Dolton West School District 148 District Digest Roosevelt Schools get new asst. principal A former District 148 educator has joined the administrative staff at Roosevelt Elementary and Roosevelt Junior High Schools. At its August 28th meeting, the District 148 Board of Education approved the hiring of Mr. Joseph Palicki as the new Assistant Principal at the Roosevelt schools. He replaces former Roosevelt Assistant Principal Todd Parker. “It’s been a warm welcome,” Mr. Palicki said. “There’s a feeling of home here.” Mr. Palicki was raised in Dolton, attended school in Dolton Elementary District 149, graduated from Thornridge High School, and taught in District 148 from 1996 until 2001. Volume 1, Issue 4 Special points of interest: He spent four years as a sixth grade teacher at Roosevelt School and one year as a computer teacher/computer coach at Lincoln School. His wife, Carrie, also taught in District 148. Mr. Palicki comes back to the District from Manteno Community Unit District 5 where he worked for 13 years. He served as a principal and as an assistant principal during his time in the Manteno schools. He said he wants to continue addressing the incorporation of the Common Core State Standards into the District 148 curriculum. He also wants to be involved in August 2014 Mr. Joseph Palicki preparing students for college and careers and he looks forward to making connections with the students and the community. Mr. Palicki has a bachelor’s degree in history from Northern Illinois University where he also received his teaching certificate. He has a master’s degree in educational administration from Governors State University.  Elementary Open House will take place in the elementary schools from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Sept. 9th  Junior High Open House will be in the junior high schools from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Sept. 10th  First Quarter Progress Reports will be mailed home on Sept. 19th. Inside this issue: Teachers honored 2 Welcome new teachers 2 RJH gets air conditioning 2 New faces at District Office 2 2014-15 School Year gets underway The 2014-15 school year is off to a great start! We kicked off the new academic year with an Institute Day on August 18th. Superintendent Dr. Jayne E. Purcell welcomed new and returning administrators, teachers, and staff and reminded them about the important role each person plays in the lives of the children of District 148. hance our students’ academic success. In addition, several teachers gave curriculum guide overviews in the areas of Reading and Language Arts, Math, and Science. The District also honored Dr. Jayne E. Purcell six educators who had high percentages of stuDr. Purcell also emphadents meeting or exceedsized the Power of Unity ing state standards in theme for the new school reading and/or math on year. She talked about the the 2014 Illinois Standards significance of everyone Achievement Tests (ISAT). working together to en- Your School Board President Joyce J. Jackson Vice President Faith E. Gunter Secretary James E. Bendell Board Members Kim Adkins Pamela L. Gibson Larry Lawrence Ernesto E. Mickens, Jr. Page 2 District Digest Teachers Honored for ISAT successes With drum rolls, pom pon cheers, and clangs of cymbals, the District took time during the August 18th Institute Day to honor six teachers who had high percentages of students meeting or exceeding state standards on the 2014 Illinois Standards Achievement Tests (ISAT). Those recognized were: Franklin Elementary School Grade 4 Teacher Willa Jennings, Washington Elementary School Grade 5 Teacher Katrina Garrett, Washington Elementary School Grade 5 Teacher Bridgett Reed, Lincoln Elementary School Grade 5 Teacher Anne Gallag- her, Roosevelt Elementary School Grade 5 Teacher Jerome Thurmon and Roosevelt Elementary School Grade 5 Teacher Rita Lucas. Ms. Reed was also singled out for having 100 percent of her students meet or exceed ISAT standards in mathematics. Congratulations! Welcome new teachers! District 148 welcomes the following new teachers to our staff: Sara Costello, Kyarria Flowers, Toni Crawford, Brittany Kelly, Joi Jeter, Lauren Madlener, Monica Edwards, Charles Chadwell, Gabby Shaw, Russell Gihan, Rodney James, Capricia Chase, Willie Butler, Juan Flores, Hassan Hughes, Nicole Greco, Efrem Haymore, Milton Jones, Wallace Jones, Alexandra LeFlore, and Delores Merriweather. Some of our new teachers with District 148 Induction/Mentor Coordinator Mr. Michael Hurst. Air Conditioning in place at RJH Students and staff at Roosevelt Junior High School are enjoying cooler and brighter classrooms thanks to the completion of the first phase of an air conditioning project at the school. Work on the two-phase project is restricted to the summer months so that there will be no disruption to the regular school year. The work brought air conditioning, new ceilings, energy-efficient lighting and a fire sprinkler system to the junior high. Hallways, classrooms, media centers, the computer lab and science lab, the main office, and the boiler room are brighter at RJH as a result of the new energyefficient lighting. Phase two will take place at Roosevelt Elementary School next summer. A state energy efficiency grant and available fund balances will help pay for the improvements. The new rooftop air conditioning unit at Roosevelt. (Photo courtesy of Mr. Kevin Reese.) New faces at District Office There are some new faces at the District’s Administrative Offices. Chris Dines is the new Assistant to the Director of Support Programs. She replaces Ms. Nancy Brown who retired in June. Ms. Dines joined District 148’s staff in 1998 and has spent the past 16 years as a SpeechLanguage Pathologist. She said she is elated to be working alongside Director of Support Programs Dr. Candace Dunleavy. Theresa Sevier is the new Administrative Assistant to the Superintendent and Secretary to the Board of Education. Mrs. Sevier is working side-byside with Mrs. Joyce Selix and will take over for Mrs. Selix when she retires in December. Mrs. Sevier comes to the District from CreteMonee District 201U where she spent 12 years and most recently served as Administrative Assistant to the Director of Technology. Marsha Peck now serves as a Support Programs secretary. She replaces Mrs. Linda Tobey who retired in June. Mrs. Peck previously worked as a supplemental support services teacher at the former Harriet Tubman School from 2006 until 2010. Before that she was a substitute teacher.