District 70

Superintendent's Department Announcements
We're Baccckkkkkk
A power outage in the area late Monday afternoon threw our network out of whack until mid-morning today. Our apologies for any inconvenience. Many thanks to Keith for getting us back on track.
Spa & Wellness in Summer School
Highland math and life skills teaches Krista Casalina teachers summer school students about the importance of taking care of yourself and your health in a popular Spa & Wellness class. Here her students use relaxation tools to sooth one another after making healthy smoothes and will end the class dancing the Macarena together.
Summer School Students Explore Technology
Summer School students enrolled in "Technology At Your Fingertips" are discovering the world of iPods. Students are learning an app a day, checking out math problems, creating digital stories and practicing their reading skills. A quick peek into the classroom shows students completely engaged.
Schools Busy All Summer Long
Even though school is out for the summer, Libertyville School District 70 Supt. Dr. Guy Schumacher talks about how schools are busy all summer long with Summer School, cleaning, mateniance and construction improvements in a new podcast.
Calendar for the 2013-14 School Year
Here is the calendar for the 2013-14 school year. The first day of school for kindergarten (half-day runs 9:45-10:15 a.m. and 12:15-12:45 p.m. with parents riding the bus, while full-day stays the entire day) through eighth grade is Aug. 21. Class begins at 8:15 a.m. for kindergarten through fifth grade, and at 8:50 a.m. for sixth through eighth grade. Class ends at 2:45 p.m. for kindergarten through fifth grade, and at 3:35 p.m. for sixth through eighth grade.
Rejuvenate This Summer
On behalf of the District 70 staff, relax, refresh and enjoy during the summer. Summer School runs from 8:30 to 11:45 a.m., from June 20 to July 11, at Highland Middle and Rockland schools on Rockland Road. All school buildings are open from Monday through Thursday in June. All schools -but for Summer School- are closed in July. School buildings reopen Aug. 1, and will be open Monday through Friday. Class lists will be mailed Aug. 9.
Monies for Moore
District 70 will donate $2,500 to help the victims of the tornado that hit Moore, Ok., earlier in May. The fundraiser, called "Monies for Moore - The Moore We Can Offer, The Better," was held in the last few weeks of school. The district's Character Counts Committee set out collection containers in each school office. Monies collected are being donated to the Moore Public Schools Tornado Relief Fund to help school families with recovery. "I'm grateful, on behalf of our Libertyville schools, that we could, in such a short amount of time, collect money in support of the Moore school community," said Supt. Dr. Guy Schumacher. "Any financial relief we can offer will be greatly valued, I'm certain."
New Copeland Manor Principal Lori Poelking
District 70 welcomes Lori Poelking as the new principal of Copeland Manor School as of July 1. For the last six years, Poelking has been principal of South Elementary School in Des Plaines District 62. Before that she was an assistant principal at Westgate School in Arlington Heights School District 25. She was a gifted specialist and a third grade teacher before moving into administration. She replaces Erik Youngman, who is moving into the D70 Director of Curriculum & Instruction role.
HMS DI Team Places Ninth in the World
The Highland Middle School Destination Imagination team, "That Team Over There," has placed ninth in the world in the "In the Zone" challenge. In the problem solving challenge, the team builds a vehicle or vehicles that use three different power sources and move while performing a story on vehicle safety. Members of "That Team Over There!" are, from left to right, in the back row: Annika McDermott-Hinman, Mitry Anderson, Adam Sparks, and in the front row: Alex Dikelsky, Elias Anderson, Jacob Dikelsky, Andy Liu. Team members are holding the state trophy they won earlier in the competition. The global competition ran May 22-25 in Tennessee.
Youngman Named New Curriculum & Instruction Director
Erik Youngman, principal of Copeland Manor School, has been named the new D70 Director of Curriculum & Instruction. He replaces Kathy Dinger, who is leaving to become a superintendent downstate. Youngman has been principal of Copeland Manor for the last eight years. He served as an assistant principal for three years at two Woodland schools, having started his career as a first grade teacher.
New Board Members Take Office
During a special board meeting on May 6, Board of Education President Maryann Ovassapian swore in four members to the District 70 Board. Taking the oath for the first time were Wendy Schilling and Luke Stowe, while voters returned incumbents Julie Damenti and Tom Vickers to elected service.
Changes in ISAT Cut Scores
In anticipation of a new testing framework in 2014-2015, the Illinois State Board of Education is recalculating the Illinois Standards Achievement Test (ISAT) performance expectations for reading and mathematics. Higher performance expectations will likely result in a downward shift of where our students rank in meeting and/or exceeding state standards on the tests. This is not an indication that our students know less or are less academically capable or prepared, but that they are being measured against more rigorous standards.
Partners for Excellence in Education
Forty-four area businesses are supporting District 70 students as members of Partners for Excellence in Education - a record number of participants. Members of the business group offer their time and financial donations to the school district. Partners funds a "Mini-Grant Awards" program, now in its 19th year, which has awarded almost $100,000 over the years for direct use in the classrooms. Teachers create innovative programs and apply for the mini-grants. Recently Supt. Dr. Guy Schumacher, far left, and Board of Education President Maryann Ovassapian, far right, visited business partners to give them plaques of appreciation. Here, Supt. Schumacher and Mrs. Ovassapian visit with the owners of Nirvana Wine and Grillerie to thank them for their contributions to the schools.
D70 Kindergarten in the Tribune
The Chicago Tribune ran a story today (Jan. 29) on its front page about full-day kindergarten, featuring Libertyville Elementary District 70. See how parent requests for full-day evolved with Supt. Schumacher's vision and the hard work and skills of teachers Karen Forkner and Angela Pontarelli.
D70 Schools Receive Academic Excellence Awards
For the fourth consecutive year, Adler Park, Butterfield, Copeland Manor, and Rockland schools are being honored with the highest academic award given by the Illinois State Board of Education for providing students with a high quality education. The four elementary schools in Libertyville Elementary District 70 received the highest award, an "Academic Excellence Award." They were included with only 454 schools in the state to receive the award. In order to qualify for the award, those 454 schools showed they could sustain high student performance over at least three years. The award was given to schools where at least 90% of students met or exceeded state standards in 2010-2012.
Supt. Addresses School Safety Concerns
Libertyville Elementary District 70 Supt. Dr. Guy Schumacher assures families of student safety at the schools as he talks about the current emergency management protocol in a new podcast.