Recent News Articles for River Forest Public Schools - District 90

Don't miss the Recycling Extravaganza—Saturday, May 5, 2012

sullivank — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 11:36:12 +0000

Recycling Extravaganza
Saturday, May 5, 2012
8 a.m. - 1 p.m.
River Forest United Methodist Church (corner of Thatcher and Lake)

In collaboration with the Village of River Forest, the District 90 Green4Good Committee is sponsoring a drive-up, drop-off recycling event on Saturday, May 5, in the parking lot of River Forest United Methodist Church (7970 Lake Street). Enter the lot from Lake Street. If you'd like to help out with this event, please contact Julie Moller: jmoller@marketingwerks.com.

No hazardous materials will be accepted—but just about anything else will! Here's a partial list of what you can drop off:

BATTERIES: A, C, D, 9-volt, rechargeable, NiCd, lithium, button, car, motorcycle, sump pump, computer backup, boat, lawn mower

ELECTRONICS: computers, televisions, radios, VCRs, DVD players, toasters, blenders, coffee makers, microwaves, vacuum cleaners (remove dust collection bag), monitors, cell phones, dial phones, answering machines, scanners, printers, keyboards, hard drives, copiers, cable boxes/modems, circuit boards, switches, cameras, projectors, insulated wire/cable, power supplies. NO dehumidifiers, air conditioners, or refrigerators

PRESCRIPTION MEDICATION

SCRAP METAL: washers, dryers, radiators, lawn furniture, clothes hangers, rusty swing sets, garbage cans, garden tools, water heaters, railings, pots and pans, gutters, shovels, shelving, wagons, pipes, wheelbarrows, chicken wire, tomato cages, auto radiators

MISCELLANEOUS: musical instruments, keys, rulers, pencils, crayons, usable spiral notebooks, yarn, rubber stamps, buttons, ink jet cartridges, corks, plastic bags, plastic dry cleaning bags, plastic newspaper sleeves, tattered and torn American flags for proper retirement, CFL bulbs (no fluorescent tubes)

Cyber Safety Parenting Workshop—Tuesday, May 1

sullivank — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 02:45:00 +0000

Join Sarah Migas, Internet safety specialist for the Illinois Attorney General's office, for a parenting workshop on keeping children safe online. Ms. Migas will include a particular focus on "sexting," the practice of sharing inappropriate images and texts via mobile devices--which is a more common occurrence than you might expect among preteens and young teens. The workshop will take place Tuesday, May 1, in the Roosevelt Middle School Auditorium at 7:00 p.m.

No Homework Night--Thursday, April 12

sullivank — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 14:05:03 +0000

In partnership with the River Forest Public Library and the River Forest Park District, District 90 schools will celebrate the second annual No Homework Night on Thursday, April 12. Teachers will not assign homework so that families can focus on connecting with each other without the distraction of TV or computer screens. The park district is holding a free Family Gym Night, with relay races, basketball, Baggo, and more in the Roosevelt Middle School North Gym from 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. Capacity is 75 people, so arrive early! The library will host a drop-in Family Game Night all evening, including outdoor games if the weather permits. No Homework Night falls during National Library Week, which is emphasizing media awareness, and the library is offering lots of ideas and resources for managing screen time to create a "balanced media diet."

Please take survey about District/school websites

sullivank — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 14:09:55 +0000

Gathering user feedback about the District and school websites, then updating the sites based on that feedback, is one of the School Board strategic-planning goals. Please share your opinions by taking a quick survey; completing it will take 10 minutes or less. The survey will remain open through Friday, April 20, 2012.

To take the survey, click here. Thank you!

District 90 wins Bright Red Apple Award

sullivank — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 11:58:25 +0000

For the 19^th year in a row, District 90 has received the SchoolSearch Bright Red Apple Award for educational excellence. Only 79 of 868 school districts in Illinois received the award.

SchoolSearch is an educational and research consulting firm that publishes rankings of school systems, commonly used by corporations for relocating families. District 90 has won the organization’s Bright Red Apple award every year since 1994.

The award is based on information drawn from 2011 Illinois Report Card Data in five, family-favored categories. For elementary districts, the criteria are:

Academic performance: At least 89.5% of students in grades 3-8 meet or exceed standards for math and reading
Pupil-teacher ratio: No more than 18.8 students per teacher
Operating expenditure per pupil: At least $10,730
Educational level of teachers: At least 60.4 percent of teachers hold master’s degrees or above
Average teacher salary: At least $55,565

“It is an honor to receive this award,” Superintendent Dr. Ed Condon said. “It speaks not only to the talent and efforts of the District 90 staff and students, but also to the strong support our schools receive from the River Forest community. It is this combination of factors that enables us to provide the best possible educational environment for our students.”

Summer Music registration is open

sullivank — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 11:56:45 +0000

Registration is now open for the District 90 Summer Music program. Summer Music will be held at Lincoln this year, from June 6 to July 3, 2012. Students may sign up for semi-private certificate lessons or Jazz Improvisation on all band and orchestra instruments. Lessons for Concert Band and Senior Orchestra students are available as well. For course descriptions and a registration form, click here.

Summer School early registration is open

sullivank — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 20:27:47 +0000

Early Summer School registration is now open to River Forest residents. The complete registration schedule is as follows:

April 2 - 15: Early registration for River Forest residents
April 16: Registration opens to nonresidents
May 1: Late fees begin—$20 per class
May 25: Last day to register for both residents and nonresidents
June 8: Last day for refunds

To see the dozens of classes being offered this year, visit the Summer School tab on the District website by clicking here. Once you are ready to register, go to the District 90 Web Store (not your PTO web store), which you can find by clicking here. The fee per class is $121 for residents ($152 for nonresidents).

Roosevelt Readiness offered for fourth-graders this spring

sullivank — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 19:26:10 +0000

Roosevelt Readiness Spring Classes

Because Roosevelt Middle School will be under construction this summer, we are offering two sessions of Roosevelt Readiness for current fourth-graders this spring. The class is a chance to have fun and ease anxiety with a successful transition to fifth grade. Students will meet classmates and learn their way around Roosevelt, learn how to master their lock and assignment book, discover information about the clubs, schedule, and teachers at Roosevelt—and much more.

Session 1: Mondays and Wednesdays, April 23 - May 9, 3:30 - 4:30 p.m. (six days total)
Session 2: Tuesdays and Thursdays, April 24 - May 10, 3:30 - 4:30 p.m. (six days total)

Registration begins Monday, April 2, via the District 90 Webstore. Class fee is $30 per student.

Parent-Child Café to prevent substance abuse--March 14

sullivank — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 19:42:26 +0000

IMPACT, a local grassroots organization dedicated to preventing substance abuse among young people, will be hosting a parent-child café at Roosevelt Middle School on Wednesday, March 14, 2012, at 7:00 p.m. Parents and children will have the opportunity to participate in facilitator-led small group discussions, as well as hear separate presentations.

State of the District presentation—February 15, 7 P.M.

sullivank — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 13:28:51 +0000

Superintendent Dr. Ed Condon and the administrative team will share the successes of District 90, as well as the areas in which the District aspires to show further growth.

Wednesday, February 15, 2012
7:00 - 8:15 P.M.
Roosevelt Middle School Auditorium
7560 Oak Avenue
Light refreshments will be served

The evening will include an overview of District 90, presented by Dr. Condon, followed by brief breakout sessions on District finances and construction, and on curriculum, instruction, and student services. You will have an opportunity to hear both breakout sessions if you wish. We look forward to seeing you!

All District schools win 2011 Academic Excellence Awards

sullivank — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 17:46:02 +0000

For the fourth year in a row, each of the three District 90 schools has received an Academic Excellence Award from the Illinois State Board of Education. Across the state, 438 public schools—or just over 10 percent of those in the state—received the award for 2011.

To earn an Academic Excellence Award, schools must meet the following criteria:

They must have made Adequate Yearly Progress in 2010 and 2011 as required by No Child Left Behind.
In schools serving grades 8 and below, 90 percent of students must have met or exceeded state standards in both reading and mathematics for the three most recent school years.

Summer School dates announced

sullivank — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 18:03:42 +0000

As you begin to make summer plans, please take note of the following dates for summer school:

Thursday, June 7: First day of summer school classes
Wednesday, July 4: No classes
Friday, July 6: Last day of classes

Kindergarten through grade 4 classes will take place at Willard, while those for grades 5-8 will meet at Lincoln. More information about specific class offerings will be available on the District website in early spring.

School Board decides against full-day kindergarten

sullivank — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 03:10:13 +0000

At its January 23, 2012, Business meeting, the School Board voted 6-1 against pursuing an extended-day kindergarten program. To read a letter from Superintendent Dr. Ed Condon explaining the rationale behind his recommendation not to pursue such a program, please click here.

Pick up your kindergarten registration packet!

sullivank — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 16:14:28 +0000

Kindergarten registration for the 2012-2013 school year begins Friday, February 3, 2012. To be eligible for kindergarten, a child must turn 5 on or before September 1, 2012.

Kindergarten registration packets are now available and should be completed prior to turning in on February 3. Families with students currently attending District 90 schools can pick up packets in the Lincoln and Willard Elementary School offices. Families/students who are NEW to River Forest and District 90 Schools should pick up a residency packet AND a registration packet at the District 90 Administration Office (7776 Lake St.).

Residents who live north of Chicago Avenue attend Willard Elementary School (1250 Ashland), while those who live south of Chicago Avenue attend Lincoln Elementary School (511 Park).

Kindergarten packets should be turned in to the appropriate school office on Kindergarten Registration Day, which is Friday, February 3, 2012, between the hours of 8:00 – 11:25 a.m. and 12:25 – 4:00 p.m.

If you have any questions, please call 708-771-8282.

New vaccine requirements for middle schoolers

sullivank — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 21:35:57 +0000

The Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) has notified school districts that new rules on immunizations for middle and high school students have just been approved. Under the new rules, all students entering sixth grade must show proof of having received one dose of the Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria, acellular pertussis) vaccine, regardless of the interval since his or her last DTaP, DT, or Td dose. Additionally, students entering seventh through twelfth grade who have not already received Tdap are required to receive one Tdap dose regardless of the interval since the last DTaP, DT, or Td dose.

Note that there is a difference between Tdap and DTaP. While both vaccines contain inactivated forms of disease, DTaP is aimed at giving children under age 7 immunity to diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis (better known as whooping cough). Tdap, on the other hand, is a booster immunization that has a reduced dose of the diphtheria and pertussis vaccines; its purpose is to offer continued protection from the three diseases for adolescents starting at the age of 11 or 12 and adults through age 64.

Many middle and high school students may need an updated immunization in order to comply with the revised rules. Please check with your child’s physician to determine whether your child has received the appropriate immunization. Proof of immunization must be given to the school nurse prior to the start of the 2012-2013 school year; you may submit that documentation now for next school year.

To download a PDF with the IDHS rules on diphtheria, pertussis, and tetanus immunization, click here. Please note that although the rules state that proof of Tdap was required for the 2011-2012 school year, the rules were only just approved and therefore were not in force during the current year.