I’m pleased to share this District news with you….
Assistant Principal Support Added for Country Meadows, Kildeer, & Prairie
District 96 will welcome two elementary assistant principals in August. Joshua Higgins and Michael Senatore are standouts among a group of highly qualified candidates. The District 96 Board of Education unanimously approved their appointments at their meeting last night.
Mr. Higgins will be assistant principal at Kildeer Countryside Elementary School–the District 96 elementary school with the greatest number of students due to increased enrollments there in recent years. He comes to Kildeer from Schaumburg D54, where he has taught 6th grade since 2013. Previously, beginning in 2007, he taught grades 3–5 in New York, Indiana, and Illinois (Winnetka D36).
Mr. Senatore–coming to District 96 from Skokie D73.5–will serve as assistant principal in two District elementary schools, splitting his time between Country Meadows and Prairie. He has taught 2nd grade since 2012 and supported faculty in using technology effectively in the classroom.
The fourth District elementary school, Ivy Hall, already is served by Assistant Principal Kim Mollerdino, who assumed that role in August 2017.
Both Mr. Higgins and Mr. Senatore bring valuable leadership and curriculum implementation experience that will benefit our students and staff. Each will begin his new role on Aug. 1, 2019.
Solar Savings and STEM Opportunities
With the approval on Mar. 26 by Long Grove Village Board trustees of the District’s special use permit request, the process to request additional permits can now proceed to bring an alternative energy source to our Country Meadows Elementary/Woodlawn Middle School campus.
Ground-mounted solar panels located on District-owned acreage north of the school buildings will provide approximately 99 percent of the electricity used at Country Meadows/Woodlawn. The solar panels will feature a decorative design and be screened with a combination of berm, privacy fence, and landscaping.
Projected long-term savings from this solar array are significant. Savings after 9 years are expected to be approximately $3 million, which would pay for the project. A total 30-year energy savings is estimated to be approximately $9 million.
In addition to significant savings for taxpayers, this solar project has a STEM (Science, Engineering, Technology, Math) education benefit. Via a dashboard designed for this purpose, students and teachers will be able to track real-time energy use and production. The curriculum will include projects and presentations using this authentic data.
Reminder to Register by April 15
Finally, please be sure to register your returning student(s) for the 2019–2020 school year. Required annual fees for returning students increase by $20 after April 15–that is, in just a little over a week! Your registering your students promptly does matter, as it helps us more accurately anticipate our staffing needs. Need help? Please contact our public info coordinator.
We know that the weeks ahead will be hectic as this school year comes to an end. For busy parents pulled in many directions, it’s easy to forget that all the school projects and presentations and games and meets and concerts and recitals we’ll attend are reflections of our students’ learning and growth. Celebrate that growth–and let your kids see your pride in them!
Best wishes,
Julie Schmidt, District 96 Superintendent of Schools