Internet Safety Parent Information Night

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District #7 will host a “What Parents Need to Know About Internet Safety” presentation on Thursday, Feb. 9, 2023, at 6 p.m. in the EHS Auditorium.

Alyssa Castlemann of the Office of Illinois Attorney General Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force will be the special guest speaker.

The targeted audience is for 3rd-8th grade parents/guardians. Seating is limited and those interested in attending should RSVP here. Due to the content covered, children are recommended to not attend.

 

Engage District 7 Final Report & Recommendations

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Watch the video version of this communication HERE.

 

December 16, 2022  

Dear District #7 community,   

Last Monday, the Board of Education held a special meeting to hear the final report and recommendations for a facility plan from the Engage District 7 facilitating team.  

For the past four months, over 250 individuals from the District #7 community have been working to put together a plan on how to meet the facility needs for all District #7 students, now and in the future. The community engagement process provided valuable information for Engage District 7’s final recommendations.   

To make these recommendations a reality and to address the identified needs in District #7, the facilitating team recommended the Board of Education place a bond proposal for building repairs and improvement on the April 4, 2023, ballot that would provide a zero-tax rate increase on the current debt service levy. This bond proposal would address the projects which were prioritized through community engagement sessions.  

The projects include: 

  • Installing double-entry doors for improved safety and security at seven schools (Glen Carbon, Leclaire, Nelson, Columbus and Woodland elementary schools, Lincoln Middle School, and Edwardsville High School), which would result in secure double entries at each of the district’s 13 schools. 
  • Rebuilding Lincoln Middle School on its existing site with the goal of retaining the 1925 building, and with other sections being deconstructed, then occupied through construction phased over a 36-to-42-month period. 
  • Conducting a second engineering survey/report specifically for Midway Elementary School and developing a plan for Midway Elementary School based on community priorities and additional information obtained. 
  • Remediating asbestos and building new classrooms, gymnasium, and entry at Hamel Elementary School.  
  • Expanding the commons at Edwardsville High School.  
  • Relocating the office at Nelson Elementary School.  
  • Providing safe and accessible playgrounds at all primary and intermediate schools. 
  • Providing safe and accessible gymnasiums at Leclaire, Glen Carbon and Columbus elementary schools.  
  • Updating media centers at Columbus and Woodland elementary schools and building a new media center at Edwardsville High School.   

The projected cost of completing all projects is approximately $100 million, which would be accomplished through a bond proposal that would not increase the debt tax rate currently in place.  

The Board of Education will discuss the final report and recommendations at their monthly board meeting this Monday, December 19, 2022, at 7 p.m. and will be voting on the recommendations on Monday, January 9, 2023, at a special board meeting at 5:30 p.m. If you are unable to make either of these meetings, they will be streamed on the District’s Facebook page.  

You may also find more information at EngageDistrict7.org.   

We hope you have a great holiday season and look forward to seeing you in 2023!  

Sincerely,  

Patrick Shelton, Ed.D.
Superintendent

Friday Feature: Lynn Padgett, Liberty Receptionist/Records Secretary

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After relocating to Edwardsville in 2000 to be closer to family, Liberty receptionist/records secretary Lynn Padgett was a stay-at-home mom who was also active in the school’s PTO. She also served as a member of the District 7 Growth Committee and was a member of the CAC (Citizens Advisory Committee) when the opportunity to serve as a secretary sub within the district came about. After subbing for a few years, a permanent opening became available at Liberty in 2005. That was 17 years ago, and Padgett has been a mainstay in the front office since.   

“I love the frenetic of it. I never know what each day will bring, but I know it’s always going to be fun and exciting, and I love being able to see every kid that comes through the building.”  

Padget spends most days multitasking – answering the phone, getting messages to students and staff, calling students to see their respective administrator, finding subs for covering vacancies in the classroom, and scheduling events in and around the building.  

 “Not everyone understands that as a school secretary, how unexpected your day is. You don’t come in and have the same routine. There are certain aspects of the job that are the same, but there is never the same day. To me that is the best part. There is no routine.” 

 The thing that has kept Padgett in her position and at Liberty is the strong connection with the administrators, office, staff, teachers, support staff and students.  

 “At Liberty I am able to work with every level from students to their parents, all staff, and administrators. Every year I think it cannot get better, but it does. We are truly family.” 

 Padgett also loves the middle-school age group of students.  

 “They are figuring everything out at this age. It is inspiring to watch them change and mature from sixth to eighth grade. I hope to be able to continue to support the students and staff at Liberty Middle School for years to come.” 

 

 

Geography Bee Winners

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District 7, Local Libraries Provide Access to Each Student

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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.  

 

 

2022-23 Winter Weather Plan

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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 

No School November 8 and November 11

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Reminder that there is no school, and all buildings and offices will be closed, on Tuesday, November 8, 2022 for Election Day and on Friday, November 11, 2022 in honor of Veterans Day.

The 2022-23 school calendar can be viewed here.

District #7 Open Interviews Set for November 7

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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.

 

No School October 31 and November 1

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A reminder that there is no school for students on Monday, October 31, 2022 and Tuesday, November 1, 2022 due to parent teacher conferences.

 

 

Parent Teacher Conferences Pick A Time

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District 7 will again use Pick-A-Time to schedule PreK-12 parent-teacher conferences to be held on October 31, 2022, from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and November 1, 2022, from 1:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Pick-A-Time allows parents to schedule conferences through the internet using the account from last year or by creating a new account. Registration will begin at 8:00 a.m. on October 21, 2022, and will end at 10:00 p.m. on October 30, 2022.  

We will continue to hold parent-teacher conferences virtually in District 7. Participation in conferences across levels increased with the inception of virtual conferences. Virtual conferences offer parents the opportunity to engage without the need to drive to the building, take off work if applicable, or find childcare. In addition, our teachers are more likely to remain on time and may attend their own children’s conferences without significantly limiting their availability to parents. Ultimately, it is our goal to ensure that our parent/teacher conferences are productive in opening lines of communication and fostering the home/school partnership. In the event you need to schedule an in-person conference, or you do not have internet access, please contact your child’s building or teachers directly to make an appointment. 

Scheduling Conferences using Pick-a-Time 

  1. Navigate to www.pickatime.com/ecusd7 and login 
  1. Returning users – enter email address and password  
  1. New users click “Login/Create Account”  
  1. Fill in required information 
  1. Enter your child’s first and last name (together with no space) 

Ex: BenjaminFranklin 

  1. Enter your child’s birthdate (mm/dd/yyyy) and click “add”  
  1. Select a date to schedule the conference 
  1. Add additional children if necessary 
  1. Click on the colored box of your preferred time slot. Each color represents a different teacher/course. 
  1. Click “Create Appointment” 
  1. A confirmation email will be sent with the date, time, teacher, and Teams link.  
  1. A reminder email will also be sent 24 hours prior to the date of the conference. 

PreK-5 Students 

  • Elementary students with two teachers will schedule their parent teacher conferences with both teachers at the same time.  
  • Elementary conferences are scheduled in 15-minute blocks. 

Middle School Students 

  • Middle school conferences are based on a student’s 2nd quarter class. 
  • 6th grade conferences are scheduled in 15-minute blocks with all five core teachers (Content Literacy, Math, Science, Social Studies and Language Arts) 
  • 7th and 8th grade conferences are scheduled in 10-minute blocks. 

High School Students  

  • High school conferences are based on the student’s 2nd quarter classes. 
  • High school conferences are scheduled in 10-minute blocks.  

Once you have registered for a virtual conference, the teacher’s Teams link will be listed with your email confirmation. This will give you access to the Teams waiting room until your scheduled appointment time.  

Please feel free to contact your building secretary or principal if you have any questions.