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District 31 is Hiring!
Special Education Paraprofessionals
District 31 is seeking dedicated and caring Special Education Paraprofessionals to join our school community. Paraprofessionals play a critical role in supporting students’ academic, social, and behavioral success and ensuring access to meaningful learning experiences.
Learn more
Substitute Teachers
District 31 is seeking both regular and permanent substitute teachers for the 2025-2026 school year.
Learn more
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2026-2027 Calendar Approved
The District 31 Board of Education approved the 2026-2027 school year calendar. You can find this calendar here. This calendar reflects our commitment to maximizing the school year for our students, celebrating the diversity of our school community, and providing adult learning opportunities for staff—all essential to the District 31 strategic plan to empower all students.
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2026-2027 Registration
Registration for the 2026-2027 school year will begin in March!
- PreK - 8th grade registration opens March 3, 2026
Please plan to register early, as this helps with school planning. Additional information will be sent out next month.
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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 2025 Levy.
- Director of Finance and Operations Nicole Schramm reviewed the November Financial Reports and the report of fund balances in relation to average expenditures.
- Nicole Schramm also reviewed proposed school fees for the 2026-2027 school year, including the potential elimination of one-way transportation options. The Board requested additional information before approving fees at the January board meeting.
- The Board of Education reviewed the Superintendent's Report.
- Ms. Lauren Lipsey, Director of Curriculum and Instruction, provided an update to the Board of Education on Standards-Based Grading, including a review of feedback and concerns raised by parents through the recent survey, as well as next steps to better understand and thoughtfully respond to those concerns as the district continues this work.
- Superintendent Erin Murphy provided an update on Cook County's delays in distributing collected tax revenues to school districts and outlined ongoing advocacy efforts. County Commissioners have been contacted, and the District has shared concerns regarding the impact of these delays. The Superintendent noted that the Board should be prepared to consider issuing a second round of Tax Anticipation Warrants at the January Board of Education meeting in anticipation of continued delays.
- The Board of Education made the following approvals:
- The Board of Education approved the 2026-2027 School Calendar.
- The Board of Education approved the 2025 Tax Levy. Included with that was an approval of a Resolution to Instruct the County Clerk How to Apportion 2025 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 a resolution authorizing the Transfer of Engagement/Appointment of Legal Counsel.
- 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 via our livestream. Agendas, minutes, and the link to the live stream are available 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.
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January Board of Education Meeting
The next regular Board of Education meeting is Thursday, January 29, 2026, at 7 p.m. in the Field Learning Center. 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.
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Family Engagement Committee
The Family Engagement Committee held its second meeting of the 2025 - 2026 school year on December 8. At the meeting, the Committee reviewed the Family Involvement Handbook and discussed opportunities to further engage families that are new to the District. The Committee will continue this conversation at the next meeting on Monday, February 2.
The Committee meets quarterly on Mondays at 7 p.m. via Zoom. If you are interested in joining the Family Engagement Committee, please contact Hayley Garard at hgarard@district31.net.
Upcoming Family Engagement Committee Meeting Dates
- Monday, February 2, from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m.
- Monday, May 4, from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m.
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January District 31 Parent CIRCLE Meeting
(Community for Inclusion, Resources, Collaboration, and Learning for Everyone)
The January CIRCLE Meeting will take place on Wednesday, January 28, from 5 - 6:30 p.m. in the Winkelman Library Conference Room. January topics will include parent-to-parent connections and discussing related services.
Parent CIRCLE Meetings are open to any caregiver of 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, will lead the meeting.
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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.
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Curriculum Review Committee Updates
This year, we are conducting a curriculum review cycle for K-8 Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) and PE/Health. This year, we are in the “Develop” phase of our District 31 Curriculum Review Cycle process, which is comprised of three stages:
- Phase 1: Research/Study: What is the current reality?
- Phase 2: Recommend: What should be done to improve the current reality?
- Phase 3: Prepare: How do we prepare for improvements?
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PE & Health/Wellness Curriculum Review
Our PE teachers are conducting a curriculum review to evaluate alignment with standards, effectiveness, and assessment opportunities through the lens of Standards-Based Grading.
Our teachers have been applying our D31 Curriculum Review process first to evaluate units for standard alignment and effectiveness. We have noted areas of strength in standards alignment to the Illinois Physical Education Learning Standards, which anchor our work. These standards guide our curriculum evaluation and have enabled us to identify areas where we can add additional learning opportunities and assessment tasks for our students to demonstrate their growth and development in Physical Education.
We look forward to continuing our curriculum review throughout Winter and Spring as we resume our sessions.
We are grateful to our PE/Health teachers for their commitment to this work, including our Winkelman PE Teachers (Alyssa Ciss, Dan Scott, Jim LeBlanc) and Field PE Teachers (Sam Carsello and Ben Stepen).
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SEL Curriculum Review Committee
Our SEL Curriculum Review Committee has had three SEL Curriculum Review Committee meetings so far. As a reminder, our SEL Curriculum Review is in Year 2 and has focused on understanding the impact of our SEL resources on our students’ Social-Emotional learning and success. Our work is grounded in the CASEL Framework & Competencies, as we commit to developing each of these principles in our D31 students.
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:
- Analyzed current and historical DESSA screener data to identify areas of strength and growth in core SEL areas across our district
- Engaged in a deeper dive into our current Second Step SEL curriculum to learn more about updates to the newest version of the program (with specific focus on Tier 2 interventions for students demonstrating need for further SEL support)
- Provided feedback on the Climate/Culture surveys that were distributed to staff this Fall to ensure questions fully captured key insights into our current Adult SEL needs
- Identified our SEL Curriculum Review tool that will be applied to our current and potential SEL programs
We look forward to resuming our sessions in the Winter & Spring to continue this important work. We are grateful for the time and contributions of our SEL Curriculum Review Committee Members: Phoebe Brook, Amy Sack, Cailin Melka, Duygu Kazkondu, Jenna Berkowsky, Dr. Janine Gruhn, Jesse Menold, Karen McGrath, Quincy Jenkins, Rose Solovy, Samantha Eiseman, Sandi Newman, Allison Burns, Nino Alvarez, Stefanie Baur, Lyndsey Incandala, Heather Stodola, and Lauren Lipsey. Our committee is also supported by our consultants, Tim Dohrer & Thomas Golebiewski (Schools We Need Now), as well as by Ally Healy (North Cook ISC SEL & Behavior Coordinator).
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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 create space for change, mistakes, and missteps, and we open ourselves to future possibilities. Showing self-compassion is a healthy way to start a successful and happy 2026. We also encourage you to reflect on this past year. Click here for some great questions to help you and your family reflect on and celebrate your accomplishments from the past year. You can also revisit various calming strategies in the Winter Tool Box.
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 is 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
District School Counselor/504 Coordinator
District School Psychologist
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PTO News
Bingo Night Help Needed!
The PTO is seeking a volunteer to serve as the point person for Bingo Night on the evening of the event. While committee members are already assisting with planning, the PTO needs someone to oversee and run the event that night.
If you are interested or have any questions, please contact the PTO by the end of the day on Friday, January 9, at d31pto@gmail.com. If the PTO is unable to secure a volunteer, they will have to cancel the event.
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