Dear Crete-Monee Families,

Welcome to the 2026–27 school year.

Time to Recover and Plan Ahead

As we prepare to begin a new school year together, I want to first acknowledge the tremendous challenges many of our families and staff have experienced as a result of the severe storms that have impacted our community. We know that these storms have affected homes, property, routines, and, for some families, a sense of security and normalcy. We also recognize that recovering from a storm takes time.

Our thoughts are with everyone who has been impacted. We understand that for many families these past several days have been about much more than getting ready for school. You may be cleaning up damage, working with insurance companies, making repairs, helping family members, or simply trying to get your household back on its feet. We want to give our families the time and space they need to prepare their children for the start of school.

For that reason, we are postponing the first day of school. All students (PreK-Grade 12) will now begin school on Wednesday, August 19, 2026.

 We hope this additional time provides some much-needed flexibility and allows families to focus on what matters most while also preparing their children to return to school. We will adjust our school calendar accordingly by using two emergency days, and the last day of school will now be Wednesday, June 2, 2027.

Our staff has been working diligently to prepare our buildings, classrooms, and learning experiences for the year ahead. At the same time, we are also making sure our schools are ready to welcome students with the care, patience, and understanding that our community needs during this time.

Exciting News Ahead

As we begin the school year, I would also like to share an exciting update about the future of our district. At its August 4 meeting, the Board of Education approved Dr. Tanisha Cannon as the next superintendent of CM 201-U. Dr. Cannon, who currently serves as Deputy Superintendent of Schools for Joliet Public Schools District 86, will assume the role for the 2027–28 school year following my retirement. During the coming year, she will spend time in our schools and community getting to know our students, staff, and families as we work together to ensure a smooth leadership transition. Please join me in welcoming Dr. Cannon to Crete-Monee.

Even during a challenging summer, our district continued to invest in opportunities that will benefit students for years to come:

• Crete Elementary welcomed Kendra Leftridge as principal and Lakisha Carter as assistant principal.
• We completed the renovation and expansion of Crete-Monee Middle School, adding new classrooms and collaborative workspaces.
• We reached an exciting milestone with the completion of a SmartLab in every elementary school, ensuring all elementary students have access to hands-on STEM learning experiences.
• More than 500 students participated in summer learning, taking part in intervention, enrichment, music, STEM, career exploration, and engineering opportunities that kept learning going long after the school year ended.

Families will also notice an important change this year, particularly in the early elementary grades: district-issued student devices will remain at school during the regular school week rather than traveling home each day. This adjustment supports our focus on building strong foundational skills while continuing to provide students with valuable technology experiences during the school day. Devices will continue to be sent home whenever an e-Learning Day is necessary. Your child’s school will share additional information as the year begins.

As many of you know, this will be my final year serving as superintendent before retiring at the end of the school year. As I reflect on the years we have shared, I am especially grateful for the partnership of our families and the strength of the Crete-Monee community. I look forward to spending this final year working alongside our students, families, staff, and Board of Education as we continue building on the progress we have made together.

Most importantly, I want our families to know that we see you, we hear you, and we understand that these are not ordinary circumstances. Please take the time you need to care for your homes, your families, and yourselves. We will be ready to welcome your children when school begins on August 19.

Thank you for your patience, understanding, and continued partnership. In difficult moments, the strength of a community is reflected in how we support one another. We are proud to be part of the Crete-Monee community, and we look forward to welcoming our students back with open arms.

Together, we will make this a year of learning, growth, resilience, and success for every student.

With appreciation,

Dr. Kara Coglianese
Superintendent