Fighting for What’s Right
“I want us to claim this role [of warrior] for ourselves,
to be warriors for the human spirit,
people brave enough to refrain from adding
to the fear and aggression of this time.
This is no easy task, not to meet aggression with aggression,
to consciously choose to stay out of fear
and support others to do the same,
to quell the anxiety and anger that erupts so reflexively and choose for peace.
Of course it’s hard – what isn’t these days?
I just want to be struggling for the right things.”
– Margaret Wheatley
Aug. 6, 2018
Dear District 97 Families,
Welcome to the 2018-2019 school year! We’ve spent this summer preparing for the year of Fighting for What’s Right, and we’re excited to greet our wonderful students on Wednesday, Aug. 22.
At District 97, we’re committed to the vision of create a positive learning environment for all students that is equitable, inclusive and focused on the whole child. We consider it a privilege to educate and care for your children!
Our core values and beliefs shape our behavior and actions. Fighting for What’s Right means helping every one of our students witness, achieve or begin experiencing what it means to be:
- A known, nurtured. and celebrated LEARNER. We’re working every day to ensure every student feels a sense of belonging and is meaningfully engaged in rigorous learning – with her/his unique needs being met and her/his strengths leveraged.
- An empowered and passionate SCHOLAR. We’re dedicated to inspiring every student to develop his/her full potential – academic, physical, artistic and emotional – in order to cultivate high intellectual performance.
- A confident and persistent ACHIEVER. We’re committed to ensuring that every student has access and opportunity to learn at high levels, eliminating the predictability of learning outcomes associated with race, gender and socioeconomic status.
- A creative CRITICAL THINKER AND GLOBAL CITIZEN. We strive to meaningfully engage every student in our learning environments and challenge each to become a critical thinker, creative solution seeker and contributor to the global community.
In order to bring those goals within reach, we’re implementing the strategic directions outlined in our five-year year Vision97 4ALL plan (spanning 2017 to 2022).
As Aug. 22 draws near, we invite you to use this website to access your school’s calendar, which will highlight upcoming school events and activities. Finally, to stay up to date with the latest news, please follow us on Twitter and Facebook.
We are so excited to kick off a new year of creating a positive learning environment for all students that is equitable, inclusive and focused on the whole child!
Sincerely,
Dr. Carol L. Kelley
Superintendent