Board of Education Meeting
The Board of Education held its regular monthly business meeting on Monday at the Mikaelian Education Center. The Board opened its meeting by recognizing students from Highcrest and WJHS for significant achievements in Science Olympiad, National Latin Exam and Latin Certamen, National Mythology Exam, Math Olympiad, and the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) National American History Essay competition. Congratulations students and thank you to the many faculty and staff who help make these accomplishments possible!
The Board
approved Jon Baffico as the next principal of WJHS and heard both the Community Review Committee’s final report titled
“Belonging and Connection in the Digital Age” as well as the annual
2025-26 Student and Staff Planning Report. Additionally, the Board entered into a
donation agreement with the Romona PTA for a new kindergarten playground and conducted a first reading of several Board policies.
Agendas and materials for Board of Education meetings are posted online the Friday prior to the meeting.
Bike/Walk Safety Tips
This past week, we heard of multiple incidents between students on their way to/from school and vehicles driving on the roads. Fortunately, all of the involved students are okay; however, with spring weather upon us, we want to review important safety reminders for walkers, bikers and drivers. In addition to exercising caution as you and your student(s) travel to/from school daily and promoting safe driving practices throughout our Village, we ask that parents review these safety tips with your child(ren) to help improve safety and reduce the risk of incident while walking, biking and driving:.
• Phones down, heads-up, earbuds out, and avoid distractions when crossing the street
• Take the extra time to cross at the corner.
• Be alert when it’s dark out and make sure drivers can see you.
• Look left, right, and left again before crossing and continue looking in all directions while crossing.
• Watch out for vehicles backing up in parking lots and driveways.
• When crossing, pause at each lane of traffic and make eye contact with the drivers.
Thank you for taking the time to discuss these tips with your child(ren). We appreciate your partnership and support in keeping our kids safe and supporting safety throughout our community.
Recognition of our D39 Retirees
District 39 congratulates its six employees who are celebrating their retirement this school year. D39 thanks our retirees for their numerous contributions and the positive impact each had on the lives of so many students and colleagues. We wish them the best in all their future endeavors!
District 39 Honored Retirees:
• Katie Lee, Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction, 33 years
• Cathy Peach, Paraprofessional at Romona Elementary, 28 years
• Ann Grochocinski, Administrative Assistant for Human Resources, 24 years
• Oshana Khoshaba, Head Custodian at McKenzie Elementary, 19 years
• Ellen Smith, Administrative Assistant at Romona Elementary, 17 years
• Caroline Cerrone, Paraprofessional at Harper Elementary, 12 years
View photos from the Board of Education's Annual Reflections Celebration.