A last look at Blythe's playground as we know it! Fencing will go up by early next week and construction will begin shortly after that. We are looking forward to seeing students and the community enjoying the new playground at the end of the summer.

Please note: both Blythe's and Central's playgrounds will be closed for summer construction projects.

Congratulations to Hauser’s Class of 2026! We are so proud of your hard work and know you are ready for the next chapter. 🎓 Thank you to all of our D96 teachers, staff, and families for your support along the way. (How special that two of our board members got to hand diplomas to their own children!) 👏

We are so excited to welcome Nikki Mazza as our new Ames Principal following Mr. Gierman’s (well-deserved) retirement. Thank you so much to the Ames families who came out to meet Mrs. Mazza. And, of course, thank you to our administrative assistants and custodians for coordinating the event.

📸 Pictured: Principal Mazza, Custodian Vasko, Superintendent Ryan-Toye

Reminder: registration for the upcoming school year is open!
Be sure to complete your student’s registration soon—and a special reminder for incoming kindergarten families: register by TODAY to receive your 40% early registration discount! We can’t wait to welcome our newest learners next year! 📚✨
Visit District96.org and click Registration to get started.

Yesterday, the District Leadership Team met with Riverside, Brookfield, and North Riverside police and fire representatives along with village officials to review our shared goals for student safety.

In this annual meeting, we discussed our updated school security systems, coordinating safety drills, assessing student threats, and other ways we can partner to support our students.

Thank you to everyone who took the time to attend this important meeting!

D96 students have a HALF DAY on Friday, April 24 while staff attend a district-wide professional development session in the afternoon. Hauser and elementary students will be dismissed at 11:20am.

Students can pick up a bagged lunch immediately following dismissal. Sign up is required: https://store.district96.org/#!/products/RDXXNZABSG

Lunch pick up:
Ames - Early Learner Hub
Blythe Park - Main Office
Central - Small Multipurpose Room
Hollywood - Main Office
Hauser - Hauser Cafeteria

Over the last two months, a group of 43 parents, residents, teachers, administrators, and board members, plus 4 brave Hauser students, worked together to begin developing our next strategic plan.

Through thoughtful discussions facilitated by Educational Leadership Solutions, we reviewed our current mission and vision and discussed how we’d like the district to be seen in the future.

Building on the success of the current plan, we will continue to focus on student learning, school culture, and community while investing in our talented staff and facilities. The next step will be sharing these goals with the full Board of Education and developing attainable and measurable strategies to support them. We hope to have a draft of our new strategic plan approved this school year.

Thank you again to everyone who took our strategic plan survey in February. Your feedback helped shape these conversations and will continue to impact our district’s goals.

We wish all of our D96 families a safe and relaxing spring break! The district office will be open during the week; school offices are closed.

See you back on Tuesday, April 7!

It’s been a busy and exciting March at our schools! Here’s a look at what’s been happening across the district.

📚 Students had fun with Flash while shopping the Central PTO Book Fair!
🥳 Fifth graders celebrated their 1,000th day of school at Blythe Park!
🤪 Teachers went wild with their outfits for Ames’ first ever mismatch day!
🏀 The 8th grade boys’ and girls’ basketballs teams beat Hauser staff 27-24 in the annual student vs staff game!
💙 Hollywood celebrated community and culture at its first ever cultural night!

Congratulations to all of our talented D96 student artists who showcased talented women in Riverside Historical Society’s Women's History Month poster contest! The winning posters are on display at the Riverside Public Library through March. Stop by to be inspired!

We know our children are struggling emotionally in unprecedented ways. Why? Simply put, an overemphasis on achievement along with adult over involvement.

On Monday, April 13, Dr. Doug Bolton will identify myths that create unnecessary pressure for parents, educators, and children. Dr. Bolton, clinical psychologist and consultant, will also share strategies to help children feel more connected and ways to refocus energy on the things that are most essential for wellness and success.

This parent information session will be recorded and available for later viewing. Five in-person attendees will win a copy of Dr. Bolton’s book, Untethered: Creating Connected Families, Schools, and Communities to Raise a Resilient Generation.

Monday, April 13
6:30pm
Hauser Junior High

📣 Hey! The kids have a question! Have you taken our survey yet? It takes 5 minutes and helps guide the district for the years ahead. As we review our mission, vision, and values, your feedback tells us what our goals should be for the: 👩‍💻 superintendent 🏫 principals 🧑🏻‍🏫 teachers 🧑‍🎓and students 🗓️ Your voice matters in this process! Please take 5 minutes to complete the survey at district96.org by Wednesday, March 4.

We loved connecting with so many families last night! Students played games, parents learned more about our math curriculum, and we ended the night with bingo and prizes.  Thanks to Sara Hickey, D96 instructional coach, teachers from all 4 elementary schools, and student leaders from Hauser for coordinating the fun. Next year's family learning night will focus on science.  As a reminder, our strategic plan survey is open until Wednesday! This is a chance to share your thoughts on where you'd like to see the district in the years ahead. Take the survey at district96.org. 

We can’t wait to see you at our next Family Learning Night! Connect with your PreK-Grade 5 student, learn more about our math curriculum, and find ways to develop these skills at home.

🎲 Play grade-level games led by D96 staff and Hauser volunteers.
🏆 Enter raffles for exciting prizes and play Family BINGO (7:30 PM).
🧑‍🏫 Attend a parent info session at 6:45, 7:00 (Spanish), or 7:15 PM. Childcare provided.
🧩 Take home free game materials to keep the math fun going at home.

The district is beginning the process of reviewing its vision, mission, values, and goals to develop its next strategic plan. We invite you to share your input by completing a 5-minute survey that will help shape our district’s priorities for the next five years.

Your voice matters. Our current strategic plan led to the implementation of full-day kindergarten, a social emotional curriculum for elementary students, and improvements to playgrounds and outdoor spaces. These initiatives were directly informed by community feedback.

The survey is open to the entire community. We encourage you to share it with friends and neighbors, even if they do not currently have students in the district. Responses will be collected through March 4. The survey and updates on the strategic planning process an be found at https://www.district96.org/article/2704933.

After 17 years of dedicated service to District 96, our HR Specialist is retiring today.  

Donna has been at the helm of Human Resources for nearly two decades. With kindness and support, she has steered many D96 staff members through life’s joys and challenges.

Over the last month, Donna has been working closely with our new HR Specialist to share her knowledge and ensure a smooth transition. We wish Donna a well-deserved and joyful retirement and welcome Shannon aboard!

In anticipation of inclement weather, we have made the decision to shift to an eLearning day on Friday, January 23. Student devices will be sent home with them today. To review our eLearning plan, instructions, and student expectations, visit district96.org.

Riverside Parks & Recreation will be offering supervised childcare and eLearning support at the Quincy Street Community Center (43 E. Quincy) for $38 from 8:00 AM-3:00 PM. Before and after care can be added for an additional fee. Participants can register online or onsite.

After school activities on Thursday, January 22 will continue as scheduled. Friday, January 23 before and after school activities are canceled.

Stay safe and warm!

As we welcome the new year, we’re also reflecting on an important milestone — the final year of our 2021-26 Strategic Plan. This plan has guided our work and helped focus our efforts on what matters most: student growth, thriving learning environments, supporting staff, strengthening family connection, and responsible use of resources.

Over the last five years, this work was facilitated by Educational Leadership Solutions (EdLS), whose partnership helped move this plan from vision to practice. We’re proud of the progress made and are excited to share that we will continue working with EdLS to help guide the development of our next strategic plan.
Parents, community members, and staff will be invited to share feedback as part of this process. Our goal is to have a new strategic plan updated and approved by the Board of Education at the end of this school year.

Thank you to the Strategic Plan Committee and our EdLS consultants, Gary and Karen, for their time, thoughtful input, and commitment to representing our community throughout this process!

❄️ The snow might not have lasted through December, but it was still a festive month for our elementary schools!

Ames performers rocked the winter concert under Mr. DeStephano’s direction.
Blythe first graders “traveled” to Germany for gingerbread house-building to celebrate holidays around the world.
If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em: Central teachers submitted to the 6-7 craze on the 67th day of school!
The creativity came out for festive hat/accessory day at Hollywood!