January 2025 Newsletter

January 8, 2024

Dear District 31 Community,

Happy New Year, District 31 Community!
As we turn the page to a new calendar year, we take a moment to reflect on the accomplishments of our District 31 community and set our sights on the exciting work ahead in 2025 as we continue to prioritize curriculum refinement, innovative programming, and assessments that drive success as we collectively pursue our mission: Empowering Every Student to Make a Positive Impact on Tomorrow’s Community.

Our efforts today are shaping tomorrow's leaders, innovators, and changemakers. This mission underscores the importance of our strategic plan, which continues to guide our work. We are deeply grateful to our dedicated teachers and school community, who have prioritized this plan while maintaining their unwavering commitment to creating a magical place of learning every day.

As we move forward, our goals for 2025 include academic excellence, the continued growth of social-emotional programming, and expanded opportunities for parent engagement. These priorities are essential as we build a district where students feel supported, inspired, and prepared to achieve their fullest potential.

I am excited about the opportunities and successes that lie ahead in the coming year. Together, as a united District 31 community, we are creating a brighter future for all.

Here’s to a fantastic 2025 filled with learning, growth, and achievement!

Warmly,

Dr. Erin Murphy
District 31 Superintendent 

2025-2026 Calendar Approved
The District 31 Board of Education approved the 2025-2026 school year calendar.  You can find this calendar here. This calendar reflects the commitment to maximize the school year for our students, celebrate the diversity of our school community, and provide adult learning opportunities for staff --- all essential to the District 31 strategic plan to empower all students.

2025-2026 Registration
Registration for the 2025-2026 school year will begin next month! 

• PreK and Kindergarten registration opens February 3, 2025
• 1st grade - 8th grade registration opens March 3, 2025

Please plan to register early as this helps with school planning. Additional information will be sent out next month.

December Board of Education Recap
Board Meeting Highlights: 

• Presentations and Discussion Items:
  • Director of Finance and Operations Nicole Schramm facilitated a public hearing on the 2023 Levy.
  • Director of Finance and Operations Nicole Schramm reviewed the November Financial Reports and the report of fund balances in relation to average expenditures and the FY24 financial audit report.   
  • Nicole Schramm also reviewed proposed school fees for the 2025-2026 school years.  The Board will approve fees at the January board meeting. 
  • The Board of Education reviewed the Superintendent's Report. 
  • The Board of Education discussed the consideration of a resolution and a petition for withdrawal from TrueNorth Educational Cooperative 804 filed by Glenview District 34

• The Board of Education made the following approvals:
  • The Board of Education approved the 2025-2026 School Calendar.
  • The Board of Education approved the 2024 Tax Levy.  Included with that was an approval of a Resolution to Instruct the County Clerk How to Apportion 2024 Tax Levy Extension Reductions and a  Resolution Authorizing a Supplemental Tax Levy to Pay the Principal of and Interest on Outstanding Limited Bonds of the School District 31, Cook County, Illinois.
  • The Board of Education approved the leave of absence request and resignation of Shaton Wolverton, Winkelman primary principal, effective June 30, 2025.
  • The Board of Education approved the consent agenda.

The Board of Education meets monthly, usually on the last Thursday of the month, at 7 p.m. in the Field Middle School Learning Center. We welcome any member of our community to attend in person or virtually via our live stream. Agendas, minutes, and the link to the live stream can be found here. The District 31 Board of Education comprises seven elected representatives from the District 31 attendance area. Each is elected for a four-year term. Meet the members of the District 31 Board of Education here.

January Board of Education Meeting
The next regular Board of Education meeting is Thursday, January 30, 2025, in the Field Learning Center at 7 p.m. The agenda is posted two days prior to the meeting here. The Curriculum Committee Meeting will occur before the Board of Education Meeting at 6 p.m.

Parent Engagement Committee 
The Family Engagement Committee held its last meeting on October 28. This year, the Committee will oversee the Family Engagement Strategic Plan and work on implementing it for the 2024-2025 school year. 

The Committee meets once a month on Mondays at 7:15 p.m. If you are interested in joining the Parent Engagement Committee, please contact Hayley Garard at hgarard@district31.net. 

Upcoming Family Engagement Committee Meeting Dates

• Monday. January 27 at 7:15 p.m.
• Monday, February 24 at 7:15 p.m.
• Monday, April 28 at 7:15 p.m.

January District 31 Parent CIRCLE Meeting
(Community for Inclusion, Resources, Collaboration, and Learning for Everyone)
The January CIRCLE Meeting will take place Tuesday, January 28, from 5 - 6:30 p.m. in the Winkelman Library Conference Room. January topics will include parent-to-parent connections, supporting students at home with leisure time, teaching self-advocacy skills, and speech and language services.

Parent CIRCLE Meetings are open to any caregivers with a student in District 31 with an IEP or 504 Plan. Laura Schoenfield, Special Education Coordinator, and Dr. Janine Gruhn, Assistant Superintendent for Student Services, lead the meeting. A Zoom link will be shared for parents to join virtually. Interpreters are available (please RSVP)

Register Here

District 31 Emergency Closing Information
During the school year, one or both schools may be closed. The Northfield Township Superintendents have developed guidelines for these closures. Learn more about Emergency closing information here. 

Curriculum Review Committee Updates
This year, we are engaging in a curriculum review cycle for K - 8 mathematics and PreK - 8 grade Social Emotional Learning (SEL). This year, we are in the “Develop” phase of our District 31 Curriculum Review Cycle process, which is comprised of three stages:

1. Phase 1: Research/Study: What is the current reality?
2. Phase 2: Recommend: What should be done to improve the current reality?
3. Phase 3: Prepare: How do we prepare for improvements?

Math Curriculum Review Committee
Our Math Curriculum Review Committee has completed crafting our vision for mathematics instruction in District 31, examining our district data, and creating our evaluation tool. At each committee meeting, we continue to review best practices by engaging in math tasks together, debriefing on the math practices that we leverage to engage in the tasks, and consider how this learning can support us as we begin to review potential new core math resources.

District 31 Mathematics Vision Statement:
In District 31, we believe in providing equal opportunities for all students in math through collaborative and engaging activities that reflect their interests. We are committed to delivering high-quality math instruction responsive to data, allowing for differentiation, and utilizing hands-on, inquiry-based tasks. Balancing teacher and student voices fosters high expectations and builds essential critical thinking and collaboration skills. By encouraging creativity and productive struggle, we support growth and help students discover the joy of math.

Our vision statement, along with our evaluation rubric, will be revisited as we review the following potential resources:

Grades K - 5 Resources to Review:

• Eureka Math2
• iReady Classroom Mathematics
• Bridges in Mathematics
• Imagine Learning: Illustrative Mathematics

Grades 6 - 8 Resources to Review:

• Eureka Math2
• Amplify Desmos Math
• Math & You (previously Big Ideas)
• Imagine Learning: Illustrative Mathematics

Each of these resources receives all “green” as meeting standards for high-quality resources from EdReports.org. EdReports is an independent nonprofit curriculum review collaborative that offers evidence-rich, comprehensive information about a program's alignment to the standards and other indicators of quality. The next steps will be piloting a unit from our top two curricular resources to help our teachers better understand how the resources support high-quality math learning for students. 

We are grateful to the members of the Math Curriculum Review Committee for their time and dedication: Amy Rudolph, Phoebe Handler, Ady Miron, Lisa Peltz, Kim Howard, Julie Stone, Nada Hene, Megan Correll, Nisha Gandhi, Tristan Roche, Kathryn LePine, Erin Chankin, Laura Shoenfield, Sandra Luna, Samantha Eisman, Dr. April Miller, Lauren Lipsey, and Meg Knapik.

SEL Curriculum Review Committee
Our SEL Curriculum Review Committee has had three SEL Curriculum Review Committee meetings so far to begin our two-year review process. The two-year review process will allow us to first focus on adult social-emotional learning, as well as allow us time to pilot potential SEL resource options before school/district-wide implementation.

District 31 SEL Vision Statement:
In District 31, Social-Emotional Learning empowers our diverse community to thrive both in school and in life. Through a culturally responsive SEL framework, we cultivate competencies that encourage safe self-expression, meaningful connections, and collaborative relationships, fostering lifelong personal growth and collective well-being.

We have accomplished the following objectives at our meetings thus far:

• Develop an understanding of the District 31 Curriculum Review Cycle process and our anticipated two-year review timeline
• Introduce to and engage with the 3 Signature Practices from the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL)
• Establish our baseline beliefs about social-emotional learning and how they connect to D31 Portrait of a Graduate
• Understand the CASEL 5 Competencies
• Understand the CASEL 10 Indicators of Schoolwide SEL, complete a strengths and needs inventory

The District will continue to use the Second Step curriculum to teach and reinforce proactive social-emotional skills throughout the SEL curriculum review cycle. 

We are so grateful for the time and contributions of our SEL Curriculum Review Committee Members: Jenna Panella, Dani Macino, Quincy Jenkins, Amy Sack, Maria Skabardonis, Cailin Melka, Stefanie Bauer, Ari Spector, Eva Sahyouni, Heather Stodola, Sandi Newman, Jesse Menold, Nino Alvarez, Dr. April Miller, Dr. Janine Gruhn, and Meg Knapik.

Message from the Student Services Department
Happy New Year from the Student Services Department! We wish you a healthy, happy and safe new year. This year, we encourage you and your family to show self-compassion as you think of your New Year’s Resolutions. When we show compassion for ourselves, we allow space for changes, mistakes, or missteps, and we open ourselves up to future possibilities. Showing self-compassion is a healthy way to start a successful and happy 2025. We also encourage you to reflect on this past year. Click here for some great questions as you and your family reflect and focus on your accomplishments and achievements of the past year. 

If you need mental health or substance use support, Care Solace is a complimentary and confidential care coordination service that can help you quickly find treatment options matched to your needs, regardless of circumstance. West Northfield School District 31 partnered with Care Solace to support the well-being of students and their family members. If you or a family member are looking for help and would like to use Care Solace to find a provider:

• Call 888-515-0595. Support is available 24/7/365 in over 50 languages.
• Visit caresolace.com/district31 and either search on your own OR click “Book Appointment” for assistance by video chat, email, or phone. 

If you would like assistance from our school counseling team  please contact the District 31 School Counseling Team:

Winkelman School Counseling Team

• Quincy Jenkins, School Social Worker, qjenkins@district31.net
• Amy Sack, School Social Worker, asack@district.31.net
• Maria Skabardonis, School Social Worker, skardonis@district31.net 
• Ari Spector, School, Social Work, aspector@district31.net 
• Cailin Melka, School Psychologist, cmelka@district31.net 
• Dr. Lisa Dreyer, EC School Psychologist, ldreyer@district31.net

Field School Counseling Team

• Sandi Newman, School Social Worker, Snewman@district31.net
• Jodi Padden, School Psychologist, jpadden@district31.net 

District School Counselor/504 Coordinator

• Jesse Menold, jmenold@district31.net

District School Psychologist

• Stefanie Bauer, School Psychologist, sbauer@district31.net

PTO News
View the January PTO Newsletter which includes information on important upcoming PTO events and programs.