Dear Families,
All of us at Distinctive Schools hope that you had a safe, restful, and fun summer. As we wrapped up our first week of the 2015-2016 school year, I could hardly believe that this is Distinctive Schools’ fifth year in operation! Over the past four years, we have been incredibly fortunate to work with amazing students, families, and educators, and this year will be no exception. With so many new and exciting things to celebrate this school year, I am extremely optimistic about all of the great things to come. Innovation that’s taking place on each Distinctive Schools campus, and changes across the network, are truly worthy of celebration.
One obvious cause for celebration is the opening of a new school. As Distinctive Schools students in Chicago and Rockford made their way back to school on Monday morning, so to did the first students at our new Minnesota Early Learning Academy in Brooklyn Park, MN. The school's opening marks Distinctive Schools’ sixth campus and our first work outside of Illinois.
We also have reason to celebrate big changes on one of our Chicago campuses. While CICS Prairie has been a Distinctive Schools campus since our founding, for the 2015-2016 school year their educational focus will shift towards providing a science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education that will prepare its students for college and careers. This is a very new and exciting direction for the school and one that has involved extensive planning and the development of critical partnerships.
In truth, there is cause for celebration across all Distinctive Schools campuses as our incredible educators and administrators are blazing trails with their personalization of the learning experience for all of our students. For those of you who are new to Distinctive Schools, we are delighted to extend a special welcome. For those of you who have been with us since the beginning, happy fifth anniversary!
For more information about your child’s school, click on the link to the appropriate campus website below:
CICS Bucktown
CICS Irving Park
CICS Jackson
CICS Prairie
CICS West Belden
Minnesota Early Learning Academy
Thank you for entrusting us with your child’s education. We look forward to another tremendous year!
Sincerely,
Mary Stafford
President and Chief Operating Officer
Distinctive Schools
