Dear Parents and Stakeholders of District 69,

I am happy to share some good news about a recent update to our website. Part of our commitment to improving education for our students is the establishment of a guaranteed and viable curriculum. As Illinois and the United States move to a National Common Core, we in District 69 are working hard to transition as well. Part of our commitment to improvement also includes transparency with you, our stakeholders. Check out the website and note the common core tab on the right hand side of every page. I encourage you to click on this tab and explore! It is a great opportunity for you to learn more about what our children need to know and be able to do.

Quintin Shepherd, Ph.D.
Superintendent
Skokie/Morton Grove School District 69

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Please provide your login info below to access student email.

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Come and join FUND69, teachers and students from all three schools at the Barnes and Noble Bookstore fundraiser. Saturday December, 3rd from 9am-10pm the Old Orchard Barnes and Noble will be donating a percentage of your purchases from the café and the bookstore to FUND69. There will be performances all day from District 69 students. Teachers will be gift-wrapping and you will see many familiar faces as you shop for books, games, puzzles, music and movies. Don’t forget to stop in at the café for something warm! When you are making a purchase please use the attached vouchers or tell them you are supporting FUND69. We hope to see you there!

If you can't make it on Saturday you can always order online.  If you order online between 12/3/11 and 12/08/11 and use the Bookfair ID 10600674, FUND69 will still get percentage of the sale.  Tell your family and friends!  And then tell them you want books for Christmas!

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Several sixth grade students presented their "cultural pizzas" to the Board of Education, parents, staff and community members present at the November 14, 2011 Board of Education meeting.  A brief overview the of the project follows.

To open the school year in 6^th grade Social Studies, students explore and celebrate their own culture.  We begin with an understanding and discussion of what diversity means.  Our inspiration for the unit, posted in the classroom, becomes Different Individuals Value Each other Regardless of Skin Color, Intellect or Years.  We then move on to define nationality, race, ethnicity, immigration and culture.  After several class conversations and sharing of our own celebrations and traditions, each student completes a Culture Snapshot.  This worksheet enables them to engage family members in dialogue about their heritage and better appreciate their unique traditions.  The information from the Culture Snapshot aids in the completion of the Culture Pizza Project.

This project allows students to represent themselves visually and provide a “slice” of their own culture to share with the class.  The objective is to increase their awareness of diversity in the world, their country, their community and school.  Each pizza has six slices, which illustrate the student as an individual, their family, traditions, foods, activities and school.  A slice may be a representation in words and/or images.  After class time is allotted to complete the project, students prepare a brief, oral presentation for their classmates and share their Culture Pizza.  This project is an excellent opportunity for students to get to know their peers, themselves and for the teacher to know her students during such a transitional time in their schooling.  It makes 6^th grade social studies an experience where cultures are celebrated and diversity is respected.  It is the hope that these transcend into other aspects of their school day and lives.

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More Bookfair Fall 2012 information including informational videos are available on the PTO Blog!

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School board members deserve our thanks! When it comes to selfless giving, school board members deserve thanks from everyone in the community because they represent so many different facets of their community. They are ordinary people and in their everyday lives they might be farmers or bankers, homemakers or doctors, truck drivers or professors, business owners or retirees.

But they all have one thing in common: an extraordinary dedication to our public schools. And it's time we thanked them for their untiring efforts.

Everyone knows that board members attend meetings, but those hours represent just a fraction of the actual time that they devote to leading their districts. They attend extracurricular events to support their schools. They also attend seminars to learn how to be better board members. And often they are involved in other community activities, representing themselves, their community and their district.

More than any other public servant, school board members must listen to the voices of their community and then craft a vision, mission and goals for their district to accurately reflect those voices in the design. They must guard two of the community's most precious resources — their children and their tax dollars — while they create the best educational environment possible with the money available.

Too often communities are quick to criticize school board members without really knowing all the details that went into their decisions. As a result, the efforts of school board members often go unrecognized and unrewarded.

November 15, 2011, has been designated as School Board Members Day in Illinois. This is a time to show appreciation and to begin to better understand how school board members work together to provide leadership for schools.

Help us join with others from throughout Illinois to say "thank you" to the men and women who provide the grassroots governance for public schools. Make a special effort to tell each school board member his or her hard work has been noticed and is very much appreciated.

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2010 - 2011 School Improvement

Annual Action Plan

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In recognition of Principal Appreciation week, District 69 is proud to recognize our building leadership and give them a heartfelt thanks for their tireless efforts on behalf of the kids.  We encourage everyone to express them gratitude.  Tell your principal what they mean to you!

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Village of Skokie Fire Department Open House

The Village of Skokie Fire Department will host an Open House on Sunday, October 9, 2011 from 1 to 4 p.m. at Fire Station #17, 8157 Central Park Avenue.

The free event includes:

• Meeting Skokie firefighters
• Viewing firefighting apparatus and equipment
• Touring the fire station
• Viewing a high-angle rope rescue and a vehicle extrication demonstration
• Fire safety activities for children
• A ride on an antique fire truck
• Information on other Village programs

For more information contact the Skokie Fire Department at 847/982-5340 or visit www.skokie.org.

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Skokie Voice is sponsoring a public forum on the successes and challanges facing Skokie elementary and high school districts.  For additional information see the attached flier.

Wednesday, October 19, 2011, 7:00 - 9:00 p.m.
Oakton Community Center, 4701 Oakton St.

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