Goal 4: Family and Community Connections

What We Will Achieve Families and the community are engaged as valued partners in the education process

What Is Our Priority Work

Strategy 10 - Communication and collaboration with families and the community give them voice and opportunities for engagement and input and create new partnerships, all of which build trust and unity in the District 86 community.
Strategy 11 - Partnerships with the community enhance student vocational, career, and life readiness.

Accomplishments and Initiatives

Initiatives for the 2022-23 School Year

Redesigned family of websites
- Educate stakeholders about the features of the new sites
- Train staff on how to update/manage pages for their schools, departments, etc.
- Make any necessary modifications to pages/sites
- Work with schools and departments to keep information up to date
Panorama surveys
- Administer next round of student, staff and family surveys in the fall - moving administration date to October based on input from stakeholders that September was too early in the school year to collect feedback
- Improve participation rates among families and staff
- Compare percentage of families who respond favorably to the topic Family-School Communications on the family back-to-school survey with results from last year; identify strengths and opportunities for improvement
ParentSquare
- Explore the possibility of moving to ParentSquare at the start of the 2023-24 school year
- Features and functions of the platform would enable the district to consolidate the number of communication tools we use on a daily basis and save money
Tip Line
- Publicize/promote our move to a new Tip Line
Video series
- Continue creating episodes of “Inside the Classroom”
- Continue providing video updates about the status of Future Ready Facilities projects
Print and electronic communications
- Continue using the district’s print and electronic communications to promote what is going on in the district and ways people can get involved in or help guide our work
  - Redesigned websites
  - Videos
  - Updates from 86 emails
  - First Look and Board Briefs
  - Print newsletters
  - Social media
Community outreach and engagement
- Board and superintendent committees
- Student, parent/guardian and community groups
- Alumni relations

Accomplishments from the 2021-22 School Year

Provided information about the opportunities that exist for stakeholders to ask questions, offer comments or provide feedback about important issues or initiatives.

Panorama surveys - fall and spring
- Students - School-Level Student Survey and Social-Emotional Learning: StudentCompetency & Well-Being Measures Survey (freshmen in the fall; all students in the spring)
- Social-Emotional Learning: Adult Measures Survey for Teachers and Staff (fall and spring)
- Back-to-School Survey for Families (fall)
Additional surveys
- Portrait of a Graduate
- Late start and early release schedules
- Website template
- Parent Network - interest areas and volunteers

Utilized the district’s various communication platforms to publicize the ways people could get involved in or help guide the work of the district.

Superintendent steering committees (65 applications)
Portrait of a Graduate focus groups
Focus groups with students, staff and parents/guardians about website redesign
HR recruitment brochure
Employment and substitute teaching opportunities
Volunteers for Young Hearts for Life screenings
Promoted events and activities organized by student groups - annual toy drive, tree sapling event hosted by Hinsdale Central’s Ecology Club, Hinsdale South student-staff basketball game benefiting Save the Children

Used print and electronic communications to keep the community updated and informed about what is happening in our schools and district.

Updates from 86 weekly emails
- 67.33% open rate for parents/guardians, staff, community members, etc.
- 49.45% open rate for students
- Industry average is 33%
First Look and Board Briefs
- 57.42% open rate for students, staff, parents/guardians, community members, etc.
- Industry average is 33%
Print newsletter in the fall - mailed to approximately 35,000 business and residences
Videos
- Inside the Classroom
- Future Ready Facilities
- World language department
- Free and reduced meal program
Student and staff accomplishments; included live updates on social media for events/activities such as the state chess tournament, Scholastic Bowl, etc.
COVID-19 protocols and dashboard
Partnership with ReferralGPS
Booster shot clinics
Extension of Thanksgiving break
Change to final exams
Changes to the food service program
Emergency Weather Learning Day
Spring assessments
Preschool programs
Summer school

In This Section

Goal 4: Family and Community Connections

Accomplishments and Initiatives

Initiatives for the 2022-23 School Year

Accomplishments from the 2021-22 School Year

Board Presentations & Documents