Frankfort C.C. School District 157-C Administrative Office 10482 Nebraska Street Frankfort, Illinois 60423 Telephone (815) 469-5922 www.fsd157c.org

Non-profit Organization STD MAIL

CAR-RT SORT U.S. POSTAGE PAID

Permit #17 Frankfort, IL 60423-2235

POSTAL CUSTOMER FRANKFORT, ILLINOIS 60423

PRINTED ON RECYCLED PAPER

The Learning Connection Newsletter

GRAND PRAIRIE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL • CHELSEA INTERMEDIATE SCHOOL • HICKORY CREEK MIDDLE SCHOOL

FRANKFORT SCHOOL DISTRICT 157-C

A Tradition of Excellence

Summer 2014

SUPERINTENDENT Dr. Maura J. Zinni BOARD OF EDUCATION Christopher McFadden, President Patrick Usher, Vice President Edie Adamski, Secretary Gina Briese, Member Cari Ann Mills, Member Dr. Brian Sasso, Member Mike Turner, Member EDITOR Nancy J. Neuzil

Inside this issue . . . ♦ A smooth transition to the new school year ♦ Staff recognized for benchmark years of service ♦ Keeping our buildings clean and operational

FRANKFORT SCHOOL DISTRICT 157-C

MISSION STATEMENT The mission of District 157-C is to prepare all students to be confident, life-long learners and productive citizens by challenging them to reach their fullest potential and by providing a quality educational environment in partnership with family and community

DATES TO REMEMBER August 18 Board of Education meeting Teacher Institute, No School

August 19 Teacher Institute, No School

August 20 Grades K-8 First Day of School, Full Day, Regular Hours

August 21 - Project BEGIN First Day of School

August 29 School Improvement Day Early Dismissal

September 1 Labor Day Holiday, No School

A message to District families from your Superintendent

~ It is such a privilege to be your new superin-tendent! I am very proud to be part of this high-achieving, pro-gressive district that always honors its his-tory and puts the chil-dren first.

Please join us in con-gratulating our staff members earning benchmark years of service. These individu-als are truly dedicated to our community’s children. They will be recognized during our first Teacher Institute Day.

We welcome you to visit whenever you can. Thank you for your support of our efforts on behalf of the chil-dren. If you have a question or concern, please feel free to con-tact my office at (815) 469-5922 .

Dr. Maura J. Zinni

Award-winning newsletter

A smooth transition to the new school year F ollowing an excellent 2013-2014 school year, we are busy preparing the buildings for the return of the students. Under the leadership of Dr. Maura Zinni, administrators and staff are meeting over the summer to put finishing touches on curriculum updates, unit design, assessment and scheduling. Meanwhile, all of the build-ings are being cleaned, con-struction projects are taking place and many technology upgrades are being made. The buildings are buzzing with activity over the summer but we look forward to sights and sounds of the students again. We ended the last school year with a wealth of educational activi-ties, as well as some that were just plain fun. Grand Prairie first graders enjoyed “Dining with Dads,” Project BEGIN graduated 37 students, second graders

participated in Step Up day at Chelsea and the Frankfort Fire Department brought bomb sniffing dogs to the school. The children participated in

several events for charity, celebrated the literature of Dr. Seuss, took part in a Martial Arts assembly and enjoyed their annual Field Day event with a live disk jockey.

Chelsea students concluded the year with a series of “Awesome Year” activities, designed to further the messages from the “Character

Counts” character education pro-gram. They also enjoyed an as-sembly and participated in their annual Field Day event. Hickory Creek students partici-pated in their annual Cystic Fibrosis Walk, held their Spring Musical, went on field trips to downtown Chicago, held a Roman Day, participated in band, choral and athletic events, made movies in technol-ogy classes and graduated 299 students from the class of 2014. These are just a few of the activities the students enjoyed at the end of the year. Now we are

looking forward to the return of the children on August 20 for the start of a great 2014-2015 school year!

(l-r) Chelsea third graders Madison Rogers, Myia Scott-Stirn, Kate DeCero and Addison Winchel during their Field Day activities.

(l-r) Grand Prairie first graders Amelia Shanahan, Owen Emch, Michael Cleveland and Ashlyn White. The walk for the Juvenile

Diabetes Research Foundation. raised over $13,000.

Please join us at our school events

“MEET AND GREET” Tuesday, August 19

Grand Prairie, 9:30-11:15 a.m., Chelsea 1:30-3:15 p.m., Hickory Creek 12:30-2:30 p.m.

PROJECT BEGIN ORIENTATION Wednesday, August 20, Grand Prairie 9:30 a.m. (AM Classes), 12:30 p.m. (PM Classes)

CURRICULUM NIGHTS

Grand Prairie August 18, Kindergarten 6:00-6:45 p.m

August 21, Grades 1 & 2, 6:00-6:45 p.m. or 7:00-7:45 p.m.

Chelsea September 4, Grade 3, 5:30-6:30 p.m.

September 4, Encore available for all parents, 6:30-7:00 p.m. September 4, Grades 4 & 5, 7:00-8:00 p.m.

Hickory Creek Middle School August 25, Grade 6, 6:30-8:30 p.m.

August 26, Grades 7 & 8, 6:30-8:30 p.m.

W e invite you to join us at our upcoming school events! We value you as members of our Frankfort School District family and welcome you to our schools. For more information, visit www.fsd157c.org.

The Hickory Creek Middle School Spring Musical, “Joseph & The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat,” was a huge success.

Keeping our buildings clean and operational

Barb Campbell 35 years

W hen you pass our three schools over the summer, please don’t think we are closed for vacation! The day after school ended for the students, the work began in earnest for Assistant Superinten-

dent Curt Saindon, Director of Building & Grounds Dan Spacek and their staff. In addition to the routine sum-mer cleaning, several preventive maintenance projects and grounds work began as part of renovation, repair and replacement construc-tion projects. The work that takes place each summer keeps our buildings looking good and oper-ating efficiently. The summer cleaning team includes a crew of seven custodi-ans, seven to eight Aramark work-

ers and some high school and college student workers. Due to a number of snow days over the winter, the challenge this year was to complete the summer cleaning and the additional projects in just nine weeks instead of the usual ten weeks.

Allowing about three weeks per building, the regular summer team cleaning includes the empty-ing of all classrooms, washing down all walls, windows and screens, cleaning carpets, cleaning and sanitizing all desks and clean-ing/waxing the floors. In addi-tion, the air handling system is cleaned and sanitized, some areas need repainting, the drains are sanitized, ceiling tiles and white boards are replaced where needed and landscaping is maintained and improved as necessary.

Additional projects totaling about half a million dollars this year include resurfacing the track and soffit repair at Hickory Creek Middle School and replacing the playground mulch at Grand Prairie Elementary with solid bonded rub-ber mulch. The biggest effort is at our old-est school, Chelsea Intermediate, where air conditioning univents, a chiller and condensing unit that were original equipment in the building are being replaced with energy-efficient units. The projects are being funded through a $50,000 Health Life Safety grant, a $100,000 Illinois School Mainte-nance grant and about $400,000 from District Operation & Mainte-nance reserves saved up over time for these projects. In addition, a water heater and rooftop air con-densing units are being replaced with new energy-efficient units, controls will be installed for HVAC, and tuck-pointing, flashing and seal coating work will also be completed at Chelsea. Many of the projects are being done in-house, saving the district thousands of dollars. Assistant Superintendent Curt Saindon stated, “We spend very little on outside contractors except for big projects.” Director of Buildings and Grounds Dan Spacek credited the crew stating, “We are blessed and lucky with the technical apti-tude of our crew to help us keep things running well.” Another big project being com-pleted this summer includes Direc-tor of Technology Jake Nelson leading a team of technology work-ers to replace the older computers at Grand Prairie and those in the new wing at Chelsea. In addition, Director of Curricu-lum & Instruction Janet Goggins commended the kindergarten through eighth grade regular and special education teachers who came to school every day through the month of June to complete curriculum work, unit design and assessment development. Superintendent Dr. Maura Zinni is pleased with the work being completed. She stated, “Everyone working together over summer is intent on the schools being spar-kling clean, safe and educationally ready for the students when they return on August 20. We are very impressed with the dedication of our staff.”

Susan Niendorf 30 years

Dana Ruff 25 years

Patrick Feehan 20 years

Cindy Lang 20 years

Sandy Pechtold 20 years

Pam Snyder 20 years

Jean Dyer 15 years

John Ferraro 15 years

Susan Kazmierczak 15 years

Kristen Michalski 15 years

Tammy Szkolny 15 years

Kellie Aranowski 10 years

Jennifer Belitz 10 years

Bonnie Deval 10 years

Cheryl Donovan 10 years

Jennifer Elia 10 years

Becky Feigel 10 years

Michele Hannigan 10 years

Christine Meade 10 years

Karen Nelson 10 years

Michele Piunti 10 years

Marybeth Raynes 10 years

Stacy Rutovic 10 years

Donna Wherly 10 years

Lynn Winans 10 years

David Wonder 10 years

Richelle Schneider 10 years

Kristi Spengler 10 years

Brooke Turnbough 10 years

Congratulations to staff for benchmark years of service

(l-r) Staff members Jim Martin and Rich Allen work over the summer to deep clean and polish all floors in the buildings. (All construction photos courtesy

of Director of Building & Grounds Dan Spacek.)

(l-r) Staff members Anthony Dituri and Dan Kohut inspect the

resurfaced track at Hickory Creek.

The crew carefully cleans and sanitizes all desks and furniture.

Staff member Brian Ziman uses a meter to check equipment on the roof.

All furniture is moved to the hallways for deep cleaning of classrooms.

Technology Team (l-r front) Bill Fath, Kathy Graf, Dawn Davis (l-r back) Alex Popek and Director of Technology Jacob Nelson.

It was time to replace some of the original equipment at Chelsea with

energy-efficient units.

The lockers are cleaned and ready.

Keeping our buildings clean and operational

Barb Campbell 35 years

W hen you pass our three schools over the summer, please don’t think we are closed for vacation! The day after school ended for the students, the work began in earnest for Assistant Superinten-

dent Curt Saindon, Director of Building & Grounds Dan Spacek and their staff. In addition to the routine sum-mer cleaning, several preventive maintenance projects and grounds work began as part of renovation, repair and replacement construc-tion projects. The work that takes place each summer keeps our buildings looking good and oper-ating efficiently. The summer cleaning team includes a crew of seven custodi-ans, seven to eight Aramark work-

ers and some high school and college student workers. Due to a number of snow days over the winter, the challenge this year was to complete the summer cleaning and the additional projects in just nine weeks instead of the usual ten weeks.

Allowing about three weeks per building, the regular summer team cleaning includes the empty-ing of all classrooms, washing down all walls, windows and screens, cleaning carpets, cleaning and sanitizing all desks and clean-ing/waxing the floors. In addi-tion, the air handling system is cleaned and sanitized, some areas need repainting, the drains are sanitized, ceiling tiles and white boards are replaced where needed and landscaping is maintained and improved as necessary.

Additional projects totaling about half a million dollars this year include resurfacing the track and soffit repair at Hickory Creek Middle School and replacing the playground mulch at Grand Prairie Elementary with solid bonded rub-ber mulch. The biggest effort is at our old-est school, Chelsea Intermediate, where air conditioning univents, a chiller and condensing unit that were original equipment in the building are being replaced with energy-efficient units. The projects are being funded through a $50,000 Health Life Safety grant, a $100,000 Illinois School Mainte-nance grant and about $400,000 from District Operation & Mainte-nance reserves saved up over time for these projects. In addition, a water heater and rooftop air con-densing units are being replaced with new energy-efficient units, controls will be installed for HVAC, and tuck-pointing, flashing and seal coating work will also be completed at Chelsea. Many of the projects are being done in-house, saving the district thousands of dollars. Assistant Superintendent Curt Saindon stated, “We spend very little on outside contractors except for big projects.” Director of Buildings and Grounds Dan Spacek credited the crew stating, “We are blessed and lucky with the technical apti-tude of our crew to help us keep things running well.” Another big project being com-pleted this summer includes Direc-tor of Technology Jake Nelson leading a team of technology work-ers to replace the older computers at Grand Prairie and those in the new wing at Chelsea. In addition, Director of Curricu-lum & Instruction Janet Goggins commended the kindergarten through eighth grade regular and special education teachers who came to school every day through the month of June to complete curriculum work, unit design and assessment development. Superintendent Dr. Maura Zinni is pleased with the work being completed. She stated, “Everyone working together over summer is intent on the schools being spar-kling clean, safe and educationally ready for the students when they return on August 20. We are very impressed with the dedication of our staff.”

Susan Niendorf 30 years

Dana Ruff 25 years

Patrick Feehan 20 years

Cindy Lang 20 years

Sandy Pechtold 20 years

Pam Snyder 20 years

Jean Dyer 15 years

John Ferraro 15 years

Susan Kazmierczak 15 years

Kristen Michalski 15 years

Tammy Szkolny 15 years

Kellie Aranowski 10 years

Jennifer Belitz 10 years

Bonnie Deval 10 years

Cheryl Donovan 10 years

Jennifer Elia 10 years

Becky Feigel 10 years

Michele Hannigan 10 years

Christine Meade 10 years

Karen Nelson 10 years

Michele Piunti 10 years

Marybeth Raynes 10 years

Stacy Rutovic 10 years

Donna Wherly 10 years

Lynn Winans 10 years

David Wonder 10 years

Richelle Schneider 10 years

Kristi Spengler 10 years

Brooke Turnbough 10 years

Congratulations to staff for benchmark years of service

(l-r) Staff members Jim Martin and Rich Allen work over the summer to deep clean and polish all floors in the buildings. (All construction photos courtesy

of Director of Building & Grounds Dan Spacek.)

(l-r) Staff members Anthony Dituri and Dan Kohut inspect the

resurfaced track at Hickory Creek.

The crew carefully cleans and sanitizes all desks and furniture.

Staff member Brian Ziman uses a meter to check equipment on the roof.

All furniture is moved to the hallways for deep cleaning of classrooms.

Technology Team (l-r front) Bill Fath, Kathy Graf, Dawn Davis (l-r back) Alex Popek and Director of Technology Jacob Nelson.

It was time to replace some of the original equipment at Chelsea with

energy-efficient units.

The lockers are cleaned and ready.

Frankfort C.C. School District 157-C Administrative Office 10482 Nebraska Street Frankfort, Illinois 60423 Telephone (815) 469-5922 www.fsd157c.org

Non-profit Organization STD MAIL

CAR-RT SORT U.S. POSTAGE PAID

Permit #17 Frankfort, IL 60423-2235

POSTAL CUSTOMER FRANKFORT, ILLINOIS 60423

PRINTED ON RECYCLED PAPER

The Learning Connection Newsletter

GRAND PRAIRIE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL • CHELSEA INTERMEDIATE SCHOOL • HICKORY CREEK MIDDLE SCHOOL

FRANKFORT SCHOOL DISTRICT 157-C

A Tradition of Excellence

Summer 2014

SUPERINTENDENT Dr. Maura J. Zinni BOARD OF EDUCATION Christopher McFadden, President Patrick Usher, Vice President Edie Adamski, Secretary Gina Briese, Member Cari Ann Mills, Member Dr. Brian Sasso, Member Mike Turner, Member EDITOR Nancy J. Neuzil

Inside this issue . . . ♦ A smooth transition to the new school year ♦ Staff recognized for benchmark years of service ♦ Keeping our buildings clean and operational

FRANKFORT SCHOOL DISTRICT 157-C

MISSION STATEMENT The mission of District 157-C is to prepare all students to be confident, life-long learners and productive citizens by challenging them to reach their fullest potential and by providing a quality educational environment in partnership with family and community

DATES TO REMEMBER August 18 Board of Education meeting Teacher Institute, No School

August 19 Teacher Institute, No School

August 20 Grades K-8 First Day of School, Full Day, Regular Hours

August 21 - Project BEGIN First Day of School

August 29 School Improvement Day Early Dismissal

September 1 Labor Day Holiday, No School

A message to District families from your Superintendent

~ It is such a privilege to be your new superin-tendent! I am very proud to be part of this high-achieving, pro-gressive district that always honors its his-tory and puts the chil-dren first.

Please join us in con-gratulating our staff members earning benchmark years of service. These individu-als are truly dedicated to our community’s children. They will be recognized during our first Teacher Institute Day.

We welcome you to visit whenever you can. Thank you for your support of our efforts on behalf of the chil-dren. If you have a question or concern, please feel free to con-tact my office at (815) 469-5922 .

Dr. Maura J. Zinni

Award-winning newsletter

A smooth transition to the new school year F ollowing an excellent 2013-2014 school year, we are busy preparing the buildings for the return of the students. Under the leadership of Dr. Maura Zinni, administrators and staff are meeting over the summer to put finishing touches on curriculum updates, unit design, assessment and scheduling. Meanwhile, all of the build-ings are being cleaned, con-struction projects are taking place and many technology upgrades are being made. The buildings are buzzing with activity over the summer but we look forward to sights and sounds of the students again. We ended the last school year with a wealth of educational activi-ties, as well as some that were just plain fun. Grand Prairie first graders enjoyed “Dining with Dads,” Project BEGIN graduated 37 students, second graders

participated in Step Up day at Chelsea and the Frankfort Fire Department brought bomb sniffing dogs to the school. The children participated in

several events for charity, celebrated the literature of Dr. Seuss, took part in a Martial Arts assembly and enjoyed their annual Field Day event with a live disk jockey.

Chelsea students concluded the year with a series of “Awesome Year” activities, designed to further the messages from the “Character

Counts” character education pro-gram. They also enjoyed an as-sembly and participated in their annual Field Day event. Hickory Creek students partici-pated in their annual Cystic Fibrosis Walk, held their Spring Musical, went on field trips to downtown Chicago, held a Roman Day, participated in band, choral and athletic events, made movies in technol-ogy classes and graduated 299 students from the class of 2014. These are just a few of the activities the students enjoyed at the end of the year. Now we are

looking forward to the return of the children on August 20 for the start of a great 2014-2015 school year!

(l-r) Chelsea third graders Madison Rogers, Myia Scott-Stirn, Kate DeCero and Addison Winchel during their Field Day activities.

(l-r) Grand Prairie first graders Amelia Shanahan, Owen Emch, Michael Cleveland and Ashlyn White. The walk for the Juvenile

Diabetes Research Foundation. raised over $13,000.

Please join us at our school events

“MEET AND GREET” Tuesday, August 19

Grand Prairie, 9:30-11:15 a.m., Chelsea 1:30-3:15 p.m., Hickory Creek 12:30-2:30 p.m.

PROJECT BEGIN ORIENTATION Wednesday, August 20, Grand Prairie 9:30 a.m. (AM Classes), 12:30 p.m. (PM Classes)

CURRICULUM NIGHTS

Grand Prairie August 18, Kindergarten 6:00-6:45 p.m

August 21, Grades 1 & 2, 6:00-6:45 p.m. or 7:00-7:45 p.m.

Chelsea September 4, Grade 3, 5:30-6:30 p.m.

September 4, Encore available for all parents, 6:30-7:00 p.m. September 4, Grades 4 & 5, 7:00-8:00 p.m.

Hickory Creek Middle School August 25, Grade 6, 6:30-8:30 p.m.

August 26, Grades 7 & 8, 6:30-8:30 p.m.

W e invite you to join us at our upcoming school events! We value you as members of our Frankfort School District family and welcome you to our schools. For more information, visit www.fsd157c.org.

The Hickory Creek Middle School Spring Musical, “Joseph & The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat,” was a huge success.