Cooke Magnet School fifth grader London Jones will join the top spellers from throughout the county when she competes in the Lake County Final Spelling Bee at the College of Lake County on March 10.

Waukegan families are invited to join in the celebration of African-American history and culture during the District's second annual Black History Celebration. The event will take place on February 21 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Juarez Middle School, 201 N Butrick Street.

This Friday Waukegan High School's Theatre Department will debut its production of William Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream." This classic comedic play tells the tale of four young Athenian lovers, and a group of six amateur actors, who encounter a group of mischievous fairies traveling through the forest.

Carman-Buckner Elementary School will host a Lake County Sectional Spelling Bee event on Thursday, February 20. Students from Waukegan-area elementary and middle schools will compete for an opportunity to compete at the Lake County Spelling Bee Finals next month.

The Board of Education for Waukegan Public Schools is in the process of evaluating its Student Appearance Policy, 6010. This policy includes language about school dress uniforms and general student appearance. School dress uniforms reference the uniform color combinations most elementary and middle school students in Waukegan are required to wear to school. As the Board reviews its policies, we are asking for input from parents, students and staff about dress uniforms.

This week the Board of Education approved calendars for the next three school years. The approved calendars cover years 2020-2021, 2021-2022 and 2022-2023. These schedules were created by our calendar committee, which consisted of more than 20 individuals from throughout the District. The calendars were also shared with parents, staff and students in draft form prior to approval, so that we may receive feedback. We want to thank the more than 1,600 individuals who took time to complete our calendar survey.

The fall registration period for enrollment in Lyon Magnet School has begun. Enrollment is open to all WPS students living within the district's attendance boundaries. Families interested in enrolling in Lyon Magnet are required to submit an application, which can be found at the school, or can be downloaded here.

Mr. Edgar Castellanos has been appointed to fill the vacancy on the Waukegan Community Unit School District # 60 Board of Education. Mr. Castellanos was appointed during the February 11 Board Meeting to replace Mr. Michael Rodriguez, who resigned last month.

Special Recognitions -The Board of Education presented a Resolution of Honor in recognition of former Board Member, Mr. Michael Rodriguez, who stepped away from the Board in January after 13 years of service.

The winter session of District 60’s STEPS (English As A Second Language For Parents) Classes will begin February 10. These English classes are free for all Waukegan parents, and will be held every Monday and Wednesday at Washington Elementary School from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.. No prior registration is required, and enrollment for these classes will be ongoing.

For the second year in a row, Waukegan High School senior bowler Diego Cortez has earned All-State honors. Diego placed 9th at the IHSA State Bowling Finals on January 31 and February 1.

Waukegan families are invited to join in the celebration of African-American history and culture during the District's second annual Black History Celebration. The event will take place on February 21 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Juarez Middle School, 201 N Butrick Street.

The Board of Education for Waukegan Community Unit School District # 60 will host Special Board Meetings on February 4 and February 5, 2020 for the purpose of interviewing candidates to fill the vacancy on the Board. Interviews will be held in Closed Session. The meeting on February 4 will begin at 6 p.m. The meeting on February 5 will begin at 5:30 p.m. Both meetings will be held in Room 120 at Lincoln Center. No formal action will be taken at these meetings.

The Board of Education for Waukegan Community Unit School District # 60 officially swore in Waukegan High School Junior, Van Weddle, as its newest Student Board Member on January 28.

Special Presentations - Waukegan High School Junior, Van Weddle was officially sworn in as the newest Student Board Member. Van will serve as a non-voting member until January 2021. -District staff and representatives of the Sheriff’s Office gave a presentation about a new Youth Mentoring Partnership program launching next month.

The annual Great Waukegan Pink-Out pep rally, basketball games, and related events are back again this year. The 10th annual Pink Out festivities kick off this Saturday, February 1, where the Waukegan High School boys’ and girls' basketball teams will all take on Mundelein High School at the WHS-Washington Campus.

Waukegan High School’s Brookside Campus will reopen tomorrow, January 28, following today’s nearby water main break.

As a result of a large water main break adjacent to the Brookside Campus, the school is dismissing early today. Water flow from the water main break has inundated the rear parking lot at the school, and it threatens to interrupt the school day. As a precaution, all students will be dismissed at 12:30 p.m.

District 60 is preparing to approve school year calendars for the next three years (2020-2021, 2021-2022, 2022-2023). Our calendar committee, made up of staff from across the District, created the proposed calendars based on feedback we have heard over the years.

January 23, 2020 Dear Waukegan Community I am writing today to share my feelings and frustration related to an incident that occurred at one of our high school campuses on Wednesday, January 22. Prior to dismissal at the Brookside Campus, there was a classroom altercation between three students, which resulted in two students seeking medical attention -- one for a laceration and another for back pain.

The Special Meeting of the Board of Education scheduled for Tuesday, January 21, for the purpose of reviewing, and possibly taking action on student discipline matters, has been canceled. As a result of a technical issue, the online agenda for the January 21 meeting was not viewable to the public for several hours. Therefore, in compliance with ILCS 120/2.02, the meeting is being canceled. A new Special Meeting has been scheduled for Thursday, January 23, also for the purpose of reviewing, and possibly taking action on student discipline matters. The Board of Education will meet in closed session beginning at 5:30 p.m. with an open session scheduled for 6:30 p.m.

In conformity with Illinois School Code section 105 ILCS 5/10-10, the Board of Education of Waukegan Community Unit School District #60 hereby gives notice that the application for persons desiring to be considered for appointment by the Board to fill the vacancy created by the resignation of School Board Member Vice President, Mr. Michael Rodriguez on January 14, 2020.

Special Recognition and Presentations -The Board of Education presented a resolution of Honor in recognition of former Carman School Principal, Ms. Isabelle Buckner. - Staff from Clearview Elementary presented on the school’s new Community Time is intended to promote positivity. - Representatives from Mano a Mano discussed the organization’s Census 2020 efforts.

Waukegan Public Schools will be hosting two Lake County exclusive premiere screenings of PUSHOUT: The Criminalization of Black Girls in Schools in observance of Black History Month. The screenings will take place February 6 and 7, and begin at 6:30 p.m. in the Trapp Auditorium. Tickets are free, and can be reserved online here: https://tinyurl.com/uvnyo8p

Open House is an exciting and informative evening for parents and students to begin the transition process to Waukegan High School. During this event we will showcase the many wonderful opportunities our high school has to offer and respond to any questions that you may have. We hope that after participating, you and your son or daughter will have a greater understanding of the high school with regards to: course and program offerings, expectations and extra-curricular opportunities.

Waukegan families will have the chance to explore Chicago's Adler Planetarium during the District's upcoming Family Field Trip. The cost of the trip is $5, which covers admission to the Planetarium as well as transportation to and from the event. Families will have to preregister in order to secure a spot.

Update to yesterdays Water Main Break: Crews working on the break were successfully able to restore water service to Lightfoot and Clearview, and both schools will be open tomorrow, January 9. Bottled drinking water will be provided.

Washington Elementary School teacher, Ms. Erica Jacobo is among the most recently recognized National Board Certified Teachers by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS). Last month, Ms. Jacobo, a 3rd grade dual language teacher at Washington Elementary School, learned she was among a select number of educators across the country to earn NBPTS certification. Ms. Jacobo has taught in District 60 for six years, spending all of her tenure at Washington.

A water main break was identified today, Tuesday, January 7 under the Lightfoot Early Learning Center parking lot. Crews are on the scene and are working to repair the issue. It is anticipated that the break may be repaired overnight, and water will be restored to the buildings, however, there is a possibility that the work will not be completed in time for classes tomorrow. In the event that main is not repaired, or that adequate water service is not restored in time for classes tomorrow, both buildings will be closed on Wednesday.

Clearview Elementary School and the Lightfoot Early Learning Center will be closed on Wednesday, January 8, as a result of a water main break near the school buildings.

Looking to stay better up to date on your child's academics? This Thursday, January 9, the District will be hosting its first Tech Talk, a series of informational seminars designed to familiarize parents with the various online resources available to them.

More than two dozen Waukegan High School seniors were recognized this month by the Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC) as “Illinois State Scholars.” Twenty-five WHS seniors earned the designation as an Illinois State Scholar from the ISAC. The honor is given annually to students across the state based on ACT or SAT test scores, unweighted class rank and Grade Point Average (GPA).

With first semester nearly over, it’s time to begin the course selection process for the 2020-2021 school year. Over the next several weeks, students will be actively involved in conversations with their teachers and counselors about their required and elective course options. We strongly recommend that parents get involved by talking with their students about their selection of courses and how it supports their post-secondary college and career goals.

With December now upon us, and extreme winter weather soon to follow, we wanted to take the opportunity to remind everyone of cold weather policies governing Waukegan Community Unit School District # 60.

Students at North Elementary got an early dose of holiday cheer this week, when the school was gifted more than $17,000 worth of hands-on educational toys and winter apparel.

Waukegan Community Unit School District # 60 will host a series of community forums over the next several months to seek input from community members about the potential future use of the Lincoln Center building. The Sheridan Road Facility Redesign Committee, which is made up of parents, community members, students and staff is hosting a meeting each month between December and May to discuss space which may be opening up at Lincoln Center.

The Waukegan Community Unit District 60 Board of Education is looking for current WHS sophomores and juniors to apply for its soon-to-be open Student Board Member position for 2020.

Three Waukegan student musicians performed at the Illinois Music Education Association’s (IMEA) District Senior Festival last weekend at Grayslake North High School as part of the IMEA’s District 7 Music Festival. The students performing over the weekend make up three of the four Waukegan High School student musicians selected to participate in either the IMEA Jazz or Senior Festival concerts this month.