A Message from Dr. Kelley Gallt
February 28, 2023
Dear District 95 Families,
This month we have many celebrations occurring across the district. There are so many wonderful photos in this newsletter from staff and student recognitions to my monthly “day in the class” visit; I hope you will take the time to celebrate along side us!
Also this month, we are excited to be presenting the work of our Strategic Planning Committee (which includes the work of the Portrait of a Graduate Committee from last fall) to the Board of Education on March 9th. The Board will review and discuss the information presented and is then expected to take action on the plan later in March. This marks an exciting time period for the school district as we complete the projects from Forward95 and bring forth the major areas of focus for the district for the next 4-5 years. Please feel free to watch the Board meeting (streamed through our website, click here) or watch for more information in my next newsletter and in the months to come.
Best wishes for a safe and healthy start to March as we look forward to longer days and Spring Break at the end of the month!
Sincerely,
Dr. Kelley Gallt
Superintendent
Presenting....FROZEN!!
Last Fall, the Disney Theatrical Group and partners announced winners of the United States of Frozen contest, a nationwide contest for schools to earn the rights to produce Frozen, after an extraordinary response from high schools across the US. Only one winner per state was selected.
Lake Zurich High School was selected as the winner for the state of Illinois! The LZHS Frozen production will be held April 27th-30th at the Performing Arts Center, with tickets going on sale March 23rd. Visit the LZHS Performing Arts Center website for the latest information.
A special thank you goes out to parent volunteer Cindy Malin who was instrumental in helping to coordinate the information needed for this contest submission!
Calendar Survey - Coming Soon!!
In the coming weeks the district will be sending a survey to district families and staff regarding the school calendar. This will include questions related to school holidays, breaks, school year start/end dates, conferences, and more. Please watch for the survey and be sure to respond…we value your feedback!!
Staff Awards - Thank You for Your Nominations!
Thank you to the many parents and students who submitted Teachers Make a Difference Award nominations (over 200 received) and also to our staff for nominating their peers for our internal District 95 Excellence in Education Awards. All staff members will receive a copy of their nominations even if they were not selected as an award recipient. A few additional awards will be given out at a later time, more information will be shared later on those celebrations.
Please help us in celebrating these staff members! The district will honor these and a few more award winners at an all staff recognition program in May.
Teachers Make A Difference Award Winners (3)
· Elizabeth Warren, Sarah Adams
· Nicole Prejna, Spencer Loomis
· Jennifer Helman, May Whitney
Early Career Educator
· Nataliya Zelenetska, May Whitney
Student Support Personnel
· Carrie Teschner, May Whitney
Classroom Diverse Learning Teacher (2)
· Carol Suppes, Spencer Loomis
· Ashley Campos, Middle School North
Classroom Elementary Teacher
· Ry Muehling, Seth Paine
Classroom Middle School Teacher
· Jason Arneson, Middle School North
Classroom High School Teacher
· Courtney May, LZHS
School or District Administrator
· Marie Rothermel, Spencer Loomis
A Day in the Class of....Mrs. Schoo, Middle School South
In this feature article, “A Day in the Class of…”, we highlight the Superintendent as a member of a classroom for one full period. A different school and class are highlighted each month, allowing readers a view into the classroom from a new perspective!. This lesson demonstrated Dynamic and Responsive Environment, relating to the District 95 Instruction Learning Model.
During the month of February, while I visited different school sites throughout the month, I specifically spent time as a student in Middle School South with Ms. Beth Schoo and her students. It was evident from the moment I walked in that as a part of the dynamic lesson in science, we would spend time truly thinking about species and their similarities and differences in their body structures over time. While we had a brief period of review to get us ready for the learning planned for the class period, we were quickly grouped into different teams to study various species to best identify similarities and differences in their body structures during ancient and modern times. My team was assigned to the species we would commonly refer to as a horse in modern times. We were provided different cards depicting the bone structure and other information about the horse over time. We used these cards to collaboratively determine the classification of a single trait in order to organize our cards and then selected a secondary trait to further differentiate the cards into groups. We were able to analyze and interpret the data provided within each card and then make predictions on what variables were impacting the trait variations (specifically for us, bones). Ms. Schoo also provided an opportunity for each of us to partake in a gallery walk so that we could better understand how other teams were organizing a particular species (some the same and others different) by trait variations. Our final activity required us to identify and clarify common ancestry vocabulary in a way that synthesized the knowledge we gathered from the activities.
Throughout each learning experience, I was so grateful to be able to partner with such a smart, collaborative, and excited group of students. Every student was highly engaged, supportive of each other, and willing to compromise as we worked towards consensus when problem solving. I have great respect for both Ms. Schoo and the MSS students, as my knowledge and understanding of species, both ancient and current, was definitely enhanced through participation in this class!
Appreciation Days
Once again this year we are highlighting appreciation days for various staff roles throughout the district. By sharing these dates with you via this newsletter and social media, we hope you will take a moment to share your appreciation with the individuals who serve our district in these roles. A card, email, post, or a simple thank you in person means so much!!
March 3rd - School Maintenance Worker Appreciation Day
March 5-11th - National School Social Worker Week
District 95 Job Openings
In addition to an ongoing need for bus drivers (see below for more information), District 95 also has many other current employment needs including playground/lunchroom supervisors, classroom aides, and more. For a current list of openings, please visit our online job listings by clicking here.
Bus Drivers
Looking for an opportunity to give back to the community? Retired and looking for a way to stay active and connected? A parent wanting to have the same schedule as your children? Want to bring your preschool aged child to work with you? Join our amazing team of bus drivers. NO EXPERIENCE NECESSARY.
Benefits Include: · Paid Behind the Wheel Training · Partial Paid Health Insurance · Retirement Benefits · Sick Leave · Personal Days· Competitive Pay including pay for prior experience
Qualifications: · Good Driving Record · Minimum of 21 years old (Drivers) · Pass required Federal Background check · Pass a pre-employment/ annual physical & drug test · Enjoy working with kids!!
If you have any questions, contact the District 95 Transportation Department at 847-438-2834.
Click here to apply online by visiting our website or go to www.lz95.org/jobs ~ Click on Job Openings ~ Select Transportation ~ Select Apply button