Maercker SD 60 -

Even the Westview Hills Elf of the Shelf needs a little break sometimes.

The Westview Hills Elf on the Shelf made another appearance today. Where will he show up next?

Students at Maercker School have been turning in their Maercker Paws to have lunch with the principal!

🌟 Gold Standard Spotlight: Laura Koschnitzke🌟
Laura exemplifies continuous improvement in action. She approaches every challenge with curiosity and a learner’s mindset, particularly in her work with bilingual curriculum and biliteracy strategies. By closely partnering with her bilingual assistant and multilingual specialist, she has strengthened instruction and created meaningful opportunities for students to build oracy and confidence. Laura Koschnitzke is an inspiring example of what it means to learn, lead, and serve with heart. Her commitment to students and colleagues alike makes her truly The Gold Standard! 💛

Many students recently submitted writing to the Indian Prairie annual Write-On competition, and we are proud to share that there were a few winners from Westview Hills!

Eighth grader Sreyashi was the overall winner in the 7-8 grade short stories category, and placed second in poetry.

Sixth grade students also had a great showing. Alec placed first in the 4-6th grade short stories category, Rosie placed second overall for poetry and Glori also placed in the top three for her poem. Congratulations to all the winners! #d60learns

Participate in our community’s Holiday Giving Tree! District 60 families in need have anonymously completed a request form and the items requested have been uploaded into our online “Giving Tree.” Families have requested gift cards in the denominations of $25 so that they may gift to their child or shop for something special for them.

If you are interested in donating gifts to our families, please sign up: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C044CA8AF2BA4FCC52-60523757-holiday

Please drop off your gift donations directly to the office of your child’s school no later than Dec. 7.

This morning the elf on the shelf made a surprise appearance at Westview Hills in the IMC . We are not sure if he is going to make another appearance and where in the school he may show up, but we will be on the lookout!

🌟 Gold Standard Spotlight: Arlene Lopez🌟
Arlene’s inclusive and welcoming nature shines from the moment you meet her, and her daily visits to the office to greet staff help foster a culture of belonging across the school. Whether engaging in discussions about asset-based mindsets or building relationships through small daily gestures, Arlene models the heart of our Gold Standard community! 👏

Today is National Special Education Day! Today, we celebrate historic legislation requiring equal educational opportunities for all students. Thank you to our staff for ensuring all Maercker students receive the education they deserve! #d60learns

Don't miss an important presentation happening this week!

Westview Hills Middle School will be hosting a Parent presentation of "Keeping Our Kids Cyber Safe" on Wednesday, December 3 from 6-7:30 p.m.

All parents, guardians, Teachers and Grandparents are welcome to attend as well.Detective Richard Wistocki, nationally recognized High Technology Cyber Crimes Specialist, will be presenting proactive strategies, expert insight, and invaluable resources designed to empower you to combat Cyber-Bullying Vaping and Sexting.

Sixth grade ELA students were assigned a type of figurative language and went to the creation station to film videos that defined and showed this type of figurative language. The video links were turned into QR codes, and students were able to view each other’s projects! #d60learns

🌟 Gold Standard Spotlight: Courtney Benfield🌟
Courtney exemplifies what it means to be student-focused. As an inclusive and welcoming educator, Courtney has built a classroom environment where every child feels valued and excited to learn. We are proud to celebrate her as The Gold Standard! 💛

Happy Thanksgiving from all of us at Maercker D60! We hope everyone is enjoying a long weekend with loved ones.

The student leadership team at Westview Hills builds a positive school community by organizing special spirit days—such as Onesie Day and Jersey Day—that bring students together and celebrate school pride. They also lead activities like the “Be Thankful Turkey,” where students share notes of gratitude. Through these events, the student leadership team promotes engagement, creativity, and a supportive school culture while having some fun! #d60learns

Help us Fuel D60! We need your help to keep our pantry stocked. Please consider donating:

-Fruits packed in juice
-Canned vegetables
-Dried or canned beans and lentils
-Soup
-Rice
-Jerky sticks
-Hot chocolate
-Shelf-stable dairy
-Nut-free snacks for schools
-Snacks for the Wildcat Family Pantry - can include nuts!

Learn more about how you can support the program: http://www.maerckerpta.org/fueld60

In ELA class at Westview Hills, students participate in the literature circle model which is a collaborative reading strategy in which small groups read the same text and generate questions to guide discussion. Literature circles encourage student choice, deepen comprehension, and promote active, student-led dialogue about texts as they annotate using sticky notes. Check it out! #d60learns

🌟 Gold Standard Spotlight: Julie Reinert🌟
Julie’s collaborative spirit shines through her consistent partnership with parents and her classroom’s high expectations while maintaining a joyful, respectful environment where students feel seen, valued, and capable of success. Her enthusiasm for learning, especially in math, has inspired a true love for the subject among her students and is why she is The Gold Standard! 👏

Our community is hosting an online “Holiday Giving Tree” as a way for Maercker District 60 families and staff to help other District 60 families who may be in need this holiday season. District families have anonymously completed a request form and the items requested have been uploaded into our online “Giving Tree.” Families have requested gift cards in the denominations of $25 so that they may gift to their child or shop for something special for them.

If you are interested in donating gifts to our families, please sign up: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C044CA8AF2BA4FCC52-60523757-holiday

Once purchased, please drop off your gift donations directly to the office of your child’s school no later than Dec. 7.

The 6th grade again dominated the attendance challenge last month with an attendance rate of 96.2%. Will they hold their place for the month of November?

The Gold Standard Award celebrates those who truly live out our core values and staff portrait characteristics each day. So far this year 79 staff members have received a total of 123 Gold Standard recognitions! These recognitions celebrate staff for elite behaviors and actions that model our core values and staff portrait characteristics and are submitted by staff, families, and students.

The leadership team regularly reviews the submissions and we are pleased to highlight the 7 staff members earlier tonight who have exhibited elite level behavior aligned to our core values and staff portrait characteristics as Gold Standard Bearers.

Congratulations to the October 2025 Gold Standard Bearers:

-Julie Reinert - Maercker Intermediate School Teacher
-Courtney Benfield - Maercker Intermediate School Teacher
-Arlene Lopez - Holmes Primary School Teacher
-Laura Koshnitzke - Holmes Primary School Teacher
-Beatriz Solorzano - Holmes Primary School Instructional Assistant
-Don Enberg - Westview Hills Middle School Teacher
-Sam Williams - Westview Hills Middle School Teacher