McHenry School District 15
Today's Learners... Tomorrow's Leaders
Spring Update - Superintendent's Message
Dear District 15 Families and Staff,
I hope this newsletter finds you well and in good spirits. The 2021-2022 school year continues to move along swiftly, and it is hard to believe that next week all District 15 schools will be on Spring Break.
As we head into our third spring break that we have had during the COVID–19 pandemic, I have to note how different this one appears than our previous two. Spring Break 2022 and the weeks that have led up to it seem to feel like a much closer version of normalcy, which is certainly a cause for celebration. In this celebratory moment, I want to once again acknowledge the incredible hard work, dedication, flexibility, and perseverance demonstrated over and over by our students, staff, and families throughout the ever-changing landscape over the past two years. Thank you again to all members of the McHenry District 15 community!
We have been so proud to celebrate the achievements of our students and staff thus far this year, and as we enter into the final push of the academic term, we do so with joy and excitement for the many experiences and successes still to come. Please enjoy this newsletter as it reviews some of the special accomplishments that have happened in District 15 and also highlights some key events on the horizon for you and your students. We hope it is a helpful communication for you in the next two months of the school year.
As always, thank you for your support and dedication to your student's education. Have a great, restful, and well-deserved spring break, and we look forward to seeing everyone back at school on Monday, April 4th.
Josh Reitz, Ed. D.
Superintendent
In This Issue
- Important Dates
- Curriculum & Assessment
- Online Registration for Next School Year NOW OPEN!!!
- Health Requirements for 2022 - 2023
- End of Year Happenings
- Student and School Celebrations
- Summer Learning 2022
- Join Our Team!!!
- Community Activities
Important Dates
March 21, 2022 - April 1, 2022: LANDMARK - Spring Intersession (No School LANDMARK)
March 28, 2022 - April 1, 2022: Spring Recess - No School
April 4, 2022: Classes Resume
April 15, 2022: Day of Non-Attendance
April 29, 2022: Early Release Day
May 24, 2022: Last Day of Attendance, Progress Reports Available
May 30, 2022: LANDMARK - Memorial Day - (No School LANDMARK)
June 1, 2022: LANDMARK - Last Day of Attendance, Progress Reports Available
Curriculum & Assessment
Illinois Assessment of Readiness
District 15 students in grades 3-8 will take the Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR) in the areas of English Language Arts and Mathematics following Spring Recess.
During the assessment window, please have your student(s) come to school with a fully charged Chromebook each day.
If you are interested in learning about additional ways that you can support your child for the upcoming assessments or would simply like to learn more about what they entail, please refer to the following links.
Illinois Assessment of Readiness resources: https://www.isbe.net/iar
IAR Practice Tests: https://il.mypearsonsupport.com/practice-tests/
IAR Released Test Items: https://il.mypearsonsupport.com/released-items/
Online Registration for Next School Year
NOW OPEN!!!
As a reminder, online registration is now open for ALL students (except new PreK students) that will be attending a District 15 school during the 2022-2023 school year. Please read the directions below carefully as students can be categorized in the following manner:
Returning Student (this child has attended a District 15 school in the past)
Existing family with a new student that needs to enroll (family has a student currently enrolled and needs to enroll a new student)
New family with a new student (new to District 15)
Scenario 1: RETURNING students: for easy step-by-step directions on how to register your student online, please visit the following link:
Scenario 2: If you have a student(s) enrolled in a District 15 school, but need to register an incoming kindergartener or new student, please follow this link for information on how to enroll another student that would be new to District 15:
Scenario 3: If this is your first child to enroll in a District 15 school, kindergarten AND new student registration can also be done online! Simply click on the link below to set up an account to register your student(s):
https://skyward.iscorp.com/scripts/wsisa.dll/WService=wsedumchenryil/skyenroll.w
For additional information on how to register a brand new student please visit:
Please complete your student(s) online registration by June 15, 2022.
Health Requirements
2022 - 2023 School Year
The Illinois Department of Public Health requires a number of immunizations and exams before students can attend school in person in the State of Illinois. Parents are asked to please submit the following health records to their student’s Health Office at the school for the 2022-2023 school year prior to the first day of school. You may drop the forms off at school or submit them through our form submission portal: Medical Form Submissions. If you have any questions, please contact your school nurse.
Physical Exams: All students entering Preschool, Kindergarten, Sixth and first time students entering an Illinois school are required to have a current physical examination completed on the approved Certificate of Child Health Examination https://www.d15.org/Page/278.
Immunizations: All students must be current with all Illinois immunization requirements. Please refer to the Health Requirements posted in the Health Services section of the District 15 website or consult with your physician.
Dental/Vision Requirements: All students entering Kindergarten or students who are first time students entering an Illinois school must have a vision exam. In addition, students in kindergarten, second and sixth grade are required to submit a dental exam. To obtain these forms visit https://www.d15.org/Page/278.
End of Year Happenings
Eighth Grade Promotion Ceremonies
Student and School Celebrations
Middle School Athletic Success
McHenry Middle School and Parkland School both had very successful wrestling seasons.
MMS took place first place in the regional tournament and ended up sending 6 wrestlers to the state tournament in DeKalb and Parkland School had 3 wrestlers compete at the state level.
Congratulations to all of our athletes and wrestling coaches, Sean Mullen, Nate Banwart, Bret Taylor and Brandon Thomas on this memorable accomplishment.
Special Recogntion
Awesome job, wrestlers!!!
Chorus and Band Celebrations
We are excited to report that MMS and Parkland choir programs received a Division 1 Rating.
The MMS band program also received a Division 1 Rating and the Parkland band program received a Division 2 Rating.
We are extremely proud of all our choir and band members and congratulate them along with their leaders, Mr. Berens and Mrs. Walter from Parkland and Mrs. Paul and Mrs. Munn from MMS!
Before School Learning Club Fun
District 15 Gives Back
Duker School has a Citizen's in Action (CIA) club that is made up of 5th grade students that excel at demonstrating Duker’s SOAR (Safety, Ownership, Achievement, and Respect) behavior and also show leadership characteristics.
This organization also rewards students who are going above and beyond in the classroom each day and encourages students to find different ways to support the Duker and McHenry communities.
Recently, the CIA club held a penny war contest to help raise money for Kids in Need (KIN)! The contest ended today, March 25th, and raised over $150!
Summer Learning 2022
Planning is well underway to provide District 15 families with a variety of fun learning options to choose from during the summer months.
At Home Learning Kits
We are providing all interested students in grades K-5 with at home learning kits in both literacy and math provided by Hand2Mind. The kits come with many hands on manipulatives for students to learn and grow during the summer months. These kits also include instructional how-to videos for each lesson. Upon completion of these kits, students will be able to bring them into the Central Office and receive a yard sign to display for all to see.
Tutoring Services:
District 15 has partnered with TutorMe to provide a year's worth of unlimited tutoring for our students that will be available this summer. This service will allow students to connect with an instructor 24/7 at no cost to the families. The student can log on to the TutorMe platform and select a tutor from the list of highly qualified individuals in any subject area. Students can determine what they want to focus on or give the tutor a baseline of what they are hoping to gain from their experience and the tutor will accommodate.
Back by Popular Demand - Featured LIVE Readers:
As we have done the past two years, we are also continuing our Featured LIVE Readers every Tuesday and Thursday at 7pm during the month of July on our District 15 Facebook page.
...AND MORE!
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON ALL OF THE DISTRICT 15 SUMMER LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES WILL BE COMING SOON!
Join Our Team!!!
Community Activities
McHenry Public Library
Event Description: Join us for this fun Mini Yarn Cactus craft! Using mini terracotta pots, we will ‘plant’ our own handmade Pom Pom Cacti!
Time: All day
Wednesday, March 30: Rockness Music (Grades PreK-5)
Event Description: Come join Rockness Music where kids participate in singing, dancing, and learning during this fun and energetic music show!
Time: 1:00pm - 1:45pm
Thursday, March 31: Anime Club (Grades 6-8)
Event Description: Come join us as we talk about our favorite manga and watch anime!
Time: 6:30pm - 7:30pm
SAGE YMCA
Event Description: When school is not in session, the Y’s School Days Out Program helps working parents keep their school age children safe and engaged with a full day of fun and enriching activities.
Time: 6:30am-6:00pm
Have a Wonderful Spring Break District 15!!!
Contact Us
Email: info@d15.org
Website: www.d15.org
Location: 1011 North Green Street, McHenry, IL, USA
Phone: 779-244-1000
Facebook: facebook.com/McHenryD15
Twitter: @School_D15