East Prairie Community,
Welcome back to the 2024-25 school year. Our team has been hard at work preparing to ensure it is the best year yet for our students. The building has been cleaned, classrooms readied, and two new classrooms were constructed to serve as teaching and learning spaces. Our educators have participated in ongoing professional learning throughout the summer focusing on engaging instructional strategies, social-emotional learning, supporting positive behavior, and further developing our systems of support. The work to achieve our goals at East Prairie is both focused and ongoing.
We continue to strive to grow and evolve our school-home-community communications to meet the needs of all stakeholders. Some are short and concise while others are detailed and elaborate so we can meet the communicative needs of as many people as possible. These are some of the messages and media we utilize:
Year in Review - A magazine-like summary of the year’s work and accomplishments
Professional and district created videos - Highlights of our work and our extraordinary students and staff
Social media - Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and X (formerly Twitter)
Weekly Family Messages - Most Fridays school specific updates are emailed to families
Board Briefs - Summaries of Board of Education action are shared
Website - Our new website has been updated and improved to streamline information sharing
Gazette - Community memo distributed in the fall, winter, and spring
Blog - Follow the principal blog on our website
Connect with our team - Contact any member of staff so we can provide assistance
Conferences and family events - Frequent community connections that allow for learning and engagement
This year, our primary objectives include enhancing our existing systems and strengthening writing skills across all genres to ensure students develop robust and versatile writing abilities. We will also advance our intervention and extension programs to better provide learning opportunities to all students. Additionally, we are pleased to introduce the Community Connection Center within our STEAM program, where students will engage in real-world projects and learning experiences. This initiative aims to cultivate critical thinking, problem-solving, and entrepreneurial skills, while also fostering civic engagement. Finally, we will evaluate various curricular options to enrich our science education, ensuring it remains dynamic and aligned with the evolving needs of our students.
Chicago Parent Magazine recognized East Prairie as one of the top schools in Skokie. We remain grateful for the community-wide effort that resulted in this distinction. Here’s to making 2024-25 another great year.
Sincerely
Paul Goldberg
Superintendent
