Trimester 3 Newsletter
Trimester 3 – June 2024
Dr. Jeff Stawick, Superintendent
I hope you are enjoying the beginning of your summer break. Our buildings are very quiet without students and staff filling the hallways. However, our summer cleaning crews, tech team, and office staff are already busy making sure we are ready for August 19 when staff returns for the 2024-2025 school year.
Although we are looking towards the next school year, we have a lot to celebrate from the 2023-2024 school year. Our schools held successful family engagement nights, our district musicians and singers performed beautifully for families, and our teachers and staff made sure students had fun learning throughout the school year.
We also got to celebrate the 248 eighth grade students who are moving on to high school. Our graduating class made us proud throughout their time at District 146, and we know they will go on to do great things. Leaving with the 8th grade class are 11 staff members who retired at the end of the year. Their compassion, professionalism, and knowledge have touched thousands of students throughout their time at the District, and we thank them for their dedication.
I wish you all a happy, relaxing, and safe summer break. We can’t wait to welcome our students back on August 21.
District Summer Programming
By Brooke Dundas, Coordinator of Bilingual Education and Brianne Oliver, Coordinator of Special Education
This summer, District 146 is once again hosting Extended School Year (ESY) and Summer Intervention Programs. ESY and Summer Intervention programming will be Monday through Thursday, July 8 through August 1.
Extended School Year (ESY) is designed for students who are eligible through their IEPs. ESY programming is led by Learning Behavior Specialists and include services such as speech, occupational therapy, social work, and physical therapy to support student learning. The ESY programs have a functional academic and language focus while embedding play, social learning, and recreation throughout the day.
Summer Intervention is a general education intervention program offered to students who need additional academic support in the areas of reading and math. Programming is also offered to special education students who are not ESY eligible. Students were previously identified and invited to attend based on their current academic performance and existing assessment. Summer Intervention Programming will be led by general education teachers and supported by specialists in the areas of reading, math, ESL, and special education. Art, Music, Library, and STEM will also be integrated into this year’s summer programs.
Continuing Learning Through the Summer
By Carey Radke, Curriculum Coordinator
As we celebrate and enjoy the summer, we acknowledge the importance of continuous learning. In the last Trimester Newsletter, families expressed their desire for information on continuing learning into the summer.
The District has published a list of online resources crafted to enrich your child's educational experience throughout the summer season. These websites will allow our families to continue student learning together. We have resources for literacy, science, social studies, and even virtual field trips. These fun and educational resources and games will help continue your child’s learning throughout the summer.
We are lucky to live in an area that offers a number of educational opportunities for our families. Chicago offers world-class museums and destinations that will keep children excited about learning. Many have free days throughout the summer for Illinois residents, including The Adler Planetarium (every Friday from 4-10 p.m.), Chicago Botanic Garden (June 19; July 9, 11; and August 6, 8), The Chicago Children’s Museum (last Thursday of each month), The Chicago History Museum (June 23, 26, 29; July 4, 17), DuSable Museum of African American History (every Wednesday), The Field Museum (June 19, 26; July 3, 10, 17, 24, 31; August 7, 14), Illinois Holocaust Museum (last Friday of each month), and the Lincoln Park Zoo (always free).
