Focus on 47

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We look forward to welcoming our students back for the 2024-2025 school year starting tomorrow, August 21! As always, we start the school year committed to providing a safe and supportive environment where every student can thrive. This year, we will continue to focus on academic excellence, innovative teaching practices, and fostering a sense of belonging for all our students.

Here are the latest updates and important information to help you prepare for the new school year.

• Attendance: Our attendance reporting procedures have been enhanced with more detailed options for marking your student absent. For further details, please visit our website.
  
  

• School Start Time: Every minute of instructional time with students is valuable and the school day begins when students enter the school doors; students are expected to be at school in time for the first bell or admittance into the building at 8:50 a.m. for elementary students and 7:40 a.m. for middle school students.
  
  

• School Safety: District 47 has adopted the Standard Response Protocol (SRP), a crisis response protocol developed by the "I Love U Guys" Foundation. Recently, our administrators attended training alongside 250 representatives from other McHenry County schools. The action items—Hold, Secure, Lockdown, Evacuate, and Shelter—are similar to our current plan, so changes to our procedures are minimal. The "I Love U Guys" SRP is used by over 50,000 schools, agencies, and organizations across the world. For more information, please visit our website.

• New Mathematics Resources: The new school year brings new mathematics resources to our classrooms, focusing on student-centered learning and the development of critical thinking, reasoning, and problem-solving skills. From kindergarten to 8th grade, these materials will encourage collaboration and exploration. Teachers will receive support through professional learning experiences, ensuring effective implementation of these resources. Click here to learn more about these new resources.
  
  

• Transportation: Please check ParentVUE for updated bus route information before the start of school, as some details have changed since the 8/14 release. Additionally, during the initial school days, we kindly ask for your patience with bus schedules as the TJA staff prioritizes student safety through thorough attendance checks until they become familiar with each rider. Delays of up to 20-30 minutes may occur, and your understanding is greatly appreciated as we prioritize the well-being of our students.
  
  

• Visitors & Volunteers: There are many ways to get involved at your students' school! For our most up to date volunteer and visitor procedures, visit the website.

I always look forward to the start of each school year, which brings excitement, potential, and a variety of back-to-school events. To keep up with everything happening at your school, check out the event calendar on your school’s website.

Sincerely,

Dr. Kathy J. Hinz

Superintendent

Click the District 47 calendar below for more information on these events.

August

• Aug. 21: First Day of School (Grades 1-8; Early Release)
• Aug. 22: First Day of School (PreK & Kindergarten)
• Aug. 26: Be Seen and Heard© Informational Meeting
• Aug. 27 & 28: D47 Job Fair at the CORE Center
• Aug. 29: D47 Emergency Test Notification
  In the event of an emergency, such as a school closing or weather-related delay or cancellation, parents/guardians will be contacted by the district via phone, text, and/or email. To ensure we have the correct contact information on file, a test message will be sent to parents/guardians via phone, text and email on Thurs., Aug. 29 at 4:00 p.m. If you do not receive the message on the platforms desired, please check your contact information in ParentVue. If you need to update your contact information, please contact your child’s school or the parent help desk at hd@d47.org or (815) 788-5080.
  
  

September

• Sept. 2: Labor Day; No school
• Sept. 5: Title I Meeting, see below
• Sept. 16: Board of Education Meeting

This school year, we are beginning a new strategic planning process designed to shape the District’s focus moving forward, build on our existing strengths, and provide opportunities for growth over the next five years.

To gather feedback and ensure representation from all of our stakeholders, we are forming a strategic planning committee composed of board of education members, administration, staff, students, parents/guardians, and community members. Click here for more information and an application.

As we move forward with our transition to standards-based grading in the middle schools for the 2025-2026 school year, we want to update you on our progress, timeline, and share additional information to address any questions you may have. Click here for the full update or visit the Standards-Based Grading page on our website for all communications, resources, and frequently asked questions.

Parents of students who attend Title I schools are invited to an optional, informational meeting on Thursday, September 5, 2024 at 6:00 p.m. The meeting will take place at the Core Center at 300 Commerce Drive. Our Title I schools are Lundahl Middle School, Hannah Beardsley Middle School, Canterbury Elementary School, Coventry Elementary School, and Indian Prairie School. You will learn what Title I is and how it supports your student.

As the presidential campaign approaches, we want to assure you that the district and our educators will keep classrooms and discussions free from support or endorsement of any political position or ideology. While our social science curriculum will include lessons on the electoral process and civic education, teachers will focus on providing a balanced perspective and will not discuss specific candidates. Our goal is to provide students with a broad understanding of their rights and responsibilities as citizens while maintaining a neutral stance.

District 47 is currently hiring paraprofessionals and substitutes and will be hosting a job fair on Tuesday, August 28 from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. and Wednesday, August 29 from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m at the CORE Center. Click here for more information.

We welcomed over 90 new educators and staff members to the district last week.

The Crystal Lake Police and Fire Departments will help us welcome students back on the first day of school, adding to the excitement as we kick off the new year together. Their presence will provide support, encouragement, and positive connections for our students.

There is still time to take the middle school boundary survey, the survey will close on Thursday, August 22 at 12:00 p.m. The Boundary Committee values your input on potential middles school boundary changes. Click here to participate in our brief survey to share your priorities and feedback.

Our summer projects are nearing completion and our operations team is working hard to ensure the buildings are ready for students this week. Catch up on all the progress made on our summer projects through the District 47 Facebook page. View the latest video below!

View Meeting Agenda

Meeting Highlights

• Student data from Summer School at Glacier Ridge Elementary

• In addition to the current list, approval was been granted for a new intergovernmental agreement between District 47 and McHenry County College, designating MCC as a relocation site in the event of a crisis that necessitates the evacuation or relocation of one or more of our buildings.

The next regular board meeting is scheduled for Monday, September 16, 2024, at 7:00 p.m. at CORE Center (300 Commerce Dr., Crystal Lake) and virtually via Zoom.

This board update is a summary that includes brief highlights of selected topics and items from the meeting. This summary is not meant to replace minutes. The minutes for each meeting are approved and posted after the next regularly scheduled meeting. The complete Board packet of information, including presentations and reports, is available online.