CONTACT: Jim Blaney Valley View School District 365U 801 Normantown Road Romeoville IL 60446 815.886.2700 ext. 6021

Media Release

This Week in Valley View News and Notes from Around the District May 10, 2018

Romeoville HS Awarded Bronze Medal in Annual US News High School Rankings

For the third year in a row, Romeoville High School has been named as a Bronze Medal Award Winner by US News & World Report in their annual rankings of America’s Best High Schools. High schools awarded gold, silver, or bronze medals by US News are then ranked nationally, and within their state, resulting in Romeoville HS being ranked 71st in Illinois, improving on their ranking of 93rd in the 2017 rankings. “This is a great honor for Romeoville High School,” said Romeoville HS Principal Mr. Derek Kinder. “It is also a reflection of the work done throughout Valley View School District by students to meet the high expectations set for them, and the support that is provided by residents of our District to empower all learners to be college and career ready.” A closer look at the state rankings show that Romeoville HS ranks 26th in Illinois among non-charter high schools that are part of unit (K-12) districts and 3rd among high schools located in Will County after Neuqua Valley, and Lockport Township East Campus. Lukancic Band Trip Includes Critique, Performance at Stadium Prior to Cubs at Cardinals

Each year, Lukancic Band students take an out-of-state trip to have a university level music instructor critique their performance and offer suggestions for improvement. This year, the Lukancic Band visited University of Missouri-St. Louis Department of Music Chair Mr. Gary Brandes for evaluation. It just so happens the Cubs were in St. Louis last weekend as well, and the Lukancic students were invited to perform in the plaza outside Busch Stadium prior to last Saturday’s Cubs-Cardinals game. Normally, for events such as this, the Lukancic students proudly were their school color of red. However, for this occasion only, the Flames switched to blue. (Sox fans in the group took one for the team!) The trip was paid for by parents, student fundraisers, and the generosity of the Lukancic Music Boosters. (More)

Tibbott Students Study, and Celebrate at Their Multicultural Fair

Tibbott Elementary School students and families celebrated Multicultural Week and capped off their studies and celebration with a Multicultural Fair. Each classroom was given a country or state to study and explore the culture of that region. The Tibbott hallways were turned into gateways for travelers to visit exotic places with “passports” issued by the school. The main event for the week was the Multicultural Music Program which featured songs and dances. Watch the video to see the kindergartners, who studied Hawaii, perform their dance. We could use all sorts of big education words to describe their performance, but we’ll simply tell you they’re really cute. RHS Auto Shop Students Converting Police Cruiser to Race Car

Romeoville HS students in the auto mechanics class of Mr. Pete Morris are taking on a rather unique class assignment. They are converting a police cruiser into a race car! The assignment began when RHS Student Resource Officer Det. Tom Dorsey purchased two 2009 Ford Crown Victoria P71 Police Package squad cars. Since then, students have been stripping the cars of unnecessary weight and installing race safety features such as the interior roll cage. This July, Det. Dorsey will represent the Romeoville Police Department in a dirt oval race at the Route 66 Raceway in Joliet. All proceeds from this race go to benefit Special Olympics Illinois. Kudos for Noteworthy Achievements! Bolingbrook HS freshman Josh Rybialek competed at the Mathletes State Competition at the University of Illinois at Urbana/Champaign. He competed in Algebra I and only missed five questions and finished 33rd out of 182 students that competed on Sat, May 5. Jane Addams Middle School and the Valley View Student Transformation Learning Record hosted the Inaugural Team Gabe & Friends 3K Walk Promoting Autism Awareness on Sat. Apr. 28. Over 450 community members participated in the event, including members of the Bolingbrook HS boy’s volleyball team who showed their support by cheering on the runners.

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Bolingbrook HS students Grace Hand and Brenden Wagner have winning entries in the Illinois Association for Career & Technical Educators Logo contest. Brenden’s design (far left) won for the Annual Illinois State IACTE conference. Grace’s design (near left) won for Career & Technical Educator’s Region III Conference.

The Last Day of School The last day of classes for VVSD is Tue, May 29. (As long as no more emergency closing days are used.) A day was added onto the school year because of the snow day on Fri, Feb. 9. H.S. Graduation and 8th Grade Promotion Dates and Times Promotion ceremonies for all Valley View middle schools will take place at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 24. High School graduations will be held on Sunday, June 3. The ceremony at Romeoville H.S. will begin at 1 p.m. The ceremony at Bolingbrook H.S. will begin at 3 p.m. Theatre Season in Valley View! Romeoville HS Presents Drum Theater Romeoville HS’s award-winning percussion department presents “Drum Theater”, an amazing journey in theatrical percussion. One night only, Thu. May 10 7 p.m. in the RHS Auditorium. Admission is $5. Included in the night’s performances will be the RHS students teaming up with their counterparts from Bolingbrook HS for an Honors Ensemble, and a guest performance with the RHS students by Blueman Group drumset play Mr. Thomas Benko. Click Here to watch a preview of the show!

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You! STAGES Summer Program- “Little Mermaid, Jr!” June 22 STAGES Jr. Summer Program- “Schoolhouse Rock Live” June 22 & 23 Notice Regarding Application of Lawn Care Products on VVSD Properties

As part of Valley View School District’s annual lawn care program, a contractor will be applying weed control chemicals to the turf areas at each school during the month of May. These chemicals are approved by the State of Illinois to be used in a school environment, and will be applied during weekend and after school hours when students are not present. (More)

As always, our goal is to provide the highest level of service to our schools with minimal disruption to our staff and students. We continue to assure you that safety is of the utmost importance. If you have any questions regarding the scheduling or application of these chemicals, please feel free to contact Tru-Green at 815-439-0469.

Seen Around Valley View This Week

Left- A Vito Martinez Middle School students got a close up look at worms that help break down compost thanks to a visit from Will County Environmental Educator Mrs. Joan O’Keefe. nd

Center- B.J. Ward students in the 2 Grade Classroom of Ms. Kristy Rapacchieta were visited by Junior Achievement members who are also Walgreens employees. The students were given red noses representative of efforts to end child poverty. rd

Right- Wood View students and families celebrated their heritage at their 3 Annual Multicultural Fair. The was no excuse for going home hungry as there were food samples representing dozens of nations. . Quick Notes- The next meeting of the Valley View School District Board of Education is on Monday, May 14 at John J. Lukancic Middle School, 725 W. Normantown Rd, Romeoville IL. The meeting will be called to order at 6 p.m. and the Board will vote to go into Executive Session. The Public Session of the meeting will begin at 7 p.m. In accordance with the Open Meetings Act, the Agenda for the meeting will be posted no later than 48 hours prior to the start of the meeting. Click here to view the Agenda The Bolingbrook HS Music Boosters will be offering a selection of flowers, herbs & vegetable plants for sale on Sat. May 12 from 11 a.m.- 1 p.m. in the parking lot near the BHS Auditorium. Plants are provided by a professional greenhouse and will be available for purchase on a first-come, first-served basis. All sales will benefit music education programs at BHS. Cash & credit cards will be accepted. Questions? Contact Mary Spengler at [email protected]. Irene King Elementary School is seeking guest speakers for their annual Career Day on Fri. May 18. Speakers will be asked to tell students about their careers for 15-20 minutes and also any questions students would like to ask. For more information, contact Mrs. Shannon Hamm at (815) 886-3380 or [email protected] Romeoville HS’s Award-Wining Percussion Students will present Drum Theater on Thu. May 10 at 7 p.m. Included in the night’s performances will be the RHS students teaming up with their counterparts from Bolingbrook HS for an Honors Ensemble and a guest performance with the RHS students by Blueman Group drumset play Mr. Thomas Benko. th

The 14 Annual Romeoville HS Booster Club Golf Outing which supports Spartan athletics will take place on Sat. June 9 at Carillon Golf Club. For more information, contact Tim Krueger at (815) 325-9484 or [email protected] Early bird registration and the discount registration fee continue until June 1. Upcoming Important School Calendar Dates Wed. May 16 Early Release (H.S. 12:43, MS 1:20, Elementary 2:15) th Thu. May 24 8 Grade Graduations 6:30 p.m. Mon. May 28 Memorial Day- No Classes Tue. May 29 Last Day of School (if no additional Emergency Days are used) (More)

Events for the Coming Week Thu. May 10 Irene King Elementary Night at White Oak Library 6 p.m. Drum Theatre Romeoville H.S. 7 p.m. Fri. May 11 Females Matter Jane Addams Middle School 7 a.m. College & Career Day Oak View Elementary 1 p.m. VVSD Retirement Dinner Bolingbrook Golf Club 6 p.m. Mon. May 14 Beginning Band Concert Brooks Middle School 7 p.m. Tue. May 15 Muffins for Moms BJ Ward 7:30 a.m. Scholarship Awards Night Romeoville High School 6 p.m. th th 7 and 8 Grade Concert Brook Middle School 7 p.m. Thu. May 17 Band Awards Celebration Lukancic Middle School 6 p.m. nd Spring Concert K-2 Grade BJ Ward 6:30 p.m. Fri. May 18 Spring Music Concerts Hermansen Elementary 9:15 a.m. Career Day Martinez Middle School 9:15 a.m. th 8 Grade Dinner/Dance Lukancic Middle School 6 p.m. Backyard Carnival & Vendor Fair Tibbott 6 p.m. Choir Pop Concert Romeoville H.S. 7 p.m. Music Boosters Recognition Night Bolingbrook H.S. 7 p.m.

New This Week in the Community Bulletin Board Joliet Junior College Kids College Phills Sports Academy News from Our Community Partners Romeoville Recreation Department For information on upcoming programs including the Day Camp registration which offers an Early Bird discount until June 1, check out the latest Information from our friends at the Romeoville Recreation Department Northern Illinois Food Bank Mobile Pantry The Northern Illinois Food Bank Mobile Pantry distributes nutritious food to areas of need. The Mobile Pantry is free to our neighbors in need but those using the Pantry need to bring their own boxes and grocery bags. The Mobile Pantry will be available from 4-6 p.m. at the White Oak Library’s Romeoville Branch on Mon. May 14 and Mon. June 11. Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Joliet is seeking donations of school supplies for their annual Back to School Fair which provides school supplies to families in need. Please bring your filled boxes of supplies and books to either: The Giving Tree Catholic Charities Donation Center, 3016 S. State St. in Lockport on Thu, July 26 9a.m.- 3 p.m. or Joliet Catholic Academy 1200 N. Larkin Ave. Joliet on Mon, July 30 8:30-11:30 a.m. The Back to School Fair is on Thu. Aug. 2 10 a.m.- 5 p.m. at Joliet Catholic Academy.

(That’s all for this week!)