Kaneland School District 302

As part of our ongoing commitment to effective communication, Kaneland School District 302 is pleased to offer an upgraded student management system to our families.  With increased access to relevant student information, parents can stay up-to-date on important aspects of their student’s performance, such as attendance and grades.

Not only will the new system increase the amount of information available to our families, but teachers and staff members will have access from anywhere, making grade reporting and updating easier and more efficient.

“The upgraded Student Management System is a robust, cloud-based system that provides our parents and staff with up-to-date information,” said Kaneland Director of Technology, Tim Wolf. “The system improves individualized information about students while providing teachers a more efficient method for teacher grade reporting.”

The new web-based system from Tyler Technologies will provide users access to student information including:

·        Live teacher gradebooks

·        Standardized, K-12 report cards

·        Homework assignments

·        Assessments

·        Discipline records

·        Attendance information

·        Medical records

·        Calendars

·        Fines and fees

·        Bus transportation information

·        Demographic data.

In July, Kaneland families will receive detailed instructions for accessing their student’s information via-web browser. The new web portal will replace Konnect, which will no longer be updated after June 15, 2015. The new system will also replace the Konnect mobile app. A new mobile application from Tyler Technologies will be available in January, 2016 to enable easy access to student information from any mobile device.

First graders at McDole Elementary School recently applied new learning to classic fairy tales. Embracing a S.T.E.A.M. approach to the literature, each class produced a fair that allowed students to share their learning with others.

“This is a departure from what our 1st graders have traditionally done in hopes to allow for more student choice and different learning styles and interests,” wrote 1st Grade teacher, Laura Bright.

The S.T.E.A.M. Fairs featured student plays, science experiments and various music and art explorations. Students chose a fairy tale, perfected a performance and conducted a science-based project from a list provided by teachers, including such interesting projects as: Three Little Pigs, build houses that can stand up to a blow dryer; Little Red Hen, bake bread; and The Emporer’s New Clothes, learn to weave. Prior to the fairs, students spent a few weeks understanding their chosen fairy tale and correlating project, conducting research and performing experiments. Additionally, classes Skyped with famous actor Michael Coleman from ABC’s television series Once Upon a Time.

“All 100 1st graders participated, and it was great for our performers to hear from a real actor.”

Once students had completed their preparations, classes put on a Fairy Tale S.T.E.A.M. Fair that included performances and project introductions, allowing students to share their learning with fellow classmates, parents and teachers. Following the formal speaking time, the format changed into one resembling a science fair, wherein parents were able to learn from student experts and even try a few experiments. Students prepared notecards to help with their project demonstrations and discussions.

The projects extended students’ understanding beyond fairy tales, allowing them to explore other interests while discovering the literature. The fairs featured creative activities that piqued student interest and showcased their learning.

This year, District 302 introduced a new student program: Project Kaneland Community.  The after school program aims to build kindness and student empowerment among 4th and 5th graders. Four Kaneland staff members volunteered their time throughout the 2014-15 school year to teach monthly after school sessions to build strong character and student advocacy.  

“It has been a very powerful program,” notes K-5 Director of Educational Services, Dr. Sarah Mumm.  

On April 29, 2015, D302 Associate Superintendent, Dr. Julie-Ann Fuchs was officially instated as Illinois ASBO Director. Fuchs, who has been a member of the association for ten years, credits the organization with providing her a wide range of opportunities.

“The learning and opportunities through Illinois ASBO have made a significant positive impact on my professional career. By being actively involved, I have access to resources, colleagues and information that I wouldn’t have access to. I have been able to implement many of these ideas in my district.”

As an Illinois ASBO Board member, Fuchs will have access to professional development opportunities and will engage in strategic conversations with fellow school business officials. The knowledge and experience she gains from such interactions will benefit the Kaneland community.

Recently, Ceramics, Intro to Art and Photography students at KHS participated in the annual "Appreciation for the Arts Day,” featuring a Raku firing. 

“During the firing, the students get to have a hands- on experience by putting their piece into the kiln and taking it out,” said teacher Carleen Gregg.

When the kiln is on and firing, it reaches 1900 degrees and fires for about 20 minutes. Students then take their art piece out and put it in the combustible bin where it starts to calm down and the glazes harden for another 20 minutes. Lastly, the pieces go into cool water and cool down to a point where students may handle them.

Though the firing takes some time to complete, art students and spectators enjoy the art-themed day by taking advantage of the opportunity to work on other artwork, draw on the sidewalk, or play games.

KHS students who participate in “Appreciation for the Arts Day” have an opportunity to see a different technique for firing clay, what chemicals of the glazes do when they are heated and analyze their own work, as well as the work of others, as they use different mediums of expression.

First graders at Kaneland John Stewart showed what they learned during the ocean unit with a Kahoot quiz. 

Questions were projected and each student entered their answer into an iPad. Data on the number of students who chose each response and the highest points holders was projected between each question.  This provided the teacher with an opportunity to clarify any misconceptions about the content of the question right away.  The kids demonstrated their learning and had fun!

In Mrs. Norton’s third grade math class, students experienced what it’s like to be a member of the working class. As they took on the role of architects, students were tasked with renovating the town square in a place called Quadrilateral City. They were required to draw a detailed map of their proposed design, develop a guidebook describing the unique characteristics of each feature included in their vision, then present and sell their design ideas at a town hall meeting. The catch, notes Norton, was that “our architects had to create each feature using only quadrilaterals!”

The project culminated in a design showcase where the third graders’ work was reviewed by peers from other math classes. The judges compared, evaluated, and cast their votes for the designs that best met the criteria set by the mayor of Quadrilateral City. Winners will be chosen and announced soon. According to Norton, the project demonstrated the growing skillset of some of Kaneland’s youngest thinkers. “The future is looking bright for this class of dedicated designers!”

Students at KanelandHigh School are encouraged to explore their unique interests. In December,several KHS students, with the help of staff sponsor, Renee Grisch, started Programming Club, a group comprised of students who shared a common interest in computer programming. Each week, club members gather with peers to share their skills, learn new techniques, and discuss ethical programming practices.

“We live in a digital/technology age and programming is at the stem of everything,” says Grisch. “Students need to be exposed to, and have practice, programming. In the ‘programming world’ the more experience a student has, the more valuable they become…experience over education.”

In fact, according to Salary.com –

 “While degrees are important in this [computer programming] field, employers tend to place more emphasis on work experience. This means that recent college graduates with good GPAs are having a hard time finding work because of their lack of practical experience. In general, those individuals with less education but strong knowledge and experience in several programming languages will have a better chance of finding employment than recent graduates. Therefore, students should try to take advantage of available work opportunities, including internships and work co-ops, while attending school.” (http://www.salary.com/computer-programming-career-education-and-advancement/)

Through Programming Club, students will not only gain experience and build their skillsets, they also plan to host guest speakers to discuss careers in programming and the education needed to pursue such careers. Additionally, club members are devising ways to get students in fifth through eighth grades involved by teaching mini-camps.

 “They want to get kids ‘hooked’ on programming,” says Grisch.

The newly-established Computer Programming Club at Kaneland High School provides students valuable experience and a productive way to connect with like-minded peers. KHS students are, in binary code, 01010000  01110010 01101111  01100111  01110010  01100001  01101101 01101101  01100101  01110010  01110011!

When most of us see a bottle cap, we see something to recycle or throw away. Few of us consider how that colorful bottle cap could be used to create beautiful art. The students at Kaneland Harter Middle School are doing just that, turning waste into art. Working in creative teams, the young artists use collected bottle caps, in a variety of colors, shapes and sizes, to create bottle cap sculptures. 

Fourth and fifth graders at Kaneland John Stewart Elementary School recently learned from an epidemiologist from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Students eagerly questioned Dr. Anne Purfield, who has worked for the CDC in a variety of capacities.  

She taught students about public health, disease outbreaks, and walked them through a disease outbreak simulation. 

The students learned about different public health initiatives of the CDC, what an outbreak is and how to analyze data to determine the next steps a scientist would take if an outbreak occurred. “Many students asked thoughtful questions and were inspired by her exciting career,” noted Tracy Maz.

Recently, 4th grade teacher, Kindra Schumacher visited a local elementary school to observe inquiry and writing, and was introduced to student-led book clubs. Schumacher and the rest of the 4th grade team determined that the book clubs would be a way for Kaneland students to engage with one another as they read the same text.

As is the case with many adult book clubs, students had some choice in their text selection. Teachers chose books from a range of guided reading levels and asked students to rank their interest in each. From there, they formed the groups. After the groups were formed, students developed norms for their group, which guide discussion on meeting days.

Book Clubs meet once a week.  Students are responsible for having their reading complete and their response sheet filled out for that assignment.  Each group has an agenda that they follow to ensure that students are discussing their reading and thinking and engaging with their peers to conduct educated discussions about books. .  

 “You can tell that students are very excited to meet in their book clubs,” said Schumacher. “I’ve heard them talk about how they couldn’t wait to read their book and asking other members of their book club if they had done their reading."

Kaneland teachers are making reading and writing come alive for students through the use of technology. At Kaneland McDole Elementary School, second graders interacted with published nonfiction author, Kevin Kurtz using Skype web conferencing. The author spoke to students about his decision to become a writer, how he chooses his book topics and the way he conducts research. Students were also able to ask questions they had prepared in advance.

“We are writing nonfiction books and studying informational book features, so to talk with a published author about the procedures he uses for research and writing was helpful and motivating,” notes teacher, Jen Schieber. 

The opportunity to converse with an author, and ask questions about his craft, is beneficial for budding writers. Using technology to provide students opportunities such as these not only gives them access to experts, but also creates authentic learning experiences in the classroom.

It was a night of laughter and fun-filled entertainment as several KHS students performed at the annual Mr. Kaneland pageant. The event raised more than $5,000 dollars for the Kaneland Cares Fund, which provides assistance to local families in need.

Mr. Kaneland candidates and MC's: (row 1) Omar Aguilar, Diego Ruiz, Andrew Lesak, Philip Rowers, (row 2) Dean Divisio, Johnathan Heumann, James Tockstein, Allie VanBogaert, Dillon Lynn, Josh Yeggy and Blaine Rivas.

At Blackberry Creek Elementary School, all afternoon Early Childhood classes join together weekly for hands-on group center activities that develop cooperative interaction skills using play materials, games and learning stations. As students collaborate, they acquire important social skills such as peer interaction and turn taking.

“This type of learning is important to today’s learner because in Early Childhood we are working to build the educational foundation for our students, helping them to become learner-ready for kindergarten,” says teacher, Kimberly Korst. “This encompasses developing social skills including turn taking and listening, while also learning how to cooperatively engage with others during academic work tasks.”

During the weekly cooperative learning time, Early Childhood students work in small groups to complete academic tasks and develop imaginative play schemes.

“Group centers allows our Early Childhood students to further cooperative learning skills with peers outside of their own classroom, while participating in activities that build upon social and academic skills that will prepare them for future learning.”

The Math RTI Team at Kaneland John Stewart recently hosted an in-house professional development opportunity for teachers. The event, called Decks, Dice and Donuts featured classroom math games that work on fact fluency.