Student Climate Survey Administration - Fall 2024

In D102, we know that a strong school climate has positive impacts on student achievement, attendance rates, and school safety, as well as creating conditions for developing healthy social and emotional skills.  We also feel it is critical to hear the voices of our students. To help facilitate that communication, we provide a Student Climate Survey twice annually, once in September/October and again in February/March.

D102 will gather student perceptions of their school climate in the following ways:

• K-2nd grade students will orally provide their input during a classroom meeting conversation with their teacher.

• 3rd-8th grade students will individually complete an online survey in Google Forms. 

Results of the 3rd-8th grade survey are confidential and will not be used to identify individual students.  Rather, the data will be used to gather an overarching sense of students’ perceptions.  Each building’s leadership team will use the survey results to inform school-wide planning while grade level teachers will use the data to help plan proactive classroom-based morning circles.  

Themes identified during the K-2nd grade classroom conversations will be collected by the teacher and used to plan proactive classroom-based morning circles.  Individual student information will not be collected during these classroom conversations.

For more information see:

• Student Climate Class Meeting - grades K-2

• Student Survey questions - grades 3-5

• Student Survey questions - grades 6-8 

• Survey FAQ

Families that wish to opt out of the survey should either contact their elementary child’s classroom teacher or their junior high child’s advisory teacher. 

District 102's curriculum is derived from the Illinois State Standards and School Code, which requires us to address established grade-level goals and objectives. As a result, we are required to teach some sensitive topics. The School Code provides specific topics that parents have the right to opt their child out of participating in the learning experiences. Those topics include sex education and animal dissection. In District 102, our Fourth graders participate in a presentation by Candor Health on Puberty, our Fifth graders participate in a presentation by Candor Health on Human Reproduction, and our Seventh graders participate in a unit on Sex Education. Furthermore, our Fourth graders dissect a sheep eyeball when they visit the Science Center, and our Sixth graders dissect a pig heart in science class. Additional information regarding these units and experiences are shared with families through the schools or teachers closer to the time of the units. If parents want to opt their child out of one of these activities, they can contact the classroom teacher to request an alternate plan.

The beginning of the school year is always a good time to reflect on the ways that we are keeping students and staff safe and secure throughout the school day.  We could never expect either our students or staff to be able to truly focus on academic and social growth if they did not feel comfortable and secure in their learning environment.  I am proud to say confidently that our schools are safer than they have ever been thanks to the work of our staff, the commitment of our Board of Education, the voices in the community, and the work of our administration.  Here are a few reminders and highlights about how D102 keeps students safe and secure throughout the school year.

• In the spring 50 staff members and district leaders (administration, teachers and support personnel), completed a FEMA course called Incident Command Training. The course was designed to ensure that our staff understands how to react and coordinate communication, supplies and personnel in the event of an emergency.

• Our Incident Command Team will practice what they have learned with local law enforcement in scenario-based 'Table Top' activities later this year.

• Through a partnership with the safety and Security team of West 40, all classrooms have new and revised Emergency Response Flip Charts (see picture) that outline the exact steps needed in every emergency situation. All staff received training on these procedures from the West 40 team at the beginning of the school year. Emergency flip charts are posted in all learning and office spaces across the district.

The hashtag #ThankYouD102Educators was created as a way to recognize and express gratitude to our incredible staff for their tireless dedication. This serves as a way to highlight their hard work, passion, and the positive impact they have on their students. This is meant to celebrate our staff members throughout the school year and their dedication to D102's mission, vision, and dedication to our core behavioral values. 🌟🍎

The 2024-2025 fiscal year school budget will be adopted at the D102 regular board meeting on September 19 th following a budget hearing. The district currently runs a $53M annual budget. The budget, which has grown due to inflation and more competitive salary packages following the COVID-era, has maintained stability by taking advantage of the higher CPI percentages in the annual tax levies.

The board goal is to keep a 25% fund balance reserve to expenditure ratio, meaning that one-quarter of annual expenditures are kept in a reserve balance to protect the district against unforeseen financial and operational events, such as huge, unexpected building projects or revenue delays. Over the last few years, the district has had to endure Cook County Property Tax delays. The delays had an impact on cash flows and forced the district to issue short-term Tax Anticipation Warrants to ensure district operations at the beginning of the school year until tax revenue was received. The good news for this fiscal year is that property taxes were not delayed and D102 did not have to issue TAWs or undergo any short-term borrowing options, which will save the district money in interest.

Another highlight for the for the 2025 budget are the restructuring of non-referendum bonds, which will allow the district to obtain close to $7M to complete building capital projects like HVAC replacements, roofing projects and classroom renovations. The projects will be paid and financed through a non-operating district fund called Fund 60-Capital Projects and will not affect the operating fund balance.

June 2024 Operating Fund Balance Report
(unaudited and numbers subject to change based on FY24 audit)
(OperatingFund Balance is the current amount of money available by the fund. Fund 30 Debt Service and Fund 60 Capital Projects are not included)

The McKinnon Art Gallery is located in the heart of Park Jr. High School. Throughout the years, various pieces of art work has been shared throughout District 102. When the Salt Creek Foundation realized some of the art pieces in our collection, and decided to work together, in partnership, to assist fund the art gallery for the students and community to enjoy. They were able to gather all the art pieces and host them all in one location.

Welcome, parents and family members of the D102 community! This is your dedicated space to discover the sports and activities available for your young scholars within the community of La Grange, La Grange Park, and Brookfield.

Here, you'll find an array of flyers highlighting engaging programs tailored to every age and interest. Whether your child is a sports enthusiast, an aspiring artist, or simply eager to explore new adventures, there's something here to captivate their curiosity and nurture their passions.

From youth sports leagues to creative arts workshops, from educational clubs to community events, we're committed to providing enriching opportunities for your child to learn, grow, and connect with their peers. Our aim is to foster a sense of belonging and camaraderie within our diverse community while promoting physical activity, creativity, and personal development.

• West End Arts Festival

  • Application

• LSF Brookfield Library Events, Summer Reading Kickoff Celebration

• Scouts BSA Troop 111 Open House on Oct. 7

The Forest Road Class of 1974 reunited the weekend of August 23, 2024, bringing together a close-knit group of classmates in five decades. With 108 students in the graduating class, many who reconnected through Facebook joined for a special weekend, reuniting with old friends and sharing stories and memories of their school years.

In LaGrange School District 102, we are committed to engaging families and the community by eliminating barriers to access, in particularly those related to culture, socioeconomic status, and language. We commit to identifying equitable practices to improve engagement with all families and diverse community stakeholders.

 In support of our vocalized commitment, the district has a new initiative in Cheri’s Caring Closet located at Congress Park Elementary School. It is a physical closet that accepts clothing donations from our communities; with the purpose of providing needed clothing items to D102 students.

Referral GPS - Connecting People to Treatment:  We are committed to creating a culture of well-being for students, staff,  parents, and the community. In an effort to continuously support this commitment, the district has entered an agreement with ReferralGPS. 

ReferralGPS is a web-based service focused on assisting our students,  staff, and community in finding local mental-health and substance use-related treatment. The service compliments the districts existing systems of support as a tool for student service teams and families to connect with treatment. Along with a searchable database of treatment options, ReferralGPS provides Care Navigation to assist families in triage, appointment setting, and follow-up care. 

School families may access ReferralGPS in two ways: 

1) Visit this link at https://referralgps.com/find-help/dist102 to search for treatment resources or connect with a Care  Navigator anonymously. 

2) Contact Student Services (social workers, psychologists,  counselors) to seek out treatment options. 

ReferralGPS takes into account all types of private and public insurance including PPO, HMO, Medicaid, Medicare, and families who are uninsured or underinsured. The platform also filters by age, gender, zip code, and special requests. 

ReferralGPS is available for use by district students, staff, and families at no cost. All information entered on the ReferralGPS tool is completely confidential and securely stored. 

If you are interested in seeking counseling-related services at this time,  please consider visiting https://referralgps.com/find-help/dist102 or reaching out to the Student Services team.