CCSD 180 Board of Education congratulates Pre-Kindergarten Staff for National Accreditation

At its May 17, 2005 meeting, the CCSD 180 Board of Education formally congratulated the staff of the pre-Kindergarten Program at Anne M. Jeans Elementary School for the program’s national accreditation by the National Association for the Education of young Children – the nation’s leading organization of early childhood professionals.

" We're proud to be accredited by NAEYC, and recognized for our commitment to reaching the highest professional standards.” said Mrs. Fran Frisby, Classroom Teacher. "NAEYC Accreditation lets families in our community know that children in our program are getting the best care and early learning experiences", said Mrs. Mayra Battistoni, Teacher Assistant. Mrs. Candace Scarpelli, the Home/School Coordinator for the Pre-K Program, added “At Anne M. Jeans Pre-K we offer a developmentally appropriate experiential program. Teachers facilitate knowledge by providing a stimulating, challenging atmosphere to foster a love of learning." Dr. Frank Rink, Superintendent, indicated, “It comes as no surprise that this exceptional program has earned national recognition. The tremendous amount of work by our Pre-K staff to earn this accreditation is a feather in their hats and in that of our school district!”

In the past 20 years since NAEYC Accreditation was established, it has become a widely recognized sign of high quality in early childhood education programs. More that 10,000 programs- serving over 850,000 young children- are currently accredited by NAEYC. "In recent years, we've seen a growing number of child care and preschool programs earning NAEYC Accreditation,” said Mark Ginsberg, Ph.D., executive director of NAEYC. “By earning accreditation, Anne M. Jeans Pre-K has become a leader in a national effort to raise the quality of early childhood education, and to help give all children a better start."
NAEYC created its accreditation program in 1985 to set professional standards for early childhood education, and to help families identify high- quality education, and to help families identify high quality child care and early education programs. To earn NAEYC's accreditation, a program conducts a self-study to determine how well it meets the standards. After necessary improvements are made, the program is observed by independent, professional validators, and then reviewed by a national panel. Programs are accredited by NAEYC for a five-year period.

In other action, the Burr Ridge CCSD #180 Board . . .

. . . presented its Award of Excellence to students Ben Eggler, Alex Kostner, Jim Pavese, and Michael Tanious.

. . . learned that the April 2005 Foundation lottery fundraiser was highly successful and that the Second Annual Waterfall Glen Xtreme 10 Ten Mile Race will be held on Saturday, August 13, 2005.

. . . passed a resolution of Recognition/Congratulations for Cast, Crew, Directors, Parents, Staff, and Community for their outstanding Production/Presentation/Support of The Music Man.

. . . heard a presentation by Dr. Debra LeBlanc regarding the CCSD 180 Assessment Framework. The school district will use this assessment framework to work with teachers to establish a better means to articulate our curriculum from grade to grade and to better assure curriculum alignment with standards, materials, and teaching strategies.

. . . approved a five-week summer school program to begin on June 13, 2005.

. . . heard a presentation of several musical selections by Mrs. Penny Wright’s select ensemble, “Encore.”

. . . approved affirmation of the School District’s possession of a $1,250,000 Treasurer’s Bond for Board Treasurer Louis Ebert.

. . .interviewed Anne M. Jeans Elementary School principal Finalists in closed session.

. . . offered employment as 2005-06 Anne M. Jeans Elementary School Behavior Improvement Center Coordinator to Ms. Melissa Phelan.

. . . offered employment as 2005-06 Burr Ridge Middle School Science Teacher to Mr. Steve Wiemeler.
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. . . offered employment as 2005-06 Burr Ridge Middle School Language Arts Teacher to Ms. Krista Anne DePasquale.

. . . approved the 2005-06 child-care leave request of Mrs. Amy Zavisin.

. . . approved the 2005-06 child-care leave request of Mrs. Elizabeth Wheeler.

. . . heard reports from the administration, including the following reports from Superintendent Rink:
May Fitness Fair
Surveillance Equipment Installation
June 2, 2005 Graduation
Flooring Installation
Labor Relations vs. Human Relations
Choral and Band Concerts
2005-06 Registration
Grade 5 Orientation
Summer Reading
Playground/Campus Improvements
Technology Assessment/Technology Upgrades
Class Assignments for AMJ Students
Harry Potter Integrated Unit
Scientist/Inventor Unit
Apartment Residency Requirements

The Board’s next meeting will be held on Tuesday, June 28, 2005 at 7:30 p.m. in the Board Room of Burr Ridge CCSD #180.

Click here to access the actual minutes of this meeting