The District 54 Sustainability Committee would like to share a reminder about this year’s Earth Hour.

Earth Hour is organized by the World Wildlife Fund. Businesses, governments, organizations and individuals around the world are asked to turn off their lights for one hour, to make a global statement of concern about climate change and to demonstrate a commitment to finding solutions. Some famous participants will include Mount Rushmore, the Empire State Building, San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge, Great Pyramids of Giza, Big Ben, the Eiffel Tower and Sydney’s Opera House. In 2011, Earth Hour became the biggest ever. A record 135 countries and territories joined the global display. People across the world from all walks of life turned off their lights and came together in celebration and contemplation of one thing we all have in common – our planet.

Participation is easy. Join District 54 by flipping off your lights for an hour on Saturday, March 31 at 8:30 p.m. In District 54 we will turn off all exterior building lights in support of Earth Hour!

Join us and make the switch to a cleaner nation. Follow this link for more information about Earth Hour:  http://www.earthhour.org/.

MacArthur teacher Maria Barba was named a finalist for the 2012 Golden Apple Award. Golden Apple has presented its award to 10 outstanding Chicago-area teachers since 1986. The 2012 award is designated for teachers in early childhood through third grade.

Barba, a third-grade dual language teacher at MacArthur, was nominated by a parent for the 2012 Golden Apple Awards. She is one of 32 finalists selected from more than 500 nominated teachers and she will be recognized on April 21 at the Hyatt in Chicago.

Choosing 10 award recipients from hundreds of excellent applicants is the responsibility of the Golden Apple Awards Selection Committee, made up of more than 90 volunteers including principals,
administrators, members of higher education faculties, and Golden Apple Fellows.

Golden Apple selects teachers who exemplify the highest standards and practices of the teaching profession. These qualities include demonstrating distinguished classroom practice (pedagogical skill), professionalism and collegiality, high standards for themselves and their students, the ability to create a classroom environment conducive to learning, the ability to reflect on practice, creativity, commitment to students and their learning, and contribution to the wider school community.

Barba’s dual language class consists of some students who are native English speakers and some who are native Spanish speakers. The goals of the program are that, after six to seven years of instruction, students will be able to use two languages in social situations appropriate for their age level; communicate effectively through reading and writing in two languages at a level appropriate for their age; perform academically at grade level commensurate with their monolingual English-speaking peers; and demonstrate an appreciation of cultural diversity and cross-cultural competence  cross a variety of social situations.

School District 54 is looking for community members who would be interested in serving on its District Citizens’ Advisory Committee (DCAC) beginning in the fall of 2012.

The District Citizens’ Advisory Committee (DCAC) is a School Board committee composed of staff members, parents, representatives of various governmental, community and business organizations, and members of the community-at-large. The Board established this committee to increase communication and provide citizen involvement at the school and district levels. DCAC offers members an opportunity to offer input on district topics and promote education and community involvement. For example, during the 2011-12 school year, DCAC provided feedback on the proposed junior high health materials.

DCAC member responsibilities include attending monthly meetings (which are held at 9 a.m. on the second Thursday of the month during the school year), providing input to the School Board on district topics, and sharing information with one’s constituency.

Applications for DCAC membership are to be submitted by May 15 to Sherry Douglas, board coordinator, at the District Office, 524 E. Schaumburg Road, Schaumburg, Ill. 60194.

For more information about ACDI or DCAC or to receive an application, please contact Sherry Douglas, board coordinator, by phone at (847) 357-5038 or by email at SherryDouglas@sd54.org. The application is also available on the District 54 web site at:  http://www.sd54.org/committees.

El sello distintivo de una comunidad de aprendizaje profesional es un equipo de profesionales trabajando juntos para proveer una educación sobresaliente para sus estudiantes. Hemos visto por muchos años la fuerza del trabajo en equipo y los beneficios que ofrece. Nuestra práctica de trabajar estrechamente y en colaboración con nuestros colegas profesionales con regularidad ha permitido al Distrito 54 alcanzar ganancias sin precedentes en el aprovechamiento de los estudiantes en los últimos años.

El compromiso del Distrito 54 de implementar por completo la estructura de una comunidad de aprendizaje profesional no solo ha mejorado el aprendizaje de los estudiantes, sino que también ha proporcionado personal con apoyo adicional para continuamente mejorar la manera de como ellos enseñan y atienden las diversas necesidades de sus estudiantes.

Nuestro distrito continúa siendo reconocido a través de Estados Unidos como uno de los mejores por la implementación efectiva de la estructura de una comunidad de aprendizaje profesional. Los más de 14,000 estudiantes quienes asisten a nuestras escuelas son los verdaderos ganadores en este esfuerzo del distrito por mejorar el aprovechamiento escolar.

El elemento clave de la estructura se compone de equipos altamente eficaces y colaboradores quienes son apasionados y comprometidos para continuamente mejorar sus prácticas docentes. La efectividad está basada en los resultados, y las maneras de incrementar el aprendizaje del estudiante están en el corazón de cada decisión que se toma.

Implementar la estructura de una comunidad de aprendizaje profesional ha llevado a mejoramientos significativos en la manera que instruimos y proporcionamos oportunidades de aprendizaje para nuestros estudiantes. Cada escuela ha renovado su horario maestro, garantizando bloques de tiempo ininterrumpidos de instrucción en cada asignatura y tiempo adicional para los estudiantes quienes se benefician de oportunidades de intervención o enriquecimiento.

Los resultados esenciales del Distrito 54, los cuales están directamente relacionados a los Estándares de Aprendizaje de Illinois y a los Estándares Comunes, son utilizados por los maestros para guiar su planificación y enseñanza diaria.

Debido a la naturaleza siempre variable de la Prueba de Aprovechamiento de Estándares de Illinois (ISAT) y al tiempo que esperamos para recibir los resultados, nuestro distrito administra la prueba de Medidas del Progreso Académico (MAP) a los estudiantes de kindergarten a octavo grado. Utilizamos los resultados de estas pruebas para monitorear el aprendizaje que se implementa en cada escuela, para evaluar la efectividad de programas específicos, y para documentar el crecimiento individual de cada estudiante a través del tiempo. El progreso encaminado a alcanzar los objetivos del distrito, de las escuelas y de los salones de clase es evaluado a través del año e incluido en el ciclo de revisión de aprovechamiento escolar que se efectúa cada 90 días.

Similar al modelo de los negocios más eficaces, la estructura de aprendizaje profesional de la comunidad incluye planes específicos y apoyo para el desarrollo profesional continuo de nuestro personal.
Este verano, el Distrito 54 llevará a cabo su segundo Simposio anual de Desarrollo Profesional con más de 60 sesiones presentadas por nuestro personal. Durante los dos días, maestros y personal de apoyo podrán aprender del conocimiento, experiencia y éxito de muchos de nuestros profesionales expertos del distrito.

La implementación efectiva de la estructura de una comunidad de aprendizaje profesional ha permitido al Distrito 54 enfocarse aún más en los logros de cada estudiante en un alto nivel para ser completamente responsables por cumplir la misión de nuestro distrito de Asegurar el Éxito de los Estudiantes.

In English

The hallmark of a Professional Learning Community is teams of professionals working together to provide an outstanding education for their students. We have seen for many years the strength of teamwork and the benefits that it provides. Our practice of working closely and in collaboration with our professional colleagues on a regular basis has enabled District 54 to reach unprecedented gains in student achievement in recent years.

District 54’s commitment to fully implementing the Professional Learning Community framework has not only improved student learning, it has also provided staff members with additional support to  continuously improve how they teach and address the diverse learning needs of their students.

Our district continues to be recognized throughout the United States as one of the top sites for the effective implementation of the Professional Learning Community framework. The more than 14,000 students who attend our schools are the real winners in this district-wide school improvement effort.

The key element of the framework includes highly effective collaborative teams who are passionately committed to continually improving their teaching practices. Effectiveness is based on results, and ways to increase student learning are at the heart of any decision that is made.

Implementing the Professional Learning Community framework has led to significant improvements in the way we structure and provide learning opportunities for our students. Every school has revamped their master schedule, guaranteeing uninterrupted blocks of instructional time in every core subject and additional time for students who can benefit from intervention or enrichment opportunities.

The District 54 Essential Outcomes, which are directly tied to the Illinois Learning Standards and the new Common Core Standards, are used by teachers to guide their daily planning and teaching.

Due to the ever changing nature of the Illinois Standards Achievement Test (ISAT) and the timeline for our receipt of the results, our district administers Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) to students in kindergarten through eighth grade. We use the results of these tests to monitor the learning that is taking place in each school, to evaluate the effectiveness of specific programs, and to track individual student growth over time. Progress toward meeting district, building and classroom goals is assessed throughout the year and included in the 90-day school improvement review cycle.

Similar to the most effective business models, the Professional Learning Community framework includes specific plans and supports for the ongoing professional development of our staff. This summer, District 54 will be holding its second annual Professional Development Symposium with more than 60 sessions taught by our staff. During the two days, teachers and support staff will be able to learn from the knowledge, experience and success of our district’s many expert professionals.

The effective implementation of the Professional Learning Community framework has enabled District 54 to become even more focused on every student achieving at a high level and to be fully accountable for meeting our district’s mission of Ensuring Student Success.

En Espanol

School District 54, the Village of Schaumburg and the Schaumburg Township District Library will host a free multifaceted recycling event from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, April 21, 2012, at the District 54 Office, 524 E. Schaumburg Road in Schaumburg. The following items will be recycled:

• Electronics:  Televisions, household batteries, small household appliances, microwaves, monitors, computers, keyboards, mice, radios, video cassette recorders, telephones, fax machines, UPS systems, and more.
• Document Destruction: Shred up to two boxes. Envelopes with windows, paper clips and staples are OK. No plastics, CD’s or plastic bags. All paper is recycled.
• Clothing, shoes, purses, belts, hats, back packs, towels, linens and other household textiles
• Automotive Batteries
• Holiday light strands, extension cords, copper wiring, computer wiring, phone wires, CAD V coaxial cable.
• Motor oil and antifreeze
• Bicycles, wheelchairs and sewing machines
• Compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFL)
• Cell phones and other wireless devices
• Eyeglasses
• American flags

Paint, gas, paint thinner and other hazardous waste will not be accepted. For more information, click to view the flyer online or call District 54’s director of business services, Darlene Russo, at (847) 357-5024.

The School District 54 website has won a Sunny Award from the editors of Sunshine Review, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to government transparency.

The award, which honors the most transparent government websites in the nation, was presented on March 8 to only 214 of the more than 6,000 government websites ranked by Sunshine Review. The editors graded each site on a 10-point  transparency checklist. Editors looked at content available on government websites against what should be provided. They sought  information on items such as budgets, meetings, lobbying, financial audits, contracts, academic performance, public records and taxes. The winners of the Sunny Award all received an “A” grade during the extensive grading process.

“District 54 knows the importance of promoting transparency in everything we do,” Superintendent Ed Rafferty said. “We are honored to receive a Sunny Award and will continue to keep citizens informed on the actions their school district is taking on their behalf.”

“The Sunny Awards recognizes governments/school districts that are doing an exemplary job at proactively disclosing information to taxpayers,” said Michael Barnhart, President of Sunshine Review. “We would like to congratulate District 54 for being a champion for transparency and serving as a leader to every state and local government around the nation.”

The Sunny Awards announcement preludes the launch of “Sunshine Week,” March 11-17, a period nationally recognized by hundreds of media and civic organizations, that celebrates the strides taken towards open government.