The Principal's Goals

“How are you doing?”

I recently received a question from a parent that I thought would be a great topic to highlight in my blog:

Q: Students are given tests to measure their performance. Teachers are evaluated. What happens with principals?

A: I get a performance review, just like our teachers do. This performance review consists of: at least two direct observations by Superintendent Dan Cates, four performance goals, a self-evaluation, and an end-of-year evaluation using a professional practice rubric based on the District’s leadership standards for administrators.

Dr. Cates observes me in action (in meetings, on committees, etc.) all the time, not just twice. The formal observations, though, are part of a process where we sit down together afterward to analyze my performance. I also meet regularly with Dr. Cates to discuss a wide range of topics, including my development as a leader and the progress on my goals.

My goals are largely based on our District’s goals, including student performance on our district’s Critical Learning Standards, and enrollment in accelerated, AP and dual credit courses. Now you know part of the reason why I’ve been talking about things like The Power of 15 and Harper’s Promise (see previous blog posts for a refresher) each week. These programs do not exist merely to help me achieve my goals; the beauty of my goals is that they are connected to areas that put students in a position to succeed in high school and beyond.

Highlights and Successes

• Congratulations to Coach Lauren Hall and the Girls Tennis Team on finishing third in the MSL Conference. Julia Smiarowska and Kate Bodensteiner won the Conference Championship for 1st Doubles over Barrington. Jessica Lim and Carolyn Kim placed 2nd for 4th doubles.
• Congratulations to the following students on being selected ILMEA music students for the District 7 Concert and Jazz festivals in November: Jazz Ensemble II: Bruce Liu; Jazz Ensemble III: Patrick Brand, Alex Van Roon Janet Kim; Jazz Ensemble IV: Jerry Li;   Concert Band: Julia Cai, Ryan Groch,Cameron Harro, Andy Hong, Jerry Li, Brenna O’Donoghue,Kyra Pagones, Eden Schultz; Orchestra: Sarah Akutsu, Andres Carrero, Melinda Coleman, Nathan Du, Andrew Hwang, Eunice Kim, Joshua Kim, Rian Lin, Hannah Lin, Bruce Liu; Angie Peng and Ann Rajan; Choir: Lauren Berryhill, Chloe Cho, Angie Cornwell, Nathan du, Allison Gile, Katie Haggett, Quinn Jackson, Ben Mathew, Arinze Okammor, Kay Petrie, Alex Tangney, Mizuki Yamashita and Annie Zheng.
• Congratulations to the following Girls Cross Country award medalists @ the West Aurora Stampede: Nora Finegan and Linda Varela earned medals in the varsity race; Sara Hudson, Bridget Duffy, and Marta Cholewa earned medals in the frosh-soph race; and Bell Moroney, Joy Kim, and Chloe David earned medals in the open race.
• Congratulations to Coach Andrew Kittrell and the Girls Swim Team on taking  4th place overall at the Naperville North Invite. Individual medal winners:  2nd place Jiamin Huang 200 IM White Division; 2nd place Lauren Savage 50 free White Division; 2nd place Grace Grzybek 100 back Blue Division; and 2nd place Emily Kini, Becca Rutkowski, Emily Bolger and Grace Grzybek 400 Free Relay Blue Division.

Upcoming Home Activities and Varsity Events

October  16	Girls Tennis Sectional @ Stevenson - 1:00 p.m. Girls State Golf @ Decatur, Hickory Point Golf Club Fremd Football @ Barrington - 7:30 p.m.
October 17	Girls Tennis Sectional @ Stevenson - 9:00 a.m. Girls State Golf @ Decatur, Hickory Point Golf Club Girls Volleyball Tournament @ Grayslake North H.S. - 8:30 a.m. Girls Cross Country @ Wheeling H.S. - 9:00 a.m. Boys Cross Country vs. Wheeling @ Heritage Park - 9:00 a.m. Girls Diving @ Evanston H.S. - 10:00 a.m. Girls Swimming & Diving @ Glenbrook South H.S. - 12:00 p.m.
October 20	LATE Start - 8:50 a.m. start D211 Art College & Career Expo - Media Center, 6:30 p.m. Boys Soccer Regional @ Fremd High School - 5:00 p.m./ 7:00 p.m. Girls Volleyball @ Fremd High School - 6:00 p.m.
October 21	College Night @ Palatine H.S. - 6:30 p.m. Early Dismissal - 11:50 a.m.
October 22-23	Girls Tennis State @ Fremd High School

For a more complete list, please visit our Athletics Page.

Staff Spotlight

Name: Martin Zacharia

Position: Social Studies Teacher, Head Debate Coach, Social Studies Club Co-sponsor

Years at Fremd: 10 years

Life Before Fremd: I grew up in Morton Grove and attended Maine East High School, where I was involved in marching/symphonic/jazz/musical-pit bands and Debate. I went through stages of wanting to become an engineer and lawyer, but my teachers in high school were a big reason why I decided to go into education. I attended Northwestern University and majored in History and American Studies. I was very involved with service activities, which included organizing an annual mentoring program that connected NU students with at-risk middle school students in the community. I’ve been teaching at Fremd since graduation.

Hobbies/Interests: I bleed Purple (Go ‘Cats!), have a potentially unhealthy obsession with coffee, and (mostly) enjoy running. I ran a half-marathon last Spring and hope to improve my time next year. My all-time favorite shows include The Office, West Wing, and Frasier. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. is my favorite historian (yes, I have a favorite historian, and it was a difficult choice).

Insider Tip for Parents: Encourage your child to adopt a mindset that embraces struggle and values incremental improvement over perfection.

Ask the Principal

Q: Are the bleachers in the stadium going to be ready for the next home game?

A: Yes! A couple of bolts were jolted loose by our extremely packed, overly enthusiastic student section for the Homecoming game. An engineering firm replaced the bolts and inspected the structure. Obviously, our bleachers were not meant to withstand the amount of jumping that occurs during most games. I ask for your help reinforcing to your student that we want the student section to have fun, but also to respect our administration’s wishes for safety. This means less jumping, more yelling.

Are you curious about something at Fremd but have never asked? Email me at ktenopir@d211.org. If your question is pertinent to a wider audience, I will include it in the next blog post.