District July 2026 Newsletter

July 2, 2026

Dear District 31 Community,

I hope everyone is enjoying a relaxing and well-deserved summer.

At last week's Board of Education meeting, the administration shared a revised implementation plan for Standards-Based Grading (SBG) at Field Middle School. The discussion reflected the many conversations, questions, and perspectives shared by students, families, staff, and community members throughout the past year. We appreciate everyone who has taken the time to provide feedback and engage in this important work.

After considering stakeholder feedback, there was agreement to move forward with the administration's revised implementation plan for Standards-Based Grading at Field Middle School. 

The revised plan maintains the District's commitment to standards-based practices while expanding opportunities for communication, parent education, stakeholder partnership, and continuous improvement throughout the coming school year.

Below, you will find an overview of the revised implementation plan for the 2026–2027 school year, and information on opportunities for families to learn more, ask questions, and provide feedback throughout the year.

We appreciate your continued partnership as we work together to provide every student with clear expectations, meaningful feedback, and the support they need to grow and succeed.

Warm regards,

Dr. Erin K. Murphy
Superintendent

Field School Grading Practices: Moving Forward Together

Our Plan Moving Forward
District 31's focus is on helping students and families understand what Standards-Based Grading is, why it is being used, and how they can work together to support student learning.  You can listen to Dr. Murphy talk about standards-based grading here. We have developed a year-long communication and engagement plan, with an emphasis on learning opportunities and community touchpoints during the first six months of the school year. We are excited to launch this work with multiple learning sessions in August, offered on different days and times before the school year begins.

Our Commitment
As part of District 31's ongoing commitment to student growth and continuous improvement, Standards-Based Grading (SBG) will continue in sixth grade during the 2026–2027 school year with several important refinements based on feedback from students, families, and staff.

• Sixth-grade students will continue to receive clear, standards-based feedback that communicates what they know, what they can do, and what they need to work on next. In response to stakeholder feedback, this standards-based feedback will now be paired with a numerical proficiency scale that translates into a traditional course grade (A+ through F). This approach preserves the benefits of meaningful feedback while maintaining a familiar grading system as students prepare for high school.
• Students in seventh and eighth grades will continue to receive traditional grades during the 2026–2027 school year. This additional time will allow the District to continue refining instructional and grading practices, provide expanded professional learning and collaboration for teachers, and carefully evaluate implementation before considering future expansion.

Throughout the year, the District will continue to engage students, families, and staff through website updates, parent learning and listening sessions, implementation updates, and ongoing feedback opportunities. We will continue to evaluate implementation, monitor student progress, and use stakeholder feedback to strengthen our work.

Our commitment remains the same: to provide students with clear expectations, meaningful feedback, and the support they need to grow as learners while partnering closely with families. Throughout the coming school year, we will clearly communicate our grading and reporting practices, provide parent learning and listening sessions to answer questions and gather feedback, continue to support teachers through professional learning and collaboration, and share regular updates on implementation and on how stakeholder feedback is informing our continuous improvement.

We appreciate our families' partnership as we continue working together to ensure every student has the opportunity to learn, grow, and succeed.

Parent Workshops & Support Opportunities

District 31 Back-to-School Night Community Resource Fair

Kick off the new school year on Tuesday, August 18, from 5:30–7:00 p.m. at Field Middle School. Held during Field's Material Pickup Night, the Community Resource Fair is a great opportunity to connect with local organizations, learn about valuable programs and services, and get ready for a successful school year. Families are also invited to attend a Standards-Based Grading Q&A Session to learn more about grading practices and have their questions answered. We look forward to seeing you there!

Hunger Resource Network's Students Helping Students’ Campaign
Holds its 7th Annual Community Drive in Partnership with Bean Bar and Sunset Foods

In collaboration with Bean Bar and Sunset Foods, the Hunger Resource Network (HRN) Students Helping Students Campaign will host its 7th annual community donation drive on Sunday, August 23, from 9:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. at the Bean Bar, 1901 Cherry Lane, to collect personal care items and nutritious, non-perishable food bags for more than 500 Northbrook and Glenview students in need.

Over the last six years, the student-run program has collected over 1000 bags of personal care items, making the campaign's objective not only about helping food-insecure families but also encouraging students to get involved in their community. This year’s campaign goal is to collect and distribute 200 bags of personal care items and 200 bags of nutritious non-perishable food.

Here are the many ways you can help our Northbrook students and their families in need:

1. Purchase Personal Care items and Donate a Bag. Buy the essential household items. Click Here for List—each bag costs approximately $35. Items are available at local dollar stores, grocery stores, pharmacies, or big box retailers. Please fill a double brown bag with all of the items and drop it off at the Bean Bar on Sunday, August 23.
2. Purchase Food Bag Items and Donate a Bag. Buy the non-perishable food items. Click Here for List– each bag costs approximately $35. Please fill a double brown bag with all of the items and drop it off at Sunset Foods on Sunday, August 23.
3. Help pack a Personal Care Item Bag with us at Bean Bar. Bring your family and pack a personal care bag for our students in need on Sunday, August 23, from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., at the Bean Bar, 1901 Cherry Lane, Northbrook.
4. Buy a Pre-packaged Food Bag at Sunset Foods. For those who don’t have time to shop for the items, buy a pre-packaged bag of non-perishable food items for $35 at Sunset Foods on Sunday, August 23, from 9:30 a.m.– 1:30 p.m.
5. Monetary Donation – any financial contribution helps. We will buy the items and put together more bags.

View more information on the donation drive and how to contribute.

June Board of Education Recap
Board Meeting Highlights: 

Public Comment, Presentations, and Discussion Items:

• Public Comment: Members of the public shared their frustrations and concerns about the standards-based grading initiative.
• Nicole Randolph, Director of Finance and Operations, presented on the 2026-2027 Tentative Budget for West Northfield School District 31
• Director of Finance and Operations, Nicole Randolph, reviewed the Monthly Financial Reports for May.
• The Board of Education reviewed the Superintendent's Report.  During the Superintendent’s Report, Dr. Murphy presented on Standards-Based Grading, and the Board of Education discussed standards-based grading at Field Middle School before supporting the administration in moving forward with the plan. 

The Board of Education made the following approvals:

• Approved the Consent Agenda, which included policy updates.
• Adopted the Fiscal Year 2027 Tentative Budget for Public Display a Minimum Thirty (30) Days prior to a Public Hearing set for September 24, 2026
• Approve Resolution Regarding Repayment of Loan from the Operations and Maintenance Fund to the Transportation Fund
• Approved Resolution Regarding Authorizing an Interfund Loan from the Working Cash Fund to the Operations and Maintenance Fund
• Approved Resolution Regarding Authorizing an Interfund Loan from the Working Cash Fund to the Education Fund
• Approved Resolution of the Intergovernmental Agreement Amendment with the Village of Glenview
• Approve the 2026-2027 contract for Meghan Breyer, Winkelman Assistant Principal.
• Approved the 2026-2027 and 2027-2028 Salary schedules for teacher assistants and custodians and the 2026-2027 compensation for educational support personnel and administrators.  

The Board of Education meets monthly, typically on the last Thursday of each month, at 7:00 p.m. in the Field Middle School Learning Center. We welcome any member of our community to attend in person or virtually via our live stream. Agendas, minutes, and the link to the live stream are available here. The District 31 Board of Education is composed of seven elected representatives from the District 31 attendance area. Each is elected for a four-year term. Meet the members of the District 31 Board of Education here.

August Board of Education Meeting
The next regular Board of Education meeting is on Thursday, August 27, 2026, at 7 p.m. in the Field Learning Center. A budget hearing will take place at this meeting. The agenda is posted two days before the meeting here. Before the Board of Education meeting, the Finance Committee will meet at 6 p.m.  

2026-2027 Registration
Registration for the 2026-2027 school year is open for all students in grades PreK-8! Please plan to register early, as this helps with school planning.  Register today at www.district31.net/registration.

Along with registering, please plan ahead to ensure that you have all medical forms ready for the 2026-2027 school year. The required forms are listed below.

Summary of Medical Form Requirements

• Pre-K: Physical
• Kindergarten: Physical, Dental, and Eye
• 1st grade: No forms required
• 2nd grade: Dental
• 3rd, 4th, & 5th grade: No forms required
• 6th grade: Physical (exam also covers interscholastic sports physical) and Dental
• 7th & 8th grade: No forms required

Physical Exam and Immunization Record

A physical exam, with an updated immunization record on the “State of Illinois Certificate of Child Health Examination” form, must be completed and signed by a licensed healthcare provider and parent/guardian. Proof of the exam must be submitted upon entering Pre-K, Kindergarten, and 6th grade and/or when transferring from out of state.

If you have any questions about medical forms, please reach out to Field/ District School Nurse Adriana Rivera at arivera@district31.net or 847-313-4454.

School Supply Lists

School Supply Lists for the 2026-2027 School Year are available here.  

2026-2027 Back to School Dates

Finance Committee Meeting
Thursday, July 27 at 6 p.m.

Board of Education Meeting (Budget Hearing)
Thursday, July  27 at 7 p.m.

First District Newsletter of the School Year
Monday, August 3

Parent Workshop: Understanding Field’s Grading Practices
Tuesday, August 4, from 4-5 p.m. and 5:30-6:30 p.m. at Field

Parent Workshop: Understanding Field’s Grading Practices
Thursday, August 6, from 7-8 p.m. via Zoom

First Principal Communication of the School Year
Friday, August 7

Field New Student Orientation
Thursday, August 13

Email to All Families with Advisor/Classroom Teacher and Regular Friday Principal Messages Begin
Friday, August 14

Parent Workshop: Understanding Field’s Grading Practices
Friday, August 14, from 9-10 a.m. at Field

Field Material Pickup/ Winkelman Meet the Teacher/ Skyward Opens
Tuesday, August 18

SBG Drop-In Q&A During Material Pick Up
Tuesday, August 18

District 31 Back-to-School Night Community Resource Fair
Tuesday, August 18, from 5:30 p.m. - 7 p.m.
Field Middle School

First Day of School
Wednesday, August 19

Field Curriculum Night
Wednesday, August 26

SBG Drop-In Q&A During Curriculum Night
Wednesday, August 26

Winkelman Curriculum Night
Thursday, September 3

Community Resources
The Community Resources page on the District website includes several beneficial resources to help families on a variety of different topics. The page is divided into the District’s community partners, mental health and crisis resources, health and safety resources, and academic resources. 

Care Solace
The West Northfield School District 31 care match website is available 24/7/365 over the summer for parents and children to anonymously search and book appointments with mental health providers at caresolace.com/district31.  View the Care Solace Summer Kit.