Salt Creek Connection

Dear District 48 Families,

It is hard to believe that we are well into the month of December, and 2024 is right around the corner. Before we pause for the winter break, I wanted to share some updates and extend warm wishes to you and your loved ones.

First and foremost, I would like to express our immense pride in our students and staff. I have seen their hard work as I walk through classrooms and attend some of our extracurricular events. Our staff is clearly working hard to provide well-rounded experiences for our students. Our kindergarten through fourth-grade curriculum teams are in the process of reviewing new math materials. The implementation of the Positivity Project curriculum has been a hit. It has helped empower our students to be more self-confident and build positive relationships with their peers. This year has presented its unique set of challenges, and yet, our student’s resilience, dedication, and hard work have truly shone through. Our District 48 school community continues to demonstrate strength and unity, and for that, I am grateful.

As we approach the holiday season, it is a time to reflect on our accomplishments thus far and to celebrate the spirit of togetherness. Speaking of accomplishments, I would like to congratulate our Albright Cheerleaders, who won second place in our conference this past Saturday! We have done so much as a school community but will continue striving for excellence in the new year. To do this, we will begin the strategic planning process by seeking input from students, staff, and community members to create a long-range plan. A strategic plan will help us create goals to improve academics, update our buildings, maintain financial stewardship, and promote community involvement. Please let me know if you would be willing to participate in providing some feedback in the coming months by sending me an email at AZaher@SaltCreek48.org.

May the joy of the season fill your homes with warmth and happiness. On behalf of the Board of Education and the District 48 staff, we would like to extend our wishes for a safe and joyful holiday season.

Thank you for your continued support and partnership.

Happy Holidays!

Amy

Dr. Amy M. Zaher

Superintendent

The Student Council at Albright hosted a "Penny War" donation event. Using the money raised, the students were able to purchase a variety of gifts to donate to the Salvation Army's 'Angel Tree' Fundraiser. Our Student Council members are pictured here with the purchased gifts.

Our kindergarten through fourth grade math committee has been doing some fantastic work this year. Earlier this month, we listened to three vendor presentations on a new core resource for math instruction at Salt Creek and Swartz. We have narrowed our decision to two resources and will begin implementing different lessons starting in January. Therefore, you will notice student work that looks different from our current resource. Both resources are aligned to the standards and our teachers will be selecting lessons based on what they typically would have been teaching students. This ensures our students won't have any gaps in understanding due to utilizing new resources. We will begin with Ready Math and finish with Bridges. Our committee will regroup and debrief the effectiveness of these resources after implementing both, and make a final recommendation to the Board of Education. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact your building principal or my office. cmartelli@saltcreek48.org.

Ready Math

Ready Common Core Mathematics is designed to develop strong mathematical thinkers, focuses on conceptual understanding using real-world problem solving, and helps students actively participate in their learning.

Bridges

In a Bridges classroom, students gather evidence, explain their results, and develop respect for others' opinions. Teachers encourage students to employ multiple strategies when solving problems. Students develop positive math identities while building problem-solving skills, conceptual understanding, and procedural fluency.

Are you interested in substituting in District 48? Please apply here for substitute teaching and here to substitute as a paraprofessional.

They are planning some fantastic events for the whole family this year. Click the link below to sign up and update your FREE membership today!

The FTC encourages you to publish your information in their secure directory so families can contact each other!

https://saltcreek48ftc.membershiptoolkit.com/open_forms

Do you know of a staff member in Salt Creek District 48 who deserves some extraordinary recognition for something they have done in our school district to make a difference for others? Have they gone ABOVE AND BEYOND? Please click on this link to nominate a staff member for their EXTRAORDINARY accomplishment.

The Glenbard Parent Series (GPS): Navigating Healthy Families is a distinguished speaker series dedicated to presenting relevant, high-profile authors, educators and clinicians to all of our families in the DuPage area.

Here are a few of the upcoming FREE VIRTUAL webinars:

• Motivación y el poder de los logros y Celebración de las fiestas/Motivation and the Power of Achievement and Holiday Celebration
  
• Dialing Back the Inner-Critic: Compassion and Kindness in Parenting
  
• Changeable: The Collaborative Problem-Solving Method to Reduce Anxiety or Challenging Behavior
• COMMUNITY READ: Bittersweet: How Sorrow and Longing Make Us Whole: Teaching Our Kids the Full Spectrum of Human Emotions
  
• The Parenting Map: Step-by-Step Solutions to Consciously Create the Ultimate Parent-Child Relationship

December

December 13 - Band Winter Concert 7:00

December 19 - Orchestra Winter Concert 7:00

December 21 - Board of Education Meeting 7:00

December 22 - Half Day

December 25 - Winter Break Starts

December 28th 11am - 9pm - FTC Dine Out at Chuck E. Cheese

January

January 8 - School Resumes

January 11 - FTC Dine Out at Brook's Kitchen and Tap

January 15 - No School - Martin Luther King Day

January 23 - Taste of 48

Email: AZaher@SaltCreek48.org
Website: www.saltcreek48.org
Location: 1110 South Villa Avenue, Villa Park, IL, USA
Phone: (630) 279-8400
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SaltCreekD48
Twitter: @AmyZaher and @SaltCreekD48