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Kudos to Crete-Monee Programs
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Tom Thompson
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Crete Record
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August 28, 2008
Coretta Scott King Magnate School in University Park became the first authorized Primary Years Programme International Baccalaureate school in the State of Illinois.
The indefatigable efforts of Principal Erin DeBartolo and PYP Coordinator Gail Bohnenstiehl have led the dedicated staff not only to achieve this status but to do it in record time.
The process of becoming an IBO-authorized school requires three phases: consideration, candidate, and application. Each of these phases is expected to take from six months to two years for completion, but CSKMS has completed them all and won authorization in just two years.
It is quite a success story when one considers how CSKMS came to be.
CSKMS is the result of the state required reorganization of Hickory Elementary School when it failed to meet annual yearly progress for four consecutive years.
The district reorganized the school as a K-8 center and chose the IBO model for the staffing and curriculum of the new school, which draws its student body from across the district, selected by a lottery system.
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From the inception of the new school, its principal, DeBartolo, has inspired a staff of both experienced and new teachers to undergo significant reorientation and retraining in order to work successfully in the IBO model.
This model is based on the inquiry method of learning.
Inquiry learning encourages students to approach a new topic with an inquiring mind Ð to pose questions for which, through research and hands on experiences, they can formulate their own answers.
The goal of the IBO program is to develop students into life-long learners.
Students are led to develop into knowledgeable and principled inquirers, thinkers, and communicators, who are caring, open minded, and well balanced risk takers,
With its world-wide orientation, IBO has developed guidelines for what it proposes all students of all cultures should learn.
The curriculum focuses on six areas of learning: language, social studies, mathematics, science and technology, the arts, and personal, social and physical education.
The focus on inquiry learning is achieved through carefully developed units of inquiry that provide significant, relevant, and challenging learning experiences across the curriculum.
These units of inquiry are centered around six specific themes: sharing the planet, who we are, where we are in place and time, how we express ourselves, how the world works, and how we organize ourselves.
DeBartolo and Bohnenstiehl are not content to rest upon their laurels. They know the school must work to retain its authorization, and they are determined to push ahead to expand the IBO influence by striving to gain IBO authorization for its Middle Years Programme.
During the August 18 meeting of the Crete-Monee School Board, DeBartolo and Bohnenstiehl shared the good news of the school's achievement with the board.
Superintendent John Rodgers praised the pair and their staff for the hard work which led to the authorization.
He said, "This achievement will not only bring state wide recognition to the school and district Ð indeed, representatives from other schools striving for authorization will want to visit CSKMS to see first-hand what works and to observe the program in action Ð but it will also bring international recognition when our school will be included in the IBO website with links to us."
He went on to say this success opens the door for a future baccalaureate degree programme for Crete-Monee High School students.
In other activities at the August 18 meeting, theboard learned of recent recognition given to the district's communications/public relations program.
When Rodgers became Superintendent of the district, he pledged to improve communications within the district and between the district and the communities it serves.
"Communication is key," became the mantra of the C-M District Office of Communications.
Concentrated hard work on the part of Director of Communications Natalie A. Nash and Communications Asst. Melissa Burda have not gone unnoticed. Not only have their efforts received praise from administration and school board members, but have now been recognized by the Illinois Chapter of the National School Public Relations Association.
As Nash said, "To be chosen by our peers is even more of an encouragement to continue working hard to do an even better job of communication with our stakeholders."
She was refering to the recently announced results of the Communications and Golden Achievement Awards Contest for excellence in communication sponsored by the Illinois Chapter of the NSPRA.
The competition recognizes excellence in communications and covers a wide range of categories in print and electronic media including websites and electronic newsletters.
Recognized as excellent through the competition with 99 entries, Crete-Monee Dist. 201-U Website and Key Communicator, the district's electronic newsletter brought recognition to the district's efforts to improve communications with its constituents.
The website underwent a complete make-over during the past year and now provides visitors with current and updated announcements for parents and staff, a photo gallery and a video on-demand feature that allows parents and staff to view student events and achievements.
The Key Communicator is an electronic newsletter that reaches 2,500 staff members, parents, and community members each month. It is available free to the entire community and includes district news and highlights, as well as profiles of student achievement, information about upcoming events, and community news.
Rodgers lauded the work and suggested the district would strive for recognition in the national competition next year. That competition judges the entire communications packet, not individual categories as the state competition does.
This year's winners at the state level will be recognized at an awards luncheon September 12 at 11 a.m. at Maggiano's Little Italy Restaurant in Oakbrook.
On another front, Crete Library District Treasurer Matt Warner addressed the board during the Public Comment portion of the agenda, bringing more positive news, this time about the village's library system.
He informed the board that the library had experienced circulation figures of 15,000 - 4,000 above last year.
He also commended the board for the district's new registration procedures, "I have heard the registration this year was the best ever in the history of the district."
The district's reliance on a new corporate model of customer service is responsible for the improvement.
Warner also reminded the board that Friday will be Teacher Appreciation Day at the Crete Library and library staff will have refreshments and gifts for teachers who visit the library that day.
And this, from Ingrid Stevens, the school district's new director of human resources:
"As parents prepare to register their students this month, Crete-Monee School District will also be prepared with its own new corporate model for customer service.
"Throughout the summer, registration staff members were trained in all aspects of customer service Ð emphasizing clear communication, the ability to fix problems and listening to the customer's needs," she said.
"We have been preparing for fall registration from a customer service standpoint by instilling these important core values in our staff members. Our goal is to make the registration process easier and more efficient for our new and returning families. We look at our district family as 'customers' and intend to make sure that they leave registration with a smile on their faces," Stevens reported.
A record turnout is expected at registration, which runs from August 4 to September 2 at Crete-Monee Middle School, 635 Olmsted Road in University Park.
"In an effort to streamline the process for families, the district has hired 10 new registrars, made logistical changes to improve operations, extended the registration dates, as well as assigned specific dates for new and returning families to relieve traffic jams.
"Most importantly, the district has redesigned the once tedious process to be completed in either two steps for returning families or four steps for new families," Stevens concluded.
For more information, parents can visit www.cm201u.org and click on the Registration Information link or call the new Registration Hotline number at (708) 367-8390.
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