Each year, the State of Illinois requires that school districts post their official state report cards online.  The state report cards follow are required format provided by the state.  To the right, in the Documents section, we have posted the new School Report Card 2009 for Avoca.  It is filled with a wide variety of data and clearly indicates that Avoca is one of the elite districts in the state.

The 2008-2009 Avoca Annual Report is now posted.  You will find it to the right of this posting, in the section entitled “Documents.”  The Annual Report is a complete and thorough summary of the highlights from the 2008-2009 school year.  We hope you will find the opportunity to review the report.  We know you will take pride in the impressive accomplishments of our students, staff and community.

Dear Avoca School Community,

As the new school year begins, student health and safety once again take center stage in Avoca. The predicted return of the H1N1 virus (swine flu) has led to many new procedures and protocols from the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The biggest changes in the expected school response to an H1N1 outbreak include:

- There will no longer be automatic parental notifications of suspected or confirmed cases. We are told that there will be cases among teachers and students and to plan accordingly, considering this as certain.

- Schools will not automatically close when cases arise. In fact, schools are now urged to remain open, if at all possible. The only time schools would consider closing is if the absentee rate was so high that it was not feasible to remain in session.

- The emphasis has shifted away from parental notification and closing schools to a focus on keeping sick children and teachers home longer when ill and sending them home sooner when symptoms arise in school.

The CDC has issued recommended school responses for the coming flu season. We seek parental partnership in this effort, especially as it relates to the first bullet point below:

Stay home when sick: Those with flu-like illness should stay home for at least 24 hours after they no longer have a fever, or signs of a fever, without the use of fever-reducing medicines. They should stay home even if they are using antiviral drugs.

Separate ill students and staff: Students and staff who appear to have flu-like illness will be separated from others until they can be sent home.

Hand hygiene and respiratory etiquette: Emphasize the importance of basic foundations of influenza prevention – wash hands frequently with soap and water when possible and cover nose and mouth when coughing or sneezing.

Routine cleaning: School staff will routinely clean areas that students and staff touch often with cleaners they typically use. Special cleaning with bleach and other non-detergent-based cleaners is not necessary.

Early treatment of high-risk students and staff: People at high risk for influenza complications who become ill with influenza-like illness should speak with their health-care provider as soon as possible. People at high risk include those with asthma, diabetes, compromised immune systems, or neuromuscular diseases.

District #37 will be adhering to these recommendations. We will continue to monitor CDC recommendations and adjust our practices as needed. In addition, the Illinois State Board of Education has developed an H1N1 resource page on its Web site ([ http://www.isbe.net/htmls/H1N1.htm ]http://www.isbe.net/htmls/H1N1.htm) and issued a recommendation to parents regarding vaccinations

([ http://www.isbe.net/pdf/H1N1/H1N1_school_parent_ltr.pdf ]http://www.isbe.net/pdf/H1N1/H1N1_school_parent_ltr.pdf).

Here is to a safe and healthy year!

Dr. Joseph M. Porto
Superintendent

As we reflect upon the 2008-2009 school year, there are many successes and accomplishments to highlight.  We thank the teachers, staff, parents, students, administrators and school board members for their collaborative efforts on behalf of the Avoca school community.  Highlights of the 2008-2009 school year include:

• In April, the Avoca community passed a tax rate referendum by a vote of 59% to 41%.  This support and affirmation by the community was greatly appreciated, and will assure that the high quality Avoca educational program remains intact into the near future
• Avoca’s student achievement continues to soar.  As measured by the 2009 Illinois Standards Achievement Test (ISAT) Avoca now ranks 6th in the entire state in combined reading, math and science achievement. 
• The Marie Murphy Science Olympiad Team finished 1st in the state for the fourth time in the last five years.  The team then went on to represent Illinois in the national competition, where they finished 12th out of 60 teams nationwide.   The Science Olympiad Team has come to represent the quality of “sustained excellence” that Avoca seeks to attain in all its endeavors.
• Avoca was named a Technology Leadership Salute District by the National School Board Association in 2009.  Only three districts nationwide are awarded this honor each year.  Avoca remains a lighthouse district in our nation for its innovative and effective use of educational technology.
• The Avoca Community Preschool completed its inaugural year and was highly successful.  The blended preschool services regularly developing children and children with special needs together in a single, inclusive setting.  The three- and four-year old children thrived in this nurturing, yet challenging educational setting.  Due to the success of the first year and an already growing positive reputation, enrollment was strong for 2009-2010.

We plan to build upon the many successes of the 2008-2009 school year as we vigorously plan for the school year ahead.  Our goal is always one of “continuous improvement” and we pledge to work diligently as we continue Avoca on the path from “good to great.”