301 Gazette

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I N S I D E T H I S

I S S U E

Dr. Todd Stirn Superintendent

Dr. Esther Mongan Assistant Superintendent

Don’t miss your chance to say goodbye to a beloved piece of District 301’s history.

Due to the deterioration of the building, the district is preparing to tear down Plato Center Grade School beginning on October 17th. The district will host an Open House Celebration on Saturday, October 15th from 10:00am to 12:00pm. Community members are invited to attend the celebration and share memories with others in the community. Along with refreshments, there will be a silent auction for some items salvaged from the structure and individuals can sign up to receive a brick from the building once it is torn down. Some artifacts will be saved to be incorporated into the construction of any future school in the Plato Center area. While, for safety reasons, tours of the building will not be available, attendees will be allowed into the gym to view some historical artifacts and photos from Plato Center, as well as to participate in the silent auction. If you have photos, yearbooks, or other pieces of Plato Center history that you would be willing to contribute to the display, please contact Mandi at the District Office at 847-464-6005 or mandi.bavaro@central301.net. Items will be returned following the event.

Continued on Page 3

Plato Center Celebration

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Central 301 Seeks $22 Million Referendum Central 301

Seeks

Referendum

1

Plato Center 1

District Contact

Information 2

Trivia with a

Twist 2

Homecoming

Athletic Events 3

Homecoming

2016 3

Plato Center

Celebration,

Continued

3

Alliance for

College

Readiness Events

4

Referendum

Committee

Open Houses

4

Bus Safety Week 4

Upcoming Dates 4

District 301

Welcomes New

Staff

5

Mentors and

Protégés

Celebrate Their

Partnerships

6

On November 8, 2016 the voters of Central 301 will decide whether or not to approve a $22 million referendum to complete the build out of Central High School with the addition of 12 classrooms and a field house.

The district is rapidly growing. Since September 15th of last year, the district has added 232 new students across all grade levels. Our current high school enrollment is 1051 and will reach 1214 by the 2019-2020 school year, based on our current enrollment at the middle school lev-el.

The tax rate, which is currently at $7.66, will decrease significantly with the spring tax bill in 2018 to a projected $6.71 without the referendum and $6.96 with a successful referendum. The reason a referendum can be passed and still offer tax rate relief is due to the discontinua-tion of large bond payments for the construction of Prairie Knolls Middle School and Country Trails Elementary School. Information related to the upcoming referendum along with a tax calculator can be found on the school district’s website (www.burlington.k12.il.us) and on the Referendum Committee website at www.VoteYes301.com.

The question on the November ballot will read, “Shall the Board of Education of Central Com-munity Unit School District Number 301, Kane and DeKalb Counties, Illinois, build and equip classroom and field house additions to and alter, repair and equip the Central High School Building, improve the site thereof and issue bonds of said School District to the amount of $22,000,000 for the purpose of paying the costs thereof?”

District Contact

Information

District Office

847.464.6005

Central High School

847.464.6030

Central Middle School

847.464.6000

Prairie Knolls Middle

School

847.717.8100

Country Trails

Elementary School

847.717.8000

Howard B. Thomas

Grade School

847.464.6008

Lily Lake Grade School

847.464.6011

Prairie View Grade

School

847.464.6014

Transportation Office

847.464.6052

Food Services

847.464.6043

Athletic Department

847.464.6038

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Trivia with a Twist 2016

Join us on Saturday, November 12th at 301 Foundation’s annual Trivia with a Twist event! This year’s theme is “Hollywood—A Red Carpet Affair”. The event will be held at the Grand Victo-ria Casino in Elgin. Doors open at 6:00pm and games begin at 7:00pm. Attendees will enjoy a prime rib buffet and a beer/wine open bar.

We encourage you to put together a team of 8 for this fun night. The first 100 paid registrants will be entered into a raffle up until October 12th. All proceeds benefit the schools and stu-dents of District 301. To learn more about the 301 Central Education Foundation or to register for Trivia with a Twist, visit www.301foundation.org.

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Plato Center Fight Song 1927

Homecoming 2016

Homecoming is celebrated at schools around the country each fall as a time to come together as a community, to remember the past and create new memories. Central High School’s Homecoming is this weekend, and activities are well underway. Students decorated the halls and have had dress-up days each day this week. The Homecoming Court was announced Wednesday during the Homecoming Assembly, which also included cheer and poms perfor-mances, a Tug-O-War competition, and staff v. students volleyball. With special activities and athletic events each day, this is sure to be a memorable week for the Central Rockets commu-nity.

The Homecoming football games will be held on Friday, September 30th. The sophomore game will begin at 5:00 with the varsity game following at 7:00 at Rocket Hill. The Boosters will present a fireworks display at the conclusion of the game. The full Homecoming athletics schedule can be found in the side bar. We encourage everyone to come out and support your Central Rockets!

Homecoming weekend will culminate with the dance which will be held on Saturday, October 1st, at Country Trails Elementary School from 7:00—10:00pm.

We hope everyone has a safe and enjoyable Homecoming week!

Plato Center Celebration

Continued from Page 1

The Plato Center school building first opened in 1920 as Plato Center High School. The original structure burned in 1927 and had to be rebuilt, displacing students to other community build-ings for a time. Central 301 became a unit school district in 1947, pulling Plato Center High School and Burlington High School into one district. In those early years, students at Burling-ton High School and Plato Center High School would spend the first semester at one school and the second semester at the other. In January of 1957, the original Central High School (now Central Middle School) opened its doors for the first time and Plato Center became a grade school beginning in the 1950’s. Plato Center Grade School closed it’s doors in 2000 when the district opened Prairie View Grade School. Over the years, Plato Center has served the community as a high school, grade school, transportation center, and maintenance center.

We hope to see you at the celebration on October 15th!

Plato Center Grade School 2016

Plato Center High School 1927

Homecoming

Athletic Events

Mon, Sep. 26

Boys Volleyball

Tournament

6:00pm

Wed, Sep. 28

Volleyball vs Woodstock

FR - 4:30pm

SO - 5:30pm

V - 6:30pm

Soccer vs Woodstock

JV - 4:30pm

V - 6:00pm

Thurs, Sep. 29

Powder Puff Games

FR vs SO - 6:00pm

JR vs SR - 7:00pm

Bonfire - 8:00-9:30pm

Fri, Sep. 30

Football vs Woodstock

SO - 5:00pm

V - 7:00pm

Bus Safety Week 2016

National School Bus Safety Week will be held October 17 - 21, 2016. The theme for 2016 is “Bully Free Zone!” During the week of October 17th, Central drivers will be leading bus evacua-tion drills at each school. These drills train students and staff on proper procedures should a bus need to be exited during an emergency situation.

D301’s transportation department has a fleet of 74 buses and employs approximately 76 drivers and substitute driv-ers that transport nearly 4000 students on a daily basis. Our drivers are an asset to the district and take pride in safely transporting our students. Please take time this week to thank a bus driver for the service they provide to the students and families of Central District 301.

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Alliance for College Readiness Events

The Alliance for College Readiness would like to invite CHS parents to attend their upcoming events designed to help prepare your high school students for college. All events will be held at Elgin Community College.

College Night is on Tuesday, October 4th, from 6 to 8 p.m. in Building H. Students will have the opportunity to meet with representatives from over 100 colleges and universities. A com-plete list of represented colleges can be downloaded from the ECC website.

College & Career 101 for Parents of High School Students will be held on Thursday, October 20th, from 6 to 8 p.m., in the Seigle Auditorium in Building E. This program is designed to help you make the most of your students’ high school years so they can graduate from high school college and career ready.

College Smart Fair is on Saturday, November 5th, from 9 a.m. to noon in Building E. Parents and students will learn about the true cost of college, applying for scholarships, how student loans work, how to complete the FAFSA, and more!

Visit www.elgin.edu/collegereadiness for more information on the Alliance for College Readi-ness and future events.

Upcoming Dates

Thursday, October 6th

SIP Day - Half Day for

Students

Friday, October 7th

Teacher Institute Day -

No School for Students

Monday, October 10th

Columbus Day - No

School for Students

Monday, October 17th

Board of Education

Meeting, 6-8pm

Friday, October 28th

End of Quarter 1

Thursday, November 3rd

SIP Day - Half Day for

Students

Friday, November 4th

Teacher Institute Day -

No School for Students

November 21st-25th

Thanksgiving Break - No

School for Students

November 21st-22nd

Parent Teacher Confer-

ences

Monday, November 21st

Board of Education

Meeting, 6-8pm

Referendum Committee Informational Open Houses

The 301 Referendum Committee is hosting four informational open houses in October to pro-vide an overview of the plans for the CHS expansion, discuss how the expansion will not raise the school tax rate, and discuss the urgency surrounding the upcoming vote in November. Time will also be allotted for a Q&A session.

The open houses are open to any community member looking for information on the pro-posed referendum on the ballot. Community members can attend any date/location that works best for their schedule.

Thurs, Oct. 13th, 7:00pm at Prairie View Grade School Library Tues, Oct. 18th, 7:00pm at Central High School Library Wed, Oct. 19th, 7:00pm at Howard B. Thomas Library Thurs, Oct. 20th, 7:00pm at Country Trails Elementary School Cafeteria These events are organized by the 301 Referendum Committee, comprised of D301 parents and community volunteers.

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District 301 Welcomes New Staff Central District 301 is pleased to welcome new staff to our growing district. Below is a list of our staff members new this year.

Tracie Duffield, Director of Transportation Kerri McCastland, Assistant Principal at CHS Julie Salamone, Assistant Principal/Early Childhood Coordinator at HBT Jill Schreiber, Assistant Principal at CMS/PV Brian Tobin, Director of Technology Megan Baker, Special Education Teacher Emily Douglas, Library Media Specialist Rebecca Dubbert, Science Teacher Jackie Hovious, Science Teacher Bill Iwans, Dean’s Assistant Elizabeth Klapproth, School Psychologist Danny Klein, Special Education Teacher Anthony Konecki, Dean’s Assistant Kenny Long, ELL/Social Studies Teacher Brian Melvin, Counselor Amanda Ritchie, English Teacher

Karla Baumrucker, Special Education Teacher Scott Richman, Social Studies/Science Teacher Kara Brown, Paraprofessional Kristin Crichton, Kindergarten Teacher Mick Galeski, PE Teacher Alicia Hughes, 2nd Grade Teacher Amy Johnson, Paraprofessional Madeline Lenz, Special Education Teacher Nikki Dyker, Early Childhood Paraprofessional Ann Hall, Early Childhood Teacher Brittany Hastings, 3rd Grade Teacher Lucia Hoffman, Early Childhood Teacher Theresa Campbell, Paraprofessional Heather Fortcamp, Paraprofessional Amanda Poturalski, Social Worker

Alexandra Burnside, 4th Grade Teacher Harmony Dotson, 4th Grade Teacher Ashley Klewin, 5th Grade Teacher Beth Graham, Administrative Assistant Shannon Hannemann, Bus Driver Greg Herwaldt, Bus Aide

Rachel Rodriguez, Counselor Sally Rohs, Cook Kelly Rupprecht, Math Teacher Sharon Schweinfurth, English/Theater/Social Studies Teacher Robert Stover, PE Teacher Matt Tevere, Counselor Bob Thomson, CTE Teacher Jason Uecker, Dean’s Assistant Andrew Vock, SS Teacher Jessica Von Schnase, Cook Kristen Dillon, Math Teacher Sandy Guerrieri, CTE Teacher Annaliese Siegel, Band Teacher Angela Steffen, Speech Pathologist Morgan Nosalik, 5th Grade Teacher Jason Peters, 5th Grade Teacher Lily Phillips, 2nd Grade Teacher Ashley J. Schultz, 3rd Grade Teacher Molly Simmermon, Paraprofessional Annie Jaster, Special Education Teacher Amy Robbins, Early Childhood Paraprofessional Tishonda Washington-Gibbs, Paraprofessional Brenda Yang-Cheng, Early Childhood Paraprofessional Kristina Tinsley, 5th Grade Teacher Sarah Wagner, Paraprofessional Tisha Kostopoulos, Kindergarten Teacher Claire LaBeau, Paraprofessional Elizabeth Wynn, Special Education Teacher Janice Kotwica, Bus Aide Carol Lung, Bus Aide Joel Sjurseth, Mechanic

Ad

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CH

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PK

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HB

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PV

Tr

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Welcome

to the

Central

301

family!

Engage the

mind,

Empower

the learner,

Inspire

excellence,

Influence the

world!

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Mentors and Protégés Celebrate Their Partnerships

In order to support teachers new to the district, administrators pair up new teachers with mentors to work with them throughout the school year. These mentors offer support and guidance to new teachers in District 301. Below are some pictures celebrating the part-nerships that began at the District Mentor-Protégé training in August.