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From the Superintendent
District 15's Facilities Plan Committee is set to explore how our buildings can best facilitate 21st century learning.
 Last winter, I convened the District 15 Facilities Plan Committee to recommend how the District should tackle the extensive list of nuts-and-bolts issues identified in the new 10-year life safety study. In June, the Board of Education adopted the Committee's recommended strategy to accomplish the life safety report's requirements, and now we are in the midst of taking the first step in that recommendation by completing a plan to schedule and fund the District's most urgent facilities needs.
Our latest estimates indicate those high priority projects, which would be completed during the 2016 and 2017 summer breaks, will cost about $29.6 million. The Board could decide as early as its next meeting on February 10 whether to fund those projects by issuing life safety bonds, using its fund balances, or a combination of both.
As the Board deliberates on this matter, the Facilities Plan Committee v2.0 is set to shift gears and begin exploring how the District's buildings can best facilitate 21st century learning. This work is, in fact, part of the recommendation the Committee delivered to the Board this past summer. Now that plans to address our most pressing short-term facilities concerns are nearing completion, the Committee will begin to consider some of the following long-term questions:
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How do the physical setups of our schools and classrooms limit and/or enable teaching and learning? Do they have the space they will need to accommodate the large-group, small-group, and individual instruction needs of their students and staffs, as well as the wrap-around services required within their respective communities?
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What curricular changes might cause us to reimagine the way our schools look? What would need to change to allow the District to implement full-day kindergarten, expand our preschool program, and create academic academies and grade-level centers?
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What impact will our enrollment projections have on our long-term facilities plans? How many students will we serve? Where will they live? How far will they have to travel to school?
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Should our boundaries be adjusted so that--as much as possible--students attend their neighborhood schools, and elementary schools feed into the same junior highs and high schools?
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How can the District ensure the dollars it invests in its buildings provide the best value for taxpayers? From an operations and maintenance standpoint, are any facilities aging past their point of usefulness? Should we consider closing any older, smaller buildings because they are simply no longer worthy of further investment?
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Finally, do the answers to any of these questions indicate the District should build new or larger schools that are closer to where our students live and better equipped to deliver the instructional programs they need?
The Facilities Plan Committee's answers to these questions will help guide the District as it moves forward to provide future generations with--in terms of bricks and mortar--schools that are better situated to serve their communities and meet the demands of modern education. Look for the Committee's recommendations to the Board later this spring, and let us know your thoughts on these issues via Let's Talk.
And--as always--thank you for your support of Community Consolidated School District 15 and its mission to produce lifelong learners in a connected learning community.
Sincerely,
Scott B. Thompson, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools
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Getting ThereDespite some challenges, the community school concept is showing great promise at Winston Campus Junior High thanks to a $75,000 United Way grant.
District 15 covers 35 square miles, and reaches into seven different communities. However, roughly 23 percent of its 12,000-plus students live within one square mile in the northeast corner of the District.
That fact presents a significant challenge for District 15 and Partners for Our Communities (POC)--formerly know as the Palatine Opportunity Center--as they work together to explore the community school concept at Winston Campus Junior High.
What is a community school, you ask?
"A community school is a school that reaches out to the entire community, making it a place where everyone belongs," said Cheryl Wolfel, Ed.D., Second Language Programs Director. "It would not only be students getting an education there. Families would also be there, getting the services and resources that they need, too. It would be open from early in the morning until late at night, and it would provide a lot of the same wrap-around services that are offered through the POC, making it an incredibly valuable community asset for our families."
Funded by a two-year, $75,000 United Way grant, Winston's community school project is aiming to bring together the academic and social supports that the school's students and their families need to succeed. Launched in October, it is already offering them a combination of learning enrichment activities, tutoring and mentoring opportunities, technology training, culture and arts awareness classes, STEM instruction, recreation options, and health services. Literacy services, ESL and GED tutoring; advice on job searches and resume building are also available to adults.
The challenge now is all about getting people there.
 Students can receive after-school academic help at the Winston Campus Junior High homework center three days a week from 2:30-4 p.m. Currently, approximately 55 of those students stick around after homework center and join several parents for the evening's community school activities from 4-6:30 p.m. Then, when it is over, the students board school buses that take them to their homes, most of which are four or five miles away in that northeast corner of the District.
"One of the barriers we have is transportation," said Kathy Millin, POC Executive Director. "Our hope was that students would go home and then come back with their parents, because we wanted it to be a child-parent program. But we've realized that's not going to happen, so we have to bus them, and parents have to find their own transportation."
"In a perfect world," added Mrs. Millin, "a community school would be located right where everyone it serves lives so that there isn't any barrier for transportation or access. It would just be there, and it would be open, and it would be within walking distance of the population it serves. People could just come and go, and our students and parents could take a much more active role in determining what the school looks like and what programs it offers."
Nonetheless, in the little over two months that it has been up and running, the community school at Winston has shown great promise, said Mrs. Millin.
"We're thrilled with the response and with the number of children we're reaching, and I think the parents will come around. Transportation is huge. If we were in a different spot, I definitely think that many, many more of them would come around, and it would better resemble the ideal vision of a community school," she said. "Right now, we're just trying to grow the concept and belief system using the best resources we have available to us." |
| A First Look
Results of the new PARCC exam indicate that District 15's curriculum is effective, and its instruction is positively impacting students.
The annual presentation of the report allows those interested in student achievement in District 15 to learn the facts behind the figures straight from the District's instructional leaders who understand them best. (Video Clip)
This year, the report focused largely on the results of the state's first administration of the new Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) exam, and those results indicated that students in District 15 outperformed students statewide at each grade level in both reading and math.
District 15's PARCC results are depicted in the two graphs immediately below. The blue columns represent the percent of students that met and exceeded grade-level standards across the state. The red dots represent the percent of District 15 students that met and exceeded those standards.
 
Although performance on the PARCC exam cannot be directly compared to performance on the Illinois Standards Achievement Test (ISAT), the relative changes experienced by the District and the rest of the state can, and those changes are illustrated in the graphs below.
"The transition from the ISAT to the PARCC exam produced a smaller change for District 15 than was demonstrated across the state," said Thomas Edgar, Ph.D., District 15's Director for Assessment, Accountability, and Programs. "This indicates that our curricula is effective and continues to have a positive impact upon our students."
The PARCC assessment replaced the Illinois Standards Achievement Test (ISAT) last year, and was given last spring to all students in Grades 3-8 and to select high school students based on their course enrollment. This transition to PARCC marked a significant change in how students' knowledge of grade-level standards is assessed. The difference between these two tests is significant: the PARCC exam is a much more rigorous test, requires students to demonstrate their knowledge in more authentic and complex ways, and is scored by the state in a different way.
Individual student results on the PARCC exam were sent to parents before the start of winter break, and state, district- and school-level PARCC results can be viewed online at www.illinoisreportcard.com. PARRC information, including how to read students' results and additional parent resources, can be found online at understandthescore.org |Score Report Guide. |
Following the Code
In just 10 weeks, students in Sandburg's new Capital One Coder's Club learned a new language, learned to solve problems with it, and learned to use those skills to design their own mobile apps on their very own Google Chromebooks.
Surprise! The computer's yours!
That's the good news the 20 students in Carl Sandburg Junior High's new Capital One Coder's Club received after presenting the mobile apps they'd designed to their families, the mentors that helped them along the way, and the corporate sponsors that made the whole experience possible. The students were completely shocked to learn that the Google Chromebooks they had used throughout the 10-week program were theirs to keep.
Capital One chose to launch the program at Sandburg to raise awareness about coding and promote careers in the coding field for students (especially girls) who don't have experience coding--or the means to gain it--but do have the talent and the interest. Unaware that club members would be given their own computers at the program's end, Sandburg selected applicants for the club who fit that description, which meant at least half of them didn't have access to a computer at home.
"Right away, the students knew that the Chromebooks were the ideal devices for them going forward," said Scott Arnieri, Sandburg's LRC director and the club's sponsor, of their reaction to this surprise. "They knew they couldn't play games on them, but that they were already loaded with all of the software and all of the Google apps that would make the computers perfect for their school work."
But that was just one of the gifts these students received. They were also given mentors--Capital One software engineers who have made careers out of coding--and, over the course of the 10-week program, those mentors basically taught the Coders Club members to use a new language to solve problems.
"The mentors that we had were a really good, committed group. They couldn't have been better," said Erika Johansen, Sandburg Principal. "Right from the get-go, they connected well with the kids. They would give the kids tips, and the kids would pick up on them and just run with them."
 Working in groups of three, they started out simple by designing a basic talking cat app. As the weeks passed, they worked on different "canned" apps that taught them how to build on what they'd learned from prior lessons. Then, each group spent the final three weeks of the program using all they had learned to design their own apps.
"Really, a lot of them did it on their own," noted Mr. Arnieri. "The guidance that their mentors were providing them at that point was more like, 'OK, just clean this up a little bit. That's why it isn't connecting.' So they really used their own knowledge--what they had learned by working with the canned apps every week--to build the core of their own apps."
"So by the end, the students were all excited to just see how their own apps were coming along," added Mr. Arnieri, noting that their creations ranged from fun little games to genuinely useful apps. "They were just excited to see all of this come to fruition. They didn't even know yet that they were getting their computers as gifts."
After receiving that good news, many of them immediately set out to continue their coding work at home.
"It really sparked an interest in some of those kids who may have liked gaming, but didn't yet understand and appreciate what goes into it behind the scenes," said Mr. Arnieri. "When they can see these real-world things happening, they really gain an appreciation for everything that goes into it."
Capital One enjoyed the program, too. In fact, it was such a positive experience that Capital One will return to Sandburg to offer Coders Club this spring, and--surprise-- it will also launch a Coders Club at Winston Campus Junior High.
That means even more District 15 students will be learning to code thanks to Capital One.
"They, too, will get more than a computer from the experience," said Mrs. Johansen. "They will also get to work as a team, collaborate, and problem solve as they begin to learn to code. They will get to see their apps fail, come up with game plans to fix them, and then get hooked and want to work even harder to make their creations better and better. It is exciting because it will be a true, real-world experience for them, too."
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Another Chance to Celebrate
Their recognition at the Board's November meeting showed why the District's "Those Who Excel" award recipients so deserved their honors.
The Illinois State Board of Education presented District 15's "Those Who Excel" honorees with their awards during an October 17 banquet at the Marriott Bloomington-Normal Conference Center in Normal.
For those who couldn't make the 150-mile trip downstate to celebrate the District's 2015 class of award winners, the District 15 Board of Education provided an additional opportunity for friends and family to cheer them on during its November 11 meeting.
Before a packed audience filled with the honorees' loved ones, each of the Those Who Excel award winners was introduced to the Board by their respective nominators, who took a moment to share why she was so deserving of her Those Who Excel Award.
Following their comments, Scott Thompson, Ed.D., Superintendent of Schools, also presented each Those Who Excel winner with the District's "Above and Beyond Award" to recognize significant accomplishments by staff members. Video of this touching ceremony can be viewed HERE.
The District's 2015 "Those Who Excel" award recipients are as follows: -
Dr. Laura Swanlund, the coordinator of the District's psychology department and its Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) and Response to Intervention (RTI) programs, received an Award of Excellence in the "School Administrator" category.
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Kristin Fortunato, the secretary at Gray M. Sanborn School, received an Award of Excellence in the "Educational Service Personnel" category.
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Cynthia Zeivel, a fifth-grade teacher at Frank C. Whiteley School, received an Award of Merit in the "Classroom Teacher" category.
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Cynthia Wong, a school social worker at Willow Bend School, received an Award of Merit in the "Student Support Personnel" category.
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Chelsea Blanchfield, a third-grade teacher at Stuart R. Paddock School, received an Award of Recognition in the "Early Career Educator" category.
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Hunting Ridge School's Front Office Team--Teresa Ostoich, Corry Hamilton, and Julie Simpson--received an Award of Recognition in the "Team" category.
Read more about District 15's "Those Who Excel" award recipients. |
Counting Our Blessings
Generous donations and committed volunteers now allow the Blessings in a Backpack program to provide more than 200 D15 students in need with enough groceries to feed themselves each weekend.
Two years ago, a group of retired teachers from Glenview's Willowbrook School began meeting at Virginia Lake School each Thursday afternoon to pack bags of groceries to be sent home each Friday with about 50 students in need. In no time, this volunteer effort known as the Blessings in a Backpack program expanded to serve another 100 students in need at nearby Jane Addams School.
This year, this group of teachers who started this project because they were "looking for something to do in retirement other than meet for lunch" is serving a total of 167 students at the two schools.
And now, another group of volunteers is stepping up to start the Blessings in a Backpack program at Kimball Hill School later this winter. Supported by the school's Kids Hope mentors and a number of volunteers from churches in the Rolling Meadows community, the Kimball Hill effort will also kick off by sending about 50 students in need home with enough groceries to feed them each weekend.
Unfortunately, far more than 200 District 15 students could probably benefit from these groceries each week. A decade ago, the percentage of District 15 students from low-income families stood at around 20 percent. By 2011, that figure had climbed to 32 percent, and it now stands at 42 percent.
Blessings in a Backpack is a national non-profit organization that provides food for elementary school children across America who may otherwise have little or no food to eat on weekends during the school year. There are more than 20 million children in America who are at risk of hunger, the consequences of which are much greater than just a growling stomach. Poor nutrition can result in a weaker immune system, increased hospitalization, lower IQ, shorter attention spans, and lower academic achievement.
While the federal free and reduced-price meal program provides low-income students with breakfast and lunch during the school week, Blessings in a Backpack aims to make sure they're getting nutritious meals over the weekend, too. Students who participate in the Blessings in a Backpack program show marked improvement in school attendance, test scores, behavior, and health.
There are, however, hurdles to establishing a Blessings in a Backpack program in a school. Volunteers in the program must commit to providing food for at least 50 students in a school for no less than three years before they can begin their efforts. That's about a $12,000 commitment, and that's where support from the community comes into play.
Financially, the Blessings in a Backpack efforts in District 15 have been backed by a variety of donors. Food 4 Thought, a local fundraising branch of Blessings in a Backpack comprised of students from three different area high schools, helped launch the program. Since then, the Olive Garden in Arlington Heights and Seasons 52 in Schaumburg have provided the Blessings in a Backpack effort several thousand dollars in Restaurant Community Grants through the Darden Foundation. Several families who asked to remain anonymous also stepped up to fund the program's expansion, saying they wanted to share their good fortune and--by occasionally chipping in to actually pack groceries, themselves--show their own young children how important it is to help others.
District 15's role in the volunteer program has even grown since Blessings in a Backpack began. From the start, the schools' staffs have determined which students could most use the help, and assisted the volunteers in discreetly sending those students home with the bags, each of which contains roughly $2 of groceries. For the past year, District 15's School Nutrition Services, which literally buys tons of food in bulk, has used its purchasing power to improve the selection of food the program provides while stretching its limited budget as far as possible. By teaming up with School Nutrition Services, Blessings in a Backpack now sends students home with a rotating menu of healthier groceries that include whole grains, juices, fresh fruits, and some of their favorite nutritious snacks that are offered at school.
"We're truly grateful for our Blessings in a Backpack volunteers' hard work and for the incredibly generous support of all the different donors who fund the program," said Susan Gehring, District 15's Assistant Superintendent for Student Services. "Each bag of groceries may only amount to about $2, but to the students who take them home each Friday, their value is much, much greater." |
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Fremd student Joseph McMillan works on his sister Joy's prosthetic hand under the guidance of his teacher, Paul Hardy, and Northrop Grumman employee Eric Weber. Northrop Grumman photo by JR Trevino.
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Made in District 15
With help from Northrop Grumman and District 211's Project Lead the Way program, a D15 grad literally gave his 10-year-old sister a hand.
The list of things Joy McMillan can do with one hand is rather impressive. Born without her left hand, the Pleasant Hill School fifth grader has learned to ride a bike, tie a shoe, put her hair in a pony tail, and much, much more.
"She can learn to do anything," said her mother, Jean McMillan. "It's amazing."
Now, thanks to one of her big brothers, she's beginning to figure out what she can do with two hands.
In October, Fremd High School junior Joseph McMillan, who's one of Joy's three older brothers, participated in Northrop Grumman's Manufacturing Week activities, and completed a family project that had been more than a year in the making. He 3D-printed and assembled a prosthetic hand for his sister.
"One of my friends thought it was a skeleton hand, so she freaked out," said Joy of her classmates' reactions to the hand. "But most people think it is cool."
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Joy McMillan shows off her new prosthetic hand. Northrop Grumman photo by JR Trevino.
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Joseph and a dozen or so other students in Township High School District 211's Project Lead the Way STEM program made about 10 of the prostheses during that Manufacturing Week event, and Joy was there, too, to try on and test each one.
After taking a computer-assisted drawing (CAD) class at Plum Grove Junior High, Joseph enrolled in Project Lead the Way. Then, a year or so ago, he began working with his uncle and his older brother to research prosthetic "raptor hand" designs that could be produced on a 3D printer. With help from Paul Hardy, his Project Lead the Way teacher at Fremd, they created a prototype.
However, the prototype broke in rather short order, as the plastic available to them was brittle and hollow, and the wires, cords, and other pieces that weren't produce on the 3D printer didn't meet the design specs they had found.
As luck would have it, though, Northrop Grumman stepped in. To make simple prostheses more readily available, Northrop Grumman manufactured more than 100 hands at 12 of its campuses across the country during Manufacturing Week. The devices were donated to local recipients like Joy, and to e-NABLE, a nonprofit that provided the plans for the hands.
The project was made possible by the advanced, three-dimensional, additive printing currently in use at Northrop Grumman for rapid prototyping and tooling. Using this technology, a hand can be printed and assembled in less than 24 hours and at significantly lower cost than traditional prosthetics.
Northrop Grumman's contribution to the project goes beyond the donation of those 100 prosthetic hands, though. Their engineers developed detailed work instructions for assembly that will be donated to e-NABLE for use by other volunteers, and those step-by-step instructions are based on manufacturing best practices to ensure a consistent, high quality result.
Indeed, Joy's new prosthetic hand is more functional than others she has tried, and far more affordable than the latest in prosthetic technology. For instance, one heavy device made of fiberglass and wood merely offered her a "claw," said her mother, and it cost upward of $2,000. New prosthetics that connect to nerves in the arm and are controlled by neural activity operate more like an actual hand, but cost in excess of $25,000.
This 3D-printed prosthetic hand cost just $50 to produce.
"It's exciting for her to see what the future could hold for her, because this is just the start of the way prosthetics are going to be made," said Jean.
"And it definitely has its uses," added Joseph.
"It has its uses,"agreed Jean, noting that Joy can now peel apples, put lids on boxes and jars, and carry things she couldn't before. "It's just a matter of finding out what they are."
"Yeah," said Joy, getting a bit ahead of herself. "If I have to drive a car, which I can't yet, this could be really useful."
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Community Consolidated School District 15 
David W. Seiffert
