Waukegan Public School’s D60 Dads of Great Students (D.O.G.S) will host a summer meeting next week to help father figures prepare for the upcoming school year. The meeting will begin at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, June 29 in the Bradbury Room of the Waukegan Public Library.

Waukegan High School’s summer school graduation for the Class of 2022 will be held on Tuesday, July 12. Our ceremony will begin at 10 a.m. in the main gym (Dog Pound) of the WHS-Washington Campus. If your child has questions about their eligibility, they are asked to reach out to one of our summer school counselors.

The Association of School Business Officials International (ASBO) has once again recognized Waukegan Community Unit School District # 60 with a Meritorious Budget Award (MBA). The Meritorious Budget Award was presented to District 60 for budget year 2021-2022, for “excellence in the preparation and issuance of its budget.”

As required by the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, we are again seeking input from our community stakeholders and we are requesting that they provide their input by completing a brief survey that we will review and, as appropriate, make revisions to the existing School Continuity Plan.

A Special Closed Session Meeting of the Board of Education will be held on Tuesday, June 21, 2022, at 5:30 p.m. No formal Board action will be taken at this meeting. The meeting will precede the regularly-scheduled Student Achievement and Operation Services Committee meetings, which will begin at 6 p.m.

Yesterday the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) updated Lake County’s community spread level from “high” to “medium”. With the Lake County spread now back into medium, some of our mitigations will be adjusted in our buildings, based upon our Mitigation Table, which outlines precautions we will incorporate as we transition through various levels of COVID-19 spread.

Waukegan Public Schools is still accepting volunteers and sponsors for its annual Back to School Resource Fair and supply giveaway event on July 30. The popular annual event is back in its original format this year. It is an opportunity for all District families to learn more about the various resources available to them, as well as receive a backpack filled with school supplies.

Waukegan Community Unit School District # 60’s Clark Elementary School has been selected as an International Baccalaureate (IB) candidate school* for the Primary Years Programme (PYP). Clark school is pursuing authorization as an IB World School. IB World Schools share a common philosophy - a commitment to high-quality, challenging, international education- that we believe is important for our students.

The Board of Education voted to approve the one-year emergency contract amendment with K-12 Elior for the 2022-2023 school year. In light of the recent change with the separation between Elior K-12 and Preferred Meals, resulting in Preferred Meals going out of business, ISBE has allowed the district to declare an emergency and will allow the district enter into an emergency contract.

The Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority recently approved funding to assist with the establishment of Waukegan Community Unit School District # 60’s proposed Wraparound Center in downtown Waukegan.

A meeting of the Board of Education will be held on Tuesday, June 14, 2022, at 7:00 p.m. for Open Session, 5 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.

All 22 Waukegan Community Unit School District # 60 schools were recently recognized by the Midwest PBIS Network for working toward implementing a framework that leads to improved student outcomes during the 2021-2022 school year.

Budget Workshop # 2 for the Board of Education will be held on Tuesday, June 7, 2022, at 6:00 p.m. The meeting will be conducted in-person in the Lincoln Center Board Room, 1201 N. Sheridan Road. Attendance at the meeting will be determined based upon capacity limits. Attendees will be required to comply with COVID-related health and safety protocols.

Waukegan Public Schools’ Summer Meals program will begin the week of June 6 at 15 school sites across the District. During the Summer Meals program, all Waukegan children, including those enrolled in the District's summer programming, will receive free breakfast and lunch.

El Distrito Escolar #60 de la Unidad Comunitaria de Waukegan está ofreciendo una sesión en verano de clases en línea de Inglés como Segundo Idioma (ESL por sus siglas en inglés) para padres.

Our District has launched a search for a new Waukegan High School co-lead principal and wants to know your thoughts. Please take a moment to complete our brief survey by midnight on June 8, 2022. This information will be very helpful as we conduct a search for the school’s next leader.

A Special Meeting of the Board of Education will be held on Thursday, June 2, 2022, at 6 p.m. for Open Session. The purpose of the meeting is to conduct a Strategic Plan Board workshop with Mr. Marvin Bembry. ​ The meeting will be conducted in-person in the Lincoln Center Board Room, 1201 N. Sheridan Road. Attendance at the meeting will be determined based upon capacity limits. Attendees will be required to comply with COVID-related health and safety protocols.

Waukegan Public Schools summer family field trips are returning! Our District’s Family and Community Engagement (FACE) Department has three trips planned for this summer for a variety of adventures. The Family Field Trip program is open to all WPS families. All three field trips will include free bus transportation to and from to the destination.

Over the weekend the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) updated Lake County’s community spread level from “medium” to “high”. With Lake County moving into high, some of our mitigations will be adjusted in our buildings, based upon our Mitigation Table, which outlines precautions we will incorporate as we transition through various levels of COVID-19 spread.

Waukegan Public Schools’ summer sports camps will begin soon for students in elementary through high school. There are several opportunities for elementary school, middle school and high school student athletes to participate in a variety of sports. Parents are asked to sign their child up for camp by completing this Google form.

The Board of Education voted to accept the low responsible and responsive bid from Ingleside-based Maneval Construction Co., for paving improvements at Brookside; their proposal is 1,616,550. Added to the construction cost is an Architect fee of 8% payable to Gurnee-based IMEG Corporation, a project contingency of 10% of construction costs, and the advertisement cost of $233.71, for a total project budget approval of $1,907,762.

It is with great sadness that I write to you all today, on the heels of another senseless and tragic school shooting.

Waukegan Public School's middle school promotion events will be broadcast live on the District's YouTube Channel. All events will be hosted at Weiss Field on Lewis Avenue.

A meeting of the Board of Education will be held on Tuesday, May 24, 2022, at 7:00 p.m. for Open Session, 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.

Today’s graduation ceremony will be held as scheduled, and will begin promptly at 5:30 p.m. at Weiss Field. We are aware that some forecasts are predicting rain for Waukegan this afternoon, however, the risk is low enough that continuing with the ceremony remains a possibility.

Waukegan Community Unit School District # 60 honored five dozen employees, with combined service of more than 1,200 years at the annual Board of Education Retirement and Recognition Dinner on Wednesday, May 18. The dinner celebrated the accomplishments and dedication of all District 60 employees who will be retiring at the end of this academic year. A total of 60 employees, with a combined 1,206 years of service in Waukegan Public Schools, have announced their retirement this year.

The returning student online registration period for the 2022-2023 school year has been extended to Tuesday, May 24.

Waukegan High School will host its 149th commencement exercises on Thursday, May 19 and Friday, May 20. The events will begin each evening at 5:30 p.m. at Weiss Field. An expected class of more than 800 students will make up Waukegan High School’s Class of 2022.

On May 23, District 60 students in grades K-8 will be given test score reports summarizing their performance in reading, math, and science as measured by our local assessments. These are local assessment scores, as State test score results will be distributed in the fall.

As part of our District's ongoing efforts to foster bullying-free learning environments in our schools, this week we are asking our students, staff and parents to share their thoughts and experiences by completing a brief bullying survey. This data will be instrumental as we tailor our anti-bullying education efforts for the 2022-2023 school year, as well as help us gauge our school communities’ perception and definitions of bullying.

A Special Meeting of the Board of Education will be held on Tuesday, May 17, 2022, at 6:00 p.m. for Open Session, and 5:30 p.m. for Closed Session. The Special Meeting will precede the regularly-scheduled Student Achievement and Operation Services Committee meetings.

All 8th grade promotion exercises for Waukegan Public Schools middle schools are being moved outdoors to Weiss Field. The events will remain on the same dates/times. Please see below for additional information on ceremonies, as well as health protocols for the events.

The Waukegan High School graduation ceremonies are fast approaching, and we are excited to begin the celebration of Class of 2022. While COVID rates have dropped in our community since the height of the pandemic, we have seen a recent increase in COVID cases, and there will be precautionary measures taken during this year’s graduation to ensure we are honoring students safely and responsibly.

14 Waukegan High School teachers were recently awarded more than $40,000 collectively for their classrooms after being selected as recipients of the 2022 Mothers Trust Foundation (MTF) Classroom Enrichment grant. Each teacher was surprised with the news by representatives from MTF and WHS staff throughout the school day on Thursday, May 12.

The Board of Education voted to purchase two (2) Ford Sprinter Vans for a total amount of $124,826 from Golf Mill Ford for use by the WPS60 Child Nutrition department.

Registration is ending soon for students to Waukegan Public Schools for the 2022-2023 school year. The last day to register online will be May 13. Returning students not registered by Friday, May 13 will need to wait until the week of July 25 to complete the process.

A Special Meeting with Closed and Open Session of the Board of Education will be held on Wednesday, May 11, 2022, at 6:00 p.m. in the Room 120 at Lincoln Center. Pursuant to 5 ILCS 120/2 (c) (16) the discussion will be held in Closed Session. The subject will be self evaluation, practices and procedures or professional ethics, and the meeting conducted by a representative of the Illinois Association of School Boards. No action will be taken during open session.

Waukegan Public School’s D60 Dads of Great Students (D.O.G.S) will host its final meeting of the school year this Thursday, May 12.

A meeting of the Board of Education will be held on Tuesday, May 10, 2022, at 7:00 p.m. for Open Session, 5:30 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.

Waukegan High School senior Kennet Amaya was honored as one of College of Lake County's Dual Credit Students of the Year during a ceremony on May 3 at the Washington Campus. Kennet is just one of three students selected out of the 24 participating high schools.

Waukegan Public Schools elementary and middle schools will be hosting summer school this year through an invitation process. Spots are limited, and each school will use their school-wide student data to drive decisions around which students they will choose to provide additional instructional support to. ​ Summer School for grades K-12 will run from June 6 to June 30, 2022.

Waukegan Public Schools will host a special Facebook Live event to help guide parents through the student registration process on Thursday, May 5. Parents can tune into the District's Facebook page at 6 p.m. to learn how to register their child for the 2022-2023 school year from a mobile device.

Our District will host its 3rd community meeting to discuss the Transitions to Support Student Access Plan at 12 p.m. on Tuesday, May 3, in the Lincoln Center Board Room.

Budget Workshop # 1 for the Board of Education will be held on Tuesday, May 3, 2022, at 6:00 p.m. The meeting will be conducted in-person in the Lincoln Center Board Room, 1201 N. Sheridan Road. Attendance at the meeting will be determined based upon capacity limits. Attendees will be required to comply with COVID-related health and safety protocols.

On Friday the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) updated Lake County’s community spread level from “low” to “medium”. With Lake County moving into medium, some of our mitigations will be adjusted in our buildings, based upon our Mitigation Table, which outlines precautions we will incorporate as we transition through various levels of COVID-19 spread.

Our District will host its next community meeting to discuss our new Transitions to Support Student Access Plan this evening, Thursday, April 28 in the Welcome Center.

Registration is ending soon for students who will be returning to Waukegan Public Schools for the 2022-2023 school year. The last day to register online will be May 13.

The Board of Education approved three modifications to the 2022/2023 school year calendar during its regular meeting on April 26, including changing the dates of Spring Break. Families and staff are asked to please take note of the changes below.

Yesterday evening our Board of Education voted to extend my contract as Superintendent of Schools through the 2026-2027 school year. I am humbled by this decision, and I am excited to continue the important work of educating our community’s children.

The Board of Education voted to accept the Notice of Funding Opportunity and sign all other associated documents from the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity for a fiscal appropriation for capital improvement funds to support the proposed Waukegan WrapAround Center, recommended to be located at 214 Washington Street in downtown Waukegan.

The Board of Education voted to approve the purchase of a 66-passenger yellow bus and two (2) 14-passenger activity buses. The buses will be used to shuttle between high school campuses, athletics, field trips and other transportation services as needed, at a cost of $147,500.

During the week of March 14, students in grades 5, 8, and 11 will participate in the Spring 2022 Illinois Science Assessment administration. The Illinois Science Assessment is given yearly to measure student proficiency in general science. The results of this assessment will provide information that district staff can use to inform appropriate curricular decisions.

As COVID-19 metrics continue to improve in Waukegan, Lake County and beyond, our school District will eventually begin to transition some of its COVID mitigation strategies. One potential change is our current requirement, which mandates that masks be worn inside all District 60 buildings. In advance of any change, we are seeking parent, student and staff feedback through a short survey.

A Special Closed Session Board Meeting to conduct individual interviews with the finalists for the Student Board Member position on Wednesday, January 19, 2022, at 6:00 p.m. The meeting will be held virtually in closed session.

The Board of Education voted to approve the Emergency Contract Amendment request from Preferred Meals effective January 1, 2022, and ending on June 30, 2022. The amendment's estimated value is $330,877 based on projected meals counts for the Spring 2022 semester. The request is necessitated by industry cost increases for food, packaging, labor and transportation for delivery of goods.

A Meeting of the Board of Education will be held on Tuesday, January 11, 2021, at 7 p.m. for Open Session, 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.

A Special Equity Workshop for the Board of Education will be held on Tuesday, June 1, 2021, at 6:00 p.m. for Open Session. The meeting will be conducted in-person in the gymnasium of Whittier Elementary School, 901 N. Lewis Avenue.

We are inviting you to attend a virtual Finance Information Session where our District’s finance team will present an overview of the District’s strong financial condition, and answer questions that you might present on the subject. These remote meetings will take place on the following dates and times: