Six District 308 School Receive Top Honors from State Board of Education

Six elementary schools recently received Academic Excellence Awards from the Illinois Board of Education.

The schools are , and , all in Oswego, and Homestead Elementary, The Wheatlands Elementary and Wolf's Crossing Elementary all in Aurora.

To receive the Academic Excellence Award, at least 90 percent of students must meet or exceed state standards in both reading and math on the ISAT for the prior three years. Prairie Point is receiving this honor for the second consecutive year and the Wheatlands for the third straight year.

“It takes a village to raise a child,” said Old Post’s Principal Jodi Ancel. “Our teachers and support staff are superb. Parents, families and the community volunteers - everyone’s efforts go into this award.”

Prairie Point Principal Heidi Podjasek agreed.

“Our parent community is supportive of their children. They work alongside of the school staff in educating their children," she said.

Podjasek also noted the implementation of a daily dedicated 40-minute time slot for academic intervention to “provide extra support and time to improve student learning.”

Churchill Principal Christine Nelson said teachers have managed to provide kids the needed one-on-one attention despite growing class sizes.

“Goals are always based on meeting student needs. We implement everything possible to support our kids.” Nelson said.

Prairie Point engages students in service learning projects, acknowledging their students are “developing in ways more than academically.” Projects include: Kendall County Food Pantry, sending care packages to troops, and a partnership with Bickford Assisted Living.

With the assistance of a state grant, Churchill spearheaded an effort to improve student understanding of text and improve the instruction of teaching reading skills. Nelson said many staff members who took part in the initial training volunteered to provide professional development to other teachers in the district.

“Students consistently demonstrate performance daily as well as through standardized tests. They are consistent,”Ancel said.