Hello and welcome!

My name is Kristine Gritzmacher and this is my tenth year as principal of Lions Park School.  Lions Park School is an outstanding place to work and learn!

Lions Park Elementary School, which opened in the fall of 1996, is located southeast of the central downtown area of Mount Prospect. It is the learning home-away-from-home for over 560 first through fifth grade students who are served by approximately 80 staff members.

District 57's Mission is to ensure that all students achieve their full potential. Students will acquire the knowledge, skills, and attitudes of life-long learners to become contributing citizens of a global society. Students will be educated in a nurturing environment that reflects the common goals of our local community.

To help achieve this mission, District 57 has incorporated the CHARACTER COUNTS! program into its curriculum and community experiences. Integral to the program are "The Six Pillars of Character", which are trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring, and citizenship. CHARACTER COUNTS! and "The Six Pillars of Character" are service marks of the CHARACTER COUNTS! Coalition, projects of the Josephson Institute of Ethics. Numerous staff and community members of Lions Park School have taken part in the CHARACTER COUNTS! training program. This training was offered through the Josephson Institute of Ethics and supported in part by our District 57 Education Foundation. Our Character Counts! Committee which consists of parents and teachers helps to involve students in many service oriented activities and offers various assemblies throughout the school year. Please check out our web site at http://lions.dist57.org for photos and information about the various activities.

An integral part of our daily process has been the implementation of our School Improvement Program (SIP). This team is in the process of refining our 2007-2008 goals for the upcoming 2008-2009 school year. One of our previous goals which will be continued during the 2008-2009 school year is: to identify and implement instructional strategies to improve student comprehension in reading. We use a variety of assessment tools to further enhance instructional strategies in the area of writing and math as well as reading. These assessments give teachers more insight into the academic strengths and needs of their students and guide them in their instructional practices.

The students and staff at Lions Park School are supported by a very involved parent community. Our Parent Teacher Association Board consists of 75 members who coordinate a wide variety of programs and special events for our students and their families. Some of these include: Art Appreciation, Fall Family Event, Turkey Shoot, Special Lunches, Fifth Grade Activities, Family Reading Night, Family Trivia Night, Cultural Arts, Helping Hands, the annual Variety Show and many more!

Please go to our school's website at lions.dist57.org and read a recent Paw Press or Friday Flyer.  This will give you a bit more information about all that our school and district have to offer!  Also, please read the "Parents" section on our website if you have not already had the opportunity to do so.  Thank You.

Please take a minute or two to read the following article from NorthShore Magazine ~ Pay It Forward  

If you'd like to know more about Lions Park School, you may reach me via e-mail at kgritzmacher@dist57.org or at 847-394-7330.