School Dist. 63 Gearing Up For New Challenges

Even though the district gets many kindergarteners who do not speak English, they are scoring well by the time they reach the upper elementary grades. Now a new set of challenges is approaching.

  Taking children who speak 60 languages and teaching them in English well enough to meet state standards is the challenge East Maine Elementary District 63 faces every day. And the district has been meeting that challenge well across its schools in Niles, Park Ridge, Des Plaines, Morton Grove and Glenview, according to a "State of the Distict" presentation Wednesday.  But the challenge will soon get harder. The Illinois State Board of Education is requiring districts to move to a Common Core curriculum, which is more academically challenging and puts more emphasis on thinking and analytical skills. Earlier:  District 63 faces challenges  "It's another layer for our English language learners," said Dr. Scott Clay, superintendent, …

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D63: It's Unfair To Say Good Schools Are 'Not Adequate'

Parents in D-63 recently received letters saying 5 of 7 schools are not making 'adequate yearly progress' under the NCLB law. But educators say the schools are performing well--it's the law that's flawed.

Q&A: Gemini Principal to Move On To Superintendent Position

After 16 years at the junior high school, Dr. Scott Herrmann talks about the school’s accomplishments.

Dr. Scott Herrmann is leaving his position as principal of Gemini Junior High School, 8955 N. Greenwood Ave., at the end of this school year, and will continue in education in his new role as the superintendent of Bannockburn School District 106. Students from Des Plaines, Niles, Morton Grove, Glenview and Park Ridge living within East Maine School District 63 boundaries all attend Gemini during seventh and eighth grades.  Dr. Herrmann recently completed a Q&A with Patch. Patch: When did you first begin at Gemini Junior High School, and what was your experience before coming to Gemini? Dr. Herrmann: I have spent the past 16 years as principal at Gemini. Prior to my current position, I was an elementary principal, K-12 curriculum director, …

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Meet Apollo School's New Principal

Amy Prester, currently a principal in Bensenville, will begin with Dist. 63 on July 1.

Apollo School, 10100 Dee Road in Des Plaines, will have a new principal next school year. Patch spoke with Amy Prester, currently the principal at Tioga Elementary School in Bensenville, about her background and plans for her new role. Patch: What is your background in education? What positions have you held, and when? Prester: I have worked in education for 12 years. I started teaching third and fourth graders in the inner city of Milwaukee then taught 7th and 8th grade math on the south side of Chicago. I then worked for 4 years in the district office for Bensenville District 2 as a curriculum coordinator. For the past 5 years I have worked as Principal of Tioga School in Bensenville. Patch: Why did you decide to apply for the principal …

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District 63 Achieving, But Cuts Not Yet Felt

Superintendent says last spring's $1.6 million in cuts is keeping the budget in the black.

Superintendent Scott Clay had some good news to report in his "State of the  District" presentation last week. Students in District 63 continue to show high levels of achievement and the district’s finances should remain stable for at least the next few years, Clay told the board at its monthly meeting. However, those high levels of achievement were measured in standardized tests taken last March, which was before some teachers were downsized in last spring’s $1.6 million in budget cuts. Due to the downsizing and the fact fewer teachers remain, class sizes have climbed. The district will administer this year’s tests in March. Earlier: District 63 kills gifted program Board members reacted positively to the presentation, which discussed …

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Clark Kent

9:57 am on Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Hey, Susan! You got one thing right...I said "Before any premature judgments." Got it? B E F O R E. It's very likely that your postulate that he "very likely" said more is very likely. So what's your point????   more ›

Gas Leak Prompts Concern At Gemini School

Fire department declared school safe; however, kids had to cross street to Tony's Finer Foods to be picked up after school.

Though no one suffered ill effects, a gas leak just south of Gemini Junior High School in Niles caused disruption Tuesday, according to an email sent by its principal, Scott Herrmann. Some students and teachers reported smelling the odor of natural gas, and the school called the Niles Fire Department and NICOR Gas. Herrmann said he learned that a construction crew had ruptured a gas line just south of the school on the Greenwood Avenue side.The fire department measured the level of gas in the building and found it to be zero. However, the school relocated classes closest to the leak, where the smell was most intense, to other parts of the building, Herrmann's email indicated. "It wasn't actually gas coming into the school--just the odor of…

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Deck the House Contest: Enter to Win $100K for Des Plaines Schools

It's easy to upload a picture of your holiday decor.

Don’t miss out on this opportunity to win a $100,000 gift to Des Plaines public schools. 

Patch is launching a nationwide contest to find the best dressed home in its Patch communities, and the winner’s school district will receive $100,000, no strings attached. Here’s how the contest works. Beginning on Dec. 8 and continuing through Dec. 26, you can nominate your home by uploading a photo to the contest entry form on the site. During that same time period you and your neighbors will also be able to vote for your favorite festive home. The winning entry will be forwarded to a national Patch judge that will select 24 finalists. Each finalist will receive $500 that they can apply to their December electric bill. From Dec. 30 through Jan. 8 …

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Des Plaines Snapshots: Schools

Local landmarks photo gallery.

Patch photographer Philip Downie documented Des Plaines landmarks. Then, local historian Brian Wolf wrote captions for the images. We’ll publish the four photo galleries they created, one a week, on Thursdays. This is the second of the four. Earlier: Des Plaines Snapshots: Downtown. Connect on Facebook.

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Students with Limited English Make Progress in Dist. 63

Students move out of the LEP category when they become proficient in English.

While East Maine Elementary District 63 schools as a group did not meet the annual yearly progress standards under the No Child Left Behind Law, the district got some good news about one subgroup of students. Students in District 63 with limited English proficiency met the Annual Measurable Achievement Objectives last school year, District 63 Superintendent Scott Clay told school board members at their meeting Nov. 2. “That’s an absolutely fantastic achievement,” Clay said, especially since about a third of the district’s students are considered to have limited English proficiency. Earlier: Dist. 63’s proposed tax levy increase. Some Spanish-speaking students are taught in bilingual classrooms. But most students, including all those that …

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Dist. 63’s Proposed Tax Levy Increase: 3.7 Percent

Tax cap to limit increase to 1.5 percent.

East Maine School District 63 approved a tentative 2011 tax levy of $35.4 million, which includes about $3.7 million to pay off bonds and $31.8 million to pay operating costs. The tax levy is the amount the district will ask taxpayers to provide next year. At a school board meeting Wednesday David Bein, executive director of business services, told board members the money the district is asking for in operating costs is about 3.7 percent higher than what the district collected in 2011. “This is our opportunity to officially declare, here is how much money we would like to fund our entity,” Bein said. Earlier: District 63 approves strategic plan. However, Bein said it was unlikely the district would collect everything it is asking for due …

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