Westview Hills Middle School hosted a band clinic for the Gold Band students over the weekend as they prepare for their upcoming performance at the Illinois Music Education Conference (IMEC). This exciting event featured Brayer Teague, past president of the Illinois Music Education Association (ILMEA) and Director of Bands Emeritus at Downers Grove North High School, as a special clinician.
Bringing his wealth of experience and passion for music education, Mr. Teague collaborated with Westview Hills alumni to provide invaluable guidance to the students. The clinic emphasized refining musical technique, enhancing ensemble cohesion, and interpreting the repertoire with depth and expression.
Westview alumni, many of whom are accomplished musicians, served as mentors, offering insights and encouragement to the Gold Band students. Their shared connection with Westview Hills created a sense of inspiration and community, fostering pride and motivation among the young musicians!
The clinic was not just a rehearsal but a celebration of music, mentorship, and the rich tradition of excellence at Westview Hills! It provided a unique opportunity for students to elevate their performance skills in preparation for their prestigious appearance at IMEC, showcasing the extraordinary potential of middle school music education.
Our outstanding alumni mentors included: Aayush Palli, flute (DePaul University), Arun Marion, oboe (University of Wisconsin, Madison), Jordyn DeLeon, clarinet (University of Iowa), Elisabeth Bieber, trumpet (University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, currently teaching Band in Berkeley, IL), Nicole Garcia, trombone (Hinsdale Central senior and drum major), Aryan Bahl, Euphonium (UIUC) and Joshua Budziak, tuba (Eastman School of Music, NY). Thank you also to Mrs. Casey, Mr. Huff and Mr. Moffett for sharing their time and talents with our students.
Maercker D60 Preschool Programs are educational and fun! Teacher Amanda Laurinec says, “While we teach letters and numbers, we also teach them what school is all about and how to follow a schedule and establish routines. My goal is to create a sense of joy around learning. If you can build that excitement in preschool, it’s likely to continue growing as they progress through their education!" #d60learns
Most of the preschool classrooms at Maercker D60 are a blended program, which means that children from all backgrounds and abilities are in the same classroom including students with IEPs and special needs as well as students who are developing typically. For the teachers, this creates opportunities to teach students how to work with others, how to change how they play to include someone, and how to get along with people that are different from them. For the students, it just means more friends to play with! Learn more about D60 Preschool: https://www.maercker.org/article/1899384
We were so excited to welcome back students this week! As part of our work around supporting behavior and building community in our schools, each building will see a few new PBIS initiatives and lessons as we kick off 2025. #d60learns
https://www.maercker.org/article/1949898
The. next D60 Parent Coffee will be held tomorrow (Wednesday, Jan. 8) at Maercker School at 6 p.m. The topic will focus on internet safety with representatives from the Willowbrook Police Department on hand to answer questions! Hope to see you there!
The Maercker D60 Science Fair will be held on Saturday, Jan. 25 at Westview Hills. Students in grades 1-8 are invited to sign up by Jan. 10 in order to participate. Learn more and sign up via the form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfWNLWBtAxyfEiq4srNltuqwa72FIt_WPJ-GIzAoDqqn0EaTQ/viewform
Do you know someone who lives in Maercker D60 who is looking for an incredible preschool option? Maercker D60 will be hosting a Parent Information Night on Wednesday, Jan. 29 at 6:30 p.m. at Holmes School. Spread the word! #d60learns
Don’t forget that Maercker D60 schools resume on Monday, Jan 6 to kick off learning for 2025! We hope you had a great break. See you on Monday!
Happy New Year from all of us at Maercker School District 60! We can’t wait to see what our staff and students accomplish in 2025!
To all in the Maercker D60 community who celebrate, Happy Kwanzaa!
To all in the Maercker D60 community who celebrate, Happy Hanukkah!
To all the Maercker D60 community who celebrate, Merry Christmas!
The day has come everyone! Winter break begins on Monday, Dec. 23 and goes through Friday, Jan. 3. We hope you have a wonderful and restful holiday break and we will see students back ready to go on Monday, Jan. 6, 2025!
Looking for a way to share your gratitude with a D60 staff member before the break? Send a Gold Standard digital card and give them a shoutout for everything they do!
https://www.maercker.org/article/1723786
Students at Holmes who had perfect attendance for the month of November were entered into a raffle and four winners from each grade were selected to have Pizza with the Principal last week. It's safe to say that it was a great way to celebrate strong attendance! #d60learns
Maercker D60 isn't just a great place for students to begin their educational journey, it's also a great place to work! Our mission is to foster a safe, inclusive community that empowers and inspires life-long curiosity for learning.environment. This can be seen throughout our schools as our talented staff go above and beyond on a daily basis.
https://www.maercker.org/o/msd/page/employment
There was a lot of celebration at Westview Hills yesterday during the Winter Assembly! Staff and students came together to highlight the work of the many clubs and activities at Westview. heard music from the Jazz Band and student performances, and celebrated student athletes . A highlight was the unveiling of the new championship banner for the boy's cross country team. We love seeing our students cheer each other on! #d60learns
One of the benefits of preschool programming at Holmes Primary School is the ability to stay in touch with your preschool teacher. These students in first and second grade make sure to visit their former preschool teacher every morning. We love seeing these connections! #d60learns
Congratulations to all the talented performers who took the stage for last week's Variety Show at Westview HIlls! The students did such a great job and their hard work, creativity, and passion truly shined. Way to go! #d60learns
Play is an important part of a strong preschool program!
D60 Blended Preschool Teacher Beth Krause says: “Early childhood is when kids can really learn social skills and that is our focus here. Things like sharing, taking turns, waiting for your turn, and having grace and acceptance for other people who are different are all foundational skills that you need for anything. Lessons on social emotional skills are great, but you need to practice and play is the best way to do that!” #d60learns
https://www.maercker.org/article/1899384
