LaGrange District 102

February 2025 Newsletter

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A very smart and clever staff member stopped me last week and mused that February is both the shortest and the longest month of the school year.  As a parent and school administrator, I couldn't agree more with this assessment.  I want to thank all of our parents and staff for the ongoing support and dedication to student safety and learning, to collaboration and communication, and mostly to regular injections of joy and fun in these gloomiest months of the year.  As part of communicating RenewD102 referendum plans, I have enjoyed meeting new families, speaking with new community groups and generally experiencing the hope that families share for the future of our schools, their children, and the community as a whole.  

It is also true that we have families that are struggling right now. As I mentioned to our School Board at the last meeting, the District continues to seek out families and students in need of support and provide comfort and help as best we can.  In the end, our District meets the needs of all students regardless of background, immigration status, gender identity, or physical abilities - kids are kids and we are proud to serve all of them. If you know of any family in need of support from the District please encourage them to reach out, or communicate with our D102 Family Liaison team. 

This newsletter is filled with information and links to all of the great work and events that are happening in District 102.  I am hopeful that we are now past the arctic freeze and the snowstorms of a Chicagoland winter and soon we will start to see the early signs of spring.

New District and Building Communication about Absences and Tardies to School

Starting next week, each school in D102 will start sending new informational letters to families who have students accumulating excessive absences or tardies to school.  These letters are intended to open lines of communication with families to make sure that the school and the family are working together to ensure continuity of instruction for every student.  The District is NOT looking for perfect attendance and we completely trust families to make decisions about the health and well being of their children, but we do want to be partners with families to help students get to school, feel comfortable and safe at school, and generally get everything they can from as many full school days as possible.  Let me be clear, we are not hoping that students come to school with an illness, but we do want to extend our support if students or families are struggling getting students to school.

District and Building communications about attendance and/or tardiness will be delivered via email to parents or guardians around the 15th of each month until the end of school.  Families will only receive a message if their child has missed more than 10% of the total school days this year, which is the State definition for excessive absences. We hope these new communications will help form a partnership with families and create a better environment for all students to be in school as often as possible. 

New Curriculum Newsletter

We’re excited to share updates, insights, and highlights from our district’s curriculum and instructional initiatives. This newsletter will provide a glimpse into the learning experiences happening across our schools, showcase innovative teaching practices, and keep you informed about important curriculum developments. Stay tuned for valuable resources, upcoming events, and ways we continue to support student growth and achievement in D102!

Click here to read the Curriculum Newsletter

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Curriculum

Student Climate Survey Administration - Spring 2024

In D102, we know that a strong school climate has positive impacts on student achievement, attendance rates, and school safety, as well as creating conditions for developing healthy social and emotional skills.  We also feel it is critical to hear the voices of our students. To help facilitate that communication we provide a Student Climate Survey twice annually, once in September/October and again in February/March.

D102 will gather student perceptions of their school climate in the following ways:

  • K-2nd grade students will orally provide their input during a classroom meeting conversation with their teacher.

  • 3rd-8th grade students will individually complete an online survey in Google Forms. 

Results of the 3rd-8th grade survey are confidential and will not be used to identify individual students.  Rather, the data will be used to gather an overarching sense of students’ perceptions.  Each building’s leadership team will use the survey results to inform school-wide planning while grade level teachers will use the data to help plan proactive classroom-based morning circles.  

Themes identified during the K-2nd grade classroom conversations will be collected by the teacher and used to plan proactive classroom-based morning circles.  Individual student information will not be collected during these classroom conversations.

For more information see:

  • Student Climate Class Meeting - grades K-2

  • Student Survey questions - grades 3-5

  • Student Survey questions - grades 6-8 

  • Survey FAQ

Families that wish to opt out of the survey should either contact their elementary child’s classroom teacher or their junior high child’s advisory teacher. 

State of Illinois Assessments

District 102 students in grades 3-8 will participate in the annual, mandated state assessments beginning the second week of March. The testing schedules will vary by school and will occur over multiple days.

The Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR) and the  Illinois Science  Assessment (ISA) are the state accountability measures for Illinois students enrolled in a public school district. The IAR assesses the Illinois Learning Standards in English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics, and is administered in grades 3-8.  The Illinois Science Assessment (ISA) measures the Illinois Science Standards and is administered in grades 5 and 8 only.

Kindergarten Information Nights

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Around the District

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D102 Educator Spotlight

#ThankYouD102Educators 💙 Ms. Koevering, a substitute paraprofessional in the Cossitt Connections class, was nominated for her incredible kindness, support, and dedication. Her warmth and problem-solving skills have made a lasting impact with the students. Thank you, Ms. Koevering, for all you do for the D102 community! #D102EducatorSpotlight

Click here to view Facebook post

Nominate an Educator

D102 is filled with passionate and dedicated educators who make a difference every day. Let’s show our appreciation by nominating an educator who deserves the spotlight! 📢

CLICK HERE TO NOMINATE AN EDUCATOR

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Slime Mrs. Brown

Strolling Through Park

Connected and Protected: A Digital Parenting Workshop

Career Day at D102

Mighty Patriots: Heroes vs Heroes

Park Jr. High Wrestling

Connections Winter Event

D102 Alumni!

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Family Liaisons

As your Family Liaisons, we seek to facilitate communication between families, district staff, other families and community partners to better meet the social and academic needs of our students’ families. Our deliberate community-building approach is designed to forge partnerships throughout District 102. We are eager to collectively enact strategies that realize and develop our strengths as a whole.

Cheri's Caring Closet Sorting Night

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Community Page

Welcome, parents and family members of the D102 community! This is your dedicated space to discover the sports and activities available for your young scholars within the community of La Grange, La Grange Park, and Brookfield.

Here, you'll find an array of flyers highlighting engaging programs tailored to every age and interest. Whether your child is a sports enthusiast, an aspiring artist, or simply eager to explore new adventures, there's something here to captivate their curiosity and nurture their passions.

From youth sports leagues to creative arts workshops, from educational clubs to community events, we're committed to providing enriching opportunities for your child to learn, grow, and connect with their peers. Our aim is to foster a sense of belonging and camaraderie within our diverse community while promoting physical activity, creativity, and personal development.

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Activity & Sports Flyers

  • CPR Project Heart Ready 2025

  • League of Women Voters

    • Candidate Forum

  • Firestars Basketball Tryouts (English)

    • Firestars Pruebas de baloncesto (Español)

  • Brookfield Park & Recreation Foundation - 2025 Fundraiser

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Community Giving

Cheri's Caring Closet

In LaGrange School District 102, we are committed to engaging families and the community by eliminating barriers to access, in particularly those related to culture, socioeconomic status, and language. We commit to identifying equitable practices to improve engagement with all families and diverse community stakeholders.

In support of our vocalized commitment, the district has a new initiative in Cheri’s Caring Closet located at Congress Park Elementary School. It is a physical closet that accepts clothing donations from our communities; with the purpose of providing needed clothing items to D102 students.

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Donate to the Community Fund

The La Grange D102 Community Fund aims to bridge the gap between donated supplies and additional resources needed to meet the diverse needs of our students. Recognizing that some families in our district face economic challenges, we believe in the power of unity and collective support. When you donate, you contribute to a general fund, which would be used to purchase supplies otherwise not donated through Cheri’s Caring Closet. Some examples of how these funds might be used would be to purchase items such as food, clothing, school supplies, beds, etc.

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Referral GPS - Connecting People to Treatment:  We are committed to creating a culture of well-being for students, staff,  parents, and the community. In an effort to continuously support this commitment, the district has entered an agreement with ReferralGPS. 

ReferralGPS is a web-based service focused on assisting our students,  staff, and community in finding local mental-health and substance use-related treatment. The service compliments the districts existing systems of support as a tool for student service teams and families to connect with treatment. Along with a searchable database of treatment options, ReferralGPS provides Care Navigation to assist families in triage, appointment setting, and follow-up care. 

School families may access ReferralGPS in two ways: 

1) Visit this link at https://referralgps.com/find-help/dist102 to search for treatment resources or connect with a Care  Navigator anonymously. 

2) Contact Student Services (social workers, psychologists,  counselors) to seek out treatment options. 

ReferralGPS takes into account all types of private and public insurance including PPO, HMO, Medicaid, Medicare, and families who are uninsured or underinsured. The platform also filters by age, gender, zip code, and special requests. 

ReferralGPS is available for use by district students, staff, and families at no cost. All information entered on the ReferralGPS tool is completely confidential and securely stored. 

If you are interested in seeking counseling-related services at this time,  please consider visiting https://referralgps.com/find-help/dist102 or reaching out to the Student Services team.

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Click HERE to view open positions / apply

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La Grange D102 Spiritwear

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SHOP SPIRITWEAR

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