New Morton Website

I was thrilled to visit the new Morton High School Website and hopeful that the school will build on this important step toward improving communication with our community! This is a promising sign of improvement! Check it out.

http://www.morton201.org/

It would be helpful and exciting if the district extends this to individual websites for each unique school.

Teachers, It's That Time of Year Again!

Dear Berwyn Teachers and Administrators:

BerwynCARES (www.berwyncares.org) is happy to present a “2010 Berwyn Challenge” to help fund classroom projects in Berwyn schools through DonorsChoose.org. DonorsChoose uses the internet to connect individuals who want to support education DIRECTLY with classrooms in need. Indeed, the website is frequented by donors with as little as $1 to give AND donors with deep pockets looking for a place to make a difference. The website is easy to use, and accessible by the general public.

How can you use DonorsChoose.org to help promote your classrooms?

Berwyn schools are underfunded compared to the public schools in surrounding communities.

However, BerwynCARES has found that the residents generally support the teachers and would like to contribute. There truly is an enthusiasm and passion for education in our community!

DonorsChoose.org allows individuals, organizations, and businesses to choose which projects to fund and what amount (small or large) to give. The past Berwyn CARES Challenges have brought tens of thousands of dollars to Berwyn classrooms through our own fundraising efforts and promotion of The Berwyn Challenge outside our membership.

2010 Berwyn Challenge

BerwynCARES has created the 2010 Berwyn Challenge including all of the current proposals by Berwyn school teachers. This will help rally our membership to focus on our Berwyn teachers and classrooms and to hopefully direct funds to those projects. But why stop there? You can spread the word to the families of your students and to your PTAs that they can make a difference by donating as little as $10 to their own child's classroom or project!

Next Steps:
(1) Submit a proposal. Go to http://www.DonorsChoose.org
(2) Let us know you've submitted a proposal. Please e-mail info@berwyncares.org alerting us that your proposal has been submitted to donorschoose.org! We will then add it to the Berwyn Blogger Challenge.
(3) Click this link to The 2010 Berwyn Blogger Challenge and join us in widely promoting the Berwyn Blogger Challenge. Perhaps there are grandparents in other states looking to fund the project in their grandchild’s class. Include the information in PTA newsletters. Suggest that the businesses that support your school consider donating directly to classroom proposals. We can all promote the 2010 Berwyn Challenge to our memberships, the media, and beyond.

We sincerely hope this will help supplement your classroom needs and bring resources to your classrooms and to our Berwyn students.

Best,

Susan Crowe,
BerwynCARES Board Member

District 100 to Implement DACEE Recommendations

On June 9, the six DACEE Best Practices Committees presented “Recommendations for Success” to the Board of Education. Since that time, the District has been evaluating these recommendations, and many have been implemented or are scheduled for near-future implementation. In fact, internal (District 100 staff) team leaders have been assigned to each set of Committee recommendations, as follows:

· Early Childhood Education: Jane Bagus

· Literacy Development (formerly Intervention Strategies): Laura Massarella

· Accelerated and Magnet Programs: Laura LaSalle

· Staff Development: Marilyn McManus

· School Community Engagement: Stan Fields (interim)

· Technology: Jim Kloss

On Wednesday, August 25, 7 PM at the LaVergne Center, each of these leaders will be reporting on their implementation strategies to the Board of Education. I urge all to attend this meeting, first, as a matter of interest and concern for our school district, and second to hold the district accountable for those thoughtful, research-based recommendations that were a direct result of our School Board's stated vision of being in the top 25% of school districts in Illinois. Please read the recommendations! If each comes to fruition, there is nothing to stop District 100 from being a model for excellence in Illinios!

I hope to see you next Wednesday.

Be Heard! Tell YOUR Story!

Jim Broadway of the State School News Service is providing a GREAT opportunity for us regular folk to testify to our legislators about the very local and personal impact that state budget cuts have had on OUR community. PLEASE take a moment to fill out this form and submit.

From Jim Broadway:

"Chances are strong that policymakers will enact revenue increases by early January and begin to restore funding to many education programs. Those with the strongest stories to tell will stand first in line for funding. Help us make sure your program is one of those."

Fill out the form today and PLEASE copy Berwyn CARES at info@berwyncares.org. We would LOVE to hear from you.

Click HERE to see the budget cut line items. How have these cuts changed the quality of YOUR school? Tell your story and hope that YOUR line item will be restored. Together we can make a difference!