Superintendent News

December 6, 2023

Dear District 95 Families,

I trust this letter finds you well and that you enjoyed a warm and joyous November with your loved ones, expressing gratitude and partaking in cherished Thanksgiving traditions. As we transition into December, I want to extend my heartfelt wishes for continued moments of rest and reflection during this holiday season.

Across our district, the vibrancy of student life is unmistakable, with an array of events showcasing the talents and creativity of our students. Our talented students are extremely busy at this time of year with many different events including multiple theatre productions, concerts, and many fun PTO activities. I am particularly proud to share that our high school student musicians have once again distinguished themselves, with numerous students earning the honor of participating in the All State Illinois Music Education Conference scheduled for January (please see the article below). Their dedication and excellence in the arts exemplify the high standards we strive for in our district. In addition, our families and staff held conferences at all levels - November certainly does not feel like a short month!

Although we have been fortunate this fall with very mild temperatures and little precipitation, we still need be prepared for snowy days and other unexpected events, as described in the article below, Preparing for Inclement Weather. Please take a few moments to read this article so you are prepared should the need arise.

Continuing our commitment to transparency and strategic planning, we delve into the Strategies formulated by the Empower95 Strategic Planning Committee in the latest installment of our article series on the District's Strategic Plan. These Strategies serve as guiding objectives, steering our efforts over the next five years. I encourage you to read more in the article below!

Finally, I am pleased to inform you that the Village of Lake Zurich has sought our assistance in gathering feedback for their comprehensive plan, "Lake Zurich Together." Your perspectives as parents, students, and staff members are invaluable in shaping the future of our community. I encourage each of you to participate in the brief survey, contributing to the collaborative effort to enhance our city's plan. The survey is brief so please take a few minutes to help them out!

As we approach the conclusion of 2023, I extend my best wishes for a fulfilling December filled with moments of joy, reflection, and accomplishment. Thank you for your ongoing support, and I look forward to the continued success and growth of our incredible school community.

Best wishes,

Dr. Kelley Gallt

Superintendent

The talented student musicians listed below were selected to participate in the All State Music Festival through an extensive audition process which began in October. After participating in November’s ILMEA District 7 Senior Festival, they advanced to the All State level. We are proud to have these musicians representing Lake Zurich High School at the Illinois Music Education Conference held in Peoria on January 24-27.

The following students were selected to Illinois All State music ensembles—

All State Choir

Zach Fewkes, tenor II

Kayden Glisson, soprano I

Paige Kutsor, tenor I

Sienna Makhlouf, alto II

Sydney Pine, alto I

All State Honors Choir

Matthew Angelaccio, bass I

Melodi Magluyan, soprano I

Joey Meister, bass II

Anna Roscoe, alto I

Jack Rough, tenor I

All State Orchestras

Jonah Oh, cello

Mira Pietrzkiewicz, cello

Jonathon Rittle, viola

Elise Tyson, violin

Additionally, Maxwell Barboza was selected as the first place winner of the All State Composition Contest in the Remix Category. Maxwell is a senior in our Advanced Music Composition class.

Congratulations to these exceptional student musicians!

Congratulations to Melodi Magluyan, LZHS Senior, for being named to a lead role in "She Kills Monsters", the 2024 All State Theatre Production for the Illinois High School Theatre Festival in January.

Click here to read a recent Chicago Tribune/Pioneer Press article highlighting Melodi and this incredible accomplishment!

Hey students, parents & teachers! The Village of Lake Zurich is updating its comprehensive plan and wants to hear your ideas on how it can arrive at its best future self. What would you like to see prioritized or improved over the next 5-10 years? Think about quality of life, arts and culture, things to do, getting around, the Main Street Area, commercial corridors and more! Visit the project website at LakeZurichTogether.org to take a short 10-minute poll. After completing the poll you can sign-up for project updates and add ideas to an interactive map and input wall.

Over the past few months these articles have outlined the work of the Strategic Planning Team (and Portrait of a Graduate Team) to complete their work in defining the district's Mission, Vision, and Values. After these three major components were finalized, the team focused on Strategies, which can be thought of as objectives. It is under these Strategies that strategic projects (also known as Action Plans) are developed by the administration throughout the next five years.

The Strategies delineated in the Empower95 Strategic Plan emerged from the committee's efforts during the development of a SWOT analysis. This analysis systematically identified the district's Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats—typically encompassing potential external concerns beyond our control.

Strategies were grouped into four major Goal Areas: Students, Staff, Resources, Family and Community. The chart below (and the graphic above) shows all of the Strategies defined for the five-year Empower95 Strategic Plan. In the next newsletter, we will outline the Action Plans (strategic projects) that have begun for this first year of the plan. Action Plans will be developed each year and some will build off of the work done the prior year.

Goal Area: Students

• Explore and expand student offerings for career exploration/pathways, personal interests, and authentic learning experiences at all levels.

• Develop and implement a plan to provide and/or enhance student language offerings.

• Explore and identify options for expanding non-traditional learning schedules and educational experiences for students.

• Develop and implement additional plans to address district safety improvements/enhancements and maximize stakeholders' sense of psychological safety.

• Integrate leadership, life, and post-secondary employability skills/SEL standards across all content areas.

Goal Area: Staff

• Attract and hire (or contract with partners in unique situations) high quality and diverse teaching, administrative, and support staff.

• Enhance and expand staff/administrator growth through opportunities such as professional development, leadership learning, mentoring, and coaching.

• Explore, develop, and implement plans to retain high quality staff and administration.

• Develop and implement plans for professional development for all staff for supporting a diverse range of social emotional student needs.

Goal Area: Resources

• Sustain a healthy financial position by maintaining a positive cashflow and positive bond ratings for the district while directing available resources toward strategic initiatives.

• Maintain responsible financial stewardship of the district's resources and financial transparency through planning and forecasting.

• Identify and capitalize on cost-saving opportunities and additional revenue streams to maximize district resources.

• Develop and implement a technology plan that aligns technological improvements and advances for students and staff with curricular needs, innovative programming, and best practices.

• Analyze, update, and implement the district's furniture replacement plan to meet the future ready needs of students.

• In alignment with the long-range facilities plan, update and improve facilities - including underutilized spaces - to enhance programming and provide future ready experiences/resources for students.

Goal Area: Family and Community

• Increase engagement with families and community at large, including those without school-aged children and non-English speakers.

• Diversify communication methods for delivering priority information and sharing the district's story.

• Increase opportunities to highlight and market facilities, including but not limited to, those available for rental.

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

Inclement Weather/Other Situations

Please note that as we enter this season when inclement weather more frequently occurs, we will follow these guidelines when facing conditions with extreme ice, severe cold, snow, etc.

1. If we believe situations will improve within a short period of time, we will call for a delayed start to the school day. This means the day starts two hours later than normal, but dismissal is at the usual time.
2. In situations where we feel the inclement conditions will persist throughout the day, we will call for a traditional snow day and one of the emergency days will then be used at the end of the school year.

There may be other situations that arise and prevent us from using one or more of our schools (for example, a broken water main). In such situations, we will follow these guidelines:

1. If we believe situations will improve within a short period of time, we will call for a delayed start to the school day;
2. In incidents where we feel the situation will persist throughout the day, but where staff can access a district facility, we will likely call for a synchronous learning day, meaning staff may be teaching remotely either from another district building or home.

Please note that the goal of in-person attendance will always be a priority for any emergency or weather related situations. However, it is very possible that we will need to apply an emergency day (no student/staff attendance) at some point during the school year. When we use emergency days, we are required to make up the days at the conclusion of the school year. Therefore, please remember that the district may need to add up to five emergency days following the last day of school. Staff are expected to be in attendance for any day added to our calendar. Please remember NOT to schedule any vacation or other plans during these emergency days as school may still be in session.

Lastly, as it is impossible to anticipate or predict every emergency situation, the District continues to reserve the right to follow the best judgement of the administration given the situation at hand. Thank you for your understanding in this area.

Calling all District 95 students! The school district is holding a contest for student-created original artwork, and poems or verses for a New Year's card which will be sent to district employees as well as some community partners at the beginning of January.

All submissions must be digital (JPG or PNG formats only) so if the artwork is on paper, please take a clear photo to submit. The winner(s) will be gifted a small token of appreciation.

Click here to submit your entry - DEADLINE EXTENDED!

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 Instruction (relating to the District 95 Instruction Learning Model).

It was a day filled with excitement and engaged learning at Seth Paine Elementary School as the third-grade students delved into the world of mathematics with enthusiasm. My classroom experience in Ms. Marrello’s classroom showcased a vibrant and dynamic lesson on solving subtraction problems, leaving a lasting impression on both students and observers alike. The collaborative effort of Ms. Marrello and Ms. Weider, who co-facilitated the math lesson, created an environment that encouraged open discussion and exploration of various strategies for solving subtraction problems. During the initial part of the lesson, students actively shared their thoughts on different approaches to subtraction. Some spoke about breaking numbers apart, while others discussed using base-ten drawings to visualize and solve problems. This rich discussion set the stage for the teachers to seamlessly transition into teaching the standard algorithm, involving regrouping or borrowing.

Ms. Marrello and Ms. Weider skillfully demonstrated the two-step procedure with direct instruction and student support. The borrowing process, a crucial aspect of certain subtraction problems, was modeled and explained with clarity and precision. One of the most impressive aspects of the lesson was the students' enthusiasm in sharing their thoughts and ideas related to each problem we solved. The engagement was palpable, especially during the partner practice session, where students worked collaboratively to solve subtraction problems involving borrowing, using problem-solving strategies.

Throughout the lesson, Ms. Marrello and Ms. Weider demonstrated a commitment to creating a dynamic learning environment that responded to each learner's needs. The emphasis on individualized support and encouragement contributed to a positive and inclusive atmosphere. At the conclusion of the lesson, the teachers commended the students for their efforts and underscored the importance of math fluency in tackling more challenging problems. The message to keep practicing basic facts resonated, with suggestions for flashcard practice and engaging in math games—whether online or classic board games like Monopoly and Life.

Congratulations, Seth Paine third-grade students! Your impressive commitment to learning and collaborative spirit shines through. Keep up the excellent work and continue honing those math skills—it's clear that you are on the path to becoming math wizards!

At Board of Education meetings from September through April, the District recognizes students, staff, and volunteers who represent the vision and values that support the District 95 mission, to “Empower every learner to achieve personal excellence”.

Click here to learn more about the District 95 Mission, Vision, and Values as defined by the Empower95 Strategic Plan.

Please congratulate our honorees from this month (photos above)!!

STUDENTS OF THE MONTH

Juan Bijoy, Middle School South

Joe Aulenta, Spencer Loomis Elementary

Morgan Habel, Isaac Fox Elementary

Mia Martinez, Seth Paine Elementary

Lexi Spetter, Lake Zurich High School

Julia Nowak, Middle School North

Kolby Perso, May Whitney Elementary

Liam Avila, Sarah Adams Elementary

VOLUNTEER OF THE MONTH

Alison and Zachary Alhamed, Sarah Adams Elementary School

STAFF MEMBER OF THE MONTH

Carolina Wrocenski, Lake Zurich High School

SPECIAL RECOGNITION

Sydney Vignocchi, Lake Zurich High School - All-State Show Choir

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

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