D41 Board Highlights

Following is a summary of the Board of Education (BOE) meeting held on May 21. Minutes are posted on www.d41.org once approved.

PUBLIC HEARING ON CHURCHILL PROJECT
A public hearing was held on a proposed minor remodeling project to build storage space at Churchill School for groundsand lawn equipment by enclosing the area between the east facade and the gym entry doors. A letter from the Village ofGlen Ellyn Planning Department was read into the record, stating that the project appeared to be in compliance with regu-lations. No members of the public commented during the hearing. The project will be completed during the summer.

NEXT MEETING
A special BOE meeting is set for Friday, June 8 to provide new Board Member orientation. BOE members will be spendingthe day in a variety of meetings at Central Services, starting at 8:00 a.m. The next regular meetings are set for June 11and June 25. No meetings are scheduled for July. Meetings are held in Central Services, 793 N. Main St., Glen Ellyn at7:30 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Other special meetings may be called and their agendas will be posted on www.d41.orgat least 48 hours in advance of the meeting.

PROJECT DEMONSTRATES PEP GRANT IMPACT
Benjamin Franklin Physical Education teacher Debbie Rausch demonstrated the learning activity she was able to fundthrough a grant from the Partnership for Educational Progress (PEP). Thirty-one teachers in Glen Ellyn School District41 received a total of $10,160 in grants to use for projects that enhance classroom learning. Debbie’s project wascalled “Dancing with the Stars,” an activity that combines movement and memory skills. Students stand on an electron-ic dance pad and imitate the foot movement arrows on a dance video projected on a screen. Debbie noted thatresearchers have found that this type of dancing can lead to a boost in reading comprehension as well as provide anexcellent workout. Debbie thanked PEP for the opportunity, and explained that although dance is part of the PE curricu-lum, it’s not always a favorite with students. “Dancing with the Stars was a great success,” she said, adding that stu-dents with a wide range of abilities were able to do very well. Other projects in the district have focused on a widerange of academic arenas. Director of Grants and Programs Lillie Abbott said that one of this year’s grants providediPODs and Books on Tape for English Language Learners and Special Education students, allowing them to participatemore fully in literacy activities. “Some of those kids told me that they read more books this year than they had in theirentire lives,” said Lillie. PEP raises funds for the Glenbard associated districts, and contributors may designate whichschool district their donation should go to. Last year, about $12,000 was raised for distribution in D41.

UPDATE ON THE GLENBARD ARTICULATION INITIATIVE
Superintendent Dr. Ann Riebock gave a progress report on a joint initiative among the seven Glenbard associateddistricts to improve alignment in curriculum and articulation with the high school to achieve the best education forstudents. Elementary districts 15, 16, 41, 44, 89 and 93 all graduate students to Glenbard District 87, and the artic-ulation initiative recognizes the need for more collaboration among these districts and the necessity of a systematicprocess to do so. On March 12, the D41 BOE resolved to support the initiative. While still in the beginning stages,the curriculum departments of each district will work over the summer to meet a fall target date for development ofa coordination process, beginning with Math.

PUBLIC PARTICIPATION
There was no public participation.

Please direct your questions or comments to our Communications Director, Julie Worthen at jworthen@d41.org. We ask that you do not reply directly to this email. Thank you!

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