September 28, 2015  Our Vision: Ignite Passion. Inspire Excellence. Imagine Possibilities. Letter from President Erica Nelson Dear District 41 Community (Carol Stream, Glen Ellyn, Glendale Heights, Lombard, and Wheaton), Welcome to all of our District 41 families to the 2015-2016 school year. In District 41, teachers, staff and parents work collaboratively to continuously improve the educational outcomes for our students. Anyone who works in a small, midsize or large organization recognize the value of sharing thoughts and expertise to move ideas forward. Unique in District 41 are collaborative teams working strategically across the district - Teams for Excellence. The Teams for Excellence are organized into: Building Leadership Teams, Team 21, the Professional Development Team, and the Continuous Improvement Team. Building Leadership Teams at each of the five schools work as a school community on issues directed at school improvement. Student data is reviewed for trends that help to shape the best ways for the schools to reach each student, each school year. Each school is its own community with a unique personality and the Building Leadership Teams provides a way to personalize improvement strategies at each school. In Team 21, members seek out, through research and educational developments, the best ways to realize the district's academic potential aligned with the educational standards set by the IL State Board of Education. Team 21 members are a primary source of innovation and leadership by researching, developing and making recommendations to the Continuous Improvement Team. The district-wide Professional Development Team plans and promotes continuing education for staff. The goal is to keep staff and teachers aligned to priorities based on student data. As learning is individualized for the students, professional development is also personalized for the staff and their needs throughout the school year. The Continuous Improvement Team is a district-level committee that is the umbrella to the other three teams and sets the direction for the other teams to focus on the long-range plan and the D41 educational model. The members take a high level view of the work of the other teams to create a system for the continuous improvement of student achievement. Parents, teachers, staff, and Board of Education representatives who serve and actively participate on one or more of these teams set a foundation in District 41 to seek creative approaches to educate each and every child in the communities we serve. District 41 welcomes the differences our children bring and when teachers and staff collaborate with each other professionally they share a simple truth...we're better together. Note: Teams for Excellence are included in the Glen Ellyn Education Association (GEEA) and American Federation of State Municipal and County Employees (AFSCME) contracts negotiated with the Glen Ellyn School District 41 Board of Education. Click Here for the GEEA contract and Click Here for the AFSCME contract. Sincerely, Erica Nelson President Glen Ellyn School District 41 Board of Education       Please direct your questions or comments about E-News to District 41 Chief Communications Officer Erika Krehbiel, ekrehbiel@d41.org. We ask that you do not reply directly to this email because such replies are not received and so cannot be answered. Thank you!