MMMMMMM...Pie!

We just love a good slice of disclosure. The only thing better is when that mmm mmm good slice of disclosure comes with a big heapin' helpin' of disclosure of the disclosures.

Help yourself to a slice of disclosure pie at PublicWatchdog.org - Scorecard Part 1.

Our thanks to the Pub-dogs!

Haunted Senior Housing!

'Twas Halloween day, and all through the town,
Not a creature was sure of what would go down;

The council would meet in just five more short days
And Norwood was hoping they'd hear four "okays".

The children in costumes were ringing door bells,
And some folks were saying, "We think Norwood's plan smells."

And Norwood was reading Park Ridge Underground,
Maybe looking for info. that's floating around?

Well here is our take, if you really must know;
We think the new ordinance really does blow.

The City Attorney said that he wrote it again,
And that by consensus he left the "out" clauses in.

Now, we don't recall hearing Aldermen speak
About the "out" clauses as something they seek.

As a matter of fact, we distinctly recall
Five of the Aldermen were not pleased at all!

The variance being sought for the density,
Is based largely on the senior amenity.

So it seems a bit odd, if not totally queer
That the new ordinance is not a lot more austere.

But we're pretty sure that just like last time,
Allegretti and Ryan will think it's just fine.

So for this fine Halloween that is our story to tell.
We'll leave it at that and hope all does go well.

An 'A' for Effort

Yesterday, we gave School District 64 a kick in the ass. We feel they deserve it.

Today, we'd like to give them a pat on the back. We feel they deserve it.



On October 25, 2007, School District 64 sent out the following email notice. Our thanks to the PRU reader who shared this with us.
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To the Parents of District 64 Students:

I am writing to ask your cooperation in helping to fight MRSA infection in District 64 schools. The guidelines immediately following this letter are being shared with all District 64 staff members. Teachers have been asked to review the information with students as a way to reinforce good personal health habits while pointing out the serious dangers of such infections.

Now we need your help and active cooperation to take the steps necessary at home to make sure your children are protected as far as possible from such infections. Please note especially the instructions on daily hygiene, avoiding the sharing of towels and personal items, laundering of clothes, and frequent hand washing.

Please feel free to contact your healthcare provider, the District 64 School Health Services Facilitator or your building Health Assistant if you have questions.

We are asking every District 64 household to adopt these guidelines. With everyone's cooperation and ongoing vigilance, we hope to keep all members of our District 64 community healthy and safe. Thank you for your support.

Sally Pryor, Ed.D.
Superintendent

******
How YOU can help fight MRSA infections in District 64

Sandy Larson, RNFacilitator, School Health Services & Certified School Nurse

In response to the media coverage of Community Associated Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (CA-MRSA) infections, it is important to remember that District 64 already has practices in place that address this real concern. Although student athletes are cited as the primary focus for transmission of this infection, staphylococcus aureus is a bacteria that is commonly found on the skin or in the nose of healthy people. This makes everyone subject to a possible exposure in many settings.

Risk factors associated with the spread of this bacteria include:

o Direct skin-to-skin contact with infected persons (non-intact skin allows a point of entry for the bacteria)

o Sharing contaminated personal items (towels, razors, soap, clothing)

o Inadequate personal hygiene

o Direct contact with contaminated environmental surfaces

In District 64, we practice Universal Precautions and take every measure to evaluate students and staff with any kind of skin lesion. Teachers are responsible to send students with any questionable skin condition to the health office for evaluation. Skin rashes, wounds or lesions require medical evaluation and physician documentation regarding treatment, dressing, and contagiousness in the school environment.

All staff have been asked to be aware of and follow these hygiene practices, and to share reminders with students to prevent the spread of MRSA, as well as other infectious organisms:

o FREQUENT HAND WASHING - use soap, rub for 10 seconds, rinse well.

o Use hand sanitizer if you cannot wash your hands.

o Any skin lesion must be evaluated, treated and kept covered with clean dressings, as indicated.

o Good body hygiene is essential, including showering with soap.

o Avoid sharing personal items such as towels, clothing, skin lotions, or razors.

o Do not touch skin lesions/abrasions or bandages on another without the use of protective gloves.

o Wear clean clothing daily - washed in hot water and dried in a hot dryer to kill bacteria.

o Clean environmental surfaces on a regular/as needed basis where potential wound, blood, or body fluid spills may occur.

Maintaining clean, healthy, intact skin is the first line of defense against innumerable diseases. As we work together to keep District 64 healthy, we will assess areas where practices can be improved and awareness can be increased.

Remember that the most important practices are already in place, and that questions that arise about health practices are being addressed on a daily basis.

Please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns. Thank you for your cooperation.
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Neither the Park District nor the City has posted anything like the above on their websites, nor has the City made use of its NorthStarNet email notice capabilities.

To the Community Health Commission: We hope your fundraising/recognition dinner was a success. Now bend over, we've got something for you.

Justifying the Educational Ends.

If you have lived in Park Ridge - Niles School District 64 for any length of time, you may remember hearing about the district's philosophy of "educating the whole child" and how the district "refuses to worship test scores alone ", despite the fact that most parents expect that the part of the child located between the child's ears is what gets "educated".

The District has spent the last 5+ years drafting what its administrators call their "educational ends.pdf" statement, through which they insist that "teaching to the test" is not their only, or even primary, objective. Parents have been told that "measures and assessments" are being implemented so that "the whole story" of students' development and learning can be understood. Those measures and assessments, according to the article linked above, consist largely of teacher "observations, written evaluations, and demonstrations."

What the hell have the district's teachers and administrators been discussing with parents during conferences all these many years if not their "observations and written evaluations"? As for "demonstrations", we're betting that is not meant to consist of teachers pounding the pavement in front of the schools carrying signs - unless they're on strike for more money and even better benefits.

It is also clear from the aforementioned article that the district has no intention of holding teachers accountable for any lack of achievement by the students in reaching the district's "educational ends," despite the district's insistence that teachers "teach to the educational ends" - which should not to be confused with "teaching to the test", because if you teach to the educational ends (which are not tested) but you insist that you don't teach to the test (which is tested), then you can ultimately tell parents and the rest of Park Ridge that Test Scores are 'Stable'; and everybody can be happy about that, especially real estate agents.

The director of assessments and technology for the district, Larry Sorensen, did note: "The area of concern is in writing scores for students in grade five...Only 65% of the fifth grade students scored in the 'meets or exceeds' category and 31% scored in the 'below standards' category... At the state level, only 50% of all students met or exceeded state standards this year."

The article also includes the following: "In a special note to the district regarding writing, the assessment department of the state board of education said, "The fact that the last time writing was tested was 2004 could point to the problem of lower scores. Current fifth graders have never taken a state writing test. Common sense tells us that writing instruction was not completely abandoned in our schools beginning in 2004, logic also tells us that writing instruction has not received the same attention as the AYP (Adequate Yearly Progress) subjects reading and math. Another factor could be that fifth graders wrote only one composition, so there was one attempt at a score. In the past, they wrote two compositions."

That sort of sounds like "the test" may "measure and assess" what is being taught, doesn't it?

In response to the lackluster performance of District 64 fifth graders on the writing portion of the ISAT, Sorensen said: "Writing is a curricular area now being reviewed in the district, and will be a focus for improvement moving forward." We are assuming the "review" of the "curricular area" of writing is being done so that student performance will "improve moving forward", as reflected on the test.

That sort of sounds like "teaching to the test", doesn't it?

But just remember folks, the district doesn't "teach to the test" because they are concerned with "educating the whole child" and they "refuse to worship test scores alone." So don't even think about criticizing the district for any lack of performance by students on any portion of standardized tests. And when the teacher's union demands still higher salaries and benefits, don't even think about demanding to know how those higher salaries and benefits have been earned, as may be reflected through student achievement on either standardized tests or the district's own "educational ends."

We hope that's all clear.

Bottoms Up!

Enjoy the weekend!

Smile for the Camera!

As we discussed earlier this week, the city council Finance and Budget committee is considering the feasibility of broadcasting city council and committee meetings.

We had expected the topic to be covered in the local rags this week, but if they did cover it, we can't find it.

Our sources tell us there may be two city staffers who are still walking around upright! They've done some excellent research into the costs, technical requirements, and scope of televising city council and committee meetings. We are shocked, SHOCKED, at this revelation! No we're not. We are aware of these two particular city staffers, and we shall protect their identities by not naming them here because we would hate to see their good work rewarded with more work.

From the research that has been conducted, we hear the cost may be less than originally estimated; original estimates were in the $70,000.00 - $75,000.00 range, but the staffers proposal is in the $50,000.00 range. And, the scope of coverage may be greater than mere broadcasting of meetings; not only can the city council chamber be wired, but also the mayor's conference room, the public works service center and the fire department.

Broadcasting could include city council and committee meetings, and the city could broadcast emergency messages or something arty, like local concerts.

The recorderings would be archived on the city's website so that the 1o people in Park Ridge suspected of being interested in city doings could access the tapes. The broadcasts could be searchable through a menu option.

There are two aldermorons said to be less than enthusiastic about the idea. Care to guess who they are? Yes, Benedict-Alderman Robert Ryan (5th), and Thomas Carey the Unfriendly Ghost (6th). Their concerns are purported to be about the cost and how few (or how many?) Park Ridge citizens may actually watch.

While the roughly $50,000,000.00 city budget is always a matter for concern, because there isn't anything politicians and bureaucrats like better than spending the taxpayer's money, we feel the estimated $50,000.00 would be worth the expenditure for what appears to be available in the scope of this project.

Come on city council! Give the residents of Park Ridge the gift of learning what it is you do every couple of weeks!

Sounds A Lot Like Local Government!

You can fill in the blanks with the names of your favorite elected officials, city staff, or special-interest shill:

__________, you keep feeding me old information.

__________, I need you to keep not living up to your resume.

__________, you're in charge of waffling. ("Are you sure?")

__________, you'll talk a big game then do nothing. ("Let's do it.")

__________, can you fold under pressure for me? ("Like a lawn chair.")

And __________, you just keep thinking everyone is out to get you. ("They are.")