Dear Community Members:

The one constant within the field of education is change. We strive each year to impact growth and change for our students; our staff members have shown an attitude of growth and continual learning as they embrace change; we respond to the change which is required by new Illinois State Board of Education requirements. The ability to embrace and define these changes as opportunities for growth propels District 35 in a positive path. The final days of our school year provide a wonderful opportunity to reflect upon the growth which has occurred and the changes on the horizon for the District.

By nature of our age-centered school design, we support transition across our schools each year. Our team of teachers, principals, and social workers prepare thoughtful opportunities for our students and parents to learn more about transitions before making the change to a new school. We thank our teachers for providing Project Welcome options for our second- and fourth-grade students as they prepare to join West and Central School. We also share a special thank you with Family Service of Glencoe for providing additional opportunities for our parents to learn from others. The focus on support and new learning make these changes manageable and rewarding steps toward independence for our students. The month of May was filled with these programs.

We congratulate two retiring educators, Fay Kovar and Joab Oberlander, and thank them for their combined 53 years of service and countless hours nurturing our children. The dedication and professionalism they shared with our community are the underpinnings that help make District 35 a wonderful place for students and teachers alike. We wish each of them the happiness in retirement they so richly deserve. It is now their turn to move forward, and experience changes beyond our schools.

On June 7, we bid farewell to 139 graduating eighth-grade students. It is with mixed emotions that we watch our students cross the stage; we know they are well prepared for the next step in their educational journey. Our Central School graduates will move forward and embrace the change to high school in a most positive way. As we bid farewell to this eighth-grade class, we look forward to welcoming our second full-day Kindergarten class to South School in August. We are scheduled to open five sections of full-day Kindergarten with 93 students registered for the Fall. This year has represented exciting changes at the Kindergarten level as we refined full-day programming and considered future changes needed to ensure a quality focus on the social and emotional well-being of our youngest learners.

As this school year comes to a close, we also support changes on the Glencoe District 35 Board of Education. We send a heartfelt thank you to Rob Bailey, Eddie Chez, and Marc Glucksman as they served a combined total of 41 years of service on the Glencoe Board of Education. They have each contributed greatly and made a lasting mark on the future stability of District 35. We are pleased to take the lessons learned from our three retiring members as we move forward with our new Board of Education. We welcome three new Board members (Marc Gale, Kelly Glauberman, and Ashley Kain Silver) and two incumbent Board members (Julie Ackerman and Melissa Estes). Our newly elected Board members were sworn in on May 1, 2017.

Please join me in expressing gratitude to our Board of Education, the teaching teams, support staff, and our students for dedicating time and energy toward changes during the 2016-2017 school year.

Enjoy the summer days ahead and time to refresh as a family!

Sincerely,

Catherine Wang