Welcome to the new school year! The year is off to a great start. Thank you to everyone who attended our Open Houses and Back-to-School events. I am thrilled to announce that the new Gompers and Hufford Junior High Schools are officially open! The ribbon-cutting ceremonies were held despite Mother Nature’s attempts to interfere, making these celebrations all the more memorable.
For the first time in several years, we were able to host our all-staff Institute Day in one of our schools - the Gompers gymnasium. During the event, we had the opportunity to recognize our dedicated staff members with longevity awards celebrating 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, and 40 years of service.
A special shout-out to these employees who celebrated 25 years in District 86: Jennifer Cichon, Dirksen; Tina Cramer, Hufford; Stephen Grant, Keith; Angela Hass, Marycrest; Clifford Hunt, Hufford; Patricia Ingram, Culbertson; Jennifer Montowski, Gompers; Cynthia Morgan, Thigpen; Syrina Moussetis, Hufford; Hope O’Large, Washington; Traci Phillips, Culbertson; Jacy Richards, Hufford; Marivel Rojas, Culbertson; Kyle Sartain, Hufford; Melissa Schoonover, Washington; Diana Slobodnik, Hufford; Jaculin Taylor-Nowak, Dirksen; Dawn Tichy, Gompers; Irene Vargas, Gompers; and Kimberly Young, Culbertson.
Two employees were recognized for 30 years of service: April Nelson, Hufford and Judy Sidley-Benbow, Gompers. Patricia Perez, Keith/Pershing was honored for 35 years of service while Barbara Knupp, Gompers, was recognized for an impressive 40 years of services. Congratulations to all of these employees on their incredible milestones and thank you for your many years of dedication to Joliet Public Schools District 86!
September is Attendance Awareness Month. Students who attend school regularly are more likely to achieve at higher levels than students who are frequently absent. Every school day is an opportunity to learn, grow, and succeed. When students miss school regularly, it can make it more difficult for them to stay on track and for teachers to provide consistent learning opportunities. Congratulations to Forest Park (98.71%), Eisenhower (98.17), Taft (95.91%), Jefferson (95.83%), and Culbertson (95.58%) schools for having the best student attendance for the month of August.
This month, students will take STAR Assessments. STAR Assessments are short, research-based online assessments that schools administer to measure student learning and progress. The assessments are aligned with the Illinois Learning Standards. Students in grades K-1 will complete an Early Literacy assessment, while students in grades 2-8 will complete Reading and Math assessments. The results will provide our administrators and teachers with valuable data to help identify student needs, monitor progress, and provide targeted support throughout the school year.
If you have a question, comment, concern, or compliment about one of our schools or the District, send us a Let’s Talk message by visiting our District website http://www.joliet86.org/
and clicking on “Let’s Talk” at the top of the page.