Hawthorn Happenings - May 2008

Read on for more information about our schools, including our Middle School Math League Champions, state-bound track student-athletes, award-winning authors and musicians, special learning units and more... More»

Hawthorn Earns 2008 Bright Red Apple Award

Once again, the SchoolSearch organization has awarded Hawthorn District 73 the Bright Red Apple Award of Excellence. Out of 871 Illinois school districts in Illinois, only 91 earned this designation. The award is based on academic performance, pupil/teacher ratio, expenditure per pupil, education level of teachers, and average teacher salary. Hawthorn is proud to have received this award for the past several years. For more information, visit www.schoolsearchrankings.com.

Frosh Survey Results

Hawthorn alumni who are now completing their freshman year in high school feel they were generally prepared for the high school experience, according to the results of an online survey conducted by Hawthorn District 73. Dr. Sue Zook presented the results of the survey during the May 12 Board of Education Meeting. Freshman alumni, who were contacted through their current schools, took the survey during March. Two hundred students responded, offering thoughtful feedback on a number of areas, including study habits, technology use, achievement, the Hawthorn environment and more. The Freshman Survey presentation and the Survey Results Summary are available on our Learning@Hawthorn webpages. Thank you to all of the students who took time to participate!

Middle School Career Day is May 16

Hawthorn Middle North and Middle South will hold Career Day on the morning of May 16. Students will learn about career options from community volunteers representing a wide range of employment options. Hawthorn is grateful to our volunteers and to their organizations for supporting our students schools. Please read on for a list of the scheduled participants... More»

2008-2009 Board Meeting Schedule Approved

On April 28, the Hawthorn Board of Education approved the 2008-2009 meeting schedule. As in the past, the board will continue to meet on the second and fourth Monday of the month. However during this upcoming calendar, the first meeting of the month will be dedicated to committee issues and discussion while the second will be held to review and approve business items. Please read on for more details... More»

Tenure Granted to 16 Teachers

During the April 28 Board Meeting, Hawthorn extended tenure to 16 teachers. From Elementary North, Angelena Colon and Sachiko Kim. From Elementary South, Anne Moebius. From Aspen Elementary, Anthony Carlsen, Carl Fritz (who is also at Townline) and Lisa Roberts. From Townline Elementary, Raquel Kim, Marissa Vazquez and Katie Wheeler. From Middle North, Erin Brickman, Cathy Dismer, Rachel Serlin, Sheryl Swanson and Brandon Todd. From Middle South, Sara Hilger and Daniel Yablonsky. Congratulations!

Openings Still Available for Hawthorn Enrichment Summer Program

Openings are still available for the Hawthorn Enrichment Summer Program. You can register by contacting Jan Greene at Aspen Elementary during school hours, or by emailing her at greenej@hawthorn73.org. The course brochure and other information is posted on our Summer School webpage. This webpage also offers information about Hawthorn's other summer learning opportunities - Hawthorn Music Camp and Jump Start Summer Scholars.

Hawthorn Elementaries to Welcome Two New Assistant Principals

The Hawthorn family is pleased to welcome Luis Salto and Robert Collins, who have been named Assistant Principals for our elementary schools. Both positions begin in mid-summer and feature a split schedule between schools. Mr. Salto will serve at Elementary North and Townline while Mr. Collins will serve at Elementary South and Aspen. More information is available on the April 21 letter, which is being sent home with all of our students beginning that date.

2008-2009 School Calendar and End-of-Year Changes

To help parents with planning, a 2008-2009 Hawthorn School Calendar is now available. This calendar shows that the first day for students in grades 1 through 8 will be Monday, August 25. Kindergarten students will begin the following day. As we look to the end of this school year, we will make up "snow days" in June. On the newly adjusted calendar, the last day for students in grades 1 through 7 will be Monday, June 9, 2008. This will be a one-hour day for report card distribution. The last day for our kindergarten students will be Friday, June 6. Our 8th graders finish on June 4 with 8th Grade Promotion. Additional dates are posted on the Online Calendar.

Community Notes Webpage Offers Local Announcements

Hawthorn has launched the Community Notes webpage offering announcements from our community partners. The webpage is designed to share information that may be of interest to Hawthorn families, while also reducing the amount of paper going home with our students. Inclusion on this webpage does not mean that Hawthorn endorses any of these programs. Please visit the Community Notes webpage to learn more.