North Cook News

School will be starting for Arlington Heights students on Aug. 17 as part of the calendar passed by the District 25 Board of Education recently.

The board heard a presentation from Assistant Superintendent for Personnel and Planning Brian Kaye that included the ins and outs of the proposed 2023-24 academic calendar. He said the calendar committee strives to make the best possible calendar for the students, teachers, staff and families alike. They also try to match things up with District 14, as many families split students in the districts.

“The Calendar Committee's main goal is to prepare a school calendar that will meet the needs of our students and our stakeholders,” Kaye said in the meeting. “In addition, the Calendar Committee attempts to build as much continuity and cohesiveness with the structure of the school calendar in order to capitalize on student learning. Therefore, the School Calendar Committee reflects on the school calendar from the previous year and engages in discussion regarding what has worked well and what may look to change to improve in the future.”

Teachers and staff will report to work between Monday, Aug. 14 and Wednesday, Aug.16 for instructional and team days, and students will follow on Thursday, Aug. 17. The last day of school will be Friday, May 31, 2023, for a full day. The last day for staff is Monday, June 3.

The district will have parent/teacher conferences in October and February, which is earlier than most do traditionally. Kaye said District 25 has them during this time because they believe any earlier intervention with parents can only benefit a student’s growth and learning.

District 25 will have the entire week of Thanksgiving off. Board member Rich Olejniczak had concerns about this from an educational impact since there will be two weeks off over the holiday break soon thereafter. Kaye said the school community and staff supports the week off.

The district also aligned holiday and spring breaks with District 14. The district also has a school improvement day planned with District 14 and all feeder schools on Monday, Jan. 8. This is to collaborate on professional development. Two emergency days are built into the end of the school year and three into the school year on nonattendance days.

The District Calendar Committee includes representatives from the PTA Council, the Arlington Teachers Association and District 25 administrators. Kaye said the collaborative considers requests from all stakeholder groups to create a calendar that meets the needs of the district as a whole.

The school board voted 4-1 to support the calendar, with Olejniczak voting against.