The District 25 Dish

This edition of the District Dish features the following

• Superintendent Message
• Survey: Strategic Plan Survey closes December 19!
• Need 2 Know
• Updated Launch Date: District 25 Website Refresh
• UPDATED RESOURCES: D25's Commitment to Every Child's Right to Education
• Calendar Updates 🔔 (UPDATE TO THE 25-26 CALENDAR) 🔔
• 25-26 Calendar - UPDATED
• Calendario 25-26 - ACTUALIZADO
• Safety & Supports
• Community Supports Page - Food Supports
• Celebrate with Us!
  
• Community Events
  

• Feel Good Story

• VIDEO: There is always a solution! Just keep trying!
• Help Needed | We are hiring!
  Click here for positions!
• Instagram | @ahsd25social
  
• Board of Education
• Strategic Plan 21-25, Dashboard
• #d25ItsPersonal

Thank you! Click around and enjoy!

Dear District 25 Families,

This morning, our Strategic Plan Refresh team, more than 60 people including students, former students, Board members, administrators, teachers, staff, and community members, came together for our Data Retreat. The purpose of this session was to answer a key question: Where are we now?

It was truly an inspiring morning. Our refresh team left energized and excited for the work ahead, grounded in the data we reviewed and the context surrounding it. This shared understanding is an important step as we continue shaping the future of District 25 together.

All materials from today’s meeting, along with any follow-up documents, can be found at www.sd25.org/StrategicPlan.

As we prepare for our Vision Retreat in January, we want to hear from you. Your voice is essential. Last week, we launched a community survey, and we need your feedback to help inform the next phase of our work.

🔗 Please take a few minutes to complete the survey linked here. 🔗
It closes on Friday, December 19.

Thank you for your continued partnership and support.

Together Today 2 Transform Tomorrow,

Dr. Brian Kaye

Superintendent

This is a quick reminder that our District 25 website will be getting a refresh. In the previous Dish, we shared that the launch would happen during the week of December 15. We have decided to adjust the launch date to Monday, December 22. At our Tuesday, December 16 Board Meeting, Head of Communications & Storytelling Adam Harris will present an update on this topic. Visit www.sd25.org/BOE to access the livestream link for that meeting.

Yes, Dr. Kaye mentioned this in his message above, but we wanted to highlight it again here. Parents/Guardians, please complete the survey linked below by December 19!

Strategic Planning Survey

Last year, we shared a letter reaffirming District 25’s belief, aligned with the Illinois State Board of Education, that schools should be safe havens where students can learn without fear.

Earlier this year, we resent that guidance to our front office staff and building administrators on how to manage situations should Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) or other immigration representatives come to our schools. Our priority remains ensuring that every child and family feels safe, valued, and supported in District 25.

👉 Read Dr. Kaye’s full letter from last year, here.

🔗🔗 Updated Resources:
Illinois Immigration Information Hub:

• Know Your Rights Toolkit
• Free and Low-Cost Legal Services
• A family emergency plan template, with step-by-step guidance
• Organizational preparedness resources for businesses and employers

In an immigration emergency, call the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Right's Family Support Network Hotline to get support in English, Spanish, Korean, and Polish (1-855-HELP-MY-FAMILY/1-855-435-7693).

School Board Meeting | Policy Committee

• December 16, 2025 | 5:00 pm

School Board Meeting

• December 16, 2025 | 6:15 pm
  

  *The meeting will begin at 6:15 p.m. at which time the Board will move into Closed Session until approximately 7:00 p.m. Following Closed session, the Regular Open meeting will begin.*

Winter Break | All Schools Closed

• December 22, 2025 – January 2, 2026

School Improvement Day | Staff Only

• January 5, 2026

At the Tuesday, July 15, 2025 Board of Education meeting, a change to the 2025-2026 school year calendar was approved. The School Improvement Day originally scheduled for Monday, April 6 was moved to Tuesday, March 17. This means:

• March 17, 2026 → No school for students

• April 6, 2026 → Students will attend school

For more details on the change, click here for a letter sent to our community on July 17, 2025.

📅 View the updated calendar here:

• 25-26 School Calendar | English
• Calendario escolar 25-26 | Español

Did you know you can feed the District and school calendars into your personal calendar? There are easy steps located on our website, and for a video tutorial watch the video above!

Email Adam Harris (aharris@sd25.org) if you have any questions!

Have you ever visited our SAFE25 page? We invite you to check it out!

Ensuring the safety of our students and staff is our top priority. We are committed to creating and maintaining secure environments where learning can thrive.

School safety is an ongoing process, and your input is invaluable. Share your feedback with us at safe25@sd25.org. Together, we can build a safer future for our students.

The Standard Response Protocol (SRP) is our district’s approach to managing all types of hazards or emergencies that may occur on school property. It provides a clear, consistent framework for how we communicate and respond to keep everyone safe.

Residents can opt to register their security cameras with the AHPD to assist in investigations. More details: Connect Arlington Heights Camera Registration.

Link Together Coalition Mission: Promote healthy youth, families, and communities by decreasing teen alcohol and drug use through education, advocacy, and access to community resources, and policy awareness, implementation, and change.

Working with D25: South and Thomas Middle Schools are provided with prevention initiatives that are targeted at youth to empower them to be drug and alcohol free.

Lets Talk More: In the past year, 52% of Wheeling Township high school students answered YES that their parent/guardians have talked to them about not using alcohol. See attached PDF below to learn more.

For more information and resources, visit our Parent Academy page.

District 25 is a partner in the Link Together Coalition, which gives our community access to the Glenbard Parent Series. Please check out the various Glenbard Parent Series presentations that work to engage top experts, parents, and school staff to become proactive and informed in pursuit of the mutual goal of strengthening our communities. Programs are free and open to the public. No registration required.

District 25 is committed to supporting the whole child and their family. We’ve created a new webpage to share community resources that offer assistance with food, housing, health services, and more. Visit the community supports page by clicking here to explore support options.

Care Solace is a free, confidential 24/7/365 Mental Health Care Coordination Service.

Call (888) 515 - 0595, or go to caresolace.com/site/northcook to complete a brief screening to be matched with a provider. Available for students, families and staff.

For more resources, visit our parent academy page: www.sd25.org/ParentAcademy.

BEACON (Behavioral Health Care and Ongoing Navigation) is a centralized resource for Illinois youth and families seeking services for behavioral health needs. It’s common for young people to struggle with behavioral and/or mental health challenges. Please know you are not alone, and neither is your child. Click HERE for support.

Hanukkah means dedication in Hebrew. This holiday is also known as The Festival of Lights and represents joy. Celebration includes time with loved ones, gifts, food, and lighting a candle on the menorah each night.

*Dates change year to year

Las Posadas is a festival that takes place in Latin America and some Mexican communities in the United States from December 16–December 24. The word posada means inn or lodging, and traditionally posadas are a celebration of the Christmas story.

Christmas is a federal holiday celebrated as a religious and cultural celebration in all states and territories as well as across the world. Celebration includes time with loved ones, gifts and a feast.

Kwanzaa is a seven day, African American cultural festival dedicated to the 7 principles: unity, self determination, collective work and responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity, and faith.

Celebrated from December 26, 2025 - January 1, 2026

Below a snapshot of upcoming local events that may be of interest to students and families. For a complete list of activities and details, please visit each organization’s website.

Kick off the holiday season with the Arlington Heights Park District and the Village of Arlington Heights Special Events Commission at their annual tree lighting ceremony! Enjoy holiday-inspired music and dance performances, buy a hot cocoa or tasty treat, and join the countdown at North School Park as the switch will be flipped on over 80,000 tiny lights. There will also be countdown at Harmony Park with live reindeer, ice carving, and more. Trolleys with Dickensian characters loop between the two parks, so catch a ride and see it all!

When: December 19, 2025 | 6:00 P.M. - 7:30 P.M.

Where: Arlington Heights Historical Museum

Learn more here.

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Test your mettle in this high-speed tournament! We will be playing Mario Kart 8 Deluxe for Nintendo Switch in a single-elimination tournament. This is a drop-in event.

When:

• December 13, 2025 | 9:00 A.M. - 4:30 P.M.
• December 14, 2025 | 12:00 P.M. - 4:00 P.M.

Where: Full Hendrickson Room

Who: Grades 7 - 12

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Learn more about adult education offered by District 214!

Click here to learn more: https://www.ce.d214.org/

“There’s always a solution.”

That belief guides Divish, a 4th grader at Ivy Hill who absolutely loves math and wants to use it to make an impact.

In this episode, he shares why numbers inspire him, and the message he wants all learners to hear: “Never give up. Even if 2+3 is hard… keep trying. Use your fingers. Use any method.”

His joy and determination are what make our classrooms such special places.

#OutAndAbout #d25ItsPersonal #IvyHillElementary

District 25 is a great place to work — with opportunities to inspire, support, and impact students in a variety of roles. Whether you're in the classroom, behind the scenes, or on the front lines of support, there's a place for you here.

Explore opportunities at www.sd25.org/apply and see how you can make a difference in our schools and community!

“There’s always a solution.” ➕✨

Meet Divish, a 4th grader at Ivy Hill who LOVES math and wants everyone to know it! His message?

💬 “Never give up. Even if 2+3 is hard… keep trying. Use your fingers. Use any method.”

Keep shining, Divish! Your mindset is contagious!

#OutAndAbout #d25ItsPersonal #IvyHill

Thanks for watching…bye! 👋

#d25ItsPersonal

Our Board Agendas are made public 48 hours before each Board meeting and can be accessed via our BoardDocs online program. To access Diligent Community, visit our website: www.sd25.org/BoardAgenda or click here.

What: Policy Committee Meeting

When: Tuesday, December 16, 2025*

Where: Dunton Administration Building, 1200 S. Dunton Avenue, Arlington Heights

*The meeting will begin at 5:00 p.m. The Policy Committee Meetings are public meetings where the members of the Board's policy committee meet to review and discuss the policies of the Board. No action will be taken at these meetings, and they will not be videotaped.

What: School Board Meeting

When: Tuesday, December 16, 2025*

Where: Dunton Administration Building, 1200 S. Dunton Avenue, Arlington Heights

*The meeting will begin at 6:15 p.m. at which time the Board will move into Closed Session until approximately 7:00 p.m. Following Closed session, the Regular Open meeting will begin.*

Description

This meeting will be live streamed via YouTube. The link for this can be found on the Board Agenda page (www.sd25.org/BoardAgenda#Livestream) the week of the meeting.

This meeting will allow audience members in the room. Notice: We’ve switched from BoardDocs to Diligent Community for board meeting management. All future agendas, packets, and board materials will now be available through Diligent Community.

Public Comments:

Anyone who wishes to make a public comment can do so, in person, at our Board of Education meetings. The Board hosts two public comment opportunities on their agenda: 1) at the beginning of the meeting, prior to any agenda items; 2) at the end of the meeting after the agenda items have been discussed/presented.

The Board can be reached outside of Board meeting hours by emailing boardfeedback@sd25.org.

Follow along with our progress on the following goals within our Strategic Plan, 21-25:

• Student Achievement
• Family & Community
• Learning Environment
• High-Quality Staff
• Stewardship of Resources

You can stay up to date on the progress of our goals and strategies that guide us in our everyday work: www.sd25.org/StrategicPlan.

Our teachers teach from a personal place. #d25ItsPersonal has become a way for our teachers and staff to share daily occurrences, and reasons why they do what they do for a living, and why it's fulfilling, right here in District 25.

Together Today 2 Transform Tomorrow

Website: www.sd25.org
Location: 1200 South Dunton Avenue
Phone: (847) 758.4900
Facebook: facebook.com/ahsd25
Twitter: @ahsd25

Instagram: @ahsd25social