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School Began Monday, August 14, 2023!
Please read key Back to School information here. New this year: School backpacks must be clear and school begins at 8:30am at Avant, Dunbar, Officer, and Wright Elementaries. Across the district, every Wednesday is an early release day! Check out additional details about uniforms, school supplies, calendar and more!
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Safety Alert
Police are investigating an incident involving an unknown male approaching a child on the way to school. Events of this nature highlight the importance of being alert to the possibility of child abductions. It is essential that we remain vigilant and proactive to be safe against possible child abductions. While we do not want to incite unnecessary fear, we believe that it is our responsibility as parents and caregivers to take steps to protect our children from potential risks.
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Alert: New Home Game Spectator Rules
Alert: Fans, please take note of these new spectator rules that apply for all home athletic events. Ensuring safe athletic events is a priority for the East St. Louis School District. Please note that no bags or purses (including clear bags) are allowed into the stadium or gyms.
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Versatran My Stop
Versatrans E-Link provides parents/guardians with secure access to their students' Bus Route Information. This information is updated in real-time and reflects what is in our routing program.
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Join Our Team!
East St. Louis School District 189 may have the perfect career opportunity for you! Join our team of exceptional educators and support staff!
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East St. Louis School District 189 Teacher Bestowed the 2023 Illinois Teacher of the Year Award from Illinois State Board of Education
Briana Morales from Gordon Bush Alternative School in East St. Louis School District 189 has been named the 2023 Southwest Regional Teacher of the Year by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE). Out of almost 500 applicants, Briana Morales was selected for this honor because of the positive impact she makes with vulnerable students, her dedication to personalized, competency-based education, her passion for educational research and policy development, as well as her commitment to supporting colleagues and future educators through Affinity Groups and more.
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SHINE189 Newsletter
Be sure to review the current SHINE189 Newsletter. Inside, you will find many highlights of stellar students, terrific teachers, achieving administrators, spectacular staff, pivotal programs and nifty news notices!
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Help Is Available
Many of us may need additional emotional or mental health support. Help is available.
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East St. Louis School District 189's Discipline Improvement Plan
East St. Louis School District 189 has worked diligently to develop a discipline improvement plan. Please click the read more link to access the document.
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eLearning, Return to Learn, & ESSER III Plans
Please review our eLearning, Return to Learn and ESSER III Plans. We value the feedback received from students, parents and community stakeholders.
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Need Help? Resources for You
There are resources available to those needing assistance now during the COVID-19 pandemic – anything from where to find food and childcare support to numbers for County Health Departments and mental health and counseling hotlines.
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Excellence is a Habit!
Our theme this year is “Excellence is a Habit.” Habits are heavily influenced by your thoughts. When you sow a thought, you reap words that eventually become actions. Your actions form habits, which shape your character. Character is critically important because it determines your destiny.
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Principal Appreciation Month
This October we celebrate you, our incredible principals! You lead with commitment, compassion, courage, and conviction for your school community. We are grateful to have such dedicated leaders. Your actions establish your school’s climate and culture that support our students in reaching their potential.
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Reaching Up and Reaching Out
This pandemic requires us to pivot our work - to readjust. We have had to think outside the box and unleash our creativity. All of us - district leaders, building principals, classroom teachers, coaches, support staff, students and parents - have been adapting to the changing conditions. The current crisis has altered the fabric of how we teach, how we support our students, how we learn and how we connect with each other. You need to know that your commitment, perseverance, grit and tenacity have not gone unnoticed. Your professionalism, adaptability, flexibility, passion and positive attitude have been extremely critical as we continue to provide our students with a high quality education, nutritious meals and social emotional support. This is a time to reach up and reach out.
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Superintendent's Message on Racial Injustice
The nation is unraveling, deeply saddened and devastated by the killing of yet another black man. George Floyd’s brutal and senseless murder is the latest in a continuous tide of deaths caused by police brutality and indifference. His name is now added to a growing list including Ahmaud Arbery, Tony McDade, Breonna Taylor, Michael Brown, Trayvon Martin and many other unarmed black people who have been killed because of overly aggressive behaviors of police officers or vigilantes across our nation. This trend has continued because the criminal justice system has allowed the human rights of the victims to be grotesquely violated without significant consequences. Feelings of outrage, shock, despair, and heartbreak cannot begin to express the deep range of emotions that most of us have experienced during this painful time.
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Rise Above the Urge to Quit - FEBRUARY 2020
The challenges of the first semester took a lot of effort to overcome and caused some of us to grow weary. It is imperative that we replenish the drive, energy, and enthusiasm we exhibited at the beginning of the school year. If you are truly committed to empowering excellence, you will resist the temptation to become lackadaisical during times of fatigue or adversity.
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Eagle or Oyster? - AUGUST 2019
School has begun and we are off to a great start! As we embark upon this school year, I am reminded of the story of the eagle and the oyster. I encourage you to read the passages below and find some “golden nuggets.”
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Level Up to Excellence - January 2019
Are we demanding enough from ourselves and our students? High expectations are critical to our success and the success of our students. What is success? Success is typically defined as the accomplishment of one’s goals. To attain success, we must have the ability to move from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm.
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The Power of Belief - March 2018
Our thoughts are one of the most powerful tools we possess. The self-talk we do in our minds will motivate or minimize our actions. I know firsthand that life shrinks or expands in proportion to our beliefs, courage and expectations. In District 189, we are committed to excellence. This frame of thinking has led to intentional, focused hard work. The fruits of our labor are becoming more evident.
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Spirit of Giving - December 2017
As we approach the holiday season, it is a perfect time to reflect and be thankful for the wonderful blessings that come our way. The spirit of giving is all around us. It is amazing that with all the responsibilities you have, many of you go above and beyond the call of duty to meet the needs of our students. I would like to recognize a few of those major giving initiatives.
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Progress on the Path - December 2017
District 189 is making progress. The annual Illinois Report Card shows our students are making real academic gains that are leading to improved graduation rates, college readiness, college enrollment and persistence.
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Committed to Excellence - August 2017
We are blessed to be chosen to work with our community’s most precious resource, our children. They depend on us to provide them with a high-quality education in spite of every adversity we face. For children, education is the gateway to opportunity, the pathway to the future and their ticket to the middle class.
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Finish Strong - April 2017
The school year will soon be coming to a close. It is hard to believe that most of the school year is already completed. There have been many great experiences and successes during this time. Four high school students will be graduating with their high school diploma and their associate’s degree from SWIC through the Running Start program.
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Reflections on Excellence - December 2016
At the close of a calendar year, it is customary to reflect on our successes and challenges. Reflection is a crucial habit to ensure continuous improvement. A commitment to excellence requires us to never settle for low quality, mediocrity or poor performance. On our journey toward excellence and greatness, we should celebrate our successes; however, we must not be content until we reach our destination.
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True Grit: The Predictor of Excellence - September 2016
As staff, teachers and administrators, we must be ever mindful about the importance of grit in our work. Educating children is a long-term investment of our time, skills, creativity and work ethic.
