Burlington Stores, the national off-price retailer, donated $10,000 through their partnership with AdoptAClassroom.org to Chicago International Charter School (CICS) Bucktown, managed by Distinctive Schools, in celebration of their new Riverfront, IL store opening on October 19.

Representatives from Burlington, along with Dr. Janice Jackson, Chief Executive Officer at Chicago Public Schools and Dr. Mahalia Hines, Chicago Board of Education, presented the check to CICS Bucktown School Director, Sarah O’Connell, during a surprise school assembly on October 4, 2018.
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“CICS Bucktown is excited for this generous donation,” stated O’Connell. “We are incredibly thankful for the support we received from Burlington and AdoptAClassroom.org and their commitment to K-12 education.” 

CICS Bucktown is a K-8 public charter school nestled in the heart of the Bucktown neighborhood of Chicago. The school is fueled by approximately 700 eager learners from across the city, with the mission to inspire and support each child’s physical, social, emotional, and academic learning for success at school, college, career, and in life. With this donation, teachers will be able to use the funds to purchase classroom items that meet the unique needs of their students and classes. 

“The funds will go a long way in supporting student learning, advancing the mission of CICS Bucktown, and, ultimately, positively impacting the education experience for all our students,” added O’Connell.

Burlington, through their partnership with AdoptAClassroom.org, donates $10,000 to a neighboring school when it opens a new store so that teachers can get the necessary classroom materials for their students to better learn and succeed. Additionally, Burlington’s more than 650 existing stores adopts a local classroom in their community each fall season. The Riverfront Burlington store will open on October 19, 2018 at Riverfront Plaza, 2627 N. Elston Ave, Chicago, IL 60647.

To learn more about CICS Bucktown, visit http://www.cicsbucktown.org/

This month's Trailblazer is the epitome of growth mindset.  She is consistently pushing her instructional and community-building practice to be innovative and inclusive of all children. This Trailblazer is leading the way in personalized learning through systems she devised focused on competency-based progression, integration of flexible seating in her learning environment, and by the consistent incorporation of Responsive Classroom approaches to building a strong classroom culture and community. Her classroom is reflective of student agency and student ownership of learning, and her personalized and innovative approach to education helps her kindergarteners achieve access to education at their zones of proximal development. Her students are prepared by the end of kindergarten, and poised for higher success rates as they progress through elementary school! 

The students and staff at CICS Prairie are so fortunate to have this Trailblazer leading and teaching alongside them. Please join us in congratulating this month's Trailblazing Teacher, Ms. Kimeon Cruikshank!

Distinctive Schools teachers and staff are #ALLin the 2018-19 school year, whether they’re driving student achievement in the classroom, attending professional development sessions and conferences, or connecting with our school communities and partnerships.

So, dive in and discover what Distinctive Schools teachers and staff are up to in the following three articles. You will learn how Chicago International Charter (CICS) Bucktown is scaling personalized learning, how school leaders are ideating and collaborating in design sessions, and find out more about innovative technology initiatives at CICS Prairie.​

​Trailblazer teachers and staff hold a vital role in developing school reform, and we are grateful for their innovation, commitment, and dedication to our network! This month we are featuring a Trailblazing Teacher from CICS Bucktown.

This month's Trailblazer has fully embraced personalized learning in her classroom. She takes the time to get to know each students' strengths and needs, both personally and emotionally. She sets high expectations for all and truly believes that, with ongoing and personalized support, all learners can achieve. This Trailblazer truly embodies what it means to be "Distinctive"! She worked tirelessly over the summer, partnering with the Academic Team, to plan and facilitate multiple sessions during New Teacher Institute. Her participation and natural leadership were instrumental in ensuring that our new teachers feel prepared and excited for the year ahead. 

The International Society for Technology in Education, more popularly known as ISTE, held their annual conference in Chicago, Illinois this past summer. This conference is known to be the epicenter of everything edtech, and included powerful ideas, inspirational speakers, and networking events to connect with fellow innovative educators who share a passion for transformative learning. ​

​From robots to 3D printers to maker spaces, as a teacher I hear a lot of trendy tech integration being pushed these days. The innovations that exist in education through the deeper integration of technology is truly exciting but I find myself needing to sift through and find what I can integrate into the classroom.

At ISTE the first trend I noticed was a larger focus on STEAM for early learners. The expo featured many coding products that incited problem solving at early ages. My favorite of these products was a “bee-bot” it allows for children to program the robot by pressing a series of buttons and then pressing play. With it’s easy set up of just the robot and a pictorial grid it’s an easy activity to integrate into any kinder or first grade classroom. If you’re like me and concerned about having a cost effective way to do the same type of thing, consider making your own pictorial grid, and having students “program” each other to certain spaces. This will help them later apply the skill to programs like code.org.​

The integration of virtual reality goggles into classroom settings is another trend that is on the rise. Virtual reality goggles can be used for virtual field trips and experiential learning opportunities, but the idea of every child in the classroom having access to them seems like a bit of a far fetched idea. Again, if you’re like me and want to expose kids to virtual field trips and virtual learning consider this idea, create a National Geographic account, or simply go on YouTube and look up “National Geographic 360 videos” then turn off the lights in the room and create a rectangular prism that can be placed on the outside of the screen. This will give children the experience of virtual reality through 360 videos while experiencing it on their own terms as they cut off the world around them for a while.​

“We are excited to open our Smart STEAM Lab,” said Harth. “Our students will have access to the lab as part of their enrichment, math, and science curricular experience, and middle school students will even co-design and participate in STEAM Showcases throughout the year. This project will help students unlock their potential.”  ​

“This grant will go a long way in supporting learning inside and outside the classroom at CICS Prairie,” added Scott Frauenheim, President at Distinctive Schools. “Ensuring that all students have access to technology that is engaging and supports their learning is critical to preparing them for success in college, career, and life. We are thrilled about our partnership with Relativity.”  ​

To learn more about CICS Prairie, and the event, visit ​http://www.cicsprairie.org/​. ​

About Chicago International Charter School
Chicago International Charter School is a vibrant network of diverse Chicago Charter schools which enables students to thrive every day, puts them on a path to success in college and life, and empowers entrepreneurial educators to pursue excellence through innovation. ​

About Distinctive Schools
Distinctive Schools is 501(c) non-profit organization dedicated to supporting and accelerating the work of charter schools serving kids from traditionally underserved backgrounds. Distinctive Schools’ mission is to serve children and families in urban communities. It provides intensive supports that accelerate achievement, performance, and college-preparedness.​

About Relativity
At Relativity, we make e-discovery software to help users organize data, discover the truth, and act on it. Relativity has over 175,000 users in 40+ countries from organizations including the U.S. Department of Justice, more than 70 Fortune 100 companies, and 198 of the Am Law 200. Relativity's cloud solution, RelativityOne, offers all the functionality of Relativity in a secure and comprehensive SaaS product. Relativity has been named one of Chicago's Top Workplaces by the Chicago Tribune for seven consecutive years. Please visit http://www.relativity.com for more information.​

Terrell previously served as Network Chief of Staff for the past year. In her new role, she will be responsible for overseeing Distinctive Schools’ partnerships, development, school growth, and strategic initiatives. In bringing these components together, Distinctive Schools sees the opportunity to share best practices and leverage skills across the organization. ​

With experience as a management consultant at Deloitte and an Education Pioneers fellow, Terrell brings a new perspective to Distinctive Schools through valuable resources and best practices in organizational development and planning. ​

Distinctive Schools is pleased to announce the opening of our newest school, Distinctive College Prep: Redford, located in metro-Detroit, and that Mrs. Camille Hibbler has been selected as the school principal for the campus. ​

We're closing out another successful school year - the 2017-18 school year brought so much joy and celebration to the Distinctive Schools family. We opened our first campus in Michigan, Distinctive College Prep (DCP) Harper Woods in Metro Detroit. As we opened the doors to greet new students in September, Director Cassie Williams had arranged for a brass band to play and welcome many new families to our Distinctive family. From the very first day, DCP - Harper Woods boasted the Distinctive feeling. ​

In reflection of this school year, we are proud to celebrate and honor Trailblazer Teachers, lead and present at various educational conferences across the nation, and continue to pilot new and innovative classroom practices. We look forward to what the 2018-2019 school year will bring, and the opportunities we will provide for our students. 

In closing out the school year, we are excited to share a reflection in 100 Photos - a celebration of all things Distinctive in 2017-18! Our photo gallery visually displays the celebrations we have had at each one of our campuses this past year. The photos are in no particular order. Each celebration positively impacted our students, staff, families and community, and demonstrates how much we have achieved. Special thank to Amy Vracar, Director of Strategic Initiatives for compiling this gallery! 

This month's Trailblazer is passionate about opening the minds of his students. He works to integrate the arts, to develop students' critical thinking, and works to make the world a better place. This trailblazer is always looking to improve his practice, and is always willing to share and learn from his experiences. He has developed partnerships within the CPS Arts Community, hosted and presented district-wide professional development opportunities at CICS Irving Park, and recently earned his masters in Teaching and Inquiry. He listens to his students, and adapts his instructional practice to meet student needs. He provides real-world experiences in the arts, and has truly made an impact on our community! 

Follow up with Frank! Read more about his work on his blog, A Sound Mind.

On Monday, Summit Learning awarded the Summit Spotlight to 20 educators and 12 schools from across the country! In the fall, the Summit Learning Community nominated teachers, leaders, and schools for the Spotlight Awards. We are thrilled to recognize THREE Summit Spotlights across our network! CICS Irving Park was awarded a Campus Spotlight (the only school in Chicago to receive the Spotlight!), Sami Smith from CICS West Belden and Jonathan So from CICS Bucktown were awarded Educator Spotlights - two teachers selected from over 3,000 applications!

CICS Irving Park was recognized for their commitment to helping students develop the skills, knowledge and habits needed for success. Director, JW Kuebler says, "Our middle school has provided students the opportunity to work at their own individualized pace. Higher performing students feel they are moving through content at an increased rate and digging deeper into standards.  Students that need more time to process and internalize information are given the time and support they need -students feel successful and accomplished in their learning."

Spotlight teachers exemplify Summit Learning's values and practices - knowing their students deeply inside and outside of the classroom, building a strong and positive classroom culture, and empowering students to be self-advocates. We are honored to have two teachers selected as Spotlight Teachers - we are so proud of Sami Smith and Jonathan So!

We are thrilled to have received Summit Spotlights. We are grateful to all the Leaders, Teachers, and Students who have transformed the classroom and embraced a new way of teaching and learning. Learn more about what it takes to be a Summit Spotlight School or Educator here.

Distinctive Guest post by: Carolyn Glantz, Distinctive Schools Literacy Coordinator

- Jim Knight, Instructional Coaching Group 

-Anthony Claypool, Distinctive Schools

As we reflect on our use of Lexia, and look to the future, we are excited to dig deeper beyond the quantity of usage and think more about quality. Our Fellows have learned how to use the MyLexia platform to further personalize instruction for their students. By using the real-time data and information, teachers can assemble groups of students in real-time to support them offline. There is a balance in blended learning that we value at Distinctive Schools, and Lexia Core5 is another tool in the teacher’s toolbox to support our teachers and students. ​

Interested in learning more about Lexia Core 5? Read the Case Study from CICS Irving Park. 

Trailblazer teachers and staff hold a vital role in developing school reform, and we are grateful for their innovation, commitment, and dedication to our network! This month we are featuring a Trailblazing Teacher from CICS West Belden. ​

This month's featured trailblazer is someone who provides enriching opportunities and reaches all students, Kindergarten through Eighth Grade at CICS West Belden. She designed a personalized electives model for middle school students, which continues to grow each year. This trailblazer gives students voice and choice over their education and the opportunity to pursue their unique interests and passions. She works tirelessly to help students discover their true passion in the arts, and effectively tailors their educational experiences to match their interests. She uses competency-based progression in teaching music, providing instruction, materials, and experiences that best meet student needs and interests. She models a commitment to lifelong learning with her own professional growth and development, and is the first Distinctive Enrichment teacher to be featured as a Trailblazer!

​​We feel so fortunate to have her at CICS West Belden, please join us in congratulating a Trailblazing Teacher, Ms. Anna Ausmann!

The annual ASU+GSV Summit began in 2010, as a collaboration between Arizona State University and Global Silicon Valley. The annual ASU+GSV Summit aims to elevate the action and dialogue around innovation for technology and education. Over the past several years, Distinctive Schools has had a number of presenters and panels share the Distinctive Perspective to innovation at ASU+GSV.  

Karin Breo, Executive Director of Partnerships and Development at Distinctive Schools, was featured in a panel from 2017, the Lessons Learned in Change Management. Scott Frauenheim, Distinctive Schools President and Chief Operating Officer, was featured in the 2016 panel, the K-12: Innovators Assemble – Connecting Schools and Tools to Transform Education. Both Breo and Frauenheim reference their work with LEAP Innovations, and the partnership that has helped Distinctive Schools to transform the learning experience for our students, and advance the innovative practice of our educators.

At the 2018 ASU+GSV Summit, Distinctive Schools leaders presented their perspective on innovation.  During the Educator Innovator Pitch, CICS West Belden Teachers, Kelly Pollack and Christina Hanna shared about their classroom community, and how they work together to make learning personal for their fifty-nine third and fourth grade students. View their presentation, Our Big Happy Family: Co-Teaching in a Multi-Age Classroom here:

Matt Pitucco, Dean at CICS Irving Park and Stephanie Indianer, Social Worker at CICS Bucktown, shared their cross-campus collaborative efforts to change the mindset around discipline, and the implementation of Restorative Justice. Their Educator Innovator Pitch, A Personalized Approach to Restorative Justice and Social-Emotional Learning is linked here.  

While we were in San Diego, we had the opportunity to visit innovative schools with fellow educators. One campus to note was the Design 39 Campus. It was clearly designed with creativity and the student experience at its core, "As a collaborative community, we nurture creative confidence, practice design thinking, learn through inquiry, connect globally, use technology and real world tools, and promote the courage and growth mindset necessary to change the world." Design 39 is a great place to visit when implementing Personalized Learning in schools.

We facilitated a workshop with Andy Calkins of Next Generation Learning Challenge, Tom Vander Ark of Getting Smart, and fellow NGLC recipients. Executive Director of Personalized Learning, Jin-Soo Huh, shared with attendees the Distinctive Schools approach to innovative work and how our team used the MyWays Framework when writing our strategic plan. Distinctive School leaders who attended the workshop reflected on where they are in next generation planning and where they need to go from high level strategy, to nuts and bolts like infrastructure.

If you are interested in learning more about strategies around implementing Personalized Learning, reach out to schedule a visit to one of our campuses in Chicago, Detroit, or Minneapolis!