Please welcome Mr. Brandon Pedersen and Mr. Blake Dole to the D76 Leadership Team
Mr. Pederson grew up in Iowa and graduated from the University of Iowa with a Bachelor's Degree in Science Education. After teaching high school science for six years, he attended Benedictine University and received a Master's Degree in Education Administration. Since then, he has served as a Dean of Students for the past eight years. Mr. Pederson is excited and humbled for the opportunity to join the D76 team and serve the students, families, faculty and staff of West Oaks Middle School.
Over the past six years, Mr. Dole has worked in Special Education as an Adapted Physical Education (APE) teacher in the western suburbs. As an APE teacher, he provided services designed to help students grow in their physical abilities, successfully engage in physical activities and improve their overall health. His passion for students with special needs began during his time at Illinois State University, where he completed a Bachelor’s Degree from Illinois State. Mr. Dole’s passion for learning continued at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, where he received a Master's in APE and then at Aurora University, where he completed a Master's in Leadership in Education. He is excited to be a part of D76 and serve it's families and staff.
Teaching and Learning
As our 2019-2020 school year comes to a very unique close we are looking forward to the 2020-2021 school year with our Planning Forward initiative. Recognizing that teachers and students were unable to enjoy the benefits of traditional schooling in the 3rd trimester, teachers are now planning for the 2020-2021 school year by identifying key concepts and skills that will need to be reinforced. Teachers are working in their grade level and content area teams to identify the essential skills and concepts that can be integrated into next year’s curriculum while maintaining the integrity of the curriculum. In unprecedented times such as these, we are forced to adapt and change to meet our student’s needs. We are excited to be Planning Forward for the 2020-2021 school year with a focus on capturing previous skills and concepts while supporting student growth and achievement.
Facilities
D76 will be starting summer construction early and begin the West Oak Campus roof replacement project the week of May 18th. All work is expected to be completed by the end of July.
Finance
Summer Food Service Program
D76 will continue to operate its food service program throughout summer! The meal program will still have its pick-up dates every Monday and Wednesday at West Oak Campus from 10:00 am - 12:00 pm and provide 5 meals a week to all families.
Pandemic Family Assistance Application Available
The Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) launched the Pandemic Family Assistance Program (P-EBT) for families on May 1. The application can be found HERE. P-EBT is a new special benefit that can help families buy food for their school age children who would normally receive National School Lunch Program (NSLP) free or reduced-priced meals when schools are in session.
Families that currently receive SNAP benefits do not need to apply for P-EBT benefits. These additional P-EBT benefits will be loaded into Illinois LINK EBT accounts along with regular SNAP benefits. Families who do not currently receive SNAP benefits but do have children who receive NSLP free or reduced-priced meals will need to apply directly with IDHS.
Instructional Technology & Communications
Continuing to educate, communicate, and collaborate in the midst of a pandemic our D76 staff and students have exhibited perseverance and growth implementing distance learning technology.
Video Conferencing
The absence of in person classroom instruction video conferencing provides a bridge in the gap of classroom and small group instruction and communication. We encourage when participating in video conferencing all stakeholders follow our guidelines.
Technology Services
Even though our students are not physically in schools our Technology Department offers around the clock remote and by appointment assistance with our staff and students. If parents and/or students have an issue with the following we encourage you to email studenthelpdeks@dist76.org or call 847-388-2500.
- Student School Device (Chromebook, iPad)
- Home Internet Assistance (Checkout a Hot Spot)
Instructional Technology Resources
In addition to classroom digital resources shared in grade level DLO’s we District 76 has a vast amount of educational exploratory resources available on our Learning Resources and Diamond Collection pages.
Upcoming Events
- Memorial Day (No School): May 25th
- Institute Day (No School): May 26th
- Virtual Board of Education Meeting: June 2nd at 7:00 pm
- Last Day of School: June 11th
- Virtual Board of Education Meeting: June 16th at 7:00 pm
- Virtual Summer School: June 22nd - July 30th
- View More visiting our website
