Archive for category: District Announcements

For the past several months, District #7 has been working closely with the Edwardsville Public Library and other libraries in the District #7 footprint to provide every student enrolled in District #7 access to a public library card. That program is now active.   

“This partnership between District #7 and the public libraries serving the school district allows us to provide access to all students,” said Superintendent Dr. Patrick Shelton. “This is possible due to the cooperation of the local public libraries and an Intergovernmental Agreement between District #7 and the Edwardsville Public Library to provide access to students living outside of a library taxing area.” 

Student’s cards will be registered at one of the following libraries based on their home address: Edwardsville Public Library, Glen Carbon Centennial Library, Worden Public Library, Wood River Public Library, Bethalto Public Library District, Maryville Community Library and Roxana Public Library. These libraries are all part of the Illinois Heartland Library System (IHLS) and share resources. As a result, students will be able to check out physical books from any of the libraries listed above. Electronic resources, including e-books/audiobooks are not shared, so access to databases and e-reading apps will vary based on the library the student is registered at.  

“We are excited to be able to provide District #7 students with access to additional resources which will enhance their education.” 

There will be no physical cards issued by the library, instead each student’s school ID will be their library card. Information on how to use the school ID as a library card was sent to families in a district communication.  

November 13, 2022   

Dear District #7 families,  

As we saw this weekend, winter is fast approaching, and along with it comes the potential for weather and travel concerns. If inclement weather prompts District #7 to cancel school, alter bus schedules, or hold an e-Learning day, we will notify parents and staff as soon as possible using a variety of communication tools. Please note, extreme weather can be unpredictable, but the decision to cancel school or call for an e-Learning day will be made by 5 a.m., if possible, on days when inclement weather occurs or is pending. District #7 will only send a message if school is cancelled, bus routes are altered, or an e-Learning day is issued. Otherwise, the day will proceed as usual. Kid Zone will also be closed if there is an inclement weather day. More information will be sent to enrolled families of their plan if weather is a factor. 

While District #7 can use up to five e-Learning days in lieu of snow days when weather conditions make it dangerous to get students to school, we will not have an e-Learning day until our K-2 students have devices, which is scheduled to occur in January. Please remember that we will not be taking away all snow days, we will just have the flexibility to utilize e-learning and emergency days, depending on the winter conditions.  

When the decision is made to cancel school or hold an e-Learning day due to inclement weather, the District will send an email, a text message, and a recorded message via phone to all families via our message broadcast system, SchoolMessenger.  

The system will utilize contact information that the District currently has on file in SchoolMessenger, which interfaces with the District’s student information system. Contact information was provided at registration by parents/guardians. Revised or updated contact information should be provided to your child’s school. All information and contact numbers are secure and confidential and are used only for the purposes described above. If you have not opted-in for text messages and would like to do, please see the Text Opt-in attachment.  

 If you have any questions about this system or any part of the SchoolMessenger notification process, please contact Bill Miener, Director of Information Systems & Service, at 655-6018, or by email at bmiener@ecusd7.org. 

District #7 will post school closure information at www.ecusd7.org and on our social media channels, including Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. The District also notifies local television stations (KMOV-TV CHANNEL 4 NEWS; KSDK-TV CHANNEL 5 NEWS; FOX 2 NEWS) as well as radio station KMOX (AM-1120).  

With Tiger Pride,  
Patrick Shelton, Ed.D.
Superintendent 

District #7 will hold open interviews for several positions on Monday, November 7 from 2-4:30 p.m. at the Hadley House. No appointment is needed.

MaryBeth Brown discovered her immense passion for before and after school childcare when she first began working in the field in 1999.   

“I was lucky to find my professional mention, Rodger Schmidt, whom I worked for in the early years of my career at the YMCA Kids Network program. Through his leadership and dedication, I learned the importance and necessity of out-of-school care and play in a child’s life.”  

A lifelong resident of Edwardsville who has three of her own children in District #7 schools, Brown has been with Kid Zone since 2012, working as a program coordinator and assistant director before taking on the role of director in 2017.   

As Kid Zone Director, she oversees the planning and operations of the eight Kid Zone elementary school sites. Along with her wonderful and dedicated team of counselors, site coordinators, program coordinator and assistant directors, they have made the program what it is today.   

“I enjoy working for a school district that knows the benefit of offering a program that focuses on play and social interactions for children while also serving the childcare needs of families.” 

Brown also enjoys seeing the children grown through their elementary-aged years at Kid Zone.  

“It is also wonderful to see former Kid Zone kids return to work with us as counselors. I am fortunate to not only see the kiddos grow into themselves through the years, but also witness our counselors’ growth as they move into their professional careers.” 

Brown takes much pride in the District #7 community and is passionate about her role.  

“Working for the Edwardsville School District feels like home to me; I could never imagine not being a Tiger! I am dedicated and passionate about helping families’ childcare needs in the community I love.” 

Brown has undergrad degrees in psychology and social work and recently completed a master’s degree in family and human development with a specialization in child development. Her initial interest was in the study of biology, which eventually led her to the social science field.

“I enjoy learning, researching, and the statistical analyses of human behaviors and relationships. Currently, I am working with a team of researchers on the critical role of play in child development. I enjoy bringing this knowledge to the Kid Zone program to help it evolve and develop to best serve the kids and our community.” 

Watch the video version of this communication here. 

October 11, 2022

Dear District #7 community,  

As part of the District’s new strategic plan, we have been working closely with Ittner Architects to conduct a comprehensive analysis of our buildings and have also brought on consultants from Creative Entourage to conduct community engagement sessions called Engage District #7. The goal of these sessions is to provide an opportunity for meaningful conversations and to gather input from a broad base of the community in order to develop long-range goals and priorities that: 

• Improve the learning experiences and learning environments for students in a fiscally responsible manner; 
• Determine how best to address long-term facility and enrollment changes; and 
• Identify what steps should be taken now and in the future. 

Earlier this evening at the Board of Education meeting, Ittner provided an overview of their analysis of District #7 schools and provided recommendations regarding the needs identified. District #7 schools range in age from 140 years to 14 years, which also is indicative of the needs identified.  

As part of their analysis, Ittner has recommended that District #7 take the following steps: 

• Identify a location and develop a plan for the replacement of Lincoln Middle School. This historic building has several needs which cannot be addressed while occupied by students.  
• Expand the Commons at Edwardsville High School to provide seating for additional students. 
• Determine how to address significant foundation issues at Midway Elementary School. This could include consolidating Midway Elementary and Hamel Elementary into a new elementary school on the Hamel campus. 
• Identify areas of inequity among our schools and develop a plan to address those inequities over the next several years. 
• Develop a plan to improve safety and security as it relates to all District #7 schools. This includes a plan for double entry into each of our schools and addressing any site concerns related to student safety, which may include playgrounds. 

Our first round of community engagement sessions begins tomorrow and will continue next week at each of our intermediate schools. We look forward to District #7 stakeholders engaging in dialogue regarding the future of our facilities. We have amazing staff and students, and our desire is to provide them with the best facilities possible as we look to the future of District #7, while preserving our past. You can get the dates for each session in your mailbox and at the dedicated site EngageDistrict7.org. I look forward to seeing you there. 

Sincerely,  

Patrick Shelton, Ed.D.
Superintendent

To watch the Ittner facility presentation from the Board of Education meeting, go to the 47:30 minute mark of this broadcasted meeting: https://www.facebook.com/ECUSD7/videos/776652267105338/