Manhattan School District 114

Mrs. Kim Maher - Director of Communication, Development, and Safety:

Phase II Project Progress: Thanks to our STR and Pepper teams, along with Ryan's Building & Grounds team and the PureBrite crew, we are moved into the district administrative center and entering into final phases of construction in all areas of the Phase II project.  We look forward to settling in and establishing these beautiful spaces in the coming months.

ROE Back to School Backpack Event: The Will County Regional Office of Education hosted a back to school event at MJHS on Friday, August 1st.  In addition to providing backpacks with school supplies to every child that attended, a food truck, mobile dentist, and community businesses and organizations provided services, giveaways, and information.  It was well-attended and we appreciate Dr. Aherne, Dr. Caparelli-Ruff, and Principal Perillo stopping by, too!

ROE Administrative Professional Learning Days: We partnered with the ROE professional development department to host Administrative Professional Learning days on July 30th and August 6th.  On the first day, Will County administrators had the opportunity to attend one of four academies to earn annual required credits.  The second week, two additional sessions were offered.  Our admin team was able to participate in a morning of learning about healthy organizations and G.E.N.I.U.S. teams!

Manhattan Schools Monthly News:  The first edition of our new community newsletter was shared on Friday, August 1st.  On the first of each month, a newsletter will be sent directly to families of Manhattan School District 114.  The newsletter will contain the monthly newsletter from each school, updates and highlights from around the district, notable dates and information in the upcoming month.  We look forward to connecting with our community in this way.

Registration, Transportation, School Lunch: Our district office team has been working hard behind the scenes to prepare information and plans to ensure a smooth transition into the new school year for our families.  Friday, August 15th will kick off school lunch ordering for the year as well as the availability of homeroom, schedule, and transportation information in PowerSchool.

Mrs. Cheryl Donovan - Director of Curriculum and Instruction:

August is an exciting time as we welcome staff and students back. 
I look forward to sharing both the PACE framework and the work that ISBE is doing to improve assessment and reporting practices tonight. 

Due to our shift in start and end times, our eLearning plan has been updated and available on our webpage. 

Eureka Math Squared materials have been delivered and we are in the process of getting those prepared for teachers. 

Mrs. Julie Hantson - Director of Student Services: 

We extend our heartfelt thanks to Holly Sears for her 12 years of dedicated service. As she embarks on a new chapter in sunny Florida, she will be greatly missed, but we wish her all the best. 

Welcome to Jennifer Swanson as our new Student Services Secretary for the 2025–2026 school year. We are excited to have her on board and look forward to the contributions she will bring to our department.

Our 2025-2026 Student Services Night is scheduled for Thursday, April 16, 2026 (5:30pm-7pm) at Wilson Creek School.

Ms. Cari Rohe - Wilson Creek: 

On August 4th, staff who have been anxiously awaiting the day they can return to the building arrived back to The Creek!  They arrived at a very clean building thanks to Ryan and Pure Brite’s cleaning team!  As soon as they entered the building, they noticed the Commons was no longer terracotta!  The Commons has been repainted to a lighter, more inviting color and the Wilson Creek family system and traits are now proudly on display in the commons to remind all what we are about at Wilson Creek.  They also returned to a new and improved staff lounge which now contains a nice and relaxing reading area for staff to utilize!  Many staff started to receive packages from Amazon at The Creek with consumable materials they ordered with their designated supply money as well!  

Shout out to the many helpers that have been at Wilson Creek over the last month!  They have been helping with painting, bulletin boards, cleaning the indoor recess toys up, delivering packages to classrooms, etc.  We are grateful that kids in the community are willing to do their community services hours with us at The Creek!

The last few weeks have been busy as we prepare for the new school year!  Interviews have been taking place for the open instructional assistant positions which by the time you receive this report should be filled!  Class lists are ready to go and so is the master schedule!  We are working on our institute schedule and our school goals! Many summer EC evaluations are currently taking place or are wrapping up! Families have been coming and going picking up PFA packets and dropping off as we look to fill all of the PFA slots!  

Mrs. Elise Kirk - Anna McDonald: 

Classroom set up: Many of our staff members have been in and setting up their offices and classrooms. Anna McDonald is looking fantastic and each day is a step closer to welcoming 2nd and 3rd grade students!

THANK YOU: Thank you to everyone that volunteered their time and energy to help prepare our building. We moved to phase 2 of adding color to the hallways of Anna Mac- it looks so bright and happy!  MAJOR shout out to our staff that helped me paint the hallways, the kids and staff are going to love the bright walls!

Building and Grounds: A BIG thank you to all of our building and grounds crew and cleaning staff for taking such good care of our space and helping to get all our staff set up. Our new gym floor and exterior doors look fantastic! Special thanks to Mitch and Ryan for everything they have done!

Curriculum: Thank you to Cheryl Donovan for all of her work getting our district prepared for our math curriculum adoption. We are excited to implement Eureka Squared! 

Staff: We are excited to welcome new staff to our Anna Mac family. A big shout out to all of our returning staff that give so much time and energy into supporting new teammates- helping them get acquainted with the building and all that relates to the curriculum at MSD114. We are all looking forward to our annual summer staff bbq!

Technology: Thank you to Janis, Gerry and team for helping to get our new staff set up with their devices, ensuring all of the student devices are updated, and all of the behind the scenes work they do to prepare for a new school year. Grateful for you all! 

Mr. Ryan McWilliams - Manhattan Intermediate, Director of Buildings and Grounds:

MIS

Staff started to make their way in on August 4th. We are looking forward to the arrival of kids on August 27th. It's going to be a great sophomore season for MIS. Welcome to all our new staff across the district, as well as our new families & students here at MIS. 

B&G

Asphalt patchwork on PFA playground is completed. Sealcoating of asphalt at MIS was completed by Wolf's on July 15 & 16. Exterior doors at Anna Mac and the abatement of asbestos in the gym are completed as well as the installation of a new multipurpose gym floor. 

The modular unit at MIS was hauled away the week of July 28. The area has been seeded and bedded by Autumn Ridge. The concession and storage garage should be completed the week of August 11th. The District Office and Auxiliary gym are pretty much buttoned up. All that is left inside and out are some finer details. 

Mr. Vince Perillo - Manhattan Junior High:

MJHS Summer Bridge Program: MJHS is hosting its fifth “Summer Bridge” program this week. The camp targets students that could use some additional confidence building for a smooth transition into the school environment for the 2025 - 2026 school year.  The camp focuses on strengthening positive school habits as well as learning the ropes of junior high life.  As of August 1st, 50 students are registered to attend the program, facilitated by seven staff members.  

Cross Country: MJHS Cross Country team began their season with open practices on August 11th. We wish them well for their 2025 season coached by Mrs. Ethridge and Ms. De Masi.

Boys Baseball: Tryouts were held on August 4th and 5th. Good luck to the Demons as they begin their season coached by Mr. Marotta and Mr. Gloude. Their first game is away at Bishop Mac on August 13th. 

Girls Softball: The girls team held tryouts on July 28th. The team has won their first two home games already!

Boys Volleyball: Boys Volleyball tryouts will be held on August 25th and 26th. We are thrilled to be including 5th grade students in tryouts for volleyball this year as well! This year, the teams will be led by our new coaches, Mr. Shiffer and Ms. Hallihan. Good luck to both teams!

MJHS Fall Athletic Expectation Nights: Our first Athletic Expectation Nights were held for Baseball, and Softball athletes. Code of Conduct and athlete expectations were reviewed with student athletes and parents. Cross Country and Boys Volleyball expectation nights are soon approaching.

Orchestra/Choir Camp: Beginning strings began their summer “Boot Camp” on August 11th under the direction of Jennifer Perkne.  It has been great having the students back in the building, honing in on their musical skills, and having fun being around each other.  

Band Camp: Under the direction of veteran director Carleen Pedziwater, the band has welcomed lots of beginners to the 5th grade program.  The marching band has close to 90 students, who are getting ready to participate at the Round Barn and the Manhattan Parade over Labor Day Weekend. All students are working hard and having a great time! 

Summer Concert: All musicians are planning a summer concert at MJHS on Friday, August 22nd, at 6:30 p.m. Good luck to them on their first performance of the year!

Athletic Boosters’ Movie on the Field:  On Friday, August 15th, following the PTOs Back-to-School Bash, the Athletic Boosters will be hosting its first Movie-on-the-Field.  Gates open at 7:30, and the movie Trolls will start at 8:00 P.M.  We are looking for volunteers for that evening.  Demo, the district’s mascot costume, will be in attendance for both events on the 15th.  

Locker Move-In: Locker move-in will take place on August 18th and 19th from 9:00 A.M. - 2:00 P.M. and August 20th from 3:00 P.M. - 7:00 P.M.  The locker move-ins allow students to find their locker, walk their schedule, and become familiar with the layout of the new building.  

MJHS Expectations Night:  On Thursday, September 4th, parents are invited to our Expectations Night from 5:30 - 7:30 P.M.  There will be a presentation to all families about schoolwide expectations, practices, and procedures.  Then, parents will follow their student’s schedule to briefly hear from the teachers about classroom and curricular information.