Naperville Jaycees Distinguished Service Award - Educator of the Year
Each year, the Naperville Jaycees recognize members of our community "who go above and beyond the call of duty." The May Watts PTA nominated Mr. Raczak as someone who does just that for our students and parents. The Jaycees considered his nomination with the others submitted and agreed that he is "Educator of the Year".
Our beloved principal began his career with District 204 as the Assistant Principal at Hill Middle School in 1991. He was promoted to Principal at Hill in 1993. He has been the Principal at May Watts Elementary since 2007. He has been described as a servant leader, a dedicated and humble person who cares deeply about his students, staff and parents.
The Naperville Jaycees invite you to attend the Naperville Jaycees 34th annual Distinguished Service Awards on Friday April 27, 6:15 p.m. The event will begin with a cocktail hour at 6:15, followed by dinner and an award ceremony at 7:15 at the new Chicago Marriott Naperville Hotel.
Manna costs you nothing extra and a percentage of the sale goes into helping the school and students.
The May Watts PTA is offering Manna Gift Cards again this year. Order forms will be going out this week. Please return forms and checks (payable to "May Watts PTA") to school by Wednesday, May 9th. All gift cards will be available for pickup May 18, 2012 (8:50am-9:15am, 3:25pm-4pm).
How does the gift card program work?
You order gift cards through us for the places you shop--Target, Jewel, Meijer, Walmart, etc. You then use those gift cards when you do your shopping. In return, the school gets a percentage back from your order. It costs you nothing extra and a percentage of the sale goes into helping the school and students.
Popular and local gift cards include: Target, Meijer, Starbucks, Amazon.com, Bath & Body Works, iTunes, Barnes & Noble, Best Buy, Walmart, Chili’s, Chipotle, Panera Bread, Noodles & Co, AMC Movie Tickets, Regal Entertainment, Fandango and many, many more.
As an added bonus, Downtown Naperville Gift Cards are also being offered.
Ideas for gift card purchases
Please consider purchasing gift cards for your everyday grocery, retail, gasoline and dining.
Just a few ideas for cards for the summer are:
AMC
Barnes & Noble
Brunswick Zone
Chuck E Cheese
Dairy Queen
Six Flags
Every order, no matter the size, helps the May Watts PTA enrich the education of our students.
If you have any questions, please contact Pamela Hallissey at
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or (630) 857-3759.
How do I order gift cards?
Print theorder form. This form includes all of the gift cards you can purchase. It also tells you the percentage of your purchase that goes to the PTA.
Complete the form
Write a check payable to "May Watts PTA" for the total amount.
Send the check and order form to school in an envelope marked "PTA Manna Cards"
Thank you for your support!
Pamela Hallissey
Welcome Mr. LeCrone
Dear May Watts Families,
I want to let you know the district has named Brian LeCrone as the new principal for May Watts Elementary School starting July 1. Mr. LeCrone has been with District 204 since 2008 as principal at Brookdale Elementary School. Prior to joining our district, he served as an assistant principal and later as a principal in District 15 in Palatine. I have had the pleasure of working with Mr. LeCrone over the years, and can assure you he is a collaborative leader who is always focused on doing what is best for students. The May Watts Elementary School community will continue to be in very capable hands under his leadership.
The following information was presented by the District 204 Superintendent regarding the adoption of Common Core State Standards:
Dear District 204 Community,
It is often said that the American education system tries to cover so much information that it goes "a mile wide and an inch deep." In the coming years, you will hear a great deal about an exciting change in education that will allow students to gain a deeper understanding of subject material. Illinois joined 45 other states in adopting Common Core State Standards in English and Math for grades kindergarten through 12. These national standards, which are benchmarked to international standards, are the single largest education reform to happen in decades.
The standards will replace existing state standards and involve more rigor, with an emphasis on developing critical thinking skills. It will no longer be about finding the right answer, but being able to explain how you came to that answer. In a global economy, students must be prepared to compete with not only their American peers in other states, but with students from around the world. These standards will help prepare students with the knowledge and skills they need to succeed and compete in the global market.
The standards do not tell teachers how to teach, but they clearly identify the knowledge that students are expected to attain each year. Beginning in 2014, there will be new standardized tests given to measure if students are meeting these expectations. Students in grades third through eighth currently take the ISAT each March to assess student growth. The new assessments will be given multiple times, most likely at the beginning of the year to determine if early intervention is needed, once in the middle of the year to see if student progress is on track, and then at the end of the year to measure growth. The goal is not to have more tests, but to have smarter and better tests that help students, parents, and teachers.
I know we have some of the best educators in District 204 who are highly committed to their students. Many have already begun work to make sure our curriculum is aligned to the new standards. Once their work is complete, student learning will change. Concepts will be introduced earlier and what is already a rigorous curriculum will be even more so. Our teachers already do a wonderful job preparing students for life after high school, but the new standards are exciting because it provides the opportunity to equip students with stronger skills to be life-long competent learners.
Because the new standards are so important, we have created a section on our website to provide you with resources and information as we move forward with implementation. You can learn more at Common Core State Standards.
Sincerely, Kathy Birkett Superintendent
Academic Excellence Award
May Watts Receives Academic Excellence Award!
The Illinois State Board of Education and Northern Illinois University unveiled the State Honor Roll. Making up part of this list are schools which qualify for the Academic Excellence Award. This achievement recognizes schools in which 90 percent or more students meet or exceed state standards in reading and math for at least three consecutive years.
May Watts was one of 17 district 204 schools to win the Academic Excellence Award this year — and for May Watts, it is the fifth straight year! Congratulations to our wonderful staff, our dedicated teachers and our awesome students! GO WOLVERINES!!!
For more than a 100 years, Parent Teacher Association (PTA) has provided support, information, and resources to families focused on the health and education of children. The organization was founded in 1897 in Washington DC as the National Congress of Mothers by Alice McLellan Birney and Phoebe Apperson Hearst.
