Letter to the Editor

Letter to the Editor: D181 Superintendent Previews 2012-13 Year

Dr. Renée Schuster welcomes District 181 families to the new year with a letter to the editor.

As superintendent for Community Consolidated School District 181, I am happy to welcome our students, staff, families, and community to the 2012-2013 school year. There is much to look forward to in the months ahead, including new curriculum, community engagement, and Year 2 of the @d181 Initiative. During this school year, our District Strategic Goals are focused on Student Growth, Common Core Curriculum, Opportunities for Community Engagement, Responsible Finances, and Employee Excellence. Visit our website to learn more about our SCORE Goals and how they will be put into action. Please read on to learn about exciting District news for the 2012-2013 school year: Our vision is to be a school district where all children experience success …

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Hey District 181 Parents, Post Your First-Day Pictures Here!

You can see I posted my picture, so now you should post yours.

The Lane School's New Principal All About Communication

Casey Godfrey will begin his first year as principal of The Lane after seven years as a principal in the St. Louis area.

For Casey Godfrey, it’s critical that he as a principal develops relationships not only with his students, but with their families. “For the instructional part to be as effective as it can be, there needs to be that constant communication both ways, between school and home,” Godfrey said. Godfrey, 35, began on July 1 as principal of The Lane School in Hinsdale. He replaces Doug Eccarius, who was promoted over the summer to the district’s central office as the executive director of human resources. Godfrey has spent the last seven years as an elementary school principal in the St. Louis area. During the last three years, Godfrey served as principal of Fairmount Elementary School in Francis Howell School District in St. Charles, Mo. …

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D86 Contractor: Construction Nearly Complete at Hinsdale Central, South

The district's contractor says there might be a couple of minor tasks that won't be ready for Aug. 22, but will be completed shortly thereafter during off-hours.

Summer construction at Hinsdale Central and Hinsdale South will be completed in time for District 86’s first day of school on Aug. 22, save for a couple of minor items that might have to be completed during the first weekend of the school year, a representative of the district's contractor said Monday night. “It doesn’t look too great … from outside,” Doug Lim of Gilbane, Inc., said of the construction projects. “But I assure you, come [next] Wednesday, school’s going to be open and everything’s going to be pretty much done.” The concrete curbs, sidewalks, and asphalt paving of the two schools' driveways are the most noticeable things that still need to be completed by Gilbane and its subcontractors, Lim said. Gilbane expects the driveways…

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District 181 Releases 2012-13 School-Supplies Lists

Check out what you need to have for the first day of school later this month.

Call it nerdy, but as a kid, the night my mom would take me school-supplies shopping was always one of my favorite nights of the year. You'd see friends you hadn't seen all summer while picking the coolest folders, notebooks and pencils. (All of it had to be sports-themed, for me.) It was a great time. Believe it or not, that night is coming for District 181 parents, and in the spirit of the season, Patch has all the district's school supplies lists below separated by school and grade. Read about how much people are spending on school supplies here. Do you have any fond memories of school-supply shopping? Do your kids enjoy it? Do people shop for school supplies on the Internet these days? Tell us in the comments! Elm School The Lane …

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District 181 PTAs: Join, Have Your Voice Heard

Just in time for the new year, Patch has the vital info you need to get involved at your local public school.

The first day of school is just around the corner in Community Consolidated School District 181. If you're sending your child to a new building, or just haven't gotten involved in the past, and want to help out with the Parent Teacher Association (PTA), below is some information on each school's PTA. To join the PTA for any of the schools below, contact one of the co-presidents. Each PTA meets monthly, and the district holds a district-wide PTA meeting each month at Elm School. Listed below are the dates that each PTA is planning the district-wide meeting. Contact presidents for dates of school PTA meetings.  PKM3xtf@gmail.com; ptslone@sbcglobal.net jbiegansky@gmail.com; peggyfuechtman@sbcglobal.net Loribrackett1@gmail.com; cathcook217@…

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POLL: How Much Will You Spend Back-to-School Shopping?

Sales are expected to jump this year for back-to-school spending, according to the National Retail Federation.

$688.62. That is the amount the average person with children in grades kindergarten to 12th grade is expected to spend this year on back-to-school shopping, according to the National Retail Federation's annual back-to-school spending survey.  Last year, the survey predicted families would spend $603.63.  "With more children entering elementary and middle school this fall and after cutting back their spending last year, parents with growing children will hit the stores this summer to replace and replenish what their children might have had to “make-do” with last school season," according to a NRF press release.  Parents surveyed said they would spend the most on clothing, accessories, and electronics this summer as the first day of school …

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Pack Patch When You Head to College

From Facebook to apps, Darien Patch is here to help you stay in touch with your hometown when you go back to school.

It always feels good to bring along a little piece of home when you head back to school.  Whether you’re an eager freshman or a wizened senior, let Hinsdale-Clarendon Hills Patch help you stay in touch with your hometown while you’re off living the collegiate life.

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Summer Improvements 'On Schedule' at Hinsdale Central, Hinsdale South

District 86's contractor updated the school board on the 2012 capital improvements projects and said they should be completed in time for the start of school on Aug. 22.

It’s hard to believe that the start of the District 86 2012-13 school year is only about five weeks away. But given the current midsummer states of Hinsdale Central and Hinsdale South high schools, it might be even harder to believe that those under-construction campuses will be ready to go on Aug. 22. Stephanie Mueller of Gilbane Inc., the contractor overseeing the summer improvements, told the District 86 Board of Education at its Monday night meeting at Hinsdale South that the summer’s capital improvements at both high schools are on schedule and are indeed expected to be complete before school starts. "Everything is on schedule; we’re going as planned," Mueller said "Things are going to be ready for kids when they come back in the fall…

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