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School District 161

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

D161 Superintendent Discusses Western Avenue Principal's 'Reclassification'

Western Avenue Principal Jennifer Camilleri will be reclassified to a non-principal role in Flossmoor School District 161, after the 2012–13 school year. The change comes after the board of education voted against renewing her contract as principal.

A District 161 principal will serve a different role next year, after board members March 11 voted not to renew her contract.  Western Avenue Elementary principal Jennifer Camilleri will be reclassified following the 2012-13 school year, according to Superintendent Craig Doster. The decision was based on a yearly evaluation and is part of the district's reclassification process, Doster said. “Right now, we're just going through the reclassification process,” he said. “The board has to vote to begin the process, which they did last night.” Two hearings—one private and one public—regarding the reclassification have yet to be scheduled. The hearings will feature presentations by Doster, on Camilleri's yearly evaluation, and then a …

Friday, August 17, 2012

School Supplies: What Western Avenue Students Will Need

Patch lists everything your student will need to start the year off right at Western Avenue School.

In a few short weeks, local schools will open their doors and fill their seats with area children once again. Coincidentally, school supplies will be flying off the shelves amid bustling crowds and endless checkout lines. If you'd like to get a head start on some of the back-to-school commotion, Patch has compiled a list of the supplies kids will need for each area school. Western Avenue School Kindergarten Please bring the following items if your last name begins with: Zip-lock baggies gallon size - 2 boxes P-S First Grade Second Grade Third Grade Fourth Grade Fifth Grade  BACKPACKS ON ROLLERS ARE NOT PERMITTED Be sure to check back later this week, as Patch continues its school supply listings for other schools in Homewood and Flossmoor…

Friday, May 18, 2012

'Cadere for Professional Learning Support' at School District 161

The new technology initiative is paving the 21st century road to success.

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

‘Where’s the Data?’ Parents, Teachers Ask D161 of Teacher Transfer Initiative

Parents didn't exactly get what they hoped for during Monday night's Flossmoor School District 161 meeting.

Parents and teachers piled into Normandy Villa Elementary School on Monday looking for time and answers, but filed out looking disappointed. Despite the entreaty, members of the Flossmoor School District 161 Board of Education unanimously approved a controversy initiative that will shuffle teachers between schools based, as board president David Dreyfuss put it, on the district’s “need for educational balance, the need to move forward with our current technology plan.” That plan calls for increased uses of technology in the classroom over several upcoming terms, beginning with fourth and seventh grades. Nor did a petition boasting 120 signatures convince the board to delay voting for one month so that parents and teachers—particularly …

TheQuietMan

9:32 pm on Wednesday, April 11, 2012

All staff should be highly qualified and have opportunities to improve via staff development. This action of shuffling staff that use technology does not change the fact that some staff are not using technology. It seems we need to look at how administrators are running schools. I admit, I need to learn more about this topic to understand what is really going on here. Something does not seem …   more ›

Monday, April 9, 2012

D161 Administrators to Vote on Controversial Teacher Swap

A teacher redistribution may soon be underway at Flossmoor School District 161 if tonight's board votes to give the go-ahead to a proposed plan.

Many parents are on edge after news of a controversial teacher redistribution that may be in the works for Flossmoor schools. The Flossmoor School District 161 board is scheduled to vote on the matter tonight at its regular board meeting. Logistics of the redistribution remained unclear Monday around 1:30 p.m. However a letter forwarded from Western Avenue building chairs to parents indicated that officials are discussing moving several teachers to other schools for various strategic reasons, such as a new technology initiative. "Supt. (Craig) Doster believes the decision is in the district's best interests," the letter said. "He explained that the restructuring is vital to the district's technology plan and getting our most …

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Phillip R Baggs

2:18 pm on Friday, April 13, 2012

They are being shot at and pulled a 91%! http://www.education.com/schoolfinder/us/illinois/chicago/providence-englewood-elem-charter/?page=test-scores   more ›

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

District 161 School Board Approves Surplus Budget for 2011-12

Cash balances continue to be healthy, according to the 161 Board.

The Flossmoor School District 161 Board of Education unanimously approved a 2011-12 budget Monday night that projects a surplus of almost $317,000. The budget projects an estimated $29.9 million in revenue and $29.6 million in expenditures, with an operating fund balance of $31.2 million at the end of the fiscal year on June 30, 2012. The major district expenditures for fiscal year 2011-12 will be salaries and benefits, parking lot and pavement improvement projects at Western Avenue, technology updates and other district maintenance and operation services. “A lot of districts are in financial trouble, but because of the way we have handled things, we are in good shape,” Board President Dr. David Dreyfuss said. District 161’s new Interim …

Juvenal

1:43 pm on Wednesday, September 14, 2011

God forbid they lower the taxes; they do not have a "surplus -- they overtaxed their taxpayers in an area with some of the highest tax rates in the country....   more ›

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