Superintendent Dr. Brian Wegley's Weekly Update - June 2, 2021

Superintendent Dr. Brian Wegley's Weekly Update - June 2, 2021

Dear District 30 Family,

Congratulations on completing the 2020-21 School Year together. Every challenge holds gifts in its hands. Our increased family time, growth of students’ independence, and all that this pandemic revealed about our community are among those gifts.

I continue to be incredibly proud of our teachers’ commitment, our students’ engagement, and our parents’ partnership throughout this year. With no clear path through this year, thank you for uniting for our students. We began the school year with our in-person and fully remote models on August 20, and we generated as much normalcy as possible throughout this year. Most importantly, our students continued learning and were cared for deeply by our staff and parents. We are fortunate to have gone through this global pandemic together in this community. I’m incredibly grateful for all of your support this year! Thank you!

Included here are a few notes as we continue this journey together:

Registration: Our 2021-22 School Year will officially begin for students on Thursday, September 2, 2021. Over 99% of our respondents indicated their students would participate in a full return to daily in-person instruction for the fall. Throughout the summer, we will remain in touch with our family members who requested information for a remote option due to medical needs. Please continue to complete the entire registration process as time allows.

Student Vaccinations: Thank you again to the Village of Northbrook and Jewel-Osco for putting together a local vaccination opportunity on May 18 at the former Grainger Property. It was inspiring to see many current and former District 30 families getting vaccinated. 

Our area COVID-19 Metrics are continuing to decline slowly. Our area is now in the Moderate and Minimal Community Transmission range. This week is the first time since October 3 that our cases per 100,000 residents include one in the minimal range. I am confident that the progress we are seeing reflects our high vaccination rates in our area, with Northbrook’s eligible population at over 90% with at least one dose and 74.0% completely vaccinated. Glenview’s rates are also high at 82.2% and 66.0%, respectively.

Thank you to everyone for continuing to leverage every opportunity at our disposal to fight this global pandemic. We are getting to the other side of this together!

Celebrating our Students: Our students have done a fantastic job remaining engaged and demonstrating their resiliency throughout this year! It has been a pleasure to celebrate them! We shared our great pride in our eighth-graders on Sunday, May 30, at our graduation ceremony at GBN. We also celebrated all that our students have done to remain engaged and positive throughout this year. They have been rock stars!

We also held field days, awards ceremonies, spring concerts, and shared our Willowbrook Senior Walk & Wescott Senior Walk Videos.

Looking Ahead to 2021-22: As we plan for full in-person learning in the fall, our excitement for the next year continues to grow. We anticipate a return to more normal operations. We are optimistic that COVID-19 rates and risk will be dramatically reduced in the fall and expect a return to students rotating through their classes, along with a resumption of athletics and activities accompanied by recommended mitigation measures. Please continue to check our Parent Phased Operations FAQ, as we will update it with information as plans are finalized for the fall.

Our Elementary Capacity Project continues to move forward successfully. Foundations are poured, and walls are being constructed at Wescott. This additional classroom capacity will ensure that we will return to daily in-person instruction for all students in the fall, with Willowbrook serving pre-K through 5th-grade, Wescott serving K through 5th-grade, and Maple returning to serving only grades 6 through 8.

Glenview & Northbrook 2021 Summer Happenings: 

Fourth of July

Glenview and Northbrook have announced their plans for the 4th that include fireworks in both villages. Character Counts will host a booth in Glenview’s drive-by July 4 parade! We look forward to seeing you!

Summer Student Programming

Glenview and Northbrook will offer robust options for students throughout the summer. Offerings include District 30 Summer School, the Glenview Library, the Northbrook Library, the Glenview Park District, and the Northbrook Park District.

We also thank the Northbrook Library for their Bridge Offerings in August to support District 30’s September 2 start date while we complete our Elementary Capacity Project.

Race Amity Day

Recognize Race Amity Day with us. Aligned with our core values and with the tenets of Character Counts, the Village of Northbrook made a proclamation announcing Sunday, June 13, as Race Amity Day. Outgoing Northbrook Village President Frum’s remarks included:

Race Amity is the tradition of close cross-racial and cross-cultural friendships that bring people together to collaborate in advancing equity and social justice. It is referred to as the “other tradition” in our American story because it serves as the moral and spiritual counterweight to the dominant tradition of racism. It is a part of American history that has always existed yet is seldom taught. As we navigate the turbulent waters of the racial divide, it remains an inspirational legacy that deserves attention. Amity is acceptance of the truth that there is one race, the human race.

The Village of Northbrook recognizes the value of living in a racially and culturally diverse Village and that we are part of a great country whose Latin motto is: “E Pluribus Unum,” which translates to “out of many, one.”

The Village of Northbrook values the qualities of friendship, civility, respect, collegiality, and kindness.

As we have throughout this pandemic, our inclusive Villages are strongest when we stand together!

School Support: Please don’t hesitate to reach out for help through our teaching staff if and when the need arises. Remaining connected and accessing the many resources in our community is a strength.

I am already excited about all that the fall will bring. I also wish our entire District 30 Family meaningful, well-deserved healing time over the summer! I look forward to continuing our partnership as we care for our students and each other. Have a wonderful summer!

Sincerely,

Dr. Brian K. Wegley

Superintendent