Four newly minted teachers will be among the 28 new teacher faces when District 161 students return Aug. 12. For Jillian Jendra and Shakina Washington the pandemic threw a curve to the traditional student teaching routine, but Haley Erlandson and Miranda Quinn taught children at school.
Tag: Education
Letter: Pandemic requires rethinking education
I fully agree with Weston Auburn of Flossmoor, whose recent letter presented a realistic and responsible risk assessment of a hasty return to in-person learning. In his letter, Mr. Auburn admirably implores the District 161 School Board “…to start seriously thinking about how they can improve the children’s remote learning.” Is this not the[Read More…]
D161 school board pushes decision on possible hybrid reopening to Feb. 1 meeting
To reopen or not to reopen? That remains the question for the Flossmoor School District 161 Board of Education. During a special meeting Monday, Jan. 25, the school board opted to delay making the call regarding a possible Feb. 16 return to in-person learning under a hybrid model for students[Read More…]
District 153 schedules special meeting Monday to discuss hybrid learning
The District 153 school board will conduct a special meeting at 7 p.m. Monday to outline plans for the start of its hybrid learning program. The meeting will be conducted by Zoom and can be accessed through the District 153 website. Superintendent Dale Mitchell notified parents Friday that the district has[Read More…]
Flossmoor resident named Illinois Superintendent of the Year
The work Donna Leak has done as a school administrator the past six years has won her the 2021 Illinois Superintendent of the Year honor. The Flossmoor resident, who started her teaching career at Homewood-Flossmoor High School, has spent more than 30 years in the education field. Today Leak is[Read More…]
Patricia Boyd, H-F speech-language pathologist, honored for volunteerism
Patricia Boyd, right, with her daughter, Elise Boyd, at a past Illinois Speech-Language-Hearing Association convention. Patricia Boyd will be honored at the 2021 event for her volunteer efforts with the organization. (Provided photo)
D161 Learning and Instruction, Finance committees look ahead to next year’s challenges
The 2020-2021 school year is still rife with challenges amid the COVID-19 pandemic, but for the most part that course has already been charted. “The rest of this year, there aren’t too many changes we can make,” said Dana Smith, superintendent for Flossmoor School District 161. So the district instead[Read More…]
Not quite elementary: Teachers helping students, each other make adjustments
When Willow School kindergarten teacher Christina Stevens got her class list for the 2020-2021 school year, she could not help but feel like something was off. “This is so strange,” she said to herself. It was the start of her second year as a teacher, but it felt like she[Read More…]
Pritzker signs remote learning legislation to help students and educators during pandemic
Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed Senate Bill 1569 into law to provide support for educators, students and families. The purpose of the law, according to a news release from the governor’s office, is to ensure Illinois school districts have the necessary tools to effectively carry out remote learning and other necessary[Read More…]
H-F schools finding ways to keep students connected and engaged
The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) is calling it an “act of God.” No one is to blame for what’s happening because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and everyone is trying to make the best of it, especially the schools in Homewood and Flossmoor. ISBE first declared schools would be[Read More…]