At Distinctive Schools, we design our school experiences by, for and with teachers. We are proud to have been a trailblazer in designing a benefits package that supports our incredible staff, including our implementation of 12 week fully paid family leave last school year, in addition to existing mental health and wellness supports, generous paid time off and more. Learn about teaching opportunities at our campuses here: https://www.distinctiveschools.org/page/apply.
The John Buck Company Foundation Spring Fling event is coming up Thursday, June 22nd! There is still time to purchase tickets and enter the raffle, we are so grateful to be recognized by this event and so excited for this opportunity to provide more for our students! Support the event here: https://thejohnbuckcompany.saffire.com/p/tickets#sponsor
Our Distinctive Schools equity journey and leader professional development series continued last week with our partners at Onward! We reflected on our priorities, learned together, prototyped our visionary strategies and welcomed new Chicago International Charter School leaders to our DS family!
Today is the first day of Pride Month and we’re so proud to celebrate the diversity of our students, families, and staff! We are committed to supporting equality this month and every month at Distinctive Schools. Happy Pride everyone!
This month's CEO Spotlight goes out to Norrisa Pearson! Norrisa is a Lead from Within Enrichment Instructional Coach & Music Teacher at CICS Bucktown and has been part of the DS family since 2018. Norrisa's passion for music and education inspires all of us and the relationships she has with her students, colleagues, families and community members are incredible. Norrisa's instructional delivery in her music classroom is incredible and her coaching and mentoring of other teachers across the network is something we are all grateful for each year. Norrisa plans the most beautiful events and ensures that her students' talents are displayed, shared and performed for everyone to see. There is so much respect and appreciation for Norrisa across our DS network. We are so thankful for her commitment, partnership and passion for this important work as we elevate the fine arts and ensure our students have access to the strongest opportunities and experiences. Norrisa, we thank you so much for your friendship and partnership in this work! This month the spotlight is on you!
Access to the high-quality early education offered at Distinctive Schools is vital to school success. In Kindergarten, students develop the building blocks for reading and math, learn to create positive relationships, develop motor skills, and build self-esteem and confidence. At DS, Kindergarten students become part of a vibrant community that will care for, nurture and develop them throughout their educational journey. Join us with a donation today: bit.ly/TheDistinctiveFund
Check out this amazing feature from New Leaders on Ms. Eng! We are so excited to see Ms. Eng grow as a Distinctive Leader as principal of CICS West Belden for the 23/24 school year! "For me, education was always the key to the future," she says. "I want to make sure that no matter their background, children have experiences at school that will launch them into what they want for their future.” Read more here: https://www.newleaders.org/blog/step-by-step-i-am-ready-to-be-a-school-principal-now
Join us Thursday, June 22nd as we are recognized as the beneficiary of John Buck Foundation’s annual Spring Fling Event! The foundation has raised over $20 million to support over 400 Chicago-area children and family organizations with a strong commitment to education and wellbeing of our youth. We are humbled to be recognized and so excited for this opportunity to provide more for our students! Support the event here: https://thejohnbuckcompany.saffire.com/p/tickets#sponsor
Did you know The John Buck Company Foundation has donated over $20 million to support over 400 Chicago-area children and family organizations? We are so excited to partner with this amazing organization as the beneficiary of this year’s Spring Fling Event! Our mission aligns perfectly with the goals of The John Buck Company Foundation and this support will propel us to new heights of innovative learning. Join us in this important work? Support the event here! https://thejohnbuckcompany.saffire.com/p/tickets#sponsor
We had an AMAZING first workshop last week with our LEAP Innovations & Distinctive Schools Professional Development programming! At this workshop, 'Relationships: Creating a Foundation for Personalized Learning', our team led our awesome group of educators through various strategies to build strong relationships with students. We can't wait for our Innovation Retreat on July 19th-20th, and we still have some spots left! Learn more and sign up at distinctiveschools.org/page/leap
Happy Mother's Day! To all of our Distinctive moms, moms-to-be, mother figures, grandmothers and those who are simply grateful for their own moms – we thank you for the integral role you play in guiding and educating the next generation. Thank you for your care, compassion and wisdom you bring to our work every day.
Teachers build LIFELONG LEARNERS. By making school fun and engaging, encouraging participation and inspiring curiosity, our teachers provide a framework for students personal and academic success. We have had a wonderful week celebrating together and we can’t wait to finish the year strong! Teachers- this week and every week- WE APPRECIATE YOU!
Teachers build CONFIDENCE. Our teachers adapt to each students needs and learning style and inspire them to reach their fullest potential! They truly believe in every student and show how much they care every day. #teacherappreciation
This week is one of our favorites of the year- TEACHER AND STAFF APPRECIATION WEEK! Our Distinctive teachers are the best of the best. We are so grateful for the joyful, supportive, collaborative, nurturing school communities they build every day. We are so excited to spend the week celebrating our amazing staff! #teacherappreciation
Community – our students, our classrooms, our families, our schools – community is at the heart of everything we do at Distinctive Schools. In the spirit of our core values of culture, equity, innovation, wellness, and exemplary student performance, this year we’re investing in the development of our campuses as Community Hubs. Learn more about this exciting initiative here: bit.ly/DSCommunityHub
This CEO Spotlight celebrates our wonderful Distinctive Schools Payroll and Benefits Manager, Lukasz Kowalik! He has worked extremely hard to ensure our organization has the strongest processes, systems and plans in place surrounding payroll and employee benefits. Lukasz contributes to our strong DS culture with his positive attitude and his focus on solutions and forward-thinking ideas. He has a “whatever it takes!’ approach to his work and anyone on our team who passes Lukasz in the DS offices or connects with him on email or zoom is always met with a big smile. This week, Lukasz jumped in to support the Talent team in brand new ways! We are so excited to see Lukasz continue to grow in our organization. Thank you for being such a great team member, Lukasz! We appreciate all your hard work. This month, the spotlight is on you!
Distinctive Schools is honored to be named the sole beneficiary for this year's BIG Spring Fling Event hosted by the (@) John Buck Company Foundation. We are grateful and excited for the support that will come from this event, we have big things in store! If you are interested in sponsoring the event or attending, click for more information: https://thejohnbuckcompany.saffire.com/p/tickets#sponsor #ALLIN #Innovation #Culture #Equity #Gratitude
This month, Distinctive Schools is celebrating EXCELLENCE. In a rapidly changing world, students need an excellent education that can prepare them for the future. Distinctive Schools’ educational model continues to evolve so that each student is equipped with the well-rounded academic and social emotional skills they need to succeed. Please join us with a donation today to support innovation strategies that can solve schools’ most pressing challenges: bit.ly/TheDistinctiveFund
Happy Administrative Professionals' Day! We are so grateful to our office teams for keeping our buildings running smoothly every day. These individuals bring so much organization and joy to our communities, thank you so much!
Check out this amazing blog for Next Generation Learning Challenges written by CEO Scott Frauenheim and Senior Innovation Partner Colleen Padgett! "Traditional methods of teaching and learning are no longer enough, it’s time to name that they haven’t been enough, and we need to adopt innovative strategies that are better suited to the needs of our learners."
Read the full article here: bit.ly/NGLC-DSandLEAP
