District 60’s Family and Community Engagement (FACE) department is hosting an informational Parent University presentation later this month aimed at helping parents better the physical health of their children.

Hispanic Heritage Month begins today, and District 60 is excited to begin its annual month-long celebration of Hispanic history and culture. Throughout the month our schools will immerse students in Hispanic history and culture, through various events, activities, and lessons.

A Special Session Meeting of the Board of Education will be held on Tuesday, September 17, 2024, to discuss student discipline matters - 5 ILCS 120/2(c)(9). The meeting will be in Closed Session beginning at 6 p.m. in Room 120 at Lincoln Center, 1201 N. Sheridan Road. Public comment will precede the closed session in Room 120. An open session will be brief, beginning at 6:55 p.m. in the Board Room. The meetings will precede the Board's regular monthly committee meetings.

District 60’s Diverse Learners Department will host its first Parent to Parent Special Education Network support group on Thursday, September 26 from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Welcome Center, 742 W. Greenwood Avenue.

Yesterday our Board of Education voted to approve an agreement with the City of Waukegan to return a School Resource Officer (SRO) to our high school campuses. SROs are law enforcement officers, with specific training in working with children and youth, specifically assigned to help maintain safety and foster positive relationships within our school community.

Waukegan Public Schools invites parents and guardians to a special YouTube Live event on Wednesday, September 25, at 6 p.m. to learn about the District’s new promotion and retention policy. This event is designed to provide detailed information about the policy and answer any questions parents may have regarding how it may affect their child.

Tickets are now on sale for the Waukegan High School and Waukegan Association of Music Partners’ (AMP) annual Pasta & Pops dinner.

A regular meeting of the Board of Education will be held on Tuesday, September 10, 2024, at 7 p.m. for Open Session, and 6 p.m. for Closed Session. The meeting will be conducted in person in the Lincoln Center Board Room, 1201 N. Sheridan Road. Closed Session will occur in Room 120.

Waukegan High School’s homecoming week runs from September 9 to September 14. Below is a full list of home varsity sports contests, spirit week celebrations and homecoming events perfect for showing off your Bulldog pride. This year’s Homecoming Week theme is “Mystery Masquerade”

Waukegan Public Schools will host its annual Hispanic Heritage Month Celebration on Thursday, October 3. The theme of this year’s celebration of Hispanic history and culture is: “Pioneers of Change: Shaping the Future Together.” The event will take place at the Genesee Theatre, 203 N Genesee Street, beginning at 5 p.m.

As we settle into the new school year, we want to remind everyone of our District's commitment to maintaining a safe environment for all students and staff. With the school year now underway, it's essential to revisit a vital safety policy related to weapons on campus.

Since summer, our District’s Wraparound Center has been open to provide essential resources for families in need of additional support. The Wraparound Center serves as a one-stop location where students, families, and residents can access therapeutic services and resources from community agencies. The Wraparound Center operates out of the lower level of 214 Washington Street in downtown Waukegan.

We’d like to remind our District’s families that they have access to Sodexo’s Nutrislice, which allows them to browse their school’s daily lunch menus, access nutrition facts, plan for dietary restrictions and allergies and more.

Waukegan Public Schools’ Department of Equity and Inclusion is seeking applicants to join the District’s Equity Advisory Council for the 2024-2025 school year. Interested parents, staff, or community members can apply now.

District 60 will be hosting an online presentation designed to help Diverse Learner families better familiarize themselves with their child’s Individualized Education Program. The presenters, from the Family Resource Center on Disabilities, are parents of children with IEPs and will share personal insights and experiences with families.

The National Weather Service has issued various heat advisories for our area in effect for much of Monday (August 26) and Tuesday (August 27) of this week. In anticipation of these rising temperatures, we are taking extra precautions to help keep students and staff safe. Below are some steps we are taking, as well as things families can do to help keep students cool.

A regular meeting of the Board of Education will be held on Tuesday, August 27, 2024, at 7 p.m. for Open Session, and 5:30 p.m. for Closed Session. The meeting will be conducted in person in the Lincoln Center Board Room, 1201 N. Sheridan Road. Closed Session will occur in Room 120.

Nominating petition packets for the April 1, 2025, consolidated election for the Waukegan Community Unit School District #60 Board of Education are available through the Office of the County Clerk.

This year, Waukegan CUSD #60 will be implementing its district-wide promotion/retention policy to ensure all students are making appropriate grade-level progress throughout their educational careers.

Miguel Juarez Middle School in Waukegan has been honored as a School of Distinction by the Association for Middle Level Education (AMLE) for its outstanding efforts in implementing best practices as part of the school’s growth initiatives, and for transforming school culture and climate.

A Special Closed Session Meeting of the Board of Education will be held on Tuesday, August 20, 2024, to discuss Security procedures, school building safety, and the use of personnel. The meeting will be in Closed Session beginning at 6 p.m. in Room 120 at Lincoln Center, 1201 N. Sheridan Road. No official Board action will be taken at this meeting. A brief open session with public comment will precede the closed session. The meeting will precede the Board's regular monthly committee meetings.

District 60’s K-8 theater program, the Waukegan Performing Arts Company (WAUK-PAC) is holding auditions for its next production, Frozen, next week. Auditions will be held at Cooke Magnet School, 522 Belvidere Road, on Thursday, August 22 from 5 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. All K-8 students are welcome to audition.

I hope this message finds you well, and you are all enjoying a successful start to the new school year. Today I am writing to share important information related to school safety. Our school district has begun the school year without the support of School Resource Officers (SROs), due to the lack of an Intergovernmental Agreement with the City of Waukegan.

A regular meeting of the Board of Education will be held on Tuesday, August 13, 2024, at 7 p.m. for Open Session, and 6 p.m. for Closed Session. The meeting will be conducted in person in the Lincoln Center Board Room, 1201 N. Sheridan Road. Closed Session will occur in Room 120.

Waukegan Public Schools’ Diverse Learner Department will host a series of virtual special education training sessions this fall, as part of its Parent Advocacy Leadership (PAL) program. PAL is a free eight-week training program from the Family Resource Center on Disabilities that is designed to help parents navigate the special education process in Illinois.

Budget Workshop # 2 for the Board of Education will be held on Tuesday, August 6, 2024, at 6:00 p.m. The meeting will be conducted in person in the Lincoln Center Board Room, 1201 N. Sheridan Road.

We are excitedly preparing for the start of the 2024-2025 school year later this month. We can not wait to see you and your little ones for a year full of fun and learning. In advance of the first day of school, we want to share with you all some important schedule modifications for preschool students. First and foremost, the first day of school for all preschool students will be Wednesday, August 14. EPIC students will not attend school on August 12 or August 13.

On Tuesday, July 30 the Waukegan Public Schools phone system will be undergoing key maintenance in preparation for the new school year. Beginning at noon, all incoming and outgoing calls will be down for approximately 1 hour. Inter-office calling will be unaffected.

Students at all Waukegan Community Unit School District # 60 elementary and middle schools will again see an increase in fruit and vegetable options at school, thanks to the Illinois State Board of Education’s Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP).

Our schools are hosting open houses, meet & greets, and other welcoming events, ahead of the first day of school on August 12, and throughout the first several weeks of the school year.

The first day of the school year is just three weeks away! As families prepare to return to our schools, we wish to provide reminders of important back-to-school information. Please see below for useful information that we hope will answer many of your questions in advance of August 12.

Waukegan Community Unit School District # 60 schools are again participating in Professional Learning Days this school year. These days will allow for additional professional development opportunities for staff members and will result in altered bell schedules on these days.

Last week our Board of Education voted to approve updates to two important policies that impact students academically. The most significant policy is the re-introduction of our promotion/ retention policy, which affects how students move from grade to grade each year, based on academic performance. Below are more details on this policy, as well as more minor changes to our grading policy. Please take a moment to read up on these changes, and be on the lookout for more information on these policies in the near future.

District 60’s K-8 theater program, the Waukegan Performing Arts Company (WAUK-PAC) is holding auditions for its next production, Seusseical Jr. next month. Auditions will be held at Cooke Magnet School, 522 Belvidere Road, on Thursday, May 16, from 5 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. All K-8 students are welcome to audition.

Parents new to District 60 looking to enroll their children in kindergarten for the 2024/25 school year still have time to reserve a time slot to complete the registration process during one of our upcoming New Kindergarten Registration events.

A Special Closed Session Meeting of the Board of Education will be held on Tuesday, November 21, 2023, for the purpose of discussing negotiations and litigation. The meeting will be in Closed Session beginning at 6 p.m. in Room 120 at Lincoln Center, 1201 N. Sheridan Road. No official Board action will be taken at this meeting. The meeting will precede the Board's regular monthly committee meetings. On November 21, 2023, the regularly-scheduled Student Achievement and Operation Services Committee meetings will begin at 6:30 p.m. in the Lincoln Center Board Room.

Waukegan Public Schools is excited to announce we will soon be rolling out a new facility scheduling and work order software. Later this summer FMX will officially replace SchoolDude. Our district-wide launch will take place in August.