11-21-24

Each year as we move toward the winter season, D128 updates families on the district’s procedures for communicating with families about weather-related and emergency school closings. Our first step is to conduct a test of our emergency notification system. On Tuesday, Dec. 3 at 6:00 p.m., D128 will conduct the annual test of its emergency notification system, SchoolMessenger. At that time, parents and guardians will receive an email, phone call and text* (if they opted in for that choice) from the District stating that it is a test of the emergency notification system. If you do not receive a call or email, please contact your student’s LST to confirm that we have updated contact information for you in our system.

While we make every effort to assure that school is open, weather conditions often prevent that from happening. The safety of our students and staff is our top priority. D128 refers to the National Weather Service to monitor weather advisories and warnings. Additionally, we consult with administrators in neighboring districts and our bus company when making closing decisions. In the event of an emergency or weather-related closing, information will also be shared on D128 social media, websites and through the Emergency Closing Center (which is announced on local TV and radio stations), in addition to our notification system.

While D128 attempts to coordinate “snow days” with its feeder elementary districts, not all of the elementary feeder districts are able to conduct remote learning days. This means that some of the districts will always use a “snow day” option, while others will have the ability to shift to remote learning on inclement weather days. D128 has two emergency days built into its school calendar. Should both emergency days be used, any additional school days impacted by an emergency situation or weather conditions that would normally result in a “snow day” will become remote learning days.

*Parents received an opt-in message from SchoolMessenger when their student(s) began attending a D128 school. If they chose "yes" to receive text messages, they will receive one for this test. If they chose "no" at that time, they won't receive one. Visit this link for information on how to opt in or out of texts from D128.

The D128 fall end-of-semester/final exam schedule and additional information for Dec. 17 - 19, 2024, is posted on the school websites.

At its Nov. 18 meeting, the D128 Board of Education approved a contract for a new website and communications tool provider. We are thrilled to announce that D128 is partnering with Finalsite to take our communication tools to the next level, including a complete redesign of our websites. This is an exciting opportunity to improve how we connect with our entire school community, and we need your input to make it a success.

Your feedback is essential in creating a more user-friendly, effective, and engaging digital experience. We want to ensure that the new design reflects the needs of everyone—students, staff, parents, and community members alike. Please take a few minutes to complete the survey by Dec. 8, 2024. Your anonymous responses will directly impact the direction of this project and help us build a platform that truly serves our stakeholders. Additionally, the feedback functionality currently provided by the Contact Us feature on our websites will remain available on the new sites.

Thank you for contributing to this important initiative. We are excited to unveil the redesigned websites and new tools in late spring/early summer 2025—stay tuned for more updates!

• Our board members take on this responsibility not for a paycheck but for their commitment to our community and its children.

• Our board members are volunteers who act as front-line advocates providing a local voice for the community, a vision for the district, and a pathway to success for our students.

• Our board acts to safeguard two of our community’s most precious resources – our children and tax dollars – while striving to create the best education environment possible with the resources available.

• Our school board members wear many hats; they are education leaders, policymakers, contract negotiators, and budgeteers. But they are also our neighbors, our friends, and D128’s biggest fans.

• Our board members spend multiple hours each month on district work, attending meetings, and other responsibilities most will never hear or read about. Thank you to all seven members of the D128 Board or your dedication to our students, staff and community: Jim Batson, Lisa Hessel, Don Carmichael, Cara Benjamin, Kara Drumke, Sonal Kulkarni and Mithilesh Kotwal.

In September, we asked D128 students, "Overall, how much do you feel like you belong at your school?" At that time, 77% said they feel that they belong quite a bit or completely and 96% feel that they belong somewhat, quite a bit, or completely!

We asked D128 students the same question on Tuesday, and this time, 85% said they feel that they belong quite a bit or completely and 97% feel that they belong somewhat, quite a bit, or completely!

We also asked students to identify a specific place or time at school where they feel the strongest sense of belonging, and the most common student response (with over 800 responses) was related to a class. This is due to the amazing work our staff is doing in their classrooms and with our students. Thank you to our staff for always putting students first and making their sense of belonging a priority in what they do each day.

On Nov. 19, the LHS environmental sustainability club, ECOS, hosted a celebratory unveiling of the interpretive signs that were recently installed along the walking path between LHS and Butler Lake. The signs were purchased as a part of the $5,000 ComEd/Openlands Green Region grant which was awarded to ECOS club in 2023. Students from ECOS and LEAF presented to a group of donors and stakeholders, and told the story of our journey to convert a shoreline that was once overrun with invasive species into a rich habitat for wildlife, while improving the view of the lake from the walking path. The first of the two new signs is located adjacent to the practice football field, and describes the ecological importance of wetlands, which is the technical classification of Butler Lake. The second, larger sign is on the eastern edge of our school's property, across the field from the tennis courts, and describes the ecological importance of pollinators and native plants. The signs were commissioned from Pulse Design.

The ceremony marked the completion of the club's formal restoration efforts along the shoreline, which was made possible by over $25,000 in grants and donations over the past three years. In addition to the ComEd/Openlands grant, the students were awarded funds for competitive grants including:

• EPA Rise Challenge Grant via the IL Environmental Educators Association ($6,000)
• Lake County Audubon Society “Plants for Birds” Committee ($2,500 awarded to LEAF)
• Illinois Green School ($1,000)
• Sand County Foundation ($1,000)
• Illinois Department of Natural Resources Schoolyard Habitat ($1,000)
• Jane Goodall Educator Grant ($750)
• Lake County Stormwater Management ($500).

Planting supplies were donated by Greenhouse Megastore and Target - Vernon Hills. Generous cash donations to the project were made by parents and community members, as well as Parent CATS ($1,000) and Town and Country Gardening Club ($500). We are grateful to ILM-Environments for the donation of labor and materials to clear the invasive species from our work area, and for providing feedback on our planting plan. During the course of the project, our students met with over a dozen subject matter experts from various organizations to ensure that they developed a comprehensive plan to convert the shoreline, including restoration experts from ILM-Environments, Lake County Storm Management, Wild Ones, Tallgrass Restoration, and stakeholders from the school, District 128 leadership, the School Board, Village of Libertyville Board members, Sustain Libertyville Commission, and Lake County Health Department - Ecological Services. Planting the shoreline was a collaborative effort between teacher and club sponsor Jennifer Kahn (ECOS), retired teacher Dave Lapish and his environmental club (LEAF), students and teachers from Outdoor Adventure and AP Environmental Science classes, students from National Honors Society, as well as community volunteers. The projects could not have been completed without the unwavering support of Tom Koulentes, Kelly Debruler, Chris Stancil, Jim Doyle, and the Grounds Crew at LHS.

Over the past two years, they planted over 10,000 native plants on the grounds of our campus, creating habitat for native and migratory birds, pollinators, and other native wildlife, but there is more work to be done! ECOS looks forward to eradicating invasive species, and expanding our efforts on the shoreline and around our campus. ECOS gratefully accepts donations toward the creation and maintenance of native habitat by accessing our secure Webstore.

Read more about the project.

Congratulations to VHHS graduate Kailee Irvin (VHHS '23) who earned the Kimberly Dierks' Scholarship for Tutors of Distinction for her work as a peer tutor at Kansas State University. In a message to the school, she noted that the VHHS ARC is where she got her start as a tutor and gained an appreciation for tutoring as a whole. She was an ARC tutor for two years and served on the ARC Tutoring Executive Board her senior year. Read more about her honor on the KSU website.

LHS and VHHS students and staff did an amazing job of recognizing and celebrating our Veterans on Veterans Day, Nov. 11. Both schools featured a display honoring our graduates, staff, and staff family members who have served in the military. At LHS, the Wildcat Historical Association created a display in the Library that showcased the impact of WWII on LHS, including many of the young men from LHS who were killed in service in the war.

“Kool Cats Creations” is a student-led microbusiness housed at D128 Transition Pathways. The young adults running Kool Cats Creations cultivate employability skills such as teamwork, problem-solving, leadership, entrepreneurship, strategic planning, effective communication, decision-making, global market awareness, application of academic knowledge, motivation for learning new skills, expression of individual creativity, time management, financial literacy, marketing awareness, and networking abilities. Kool Cats Creations is currently selling student-designed and made items on the D128 Web Store.

Transition Pathways appreciate your ongoing support!

The annual LHS Canned Food Drive is going on now! All donations will go directly to the Libertyville Township Food Pantry. Students have distributed flyers in the neighborhoods over the past two weeks and will pick up donations from houses on Saturday, Nov. 23. Donations may also be dropped off at LHS on Nov. 23 from 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

Monetary donations may be made on the school website. Thank you for your help in fighting food insecurity in our community and promoting the spirit of giving with our students. Questions? Contact LHS Student Council Advisor Amanda Comeaux at amanda.comeaux@d128.org.

Thank you to the area business professionals who attended this afternoon's Business Advisory Meeting at the District 128 Administration Offices. Featured speakers at the meeting were VHHS students (pictured above) who spoke about their internship experiences and answered questions from the business partners. Area business professionals interested in providing feedback on our career development programs and helping create new opportunities for students entering their career fields are welcome to join the D128 Business Advisory. For more information, contact D128 Director of College and Career Readiness Benjamin Rodriguez at benjamin.rodriguez@d128.org or 847-247-4515.

The D128 Explore Multiple Paths (EMP) strategic plan goal calls for all students to explore various career, college, military, and trade pathways and graduate informed, prepared, and empowered to pursue their chosen future careers.

Quick Connections:

• Are you interested in college and career planning? Click here to learn about SchooLinks! Students can access it via ClassLink. Parents/guardians, click here for account access information.

• Are you a business professional interested in connecting with students? Click here to share your interest!

• Are you curious about college and career readiness efforts around the district? Check out our Instagram page here: @d128_ccr

Are you interested in learning more about SchooLinks, District 128’s new college and career planning tool? On December 10th, from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., we will host a virtual webinar to share more information on logging in, how to use the tool, and resources now available to students and families. We will also have time to answer questions.

At a glance, SchooLinks can let you:

• View the results of your student’s career interest, strength, and mindset assessments to learn more about their interests and what careers might be right for them

• Complete your own research on colleges, careers, and more to help you have informed conversations with your students. This will replace Naviance and SCOIR systems.

• See what colleges and careers your student has favorited and set as goals

• Check your personalized dashboard for upcoming events as well as important reminders and to-dos for your student

• Compare college costs and explore expected financial aid, scholarships, and out-of-pocket expenses

Please click here to sign up for the webinar!

D128 will celebrate career exploration in different months by featuring a local partner and career pathway for students to learn about different options and opportunities after high school.

Leah Hotchkiss

Librarian

Human & Public Services: Education & Training

What is your experience in your career pathway?

I have always been in love with libraries since I was very young, and as soon as I was old enough to volunteer, I started helping out at my local library putting away books and organizing shelves. After getting a general English degree at my four-year university, I started working in the circulation department at my local library while I worked on my Master's in Library Science, with a focus on youth services. I shifted to focus on programming for high school and teen patrons, and moved into my current position as a High School Librarian after finishing my degree. It's been such a fun experience, where I get to make use of my creative muscles every day!

Why might students be interested in pursuing your career pathway?

Libraries are such vibrant and creative workplaces, and there is such a variety of paths to take within the field, from programming for all ages, to collection development, to cataloging. There's never a dull moment, and every day is a little bit different. You'll be surprised at the variety of questions you get asked by library visitors! Creatively minded students would definitely find a comfortable home in a library environment.

What advice do you have for students pursuing this career pathway?

Get to know your local library and librarians! Attend library programs, take time now and then to browse collections, and participate in library initiatives, especially ones where you get to share your voice about programs or items you think the library should have. We definitely remember the usual suspects who spend a lot of time at the library, and we're always happy to answer questions about the job, schooling, or anything about the field. Having a few librarians in your corner can really help if you'd like to shadow, volunteer, or if you decide to take your Master's program in Library Sciences and might need to do some special library projects at your local branch.

Students

Interested in learning more about this career pathway? Login to SchooLinks (through ClassLink), navigate to the Careers tab on the left, click on “Career Center,” and search “Library Management” or “Library Technical Assistance.” You’ll see:

• A Day in the Life

• Career outlook: Job growth and salary information

• Required education & training

• FAQs

Professionals

Interested in becoming a featured partner? Fill out this form and select “Participate in an interview.”