March 2013
Glenbrook South H.S. | Connections
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.
Calendar Highlights
 
March
2 - Turnabout Dance,  
8 p.m. (see article)

4 - No classes, District Institute Day

5- Band Concert, 6 p.m.

6 - Family Action Network General Parent Mtg., 7 p.m., New Trier HS (see article)

9 - Code of Conduct Mtg., 9 a.m.
      
Athletic Booster Club Spring Fling, 6:30 p.m.
Northbrook Renaissance Hotel
       
10 - Techny Music Festival, 2:30 p.m. & 5 p.m. @Techny (see article)

11 - Board of Education Mtg., 7 p.m. @ GBN

14-15 - Paradox, Th/Fr: 5 & 7 p.m.
Fri: additional show @ 9 p.m. Drama/Dance Room

17 - Titan Poms Fashion Show, 1 p.m.

18 - Board of Education Mtg., 7 p.m. @ GBN

19 - Oakton Testing @GBS

20 - Professional Development Day
Student Late Arrival, 10 a.m.

Glenbrook Symphony Orchestra Concert, 7:30 p.m. @ GBN

25 - 31 - Spring Break,
No School

April 2 - School Resumes
*unless a Snow Day has been used, and then school resumes on April 1
GBS News Update
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.
GBS hosts athletic camps
GBS offer summer athletic camps, run by GBS coaches, for grades 9 through 12, with the exception of wrestling that is open to grades 1-12. For more information or to register online, click here http://www.glenbrook225.org/district/Parents/Summer-Athletic-Camps.
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.
Bus registration for students

Early-bird student bus registration for the 2013-14 school year begins Monday, April  

1. Parents may save up to $150 if registration is completed by Monday, June 3. Register online here http://www.glenbrook225.org/district/Parents/Transportation.

 

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. 

GBS hosts annual turnabout dance
The annual turnabout dance, "Stay Classy, South", will be held on Saturday, March 2 from 8 p.m.-11 p.m. in the Main Gym. Dress is semi-formal, meaning sport coats and ties for guys, no jeans or shirts without collars; cocktail dresses for girls. Those not appropriately dressed will be turned away.

The couples price is $15 with with an activity pass, and $18 without an activity pass. For single tickets the price is $7.50 with an activity pass, and $9 without. Tickets will be on sale until Wednesday, February 27. Students need to bring their valid GBS ID to buy bids and to attend the dance. GBS students may invite students from other schools but they need their school ID at the dance.

Please note:  Students are asked to not bring anything of value, i.e. iPhones or money. Valuables should be left in vehicles so they will not be misplaced. Average attendance is 900-1,000 people.

Parents are encouraged to chaperone buses and large limos, although most couples do not use limos. For student safety, all vehicles are subject to search. It is customary for girls to ask the boys. The dance is chaperoned by GBS staff. School rules apply. Parents are advised to verify supervision at pre- or post-dance parties. The Glenview curfew for age 16 and under is midnight.
Parent meeting on bullying at New Trier 

In place of the March 6 Parents' Association General Meeting, GBS parents are invited to attend "Sticks and Stones: Defeating the Culture of Bullying with Character and Empathy," a lecture by Emily Bazelon on March 6 at 7 p.m. at New Trier High School. 

 

The lecture will take place in the Cornog Audiorium, 7 Happ Rd, Northfield. The evening is sponsored by the Family Action Network with support from 16 school area districts and non-profit organizations (including District 225 and our GBS Parents' Association).

Bazelon is the author of "Sticks and Stones: Defeating the Culture of Bullying and Rediscovering the Power of Character and Empathy." In the book, she explores the shifting landscape of teenage cruelty and harassment and its sometimes devastating consequences. 

 

 Bazelon is a senior editor at Slate, a contributing writer at The New York Times Magazine, a frequent guest on Comedy Central's "The Colbert Report" and the Truman Capote Fellow for Creative Writing and Law at Yale Law School.  

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.  

Boosters host spring fundraiser 

The annual fundraiser "A Night at the Races" will be held on Saturday, March 9 at 6:30 p.m. at the Northbrook Renaissance Hotel, 933 Skokie Blvd.

The event will feature a silent auction, live auction, dinner, cash bar, raffles and gift baskets. Post Time will be 6:30 p.m. All proceeds help to provide Glenbrook South student-athletes with the equipment, training, scholarships and leadership programs they need to continue to be successful both on and off the field.

For more information, go to http://www.titanboosters.org/. 

Parent contact information

Have you changed your email address or phone number recently? Please make sure your most current contact information is on file at Glenbrook South by sending any changes to Rhonda Lukas at rlukas@glenbrook225.org or 847-486-4738.

GBS Student Spotlight
Each month, this section will feature a different article that ran in Glenbrook South's student-run newspaper The Oracle, and, occasionally, other student-produced work. A new edition of The Oracle is distributed approximately every five weeks and can be found in newsstands throughout the school. It is also mailed to all Parents' Association members. This month's article is written by Co-editor In Chief  Kathryn Jaslikowski.
 

As part of a district-wide pilot to test the effectiveness of new technology in the classroom, six classes at South received Google Nexus 7 tablets and Google Chromebook laptops Jan. 29.

During fifth period, David Jakes, instructional technology coordinator, speaks to science teacher David Lieberman's AP Chemistry classes. Photo by Jacqueline DeWitt

 

According to Principal Dr. Brian Wegley, the pilot was initiated by David Jakes, instructional technology coordinator; Ryan Bretag, Jakes' counterpart at North; and Superintendent Dr. Mike Riggle. Jakes said that a South committee consisting of himself, technology trainer Lisa Sly, participating teachers, librarians and instructional coaches has been meeting since midway through the first semester to plan the pilot.

 

Cameron Muir, associate principal of curriculum and instruction; Kris Frandson, Muir's counterpart at North; and Rosanne Williamson, associate superintendent for educational services, were also involved in the planning process. Muir said that the pilot discussion originated from the debate over electronic versus traditional textbooks.

 

"From there it became apparent that the electronic textbook discussion really couldn't be discussed without, logically, the question of the device and how students would be accessing those electronic textbooks," Muir said. "[...] The question of the device became a topic and what would happen if we went with one device [...] to a situation where a student can have any device."

 

For more on the pilot, click here. 

District News Update
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.