Our heartfelt thanks go out for your steadfast belief, supportive actions, and consistent goodwill this school year. It is incredibly rewarding to be part of such a remarkable community. Here is our end-of-year letter to students.
Wishing you and your family a restful, enjoyable, and most special summer! Thank you for all that you do to make East Prairie the very special place it is!
As you know, East Prairie's mission - our fundamental purpose - is to "value the uniqueness of all and ensure the highest levels of learning." This success, measured in many ways, is truly about the journey. Here's an overview of the successes we wanted to highlight as we begin to wrap up the year:
A Model for Best Practice: East Prairie was recognized as an international Model PLC School—one of only four districts in Illinois to achieve this honor! This incredible recognition reflects our entire school community's deep commitment to learning, collaboration, and doing whatever it takes to support our students.
Student Growth & Achievement: Our students' growth and achievement are reaching new peaks! Amidst growing needs within our community, we've united to propel our students to achieve levels of learning never before seen in our school's history.
A Culture of Care: With 94% of our staff engaged and satisfied, and 92% believing we pursue excellence daily, East Prairie fosters a truly dedicated environment.
Expanded Community Partnerships: We've increased collaborations with organizations like Niles Township Government, Niles North High School, the PTA, and others, providing vital opportunities and holistic support for our students' and families' academic, emotional, and physical well-being.
Enhanced STEAM Curriculum: Our state-of-the-art STEAM curriculum evolved further, offering transformative student led learning experiences in our STEAM lab, Community Connections Center (makerspace), and classrooms (through FUSE).
Robust Tiered Support: We've refined intensive (Tier 3) math and reading remediation for K-8, ensuring all students progress toward grade-level standards. Additionally, we developed Check-in/Check-out as a Tier 2 intervention to support students' emotional and behavioral well-being.
Strengthened Multilingual and IEP Support: Through ongoing professional learning, we improved systems for multilingual students and those entitled to an IEP, including collaborative co-planning, co-teaching, co-assessing, and co-analyzing practices.
Middle School Writing Focus: We intensified our focus on strengthening the writing process at the middle school level, with an emphasis on effective instructional practices and feedback for students.
Preschool For All Program: We implemented a research and play-based curriculum for our preschool students, becoming a Preschool For All program that provides high-quality early childhood education at minimal or no cost.
Continuous SEL Improvement: Our commitment to social-emotional growth continues through refined practices and resources, utilizing five anchor tools, increased professional development, and explicit support during SEL time, integrated throughout the school day.
We invite you to discover the highlights of our past year in the annual "Year In Review" publication. This document showcases the remarkable dedication and achievements of our team and community. It is a testament to the collective efforts that have transformed East Prairie into a place where every student learns at high levels within a safe, caring, and inclusive environment. This commitment and care vibrantly extend throughout our school and neighborhood.
Last night's STEAM Night was a fantastic success, buzzing with curious minds and enthusiastic participation! We extend our sincere gratitude to all the community members who joined us to explore the engaging EPS approach to STEAM education.
Families dove into hands-on learning at nine different stations, experiencing firsthand what makes STEAM at EPS so dynamic. A special thank you goes out to our incredible student exhibitors and their supportive families – your contributions were invaluable!
The votes have been tallied, and we're thrilled to announce that our newest EPS learning experience, chosen by the community, will be a hydroponic garden! Stay tuned for more exciting updates on this project as we head into the next school year.
It's Teacher Appreciation Week. Let us take this opportunity to truly recognize and celebrate the wonderful excellence of our East Prairie teaching team. The care, creativity, and heartfelt commitment of our educators are simply unmatched – their impact is so significant! This dedicated team works thoughtfully, thoroughly, and with such gratitude each day as they serve your child, your family, and our community. Thank you for helping us to celebrate our truly incredible teachers and staff next week!
In addition to Teacher Appreciation Week, next Wednesday is also School Nurse Appreciation Day! Throughout each and every day, Nurse Hannah provides extraordinary care and support to our students, staff, and families, navigating an incredibly complex role with grace and expertise. We are beyond fortunate to have such a compassionate, knowledgeable, kind, and talented individual in this essential position. Please join us in thanking Nurse Hannah for her dedication to the health, safety, and well-being of our entire school community.
Thank you to the over 50 middle school students who participated in our community service elective this year.
Speaking of service to others.
Thank you to 4th/5th grade Student Leadership for helping to clean up the neighborhood as part of the Clean Green Skokie initiative.
