Our District is exploring new vendors for our website and mass communication tools, and we want to hear from you! Since 2019, we have used SchoolMessenger for these services, and your feedback will help us choose a vendor that best meets our community’s needs.

Families in Waukegan School District 60 have an exciting opportunity for the 2025-2026 school year! Incoming preschool and kindergarten students can enter the lottery for our Two-Way Dual Language program.

On February 18, 2025, the Student Achievement and Operation Services Committee meetings will begin at 6:00 p.m. in the Lincoln Center Board Room, 1201 N. Sheridan Road. No formal Board action will be taken during the meetings.

I want to take a moment to share important insights regarding student academic progress, as part of our ongoing commitment to share details about our students’ academic progress. Earlier this week, we publicly presented Middle of Year (MOY) assessment data, which provides a snapshot of student performance and outlines our ongoing efforts to support achievement.

After-school student activities, including sports, clubs, and extracurricular programs, are canceled today, February 12. Please be advised that afternoon buses may experience delays depending on road conditions. We are working closely with our bus company to ensure any longer delays are communicated in a timely manner.

Waukegan Public Schools will host its second Safe Haven presentation on immigration-related topics at 7 p.m. on Thursday, February 13, at Juarez Middle School. The event will also be streamed live on the District's YouTube channel.

Waukegan Public Schools has begun registering incoming kindergarten students for the 2025-2026 school year. Parents of children who will turn 5 years old prior to September 1 can begin registering for the fall, depending on their current enrollments. See below for information on various timelines.

A regular meeting of the Board of Education will be held on Tuesday, February 11, 2025, at 7 p.m. for Open Session, and 6 p.m. for Closed Session. The meeting will be conducted in person in the Lincoln Center Board Room, 1201 N. Sheridan Road. Closed Session will occur in Room 120.

District 60’s Diverse Learner Department is hosting an informational event in partnership with the Family Resource Center on Disabilities on Wednesday, February 19, designed to help DL families learn more about Functional Behavioral Assessments (FBA) and Behavior Intervention Plans (BIP).

Lyon Magnet Elementary School is now accepting applications from parents wishing to enroll their children in the school for the fall of 2025 The online application can be accessed here. The deadline to complete the application is April 26, 2025.

This past weekend, I had the opportunity to meet with several of our parents and hear their very real fears and concerns related to the safety of their families amidst the ongoing ICE enforcement actions. Many expressed deep anxiety about the possibility of family separations, and how these actions might impact their children’s security at school.

The Waukegan High School Theatre Department will debut its production of "The Fabulous Fable Factory" from February 7 to February 9 in the Trapp Auditorium of the Waukegan High School-Brookside Campus.

Throughout February, District 60 will proudly celebrate Black History Month by recognizing the rich history, achievements, and contributions of African Americans in our nation. This month serves as an opportunity for our schools and community to reflect on the innovation, and leadership that have shaped our society.

I’m writing today to share some valuable resources and to reiterate some of our commitments to our families and students during these difficult times. As I shared with staff earlier this week, it is more important than ever for our schools to be a place where students feel safe, supported, and welcomed, regardless of their background or circumstances.

Waukegan Public Schools families are invited to join District 60’s upcoming meeting of the Waukegan Black Parent Network (BPN). This is an opportunity to connect, collaborate, and share insights with other parents dedicated to supporting and empowering our children and community.

Today, it was officially announced that the President is ordering a pause on all federal grants. We understand that this may cause immediate concern about the funding of crucial programs within our District, but we want to assure you that we anticipate being able to withstand this temporary pause without any interruption of services.

Waukegan High School’s JROTC program will host its sixth annual Valentine’s for Veterans event this weekend, to support local veterans.

A regular meeting of the Board of Education will be held on Tuesday, January 28, 2025, at 7 p.m. for Open Session, and 6 p.m. for Closed Session. The meeting will be conducted in person in the Lincoln Center Board Room, 1201 N. Sheridan Road. Closed Session will occur in Room 120.

Yesterday evening many of you joined us in person or online for an important conversation about immigration-related topics and the rights of our families. I want to extend my gratitude to our team for planning and hosting this event, and a special thank you to Belany Contreras and the North Suburban Legal Aid Clinic for sharing their time and expertise during this unsettling time for many in our community.

There is an opportunity for families in Waukegan School District 60 next year! Students enrolling in preschool and kindergarten for the 2025/2026 school year will have the option to enter the lottery for our Two-way Dual Language program. Interested families are encouraged to attend our informational meeting held from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. on January 28 at the Welcome Center.

Waukegan Community Unit School District #60’s annual district-wide celebration of Black History Month is back with an exciting new theme this year as part of this year’s observance of Black History month.

We understand the current climate in Washington D.C. can be unsettling for our families. We want to assure you that our priority in Waukegan Public Schools remains to create a safe and supportive environment for all our students, families, and staff. While we must comply with federal law, we will continue to work to ensure that families can feel safe sending their children to school.

On Thursday, January 23, District 60 will host the first of two special Safe Haven presentations focusing on immigration-related topics, designed to provide clarity and support for students and parents.

Our District’s Diverse Learner Department will be hosting two virtual presentations about the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.

Due to inclement weather, the Special Closed Session Board Meeting and the Student Achievement and Operations Services Committee meetings scheduled for Tuesday, January 21, 2025, have been canceled.

Today’s decision to shift to E-Learning came after a change in the forecast and the overnight issuance of an Extreme Cold Warning by the National Weather Service. In situations like this, even a small difference of one or two degrees can affect alerts and safety recommendations. Each weather event presents unique challenges, and decisions are made based on the best available information, including forecasts and safety recommendations from experts.

Tuesday, January 21, will be an e-learning day for Waukegan Public Schools. Forecasts shifted overnight, and the National Weather Service has now called an Extreme Cold Warning for our area.

A Special Closed Session Meeting of the Board of Education will be held on Tuesday, January 21, 2025. The meetings will precede the Board's regular monthly committee meetings.

Tickets are now on sale for the Waukegan High School JROTC Drill Team’s annual Drill Team Benefit Luncheon. Proceeds from the fundraiser benefit the award-winning drill team, and help offset costs of travel to competitions.

We are continuously striving to meet the needs of our students and families, and your input is invaluable in shaping the future of our programs. Our EPIC Pre-K program offers five full-day Pre-K sections across the district and 42 half-day sections. The development of full-day options in recent years has been extremely popular with parents. While these opportunities are currently limited, we are constantly exploring ways to expand as funding allows.

District 60 will be hosting an online informational presentation later this month designed to help Diverse Learner families learn more about the various resources and options available to their child as they prepare to transition out of high school.

PowerSchool recently notified us of a cybersecurity incident involving unauthorized access to data through its PowerSource customer support portal. The breach, which was discovered on December 28, 2024, affected certain users of PowerSchool’s Student Information System (SIS). However, Waukegan Public Schools does not use PowerSchool SIS, and our systems and data were not impacted by this incident.

Cooke Magnet School is now accepting applications from parents wishing to enroll their children in the school for the fall. The online application can be accessed here. The deadline to complete the application is March 31, 2025.

State assessment season begins this month, and we want to inform you about the upcoming ACCESS testing for our English Learner (EL) students. ACCESS for English Learners is an annual state assessment that measures students' progress toward English proficiency.

Waukegan Public Schools will host two special Safe Haven presentations focusing on immigration-related topics, designed to provide clarity and support for students and parents. The events will be led by Belany Contreras, a Staff Attorney with the North Suburban Legal Aid Clinic, and will be held in person and live-streamed on the District’s YouTube channel.

A regular meeting of the Board of Education will be held on Tuesday, January 14, 2025, at 7 p.m. for Open Session, and 6 p.m. for Closed Session. The meeting will be conducted in person in the Lincoln Center Board Room, 1201 N. Sheridan Road. Closed Session will occur in Room 120.

District 60’s Diverse Learner Department is partnering with local organizations on a series of online presentations beginning this month. Each session is designed to educate families on a variety of important topics and programs related to their child’s rights, and the various programs available to them. The sessions will be led by a variety of representatives from community organizations and are open to all.

Waukegan Community Unit School District #60 has earned a credit rating upgrade from Standard & Poor’s (S&P) Global Ratings, improving from an A to an A+ with a Stable Outlook. This milestone reflects the district’s strong financial management and responsible resource allocation, despite economic pressures and the expiration of federal ESSER (Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief) funds.

Join District 60’s Family and Community Engagement (FACE) department for an Infinite Campus Parent University on Wednesday, January 15, from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Glen Flora Elementary School, 1110 Chestnut Street.

We are writing to share some updates to our January calendar. Please take note of the following important dates:

Earlier this week our District publicly presented important information related to both our End of Year (EOY) student data from the 2023-2024 school year, as well as Beginning of the Year (BOY) student data for 2024-2025.

On October 15, 2024, the Student Achievement and Operation Services Committee meetings will begin at 6:00 p.m. in the Lincoln Center Board Room, 1201 N. Sheridan Road. No formal Board action will be taken during the meetings.

District 60’s K-8 theater program, the Waukegan Performing Arts Company (WAUK-PAC) is holding auditions for its next production, Frozen, next week. Auditions will be held at Cooke Magnet School, 522 Belvidere Road, on Thursday, August 22 from 5 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. All K-8 students are welcome to audition.

Waukegan Community Unit School District # 60 schools are again participating in Professional Learning Days this school year. These days will allow for additional professional development opportunities for staff members and will result in altered bell schedules on these days.

Last week our Board of Education voted to approve updates to two important policies that impact students academically. The most significant policy is the re-introduction of our promotion/ retention policy, which affects how students move from grade to grade each year, based on academic performance. Below are more details on this policy, as well as more minor changes to our grading policy. Please take a moment to read up on these changes, and be on the lookout for more information on these policies in the near future.

District 60’s K-8 theater program, the Waukegan Performing Arts Company (WAUK-PAC) is holding auditions for its next production, Seusseical Jr. next month. Auditions will be held at Cooke Magnet School, 522 Belvidere Road, on Thursday, May 16, from 5 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. All K-8 students are welcome to audition.

Parents new to District 60 looking to enroll their children in kindergarten for the 2024/25 school year still have time to reserve a time slot to complete the registration process during one of our upcoming New Kindergarten Registration events.

A Special Closed Session Meeting of the Board of Education will be held on Tuesday, November 21, 2023, for the purpose of discussing negotiations and litigation. The meeting will be in Closed Session beginning at 6 p.m. in Room 120 at Lincoln Center, 1201 N. Sheridan Road. No official Board action will be taken at this meeting. The meeting will precede the Board's regular monthly committee meetings. On November 21, 2023, the regularly-scheduled Student Achievement and Operation Services Committee meetings will begin at 6:30 p.m. in the Lincoln Center Board Room.

Waukegan Public Schools is excited to announce we will soon be rolling out a new facility scheduling and work order software. Later this summer FMX will officially replace SchoolDude. Our district-wide launch will take place in August.