Happy Diwali from all of us at Maercker D60!
Did you know that October is National Principals Month? Plus, here in Illinois, we celebrate principals with Principal Appreciation Week from Oct. 20-24 and even Principal Appreciation Day on Friday, Oct. 24. We love celebrating our incredible school leaders, so we will be highlighting them this week.
First up is our longest-serving Principal, Dr. Allister Scott of Westview Hills Middle School!
Dr. Scott has been the principal at Westview for five years and says that he was interested in becoming a principal because he wanted to make an impact on more students and educators beyond what he was formerly doing as a high school science teacher.
“What gives me the most joy is that I feel like we have a small enough system that we can really make an impact on the lives of students and families while also supporting teachers,” said Dr. Scott. “I’ve always believed in the impact that education can have on students and I felt that being a middle school principal in a small environment is where I can make the most impact!”
He says he starts each day with a full lap of the building to say good morning to staff and students and that there is no predictable routine after that until the buses leave. He visits classrooms as much as possible and says that the job is largely centered around problem solving and supporting people. He tries to emulate a mentor who was the principal at his daughter’s school years ago.
“Something I took away from him is the ability to insert time into a situation so that things never felt rushed,” said Dr. Scott. “I know how hectic life as a principal can be, but he always made it feel calm and like he was really connected to the situation at hand and that made a real difference for my child so I try to do that for our families.”
First up is our longest-serving Principal, Dr. Allister Scott of Westview Hills Middle School!
Dr. Scott has been the principal at Westview for five years and says that he was interested in becoming a principal because he wanted to make an impact on more students and educators beyond what he was formerly doing as a high school science teacher.
“What gives me the most joy is that I feel like we have a small enough system that we can really make an impact on the lives of students and families while also supporting teachers,” said Dr. Scott. “I’ve always believed in the impact that education can have on students and I felt that being a middle school principal in a small environment is where I can make the most impact!”
He says he starts each day with a full lap of the building to say good morning to staff and students and that there is no predictable routine after that until the buses leave. He visits classrooms as much as possible and says that the job is largely centered around problem solving and supporting people. He tries to emulate a mentor who was the principal at his daughter’s school years ago.
“Something I took away from him is the ability to insert time into a situation so that things never felt rushed,” said Dr. Scott. “I know how hectic life as a principal can be, but he always made it feel calm and like he was really connected to the situation at hand and that made a real difference for my child so I try to do that for our families.”
🌟 Gold Standard Spotlight: Julia Damon 🌟
Julia’s patience, care, and student-first approach inspire confidence and growth in her students while supporting colleagues through her leadership and collaboration. She embodies our values of Student-Focused, Inclusion, and Resiliency every day. Thank you, Julia, for being The Gold Standard! 👏
Julia’s patience, care, and student-first approach inspire confidence and growth in her students while supporting colleagues through her leadership and collaboration. She embodies our values of Student-Focused, Inclusion, and Resiliency every day. Thank you, Julia, for being The Gold Standard! 👏
Both of our cross country teams crushed it at sectionals last week! The girls finished in third place and qualified for state for the third year in a row. Our boys finished in first place and dominated the race. Good luck to these athletes at the state competition tomorrow, Oct. 18!
4th Grade’s first ELA unit included some fun adventures as they learned about polio. During their personal narrative unit, they read chapters from “Small Steps: The Year I Got Polio” and learned survivor Peg Kehret’s story. They read about how Peg attributed her ability to eat normally again to a chocolate milkshake, and how she learned to play the accordion to develop her muscles. To immerse themselves in the story, they were treated to chocolate milkshakes by the Maercker PTA, and to a performance from Jon Kostal, Westmont’s very own owner of Uncle Jon’s Music, who volunteered his time to teach all the students about the accordion and play several songs!
They also learned about how the game Candyland was created by Eleanore Abbott, a polio survivor as well, to help kids in hospitals keep their mind off of polio and play a fun and magical game.
What a great way to learn! #d60learns
They also learned about how the game Candyland was created by Eleanore Abbott, a polio survivor as well, to help kids in hospitals keep their mind off of polio and play a fun and magical game.
What a great way to learn! #d60learns
We’re recognizing our Gold Standard honorees for all that they do for our students! From strengthening emergency planning and creating allergen-free snack procedures to screening hundreds of students for vision and hearing, Amy Bailey goes above and beyond to keep our Wildcats safe and supported. Her student-focused dedication makes her truly The Gold Standard! 🌟
In 8th social studies students worked on their first Document-Based Question—an essay where students use historical documents, along with their own knowledge, to build an argument and answer a guiding question. They started by exploring the question, “The Great Migration — What Motivated People to Move?” Students analyzed five primary sources, including maps highlighting segregation laws, graphs depicting agricultural workers, firsthand accounts from World War I factory workers, and letters written to the well-known newspaper at that time, The Chicago Defender. Using critical thinking and empathy, students thoughtfully examined this important historical movement as part of their first unit, Migration and Industry. #d60learns
Middle school students worked together during Hispanic Heritage Month to create a Frida Kahlo-inspired wings mural! They put their creativity into each wing to contribute to the mural, which is currently on display at Westview! #d60learns
It’s National School Lunch Week! Thank you to our Food Services team who provide high-quality, innovative, and culturally focused meals for our students every day.
D60 teachers use the Danielson Cluster Framework to guide their work and impact student learning. Clusters 2 and 3 are especially important as we start the year because it’s all about building positive relationships with students, creating classroom communities of caring and respect, and establishing classroom routines. This can look differently depending on the classroom, but we saw some great examples of it across our schools! #d60learns
For Hispanic Heritage Month, 8th grade students colored a mosaic to celebrate! This mosaic goes well with the display of books highlighting Hispanic cultures and authors. #d60learns
6th graders began their frog dissection last week! The dissection is part of the Ecology unit where students analyze frog adaptations to their ecosystems and the niches they occupy. 🐸 #d60learns
October is National Principals Month! We’re grateful for our team of educators who put our students first in all that they do. We will be spotlighting our amazing leaders soon. Thank you, principals! #d60learns
Students at Westview Hills are creating magazine covers that feature them in their dream job. The first step is for students to have their picture taken in front of a green screen and here are a few of our future Actors, CEOs, Baseball players and others waiting for their closeup. Check out how Zoe used photoshop to turn her green screen photos into a magazine cover #d60learns
Today is National Coaches Day! Thank you to the leaders of our athletics programs who motivate our students every day. Show your appreciation for your coaches today! #d60learns
Maercker Intermediate Staff recently celebrated the arrival of autumn with Flannel shirts! #d60learns
Happy Navratri to all in the D60 community who celebrate!
Don’t miss the upcoming Community Speaker Series event at Hinsdale Middle School on Wednesday, Oct. 8 at 7:15pm. We are thrilled to welcome Ethan Kross, PhD, two-time National Bestselling author of Shift and Chatter, and an award-winning professor in the University of Michigan’s top-ranked Department of Psychology and Ross School of Business. Register here: https://wl.donorperfect.net/weblink/weblink.aspx?name=E127580&id=59
Today is National Custodian Day! Thank you to all of our custodians for keeping our schools clean and safe!
Join us tomorrow, Oct. 2 for parent coffee and connect with principals about student progress! The topic will be Understanding MAP and Your Student’s MAP Score. We’ll see you at Maercker School at 6:30 p.m.
