Student Meal Distribution Through Adaptive Pause

Grab and Go Student Meals are available daily through January 28, 2022. Each day, come get a Grab and Go bag that contains breakfast, lunch, and supper. Look for the school bus between 11:00am and 1:00pm at participating schools and centers. No service on Monday, January 17 (MLK Day).

Adaptive Pause: Remote Instruction January 4-28, 2022

School District 189 will hold remote instruction during an adaptive pause from January 4-28, 2022. School will resume in person on Monday, January 31, 2022. Please carefully review the full communication found here.

Virtual Parent Meetings-All Parents are Welcome

Attention Parents and Guardians, You are invited to join our virtual parent meetings scheduled by school level. The schedule is as follows: January 25 for High School Parents; January 26 for Middle School Parents; and January 27 for Elementary School Parents. The meeting times will be 11am and 5pm each day. Please see the flyer in this email for additional information and meeting log in information.

Technology Support Available for Students, Parents and Caregivers

Students, Parents, and Caregivers who are in need of technical assistance with their district devices and programs can reach out to the Technology Team through the Tech Support Line, Monday through Friday, 8:30 am until 2:30 pm.

Help Is Available

Many of us may need additional emotional or mental health support. Help is available.

Return to Learn Plan

Please review our Return to Learn Plan. We value the feedback received from students, parents and community stakeholders.

School District 189 E-Learning Plan Adopted on October 19, 2021

The East St. Louis School District 189 E-Learning Plan was adopted by the Board of Education on October 19, 2021.

COVID Data Dashboard, Weekly COVID Testing and Test To Stay Program

Check here for the COVID Data Dashboard. School District 189 is participating in the Test to Stay program in partnership with the CDC, IDPH, and East Side Health District. The SHIELD Illinois saliva-based PCR test is also used weekly to test students for COVID to promote a safe learning environment.

East St. Louis School District 189 is Hiring Substitute Teachers!

East St. Louis School District 189 is seeking qualified candidates to hire as Substitute Teachers in the district. Interested candidates must have an appropriate State of Illinois Substitute Teaching License and must possess a bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited institution of higher learning.

COVID-Related Notices

Thank you to all our students, staff, parents, and health partners at East Side Health District for working together to keep our campuses safe. If a COVID case is identified, it is East Side Health District (not School District 189) that determines who needs to quarantine and for how long. Review details here about COVID messages, quarantines, COVID testing, staff vaccinations and more.

SHINE189 Newsletter

Be sure to review the SHINE189 Newsletter for School Year 2020-2021. Inside, you will find many highlights of stellar students, terrific teachers, achieving administrators, spectacular staff, pivotal programs and nifty news notices!

Now enrolling for preschool!

Do you have a preschooler ages 3 to-5 or know of a family with a young child? We are now accepting new preschool student enrollment for the upcoming 2021-2022 school year.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.”

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.