Maercker SD 60 -

Did you know that our beloved middle school has been operating for 50 years? We have a few things planned to celebrate throughout the year, including a bit of a look back.


Students and staff will be celebrating with the theme of 50 Years of Wildcat Pride and we'll have some other ways for the community to get involved and share their Westview Hills stories.

First up, we wanted to share something from the archives that was originally published on Saturday, Nov. 3, 1973 announcing the construction of the building.

First grade at Holmes officially kicked off their Mystery Readers Program! Family members are invited to share ‘clues’ about themselves and then surprise the class with a fun read-aloud. It’s a great way to celebrate the fun of family reading! #d60learns

A great opportunity is coming up for Spanish-speaking families! Community Unit School District 201 is hosting a FREE Spanish-language workshop on Tuesday, Sept. 16, from 6 - 7:30 p.m. at Westmont High School. The session will be led by Dr. Ferney Ramirez, a dynamic and highly sought-after presenter. The presentation, “Herramientas Esenciales para el Éxito Escolar” (Essential Tools for School Success), will provide families with practical strategies to support their children’s learning and encourage student success, while also helping strengthen connections between home and school.

The Maercker PTA is hosting its first meeting of the year next week on Thursday, Sept. 18. Families are invited to join in-person or virtually! https://www.maerckerpta.org/

Students at Holmes were really reaching new heights last week with this fun cup stacking challenge in science! #d60learns

Congratulations to the boys cross country team who successfully hosted their first home meet of the season on Tuesday. Westview defeated both Jefferson and Westmont and improved to 4-0 in their conference standings. Leading the way for our wildcats was Yebby, who ran his fastest time ever in 11 minutes and 10 seconds! Emmett finished in 3rd overall with his best time of the season, and he was closely followed by Liam and Jordan in 4th and 5th place, who also ran their personal bests. Theo finished in 7th and joined Yebby, Emmett, Liam, and Jordan by winning a medal for finishing inside the top 10! The terrific 6th grade trio of Adam, Fabio, and Yousaf all ran their best times of the season! Countless other runners had fantastic performances they should be proud of.

Thank you to Ms. Romero, Mrs. Wolf-Golbach, Mrs. Orgrodnik, Dr. Scott, and Mr. Engberg for coming to our meet and helping out. Also, a special shout out to Nuriah, Adrianna, and Vuk for helping us sell concessions. Our boys race again on Thursday.

The girls cross country team had their first home meet on Tuesday when they defeated both Jefferson and Westmont. 7 out of the top 10 runners were from Westview and earned a medal. Maddie finished in 1st place with a time of 13 minutes and 24 seconds. Karolina finished in 3rd, Maggie in 4th, Melanie in 5th, Adhishna in 7th, Eleanor in 8th, and Mila in 10th. There were many runners on the team who earned a new personal best time with some of the biggest improvements to their time coming from, Melanie, Mila, Sofia, Sahasra, Zoe, and Keniyah. Great job!

Everybody had a great time during spirit week at Maercker School last week! We are especially fond of this look that was rocked so well by some of the staff. #d60learns

Maercker D60 families, don’t forget that on Wednesdays students will be dismissed an hour early from all three schools. That means that tomorrow (Wednesday, Sept. 10) is an early dismissal day! This will be the last reminder we give so keep up the great work.

Let’s spotlight our final D60 Board Member, Jenny Lee!

Jenny has lived in Maercker District 60 for the past five years. She is a senior leader in commercial real estate. With nearly 20 years of experience in public and private asset and portfolio management, she has led the strategic oversight of multi-million dollar real estate and infrastructure projects nationwide. Her expertise spans investment strategy, risk management, and operational execution.

“I want to serve on the D60 Board of Education because I believe every child deserves access to quality education and opportunities to succeed,” said Jenny. “I have two children in the district, and I’m deeply committed to supporting policies and initiatives that support our students and educators, and ensure responsible stewardship of our district resources.”

In her free time she enjoys spending quality time with her family, especially movie nights where she says they have become popcorn connoisseurs. She also loves hiking, biking, and playing tennis.

Don’t forget to head to Chipotle in Willowbrook tomorrow (Tuesday, Sept. 9) from 4-8 p.m. and show the flyer to have 25% of sales donated to the Maercker PTA!

Students at Holmes spent some time during science class focusing on collaboration and teamwork! They worked on making predictions and sharing information with their team as well as on using tools and following directions. #d60learns

Maercker D60, don’t forget that students will be taking the NWEA Map assessment beginning tomorrow! How can you help? Make sure that your student is well-rested and fed during testing and give them positive encouragement by reminding them that they are not supposed to know all the answers so they should just do their very best! #d60learns
https://www.nwea.org/blog/2024/12-common-questions-parents-ask-map-growth-assessment/

How is the NWEA Map Growth Assessment different? NEWA says as a student answers questions correctly, questions get harder. If the student answers incorrectly, the questions get easier. By the end of the test, most students will have answered about half the questions correctly, as is common on adaptive tests. Get more information at the link! #d60learns https://www.nwea.org/blog/2024/12-common-questions-parents-ask-map-growth-assessment/

Holmes Primary School is happy to have Patricia Aguilar as a new second grade teacher!

She shared that she chose District 60 because of our community’s welcoming atmosphere and its commitment to students.

She has great plans to empower and inspire her students to be lifelong learners by encouraging them to accept challenges, encourage them to ask questions, and model how we all learn from each other.

Students at Holmes spent some time learning about the behavior expectations in different areas of the school. They learned how to be safe, caring, and ready while following the rules. They also learned that together, we roar! #d60learns

The Maercker PTA is hosting their first benefit night of the school year on Tuesday, Sept. 9. It’s a great opportunity to enjoy delicious food while supporting this organization. Just head to Chipotle in Willowbrook and show the flyer to have 25% of sales donated to the PTA!

We’re excited to welcome Jennifer Olivieri at Westview Hills! She will join the team as a school psychologist. We asked Jennifer a few questions to get to know her better.

Why did you choose to work at Maercker D60?
“I chose to work in this district because of its strong sense of community and dedication to supporting the whole child to achieve their highest potential, which aligns with my values as a school psychologist.”

What attracted you to the field of education?
“When I was in grade school a counselor supported me through some difficult familial challenges. It was very minimal but absolutely changed my life in a positive way. This inspired me to join the helping profession in education, and especially cultivated my passion for prevention and early intervention.”

How will you empower and inspire lifelong curiosity for learning in your students?
“I will help each student align and identify with their personal strengths and individual values to empower them and ground them in their inherent worth. I will also help them to develop and build their resiliency so they will be able to successfully navigate challenges as they arise.”