District 64 Park Ridge-Niles

It's summertime! Our Jefferson Early Childhood Center - D64 families had a great time celebrating the end of the school year.

Preschool was a blast! Kindergarten, get ready for us! Jefferson families gathered on the last day of school to cheer on their little ones as they got ready for their next big step. The playground and courtyard were open for one last fun playtime for the preschoolers. And to make it even more special, everyone enjoyed tasty snowcones from a cool snowcone machine!

Congratulations to the Emerson Middle School Class of 2024!

“I’m so grateful for the wonderful education I received and the endless opportunities,” said Emerson 8th grader Noemi G. in her student welcome address at the Emerson Middle School 8th Grade Promotion Ceremony. “Emerson became not just a school but a community.”

Around 280 Emerson students walked across the Maine East High School stage to receive their middle school diplomas. It was the end of their time in D64 schools but the beginning of an exciting high school chapter.

“I expect to see all of the Class of 2028 flourish and make an impact. A dent in the world” continued Noemi in a speech to her classmates. “20 years from now, we’ll all look back at this milestone and smile because today marks not just the end but the beginning.”

“You may no longer be a student of Emerson, but you will always be an Eagle,” said Emerson Principal Tessa Shulman. “We are extremely proud of them and wish them nothing but the best as they leave Emerson to tackle high school and the next steps in their lives.”

“We wish you all the very best in the future,” added Shulman.

https://www.d64.org/news/1791228/emersons-class-of-2024-8th-grade-promotion-ceremony

Congratulations to the Lincoln Middle School Class of 2024!

“Dream big, work hard, and have fun along the way,” said 8th grader Madelyn G. as she addressed the crowd at Maine East High School for Lincoln Middle School’s 8th Grade Promotion Ceremony.

With pride and a touch of nostalgia, nearly 250 students walked across the stage to receive their middle school diplomas, marking the end of their education journey in D64 schools as they prepare to embark on the next chapter of high school.

Lincoln Principal David Szwed shared some reminders as students enter their new schools. “Be kind to everyone. There’s nothing more to say on that one, and there are no exceptions ever...Lastly, make sure you find time to laugh,” added Szwed. “There’s enough stress in this world already, and laughing at them only makes them smaller in comparison. To our graduates, I want to thank you for an outstanding career at Lincoln. We wish you the best of luck.”

https://www.d64.org/news/1791226/lincolns-class-of-2024-8th-grade-promotion-ceremony

Team D64 at today’s Memorial Day Parade. 🇺🇸

Happy Buchheit Day! Roosevelt and Field 3rd-graders walked to Hodges Park to learn all about Park Ridge’s first-ever mayor, Albert Buchheit, who was elected on May 24th, 1910. The learning experience was related to the social studies curriculum on history and civics.

The Park Ridge Historical Society led a tour that had students go from station to station, hearing stories and facts about Park Ridge’s history. Mayor Maloney also spoke to students about local government, and there were guest speakers from the Park Ridge Park District, Public Works, and the Police and Fire Departments. City of Park Ridge | Park Ridge Historical Society

It was wonderful to celebrate our Class of 2024 D64 Retirees! To our retirees, thank you for your service and dedication to the children of District 64.

We also had the pleasure of honoring the past four years of staff who have worked in the District for 25 years. We are so grateful to work with all these fantastic people!

Welcome to the team Alison Dauernheim and Mina Caputo!

Dauernheim will be the District's new Student Learning Coordinator. Caputo will join the administration team at Lincoln Middle School as an Assistant Principal.

Learn more about each at d64.org/news!

There is no shortage of reasons to be proud of all our students and staff! We celebrated our Young Author Award winners, Music in the Parks winners, Chicagoland Outstanding Music Educator Awardees, and newly tenured teachers!

At last night's board meeting, we celebrated the dedication and perseverance embodied by our District 64 Special Olympics team. 👏🎉

“These athletes are a constant source of inspiration. They remind us that with hard work, anything is possible,” said Special Education Teacher Amanda Gump. “They show us the true meaning of sportsmanship, celebrating not just victory but the effort and the journey itself. To our athletes, you are champions; you inspire all of us with your dedication and spirit.”

Way to make us proud! 🏃🚰🏃‍♀️

'Walk a mile in someone else’s shoes' is a phrase used to help people understand the experiences and challenges of others. This week, 7th graders at Lincoln Middle School took that to heart and walked over three miles as part of a bigger lesson.

Students transported containers from Lincoln to the Wildwood Nature Center, filled them at the pond, and brought them back to Lincoln. This activity provided insight into the daily life of children their age in a different community, simulating the journey many Sudanese people make to obtain water. This topic has been part of the 7th graders' studies.

Science classes studied the water cycle, water conservation, and waterborne diseases; math classes tracked personal water usage (as well as ways to conserve water at home and at school); social studies classes learned about the history and geography of Sudan and South Sudan, as well as the Second Sudanese Civil War.

In Aketch, South Sudan, you’ll find “Lincoln Middle School” etched into a well. Thanks to the hard work of Lincoln’s students and staff and the community's generosity, LMS has sponsored three wells in Sudan. In 2022, Lincoln raised more than $15,000 to help install the wells. Recently, we received pictures of the completed wells. Great job, everyone!

https://www.d64.org/news/1789898/lincoln-7th-graders-walk-for-water

Let’s give all our student musicians a big applause for an excellent showing at the recent Music in the Parks Festival.

🎵🎶👏

Our D64 groups earned 1st place in their respective divisions, making it a District 64 sweep! https://www.d64.org/news/1789537/a-sweep-for-d64-at-the-music-in-the-parks

Congratulations to D64's Erica Faulhaber and Ilona Hutter for winning the Chicagoland Outstanding Music Educator Award! https://www.d64.org/news/1789503/d64-duo-win-chicagoland-outstanding-music-educator-award

The celebrations continue because it's also National School Nurse Day! School Nurses care for the entire school population, especially the most vulnerable, playing an essential role in keeping all students in school, healthy, safe, and ready to learn. Thank you!

THANK YOU to all of our D64 teachers and educators for all you do. It's been easy celebrating such a great group this Educator Appreciation Week. The time and effort they give to making sure our students have what they need is nothing short of extraordinary.

Happy Arbor Day! Thank you to the City of Park Ridge for coming by and planting some trees at Carpenter Elementary School. Our students had fun getting to help a little and hearing about the history and importance of Arbor Day!

District 64 Park Ridge-Niles Curriculum Specialist Dina Pappas joined us at last week's City Council meeting to talk about Healthy Living Month, a community-wide initiative promoting healthy bodies and healthy minds. Weekly challenges have focused on different aspects of health and wellness. This week - Screen Free Week! Students are encouraged to take a break from their devices and engage in outdoor activities, reading, or simply connecting face-to-face with friends and family.

You know what they say: butterflies fly together. At least, that’s what we say at the Jefferson Early Childhood Center. Celebrating this Butterfly Buddies group at last night’s Board meeting was an honor. Throughout the year, students have been recognized as Butterfly Buddies for being wonderful workers, great friends to others, and helping hands! Jefferson Early Childhood Center - D64

Thank you to everyone who attended the final PT3 meeting! Superintendent Dr. Ben Collins presented on the Master Facilities Plan and the 2024 Proposal, and Director of Student Services Alicia Schmeisser talked about how this work intersects with the student services action plan.

For more information, presentation dates, and video tours, please visit www.d64.org/2024proposal

We had such a blast at this year's Special Olympics! Team D64 did awesome!! Congrats to all of our athletes who participated, and thank you to all of the volunteers who made this great day happen.

Do you hear that sound? It's the tune of District 64 being honored with the Best Communities for Music Education Award for the 2nd straight year!! The recognition highlights the district's commitment to providing outstanding music education opportunities to its students. https://www.d64.org/news/1786751/d64-earns-best-communities-for-music-education-award-for-2nd-straight-year

It's not every day a talent show breaks out at a Board meeting! Thank you to these Carpenter students for stopping by and making us laugh! 🤣

Congratulations to Sarah Kurian, a Field 5th grader, for winning 4th place at the North Cook Regional Spelling Bee! What an amazing accomplishment!

Emerson student artwork is on display at Triple Scoop'd Ice Cream in Park Ridge! Artwork will be displayed until the middle of April. Check out some amazing artwork while enjoying an ice cream cone!

Washington students had a fun visit from SkyDome, an indoor planetarium, come and set up in their school gym! Students learned about the sun and all the planets, our moon, the Milky Way Galaxy, and Greek constellations. Students also got to see the stars of the Northern Hemisphere exactly as they appeared on that day!

The community coffee series with Superintendent Dr. Ben Collins continues with a conversation about our District’s facilities and the Master Facilities Plan.

Come join us on Wednesday at 9:00 a.m. at South Park Rec Center (833 W Talcott Road, Park Ridge). Please let us know if you plan on attending so we can have enough coffee. Community members are encouraged to bring their own mugs.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdYAZJ3UKfWBTDGioEWHx_QdfuHJM_nsFHm6ahMqIe-IXGayQ/viewform

Check out these awesome photos from the Lincoln progress concert! Washington, Roosevelt, Lincoln, and Maine South bands performed along with special guest Superintendent Dr. Ben Collins on the drums. Lincoln Band Director and Music Teacher Ilona Hutter also surprised her students by changing into a Taylor Swift outfit when performing one of her songs, "Ready for It."