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CCSD 62 moves forward on full‑day kindergarten planning and unveils districtwide mascot redesign
Summary
District staff presented early outreach on full‑day kindergarten and a coordinated redesign of school logos and mascots; community relations staff described outreach, next steps and planned roll‑out as the district prepares for the new kindergarten schedule.
CCSD 62 staff told the board they have begun planning for full‑day kindergarten and shared results from early outreach to families, staff and the community, along with a coordinated redesign of school logos and mascots tied to the district strategic plan.
The district’s community relations staff said internal and external surveys showed broad support for full‑day kindergarten, including benefits for first‑grade readiness and help for working parents, while staff respondents emphasized the need for adequate classroom space, staffing and developmentally appropriate, play‑based learning. “Our families and our community were very supportive of full day kindergarten. They were very excited about that preparation for first grade,” the staff member said.
The presentation also described a districtwide logo and mascot effort launched in fall 2024 to create a unified look aligned with the CCSD 62 brand. Six schools retained existing animal mascots; six schools participated in a voting process that invited students, staff and families to choose among two logo options presented by art teachers and the community relations department. “This is something that has never ever occurred in our district,” the presenter said, describing initial concepts, the April vote and principals’ May announcements.
District staff said next steps include integrating the new logos and mascots into school communications and materials, creating black‑and‑white website versions, and planning implementation conversations at each school as the district prepares for the full‑day kindergarten rollout. Staff thanked participating art teachers and local contributors and said they will provide periodic updates to the board and community as implementation proceeds.
Board members praised the community engagement on the mascots and the emphasis on including students and families. The presenter acknowledged the communications and design team members by name and said additional work on newsletters, website headers and planning for the coming school year is under way.
Less central details from the presentation — including award mentions, translation metrics and the district’s media outputs — were presented as supporting background and will be included in routine district communications.
