Retarded.

It’s a hurtful word.

Addams and Mead junior high schools and Lincoln Prairie School joined an ongoing, national effort this spring known as Spread the Word to End the Word. The campaign is intended to have individuals, schools, organizations and communities pledge their support to stop using the words “retard” and “retarded.”

Both junior high schools hosted a whole week’s worth of activities, including having students visit the www.r-word.org, and sign the online pledge.

Addams students created a public service announcement which can be viewed online at http://www.schooltube.com/video/2473913b3a894d02bf8e/. In the announcement, students, who have friends or siblings with disabilities, spoke about how they feel when people use the words “retard” or “retarded” around them.

Mead included its Spread the Word campaign in its annual Celebration of Diversity, Acceptance and Tolerance. Weeklong activities were designed to help students recognize and stamp out prejudice in all its forms.

One of Mead’s activities was led by Mead students Ted Dernekxis and Nick Senase, who have been selected to serve as ambassadors for the Illinois Special Olympics. They talked to their classmates about how wrong it is for people to describe them based on their disability. “I have Asperger’s Syndrome, but it’s not the only thing that defines who I am,” Ted said. “Neither should it only define anyone with a disability.”

Each Lincoln Prairie middle level student wrote a personal commitment pledge on a small hand. These were collected in a scrapbook and sent with two Lincoln Prairie students to the Project UNIFY conference in March in Bloomington, Ill. Project UNIFY works with intellectually disabled students and their non-disabled peers.  Its goal is to create a corps of leaders who understand how alike we all are, and who advocate for the equal treatment of all students in their communities.

The District 54 Special Olympics program received a $1,000 grant from Special Olympics Illinois to support the programs in District 54.

Registration for District 54’s Summer Band and Orchestra program has begun.  District 54 students who have completed fifth, sixth, or seventh grade and have had lessons on their instrument for at  least one school year are eligible to enroll. Summer Band and Orchestra will take place July 9-26 (Mondays-Thursdays) at Frost Junior High School.  Click here for the 2012 Summer Music Registration Form. Registration is by mail only and must be received by June 21. If you have questions, please contact the band/orchestra teacher at your school or call (847) 357-5138.

District 54 has set Monday, June 4 as the graduation date for eighth-grade students.

Eisenhower Junior High School will graduate at 7 p.m. in the Hoffman Estates High School gym on Higgins Road in Hoffman Estates. Lincoln Prairie School will graduate at 6 p.m. from the auditorium at the same high school.

Mead Junior High School will graduate at 6 p.m. at Conant High School on Plum Grove Road in Hoffman Estates, followed by Frost Junior High School at 8:30 p.m.

Keller Junior High School will graduate at 6 p.m. at Schaumburg High School on Schaumburg Road in Schaumburg followed by Addams Junior High School at 8:30 p.m.

Other students will attend school until Tuesday, June 5. On June 5, all elementary students will attend school from 8:40 to 10:40 a.m. Junior high students will attend school from 7:40 to 9:40 a.m. that day. Lincoln Prairie will attend school from 9:15 to 11:15 a.m. There are no early childhood or kindergarten classes on June 5.

District 54 has once again received the Bright Red Apple Award from SchoolSearch, a company that offers relocating families information about schools.

The Bright Red Apple award is based on five factors (obtained from 2011 Illinois State Report Card data):  academic performance, student-teacher ratio, expenditure per student, educational level of teachers and average teacher salary.

Only 79 Illinois school districts (out of 868 school districts) were honored with the award this year for striving to provide their students with an outstanding educational environment.

All districts in Illinois were considered for the award and the award criteria were based on objective factors – so that all districts would be judged fairly. The award criteria were based on the primary areas of concern of most of SchoolSearch’s relocating families. While statistical factors are revealing, it is very important for families to visit schools that are of interest to them.

To obtain the award each district must have the following:

1. At least 60.4 percent of teachers must have a master’s degree or higher.
2. The student-teacher ratio must be 18.8:1 or better.
3. The operating expenditure per student must be at least $10,730.
4. The average teacher salary must be at least $55,565.
5. The average percentage of third- through eighth-grade students who meet or exceed percentages on the Illinois Standards Achievement Test for reading and math must be at least 89.5.

SchoolSearch is a Kansas City-based firm that has provided comparative school district information for corporations, homebuilders, school districts, libraries, real estate professionals and relocating families since 1991.

Families of students currently enrolled in District 54 will receive a pre-printed registration form for the 2012-13 school year in the mail the week of April 2. This form must be reviewed, signed, dated and returned to the school your child is currently attending by Friday, April 13th in order to have your child placed on a future class list and to ensure busing is set up for the 2012-13 school year for students who qualify for free busing (home is 1.5 miles or more from school).

An annual renewal of parental permission for Internet, email and district network was included on your child’s registration form for the upcoming school year in the spring of 2012. Failure to sign and return these documents by the deadline date will deny your child’s access to the Internet, email and district network for the 2012-13 school year and your child will not be able to access the above until the new registration and Internet forms are returned.

If your child is not currently enrolled in a District 54 school, please visit your neighborhood school to register. For more information, visit http://sd54.org/registration.

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.

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.

Illinois State Superintendent Chris Koch will visit Collins School on Monday, Feb. 6, to present 13 District 54 schools with Academic Excellence Award from the Illinois State Board of Education in recognition of their exemplary performance on the Illinois Standards Achievement Test from 2009 to 2011.

Aldrin, Collins, Dirksen, Dooley, Fairview, Fox, Hale, Hoover, Link, Nerge and Stevenson elementary schools, Lincoln Prairie School, and Frost Junior High School were among the 438 schools to receive the Academic Excellence Award for 2011 by sustaining high performance levels on state assessments for at least three years.

To achieve this award, schools must meet the following criteria:

• All schools must have made Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) in 2010 and 2011.
• At preschool through eighth grade schools: 90 percent of students must have met or exceeded state standards in both reading and mathematics for the three most recent school years.

District 54 is one of only three school districts in Illinois to earn more than 10 Academic Excellence Awards this year. In addition, many of our schools are repeat winners:

• Dirksen, Hoover, Nerge and Stevenson elementary schools are receiving the Academic Excellence Award for the fourth consecutive year.
• Dooley, Fairview, Hale, Lincoln Prairie and Frost are receiving the Academic Excellence Award for the third consecutive year.
• Collins, Fox and Link are receiving the Academic Excellence Award for the second consecutive year.

The state assessments are used to measure adequate yearly progress for all public schools. District 54 students in third through eighth grade will take the test from March 5 through 16 this year.

The Illinois Honor Roll celebrates the accomplishments of Illinois public schools that are providing high quality education for all their students.

School District 54 will host registration for its parent-paid preschool programs at Collins and Aldrin elementary schools on Thursday, Feb. 9, 2012.

The District 54 Parent Paid Preschool Program serves children ages 3 to 5 who are progressing at a rate typical for their age. Classes are taught by state-certified, highly-qualified teachers. Preschool students have the opportunity to participate in schoolwide events and often partner with older classes.

The cost is $120 per month for two days a week; $180 per month for three days; and $300 per month for all five days. Parents can hold their child’s place by paying the first month’s tuition. Parents must also pay a one-time registration fee of $55 the first time they enroll their child in the program.

Collins

Collins is hosting its registration from 7:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 9, 2012. Collins is located at 407 S. Summit Drive in Schaumburg. Collins will offer morning classes only, which will meet from 8:45-11:15 a.m. on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday; and from 8:45-11 a.m. on Wednesday.

Aldrin

Aldrin is hosting its registration from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 9,2012. Aldrin is located at 617 Boxwood Drive in Schaumburg. Aldrin will offer morning and afternoon classes, which will meet from 8-10:30 a.m. or 11:45 a.m.-2:15 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday; and from 8-10:15 a.m. or 11:30 a.m.-1:45 p.m. on Wednesday.

There are also preschool programs available in District 54 for children with special needs or those who are not progressing at a rate anticipated for potential success in kindergarten due to one or more at-risk variables. For information about those programs, contact our early childhood department at (847) 357-5213.

School District 54 invited parents to its 13th Open Enrollment Fair on Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2012. The fair provided parents with information on nine schools in our district:  Blackwell, Campanelli, Dooley, Enders-Salk, Hanover Highlands, Hoover, Lincoln Prairie, Link and MacArthur. Each of these schools houses a unique program and we anticipate a few openings at each site next year.

If you missed the fair, or even if you attended, you are still invited to visit the schools and view the programs in action. People interested in visiting a school and picking up an application can call each school for more information. The application deadline is March 1 for all schools.

Blackwell (developmental sign language):  (847) 357-5555

• 10-11:30 a.m. Jan. 30
• 1-2:30 p.m. Jan. 31

Campanelli (Mandarin Chinese immersion program):  (847) 357-5333

• Parent Information Meeting: 6-7 p.m. Feb. 1
• School Tours: 9-10 a.m. Feb. 6 and 9:30-10:30 a.m. Feb. 7

Dooley (English-Japanese dual language and early instrumental music):  (847) 357-6250

Dual Language:

• 9:30-10:30 a.m. Feb. 10
• 1-2 p.m. Feb. 21

Early Instrumental Music (Parents who wish to enroll theirchildren in the music program must attend one of these meetings):

• 7-8 p.m. Jan. 31
• 7-8 p.m. Feb. 9

Enders-Salk (English-Spanish dual language):  (847) 357-6400

• 9-10:30 a.m. Feb. 9
• 9-10:30 a.m. Feb. 10

Hanover Highlands (English-Spanish dual language):  (630) 736-4230

• 10 a.m. Feb. 3
• 1 p.m. Feb. 7

Hoover Math & Science Academy:  (847) 357-5800

• 9:30 a.m. Feb. 3
• 5:15 p.m. Feb. 8

Lincoln Prairie (multigrade and multiple intelligences):  (847) 357-5955

• 1:15-2:30 p.m. Feb. 3
• 1:15-2:30 p.m. Feb. 17

Link (English-Spanish dual language):  (847) 357-5300

• 9:30-10:30 a.m. Feb. 15
• 9:30-10:30 a.m. Feb. 17

MacArthur (English-Spanish dual language):  (847) 357-6650

• Parent Information Meeting: 6-7 p.m. Feb. 15
• School Tour: 9:30-10:30 a.m. and 1-2:30 p.m. Jan. 31
• School Tour: 9-10:30 a.m. Feb. 17