March 2013
Glenbrook North H.S. | Connections
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District 225 moves forward with new Common Core State Standards
While the state's new Common Core standards may mean significant changes for some school districts, Glenbrook High School District 225 has already begun implementing key changes to better align its curriculum with the new standards.
The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) initiative is a state-led effort coordinated by the National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers in collaboration with educators. These standards, which apply to students in grades K-12, primarily impact math and English/language arts. 
"Common Core State Standards were developed to better prepare U.S. students for college and careers and provide consistency in the quality of education across the nation. While this initiative requires changes in our curriculum, the work our teachers have begun will allow for a smooth transition to the new standards," said Assistant Superintendent for Educational Services Dr. Rosanne Williamson.
During her presentation to the Board on February 11, Williamson explained what these changes would look like at the high school level. For example, in math, the new standards focus on developing students' conceptual understanding, which prepares a student to apply and adapt mathematical ideas to new situations. There will also be fewer topics to allow for more in-depth learning of important concepts and a new testing structure that moves away from multiple-choice questions.
To align the curriculum with these new standards, math teachers revised and implemented extended response problems this fall that are of greater high-cognitive demand.
In English/language arts, the new writing standards focus more on argumentative writing rather than persuasive writing. Additional non-fiction reading material will also supplement core units of study in response to the standards' call for more non-fiction reading.
Professional development sessions were conducted in 2010 and 2011 for District 225 and sender districts to prepare teachers for these changes. Since then, teachers have reviewed writing standards that focus more on argumentative writing and are currently conducting a "gap analysis" to better bridge 8th and 9th grade writing assignments in light of the new standards.
"District 225 will continue to work collaboratively with sender districts to ensure that the transition from 8th grade to 9th grade remains smooth for our students in spite of these curricular changes," Williamson said.
New assessments coming in the 2014-15 school year will measure student performance relative to CCSS and determine how effective school districts are in preparing students for college and careers. These assessments are being developed by the Partnership for Assessment for Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC). The new assessments will be administered online to students in grades 9-11.
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Calendar Highlights
March
4- No School, District Institute Day
5 - Choral Parents' Org./Theatre Arts Parent Org. Mtg., 6 p.m.
6 - Parents' Assn. Mtg., 7 p.m.
8 - TLS Basketball Game, 11:30 a.m. (see article)
9 - Booster Club Spring Gala @Hilton Chicago/Northbrook
(see article)
10 - District Festival of Music, 2:30 p.m. @ Techny
11- Board of Education Mtg., 7 p.m. @GBN
Booster Club Mtg., 7 p.m.
Band Parents' Org Mtg., 7 p.m.
12 - Spring Jazz Band Concert, 7:30 p.m.
14-16 - Orchesis Dance Show, 7:30 p.m.
18 - Board of Education Mtg., 7 p.m. @GBN
20 - Student Late Arrival, 9:40 a.m.
All School Workshop Spartans Connect (see article)
21 - "Finding the Fit...Financially Speaking," 7 p.m. (see article)
22 - Third quarter ends
25-31 - Spring Break, No School
April 2 - School resumes
*unless a Snow Day has been used, and then school resumes on April 1
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Spartans Connect returns to GBN
On Wednesday, March 20, Glenbrook North will host the second Spartans Connect All School Workshop.
The purpose of the all-day workshop is to celebrate the interests, hobbies and passions of the Spartan community. Students, teachers, staff, parents, local residents and business leaders will host more than 100 sessions that touch on a myriad of subjects and interests. 
"Last year, Spartans Connect helped strengthen our relationship and community. This year, we want to provide that same opportunity to connect around our interests and passions," said Ryan Bretag, coordinator of instructional technology for Glenbrook North and co-chair of the All School Workshop.
This is the second time Glenbrook North has hosted Spartans Connect. Those interested in hosting a session had to submit a proposal by December, and students registered for their preferred classes in February and March.
Some of the classes include Geocaching, Mini-CrossFit Games, Finding Focus, The LeapYear Project: An Entrepreneurial and Philanthropic Mindset, and The Happiness Catalyst.
The sessions will run from 9:40 a.m. to 2:55 p.m. For more information, please go to the GBN Website and click Spartans Connect 2013 Information under "Events."
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2013 Summer School information
- This year's summer school classes will be held at GBN
- Dates: 1st semester, June 13-July 3; 2nd semester, July 8-26
- Oakton Career Exploration Courses: June 17-July 3
- Summer school registration begins March 11, for incoming seniors; March 12, for juniors; March 13, for sophomores, and March 14, for freshmen.
On-line registration will close on Tuesday, May 28. All registrations after May 28 will need to be done in person at the District Office, 3801 W Lake Ave. Suite 200, Glenview.
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GBN hosts athletic camps
GBN will be offering summer athletic camps, run by GBN coaches, for Northbrook students, grades 1 through 12. For more information or to register online, click here http://www.glenbrook225.org/district/Parents/Summer-Athletic-Camps
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Changes to school calendar
Monday, April 1 remains a reserved "snow day," meaning school will be in session only if a "snow day" has occurred previous to that date. If no "snow day" has been used, Monday, April 1 will be a non-attendance day.
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Bus registration for students
Please note: Only incoming freshmen will receive bus packets by mail. Bus packets for sophomores, juniors and seniors will be available for printing at www.glenbrook225.org or for pick-up in the District Office.
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College and finances program 
"Finding the Fit...Financially Speaking" will be held Thursday, March 21, at 7p.m. in the Center for Performing Arts. Families of juniors will learn about the impact that financing college will have on the selection process.
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District Festival of Music
Each year, the combined choirs of Glenbrook North and Glenbrook South present a concert at the Chapel of the Divine Word, located at Techny and Waukegan roads.
The singers are accompanied by the Glenbrook Sinfonietta and selected Wind Ensemble members. This year's concert features works by Bernstein, Pergolesi and Copland, among others, and ends with The Battle Hymn of the Republic. Josephine Lee, artistic director of the Chicago Children's Choir, will serve as guest conductor.
The cost is $12 for adults and $6 for children under 12 years. The concert times are 2:30 p.m. and 5 p.m. on Sunday, March 10. To reserve tickets, please contact Debbie Dean at (847) 509-2444 or ddean@glenbrook225.org. Reserve early - sell-out crowds are expected.
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TLS annual basketball event 
The 22nd annual GBN Teaching for Life Skills (TLS) basketball game will be held on Friday, March 8, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. in the gymnasium against the GBS TLS Titans. This event offers students with cognitive and physical disabilities an opportunity to participate in an athletic competition.
The game will feature varsity poms and cheerleaders, pep band, GBN Chorale and a video sportscast. The event is free and the community is welcome and encouraged to attend.
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Booster's host spring gala
The GBN Booster Club has one main fundraising event every year, the Spring Gala. This year the 7th annual Spring Gala will be held on Saturday, March 9, at the Hilton Chicago/Northbrook. All Booster Club members will receive an invitation to the Spring Gala, but all interested members of the community are welcome to attend.
The Spring Gala is a great way to socialize with other GBN parents, as well as GBN administrators, athletic directors and coaches. In addition to wonderful food, the Spring Gala also includes a live and silent auction, games, prizes and the drawing of the super raffle winning tickets.
For more information about the Spring Gala or to volunteer to help, contact Michelle Hinca famhinca@aol.com or 847-509-7759.
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Orchesis Dance Show 
The Glenbrook Orchesis Dance Company presents this year's show "Rise" on March 14-16 at 7:30 p.m. in the Sheeley Center for Performing Arts at Glenbrook North High School.
"Rise" features the work of leading, professional guest dance choreographers and artists tap master Jay Fagan, Carrie Nicastro, a recent member of Giordano Jazz Dance Chicago's company, Corey Nagel, Sasha Vargas and GBN student choreography. All styles of dance are represented from ballet to tap, lyrical to hip hop.
Ticket cost is $10 and tickets may be purchased at the door or in advance by calling Beth Figaro at (847) 509-2597.
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Each month, this section will feature a different article that ran in Glenbrook North's student-run newspaper The Torch, and, occasionally, other student-produced work. A new edition of The Torch is distributed approximately every month and can be found in newsstands throughout the school. This month's article is written by Executive Lifestyle Editor Maddy Placik.
Flesh-eating beetle project wins grant
After learning of a process whereby animals are decomposed, Anthony Fiala, Anatomy and Physiology teacher, requested a grant to help pay for a colony of flesh-eating
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Anthony Fiala, Anatomy and Physiology teacher, reviews for an exam with a class by playing a trivia game. Fiala has received a grant from the Board of Education for a project in which Fiala plans to use flesh-eating beetles to clean the skeletons of animal specimens. Photo by Zach Zilber.
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beetles.
While visiting the Illinois Math and Science Academy, Fiala said he was intrigued by the skeletons that were present in the science classrooms of the school. Fiala has been interested in improving his classrooms' environments ever since he began working at Glenbrook North five years ago.
"[The Illinois Math and Science Academy] had full skeletons of a lot of different animals which I thought were very cool," said Fiala. "But then when you look up to see how much those skeletons cost, they are very cost prohibitive."
The process of animal decomposition that Fiala learned of involved Dermestid Beetles, more commonly known as Skin Beetles. In this process a colony of Skin Beetles eats the flesh of a dead animal leaving the skeleton behind.
The Glenbrook Foundation granted Fiala a $2,000 Innovation Grant. According to science instructional supervisor Mary Rockrohr, an Innovation Grant is given to projects that are new and "a little different."
For more on the grant, click here.
GBN V-Show: Storytellers
The 2013 GBN Variety Show "Storytellers" opened Thursday, February 7 and continued through Saturday, February 9. Check out a preview of the show produced by students of GBN Broadcasting:
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Variety Show 2013 - Preview Video
By: GBN Broadcasting
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District seeks to clarify information listed on property tax bills
In response to a Cook County Debt Disclosure Ordinance, Glenbrook High School District 225 was required to disclose specific annual financial information to the Office of the Cook County Treasurer that was included on the March installment of local property tax bills.
This information was pulled from the District's annual audited financial reports and included: total debts and liabilities, gross operating budget, total pension liability, total unfunded pension liability and pension funded ratio. 
(A breakdown of the source data for each of these categories listed on the property tax bills can be found by clicking here.)During the February 11 Board of Education meeting, Assistant Superintendent for Business Hillarie Siena stressed the importance of providing additional information about these categories, specifically when looking at pension liability."The information presented on the tax bills does not reflect data relative to the state-funded retirement system known as TRS (Teachers Retirement System of Illinois)," Siena said. "We understand recent concerns regarding the public pension system in Illinois and want to clarify that the information listed on the property tax bills is not related to TRS."Employees of District 225 participate in one of two pension systems: TRS and IMRF (Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund). Non-certificated support personnel are members of IMRF. IMRF is locally funded by Glenbrook High School District 225, which levies taxes for this purpose, and through contributions from District 225 employees. Certified personnel are members of TRS, which unlike IMRF, is funded through contributions from District 225 employees and the State of Illinois.The information on the tax bills relative to pension liability applies to IMRF and all post-employment benefits, mainly insurance. The District's total pension liability is listed at $44,106,803 and the total unfunded pension liability at $20,473,982.However, both of these figures include $13,321,459 attributed to other post-employment benefits, which are not related to pension. The portion actually attributable to total IMRF pension liability is $30,785,344 and to total unfunded IMRF liability is $7,152,523.Siena explained total pension liability reflects the amount District 225 would have to pay out in IMRF pension and other post-employment benefits if each covered employee as of June 30, 2012 were to retire now. Unfunded pension liability refers to the amount the district would theoretically be short if this occurred.Much of the shortfall in total unfunded pension liability is due to investment losses suffered by IMRF due to the economic downturn. Recovery of these losses is expected over time through increases to the District's employer rate and returns on investments."The District fully supports transparency for our tax payers through full disclosure of financial information. However, it is equally as important to provide context to avoid any confusion or misinterpretation," Siena said.Additional information about the District's financials, including the Annual Financial Report and the audited Comprehensive Annual Financial Report are available at http://www.glenbrook225.org/district/District-Departments/Business-Operations/Financial-Info. Both are posted annually for public review.
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Coming in March from the Northbrook Park District: a free Spring Bunny Trail and professional production of "Freckleface The Musical." Details of those programs and more can be found here. |
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