Dear Parents and Guardians of District 113 Students:
The start of school is right around the corner and we’re excited to welcome students back. District 113 has been working hard to make sure their arrival on August 22nd runs as smoothly as possible. In preparation, we’ve posted a plethora of information on our high school websites, hphs.dist113.org and dhs.dist113.org. Student schedules will be available on the student portal of Infinite Campus beginning Friday, August 10th.
While we’re excited to start the new school year, the past few months have been extremely productive for District 113. Below are some highlights:
· Many staff members participated in classes and workshops to expand their skillset in a multitude of topics this summer. Our educators are always learning and growing in their profession. Highland Park High School hosted a noteworthy workshop. Around 40 math and science teachers from DHS and HPHS attended a three-day TI-NSpire calculator workshop. It’s the latest technology on the market. District 113 will be implementing the mini-computer/calculators into curriculum. District 113 certified staff will also be evaluated using a new model this year. We’re transitioning to the Charlotte Danielson Model and due to state legislation changes administrators completed lengthy training on the model this summer.
· Several large technology upgrades were made. Around 400 new computers were installed in District 113. These will be used by students and staff. In addition, we drastically improved our technology infrastructure in regards to networking, storage, security and servers. This improvement was a recommendation made by District 113’s study groups and supported by community survey results.
· District 113 and community volunteers have remained hard at work developing a Long Range Facility Plan for Deerfield and Highland Park High Schools. Our architects, Perkins+Will, have been assessing the buildings and their space utilization. An engineering firm has been testing the structural envelope of the 1914 buildings at HPHS. Community members were selected to sit on a Steering Committee and have been overseeing the architect’s design process. Now, we want your input. Our architects plan on presenting their initial designs and options at three upcoming community engagement meetings scheduled for Sept. 4, Oct. 2 and Nov. 27. This is your chance to give us feedback. You should be receiving a postcard in the mail with more information shortly. We encourage everyone to attend.
This year is already off to a great start and I look forward to welcoming back our students and staff in the coming weeks.
George V. Fornero
District 113 Superintendent