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.
