Archive for category: District Announcements

District #7 has always valued diverse languages and cultures and now we want to celebrate and recognize the many languages spoken within our District #7 boundaries! Beginning with the 2023-2024 school year, we will be participating in the Illinois State Seal of Biliteracy. The Illinois State Seal of Biliteracy is an award presented at graduation in recognition of attaining a high level of proficiency in English and in one or more other languages. It is officially designated on a student’s transcript and high school diploma. 

This award is a great way to honor and encourage bilingualism and maintenance of home language for our English learner students as well as an extra incentive for our English-speaking students participating in world language studies. The award is available to students of all backgrounds and can be assessed anytime during a student’s high school career.  

Based on a student’s level of proficiency in English and their additional language, a student may qualify to receive State Commendation Toward Biliteracy or the State Seal of Biliteracy according to the proficiency information laid out below: 

 

State Commendation Towards Biliteracy Requirements	State Seal of Biliteracy Requirements
English Proficiency (choose one):  ACCESS for ELLs: 3.5 literacy  AP English Language and Composition exam: 3  ELA Dual Credit Course  STAMPS 4S: Intermediate Low  ACT: College ready benchmark (English) or 21 Composite  SAT: 480 ELA Score  TOEFL: Intermediate Low	English Proficiency (choose one):  ACCESS for ELLs: 4.8 Composite  AP English Language and Composition exam: 4  ELA Dual Credit Course  STAMPS 4S: Intermediate High  ACT: College ready benchmark (English) or 21 Composite  SAT: 480 ELA Score  TOEFL: 85  TOEIC: 550
World Language Proficiency (choose one):  AP Language and Culture Exam: 3  STAMP 4S: Intermediate Low  AAPPL form B: I-1 (Intermediate Low)  NEWL: Intermediate Low	World Language Proficiency (choose one):  AP Language and Culture Exam: 4  STAMP 4S: Intermediate High  AAPPL form B: 1-5 (Intermediate High)  NEWL: Intermediate High

There are also many postsecondary award benefits to earning the State Seal of Biliteracy, including all Illinois public colleges and universities must accept the State Seal of Biliteracy as equivalent to two years of world language coursework taken during high school for admissions purposes.  This document (Albanian, Chinese, Korean, Spanish, Vietnamese) provides more detailed information regarding public colleges and universities in Illinois. 

On the eve of the first day of school tomorrow, watch this message from District #7 Superintendent Dr. Patrick Shelton. He shares highlights going into the 2023-2024 school year as well as some of the recent challenges.

Read the video transcript here | Watch on YouTube with subtitles

 

 

 

July 24, 2023 

Dear District #7 family,  

Over the past year, we have encountered incidents of harassment based on sexual orientation, gender, and race within our school community. This behavior is not only deeply hurtful and disrespectful, but it also undermines the inclusive and welcoming environment we strive to create for all students, teachers, and staff. It is crucial that we come together as a community to address this issue head-on and foster a culture of respect, understanding, and acceptance.  

First and foremost, I want to express my empathy and support for any student who has been affected by these incidents. Discriminatory language should never be tolerated, and we are committed to ensuring that all students feel safe, valued, and supported within our district. To those who have experienced the pain caused by these slurs, I want to assure you that we take this matter seriously, and your voices will be heard. 

To address this issue effectively, at this evening’s Board of Education meeting, the District’s Director of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI), Dr. Cornelia Smith, and I will be presenting several initiatives which will outline action steps that the district will be taking to move toward increasing the sense of belonging in District #7 for ALL students. These steps will include: 

1. Incorporating a DEI representative at each school who will work in cooperation with Dr. Smith to assess building-level data and introduce action steps to increase belonging and inclusivity for all students and staff. 

1. Implementing a framework for addressing student behavior that actively promotes inclusivity. This will include mandatory reporting to parents of victims and parents of alleged perpetrators, and mandatory parent conferences when reports include hate speech or harassment due to sexism, genderism, or racism. 

1. Establishing student and staff groups that provide a safe space for those from underrepresented populations to connect and increase their sense of belonging. 

1. Offering additional avenues for reporting bullying, harassment, or intimidation of others.  

District #7 thrives on the diversity of our community, and by working together, we can create a school environment where everyone feels respected, valued, and safe.  

I encourage you to join me and the Board of Education in taking a stand against any form of discrimination and working towards a more inclusive future. Together, we can build a school community that embraces and celebrates our differences, fostering an environment where all students can thrive.  

More information about District #7’s plans for addressing these issues can be heard at tonight’s Board of Education meeting or by watching the broadcast on the District #7 Facebook page.   

Thank you for your unwavering support and dedication to our shared goal of creating an inclusive school community.  

Sincerely,  

Patrick Shelton, Ed.D.
Superintendent

 

As the calendar flips to July and puts us closer to the start of the 2023-24 school year, we wanted to share some dates with you for the start of year:  

Friday, August 11, 2023
Mascot Welcomes for 3rd, 6th, and 9th grades

3rd grade: 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. 
6th grade: last names that begin with A-K is 8:30-11:00 a.m., while last names that begin with L-Z is 1:30-4:00 p.m.
9th grade: last names that begin with A-L is 8:30-11:00 a.m., while last names that begin with M-Z is 1:30-4:00 p.m. 

Bus transportation will be provided, and more information will be coming from the building principals. This will be a structured time for these students to get to know their new school.  

Monday, August 14, 2023
High School Open House (5:00 – 6:30 p.m.)
Middle School Open House (6:00 – 7:30 p.m.)
Kindergarten Orientation (6:30 p.m. for all schools except Hamel, which will be from 5:00-6:00 p.m.)  

Tuesday, August 15, 2023
Primary Open House (5:00-6:30 p.m.)
Intermediate Open House (6:00-7:30 p.m.) 

Wednesday, August 16, 2023
First day of school!  

Wednesday, August 23, 2023
Kindergarten Open House (6:00 p.m.)  

 2023-24 STUDENT REGISTRATION
A reminder that if you have not yet registered your child(ren) for the 2023-24 school year to please do so!  

For those families with students that were enrolled during the 22-23 school year, you will need to register via the link in the registration email sent by the district.  

For those with students that will be attending the district that were not enrolled during the 2022-23 school year, you must complete preregistration first. Once that is complete, you will receive an email with a registration link for that student after it has been approved (typically one business day). Preregistration: http://ecusd7.org/student-registration/  

If you need assistance with technology access or have questions regarding registration, please email registration@ecusd7.org. 

The EHS Tiger Talk Podcast Network will receive a $1,320 grant from the Illinois Farm Bureau and the Illinois Press Foundation.

The award is part of the Illinois High School Journalism Grants Program offered by the Illinois Press Foundation and financially sponsored for a third consecutive year by Illinois Farm Bureau.

EHS was one of 19 recipients across the state and will use the grant money to purchase two microphones, mic stand, digital voice recorder, stream deck, capture card, webcam, green screen backdrop, and Ring light kit.

The EHS Tiger Talk Podcast Network concluded a successful first season during the 2022-23 school year in which students produced two weekly podcasts, including The Jungle, the official EHS sports podcast, and Tiger Spotlight, a podcast that highlights the Tiger community. The two podcasts produced a total of 54 episodes with 1,409 plays.

“With this grant, we look forward to expanding this initiative as we move into the second year,” said sponsor Nicole Pontious. “We would like to establish partnerships with our local community members, enhance our productions with the updated audio & video equipment, and continue to provide students with guidance, support, and hands-on training in the field of multi-media production.”