, click here.

Finally, the Board saluted the Gower Middle JV Girls Basketball team (pictured below). The girls had a landmark season this year with an overall record of 10-4. Our team won both their Regional and Sectional contests and they advanced to the state tournament. Congratulations to everyone on a great season!

Gower Middle JV Girls Basketball (pictured left to right): Top row - Jillian Koziol, Esmeralda Centeno, Teona Jordanov, Alyssa Lupo, Brynley Barnish, Adison Mennen, Alena Lupo. Bottom row - Emma Chau, Harper Hickey, Stephanie Gavatski, Lanaiya Ray, Sadie Farazi.

The Board was presented with an updated and final draft of the 2026-27 school year calendar and a draft of the 2027-28 school year calendar. The calendar drafts can be found on the District's website here. After a period of public posting, the Board will approve the final calendar for 2026-2027 and the draft for 2027-2028 at the February 18, 2026 Board meeting. Parent and staff feedback is welcome and can be directed to the District Office and/or the Board Recording Secretary, Kate Schillinger, kschillinger@gower62.com or 630-286-4929.

Reminder that tomorrow, Friday, December 19th, is an Early Release Day!

Have a safe and wonderful Winter Break! We look forward to seeing everyone back in 2026!!!