D99 Conferences and Calendar Changes for 2026-27

To improve school and family interactions and promote meaningful engagement, District 99 is redesigning its family engagement events and teacher conferences for the 2026-27 school year. 

• A new “Meet the Teacher” night on August 27 will replace the traditional fall Curriculum Night.
  • To provide flexibility for all families, the night will include both structured classroom presentations as well as informal drop-in opportunities.
• Teacher Conferences will be held later in the semester, once more student data about academic progress is available.
  • Teachers will directly initiate conferences with families for those students who need more academic support throughout each semester in a “real-time response” model.
  • Families will have an additional opportunity to initiate conferences and sign up for a virtual time to meet with teachers on Monday, November 23, from 4-8 p.m. 
  • As always, families can continue to request to meet with a teacher at any time during the school year.
• The 2026-27 School Calendar will be changed to eliminate student attendance during Thanksgiving week in order to accommodate the changes above.

FAQ: Proposed Conferences and Calendar Changes  

Why is the District changing how families and teachers connect?

These changes reflect feedback from families asking for more meaningful, flexible, and timely communication with teachers. The redesigned model focuses on purposeful conversations that directly support student learning, planning, and well-being, rather than brief or one-size-fits-all interactions.

What is “Meet the Teacher” night, and how will it work?

“Meet the Teacher” night will be held in August and replace the traditional Curriculum Night. Teachers will offer:

• One hour of more structured classroom-based presentations.
• One additional hour of informal drop-in conversations in a different location.

Families may attend the formal presentations, the informal drop-in sessions, or a combination of both for the specific teachers they wish to meet. This allows families to design a personalized experience based on their interests, questions, and availability.

Will families still be able to request conferences with teachers?

Yes. Family-initiated conferences will continue but shift in focus. Families can always reach out to a staff member and arrange for a mutually agreeable time to discuss the student’s progress or experience at any time. 

Instead of October, conferences would move to November. The proposal includes holding conferences on November 23:

• Teachers will participate in an in-service day from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
• Family-initiated conferences will be held virtually from 4:00–8:00 p.m.

These conferences will follow a traditional scheduling process, allowing families to request meetings with specific teachers.

Family-initiated conferences are an opportunity for families to request a conversation with teachers when they have questions, concerns, or would like to discuss their student’s progress in more depth. 

 Holding conferences later in the semester supports more purposeful dialogue around progress, supports, and planning, including four-year high school planning and postsecondary pathways. This shift is designed to ensure that conference time is focused on student needs and next steps rather than early check-ins with limited information.

What are teacher-initiated conferences?

Teacher-initiated conferences are additional, proactive conversations where a teacher reaches out to families to schedule a real-time discussion.

These conversations:

• Are focused on students who would benefit most from direct communication.
• Take place via phone, video call, or in-person meeting.
• Are scheduled collaboratively at a mutually agreeable time.
• Emphasize dialogue, problem-solving, and planning.

Each teacher completes a minimum of two hours of teacher-initiated outreach per semester.

What if I am not contacted by a teacher?

Not being contacted does not mean a teacher is unavailable or that your child is not doing well. Teacher-initiated outreach is intentionally targeted so that time and attention are focused where they are most helpful.

Families may reach out to teachers at any time if they have questions or would like to schedule a conversation.

How does the new model support student planning?

The redesigned approach creates more time and flexibility for deeper conversations about:

• Four-year high school planning.
• Course selection.
• Postsecondary pathways, including college, career, and workforce options.

These topics are often difficult to address meaningfully in short, high-volume conference formats. This model allows for more thoughtful, individualized planning discussions.

Why is Thanksgiving week being proposed for conferences?

Thanksgiving week was selected because all partner elementary districts except District 58 do not have student attendance during that week. Aligning calendars helps families with children in multiple districts and reduces scheduling conflicts.

In this proposal, there are no student attendance days during Thanksgiving week.

How does this model improve access for families?

The model offers:

• Multiple formats for communication (in-person, phone, video).
• Flexible scheduling.
• Early opportunities to connect with teachers.
• Fewer but more intentional events.

These changes are designed to better accommodate family schedules and reduce the need to attend multiple evenings at school while providing more real-time updates and dialogue as needed for each student. 

How will families know what to expect?

The district will provide clear communication before each engagement opportunity, including scheduling details, expectations, and ways to reach teachers. Families will continue to receive regular updates through existing communication channels.

How does this proposal reflect family feedback?

Themes from multiple years of feedback from families emphasized the need for stronger relationships, clearer communication, and more meaningful conversations. This redesigned model directly responds to those themes by aligning time, purpose, and access with student needs.

What are the proposed changes to the school calendar for 2026-27?

• August 12–13, 2026 – Teacher in-service days
• August 14, 2026 – First day of student attendance
• August 27, 2026– “Meet the Teacher” night
  • One hour of structured classroom presentations
  • One hour of informal drop-in opportunities in an alternate location
• August 28, 2026 - 1:30 dismissal
• September
  • Teacher initiated conferences (a minimum of two hours per semester) begin after the First Progress Report (IPR) and the window remains open until Thanksgiving.
  • This window repeats the Second Semester from the Progress Report (IPR) in Mid February until May 1. 
• October
  • Traditional family-initiated conferences are no longer held in October and will be in November.
• November 23
  • Teacher in-service from 8:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m.
  • Family-initiated virtual conferences from 4:00–8:00 p.m., using a traditional scheduling model
• Thanksgiving Week (November 23–27)
  • No student attendance days
  • No staff attendance on November 24-27
  • Calendar aligned with all partner elementary districts except District 58
• Professional Learning Scheduling
  • Beginning-of-year in-service reduced from three days to two
  • One in-service day reallocated to November to support conference redesign