With one day left before students officially enter school doors to begin another academic year, Cicero District 99 formally welcomed all teachers and administrators back to the district this morning with a special all-district institute filled with hugs, laughter and anticipation of what’s to come with the new year. 

Held in the gymnasium at Unity Junior High School, the hundreds of teachers and administrators who call D99 home experienced a morning that began with short messages from Dr. Mary Mycyk, assistant superintendent of Educational Services, and Dr. Aldo Calderin, District 99 superintendent, sharing the importance of how institute days set the tone for the classroom and how, as for the past four school years, this year’s “chapter of focus” will be called “Aligned Acts of Improvement.”

Since 2021, Calderin has continually emphasized the importance of the District having a shared commitment to improving outcomes for all students, with his years of leadership of D99 following the guidance of a conceptual book entitled “We Move Forward Together: An autobiography of how a pre-K through 8 district is working collaboratively to transform student success.”

This year, the focus will remain on examining how learning happens and how D99 educators can intentionally align their work to maximize student growth — all while staying focused, connected and driven by purpose.

For the remainder of the morning, our school leaders and teachers listened to professional educational insight from Dr. Jim Heal and Meg Lee of Learning Service Partners — public speakers with public education career backgrounds who now serve as leading advocates for bridging the worlds of research and practice in education, and implementing evidence-informed practices in districts across the U.S. and abroad. 

Through their presentations and guided activities for participants, Heal and Lee’s presentation helped equip our District educators with new and trusted strategies to get the wheels turning on furthering student gains for this coming year to access deep, effortful thinking — and most importantly, meaningful and lasting learning and relationships. 

District teachers and administrators will be ready tomorrow to start a fresh new year — and they hope our families are, too!