PACE Weekly Newsletter Date: November 16, 2007
Important Dates:
1) November 19 , Monday, 7pm, Board of Education Meeting ~ Meeting is held at Oswego High School Community Room, 4250 Route 71, Oswego. Agenda can be found at http://www.oswego308.org/districtinformation/boardofeducation/boardmeetings.htm
Items on the agenda for Information and Discussion are:
- The Board of Education will be presented with the current Construction Report
- The Board of Education will be given a presentation on the Variable Rate Debt
- The Board of Education will be given a presentation on the School Improvement Plan for Oswego East High School
Items on the agenda for Action are:
- The Board of Education will be asked to approve the Administration's recommendation for the Oswego High School Phase I Design, Budget and Timelines
- The Board of Education will be asked to approve the Administration's recommendation for a Tentative Tax Levy
Information from District 308-Oswego High School Construction Overview handout given to community members at the November 9, 2007, Board of Education Workshop/OHS Tour:
- Life Safety/Maintenance fees have increased from SDFAC's(Superintendent's District Facilities Advisory Committee) estimate of $1,760,000 to $11,840,020
- OHS Renovations - Original Estimate: Life Safety Projects $1,760,000 + Renovation Costs $20,514,000 = Total $22,274,000
- OHS Renovations - Current Estimate:
Life Safety/Maintenance/Equity $11,840,020
Site $ 2,160,000
New Construction $10,320,980
Alterations $ 8,560,000
Architect's Fees $ 1,555,000
All-in Costs* $ 2,408,000
TOTAL $36,844,000
*All-in Costs represent District Allocated Expenses that include Landscaping and site work, Technology, Instructional Materials, and Furniture, fixtures and equipment.
- It is our understanding that these renovations with the Current Estimate of $36,844,000 will not increase capacity at OHS.
If you would like to express your opinion or ask for more information from Board of Education members before or after Monday's Board meeting, please email them at
Andy Young, Ayoung2112@yahoo.com
John Graff, graff308@comcast.net
David Behrens, land4us@ameritech.net
Steve Wolf, shknw@aol.com
Lynn Cullick, lynncullick@aol.com
Andy Wood, AndyWood4014@earthlink.net
Andrea Schweda, andrea.schweda@yahoo.com
2) December 12, Wednesday, 7pm, Presentation by Northwestern University's Center for Talent Development (CTD) for Oswego308 Families ~ Information on the location will be coming in future updates. Randee Blair with CTD, http://www.ctd.northwestern.edu/, will give a presentation as well as answer questions on CTD's
- Midwest Academic Talent Search,
- Saturday Enrichment Program,
- Summer Enrichment Program,
- Distance Online Learning courses for elementary through Advanced Placement courses,
- Testing for pre-K - 3rd graders
There will be no opportunity this year for our District's qualified junior high students to participate in the local Talent Search SAT testing in Joliet. Randee Blair will talk about options for testing in SAT or ACT through Northwestern's Center for Talent Development.
There are many ways that students can qualify for MATS testing and Saturday Enrichment Programs. Please visit http://www.ctd.northwestern.edu/mats/eligibility.html for eligibility information. Students who are not in the AT(Academically Talented) program in our district can qualify with their Achievement test scores. They are encouraged to participate in all programs offered by CTD. Eligibility information for Summer Enrichment Program is at http://www.ctd.northwestern.edu/summer/eligibility.html#leap Eligibility information for Distance Online Learning is at http://www.ctd.northwestern.edu/learning/eligibility.html
INFORMATION & NOTES:
HOLIDAY GIFT IDEAS ~ Here are some gift ideas for your family:
1) My Word Coach ~ Available on Nintendo DS and Wii, http://mywordcoach.us.ubi.com/
To see the science behind the game, go to http://mywordcoach.us.ubi.com/expression_potential_how_works.php
Adaptable lessons for all skill levels: Activities are customized depending on each player's abilities.
The game evaluates your level, tracks and rewards your personal progression
17,000 words
Enjoyable activities include word recognition, spelling challenges, and vocabulary definition, including 16,800 words from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary.
2) My Spanish Coach & My French Coach - Available on Nintendo DS and Wii, http://mywordcoach.us.ubi.com/my_spanish_coach.php & http://mywordcoach.us.ubi.com/my_french_coach.php "It's the most complete game to master Spanish & French." Two separate games teach the basics of word use, grammar, and construction of phrases through fun and easy-to-play mini-games, and evaluates players' progress. It has 1000 interactive lessons designed with Spanish and French teachers, 10,000 words and 400 phrases, including pronunciation test using the built-in DS microphone. Players can instantly look up words or phrases in English or Spanish/French by list, keyword, categories or by players' favorites.
All games are available at Target, ToysRUs, BestBuy, Target, Amazon.com, & GameStop.
3) Would like to find toys and games that engage the mind? See recommendations by NAGC at http://www.nagc.org/uploadedFiles/PHP/Toylist%202007.pdf
Do you have holiday gift ideas you want to share? Please send them to us at pace308org@sbcglobal.net.
Next PACE Weekly Update will be sent out week of November 26th.
Please send items you'd like to share, questions, & suggestions to Jill Ko at ko7@sbcglobal.net. Visit us at www.pace308.org. If you know someone who may find the weekly updates helpful, please pass it along.
"A fundamental goal of the People of the State is the educational development of all persons to the limits of their capacities." - Illinois Constitution, ARTICLE X, SECTION 1.