Superintendent News

August 31, 2023

Dear District 95 Families,

Welcome to the start of another wonderful school year! I hope the beginning of school has come with great joy and anticipation for you and your students. We saw many smiling faces on the first day of school as well as other start of the year events - please enjoy a few of these photos below!

As we start the 2023-24 school year, we are also kicking off a new five-year strategic plan called Empower95 which replaces the Forward95 plan that was completed at the end of the last school year. Throughout this year and beyond, you will hear a great deal more about the new strategic plan which defines the district's mission, values, vision (Portrait of a Graduate), goals, and action plans. Throughout the last school year my newsletter served to inform you about the process underway to develop the plan; this year - starting with the article below - please watch for information articulating various components of the new plan.

As we continue to focus on school safety each year, please be sure to read important information below regarding recent "swatting" calls (anonymous calls reporting bomb threats) and also important information about road work recently announced by the Village of Lake Zurich which will impact our local traffic (including school buses) in the weeks and months to come.

Best wishes for a healthy and happy Labor Day weekend, enjoy the continued warm weather and sunshine!

Sincerely,

Dr. Kelley Gallt

Superintendent

Over the course of the 2022-23 school year, many stakeholders came together to create a new strategic plan to guide the work of the district for the next 5 years. These stakeholders - students, parents, teaching staff, support staff, administrators, community partners, and business/educational partners - worked throughout the school year to help develop a comprehensive plan to guide the district. This plan follows the successful completion of the Forward95 strategic plan.

Throughout this school year through newsletter articles and other communications, we will be sharing more about the plan which encompasses the district's Mission, Values, Vision, Goals, and Action Plans. Let's begin with the mission statement.

Empower95 Mission Statement

The District 95 mission was reaffirmed and will be carried forward as part of the Empower95 strategic plan, because "empower every learner to achieve personal excellence" still represents the primary purpose of the school district. The committee felt this mission statement continued to ring true because "every learner" means students, staff, and everyone who is part of the District 95 learning community. "Personal excellence" represents all learners whose goals and aspirations are unique to each individual.

As a guiding statement for the organization, the mission statement is important. But so is the imagery that accompanies it. In the image above, an aerial view of the community is in the distance, encompassing some of our property and even the original Ela Township High School which captured so many memories as a high school, middle school, and elementary school over the past 100 years. This image represents the community and our past.

In the foreground is an image of rocks being stacked to create a "cairn". The rocks are all different sizes, shapes, textures, and colors, and are part of a bigger plan or purpose. These elements are symbolic and can represent our plans, our stakeholders, our values, our growth, etc. These symbols are here to help us remember and live our strategic plan each day.

Stay tuned for more information about Empower95 in our next article! Can't wait and want to learn more now? Visit our website to learn more about Empower95.

District 95 is fully committed to the safety and security of everyone in our District – students, staff, families, and the community. In light of recent incidents (described below), we're actively monitoring our local situation and taking proactive steps to be prepared for unexpected events, including swatting.

This week, there were two reported swatting events in Lincolnshire and South Elgin. "Swatting" involves making a false emergency call about a serious crime, such as a bomb threat, resulting in a significant emergency response.

We understand that school evacuations and reunification events are stressful for everyone, even if a situation turns out to be a prank. Although we've made substantial enhancements to our emergency response protocols, such as adopting the Standard Response Protocol, conducting comprehensive training, and implementing trauma-informed practices during safety drills and events, we acknowledge that District 95 may not be immune to the swatting trend.

Working closely with first responders, District 95 has engaged in discussions about swatting incidents and established response plans for various scenarios. In the event of a suspected swatting incident within District 95, we will treat the threat and report with the utmost seriousness, while prioritizing the emotional and physical well-being of the school community. We ask that families have age-appropriate discussions about this swatting trend with their students. It takes ALL of us working together to create and maintain a safe learning environment for all.

Recently, the district learned that the Village of Lake Zurich will be closing the intersection at Main Street and South Old Rand Road, from Monday, September 11th, 2023 until Monday, October 2nd, 2023 (weather dependent). Additionally, from September 12th, 2023 through December 31, 2023, South Old Rand Road will be closed at the railroad tracks (by Ace Hardware).

See the map of impacted areas above (map provided by Village of Lake Zurich).

The initial closure of the Main Street and S. Old Rand Road intersection has prompted us to plan for necessary adjustments to some of our bus routes to ensure the safety and convenience of students during this period of time. As always, our primary concern is safety while attempting to minimize any disruptions caused by the road closure.

Those impacted by a bus route/bus stop change will be notified by the District 95 Transportation Department in the coming days.

For questions about the road closure itself, please contact the Village of Lake Zurich.

Please join us in celebrating members of our staff with a 'thank you' or a kind email on these upcoming recognition days!

• September 4-8 - National Substitute Appreciation Week
• September 8 - World Physical Therapy Day
• September 19 - National IT Professional Day

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

"Empower every learner to achieve personal excellence".

Email: feedback@lz95.org
Website: www.lz95.org
Location: 832 S Rand Rd, Lake Zurich, IL, USA
Phone: 847-438-2831
Facebook: www.facebook.com/LZdistrict95
Twitter: @LZdistrict95