Dear Americana Families,

Welcome to the 2020-21 School year! I am excited to be serving Americana School as the Principal and look forward to working with all our students and families this school year. 

A little about myself - After completing my Bachelors in Engineering, I pursued my passion for education by teaching undergraduate students in India. When I moved to the US, I continued with my teaching career and served as a Math and Science High School teacher at a Chicago Public School. Wanting to work closer to home, I joined Queen Bee School District 16 in 2014, as the Assistant Principal of Glenside Middle School and then as the Principal of Americana School. I have enjoyed working with Glenside as well as Americana staff,  students, and families over the past 6 years. On a personal note, I live in the Western suburbs with my husband and sons - a 7th grader and a 3rd grader. As a parent of elementary school-aged children, I realize the importance of celebrating each other’s strengths and differences, while encouraging a respectful, kind, and caring environment for all. I also believe that it is important to educate the whole child while challenging each individual to reach their highest potential.

At Americana, our staff is committed to providing a nurturing environment for all our students, in partnership with our families and the community. We conscientiously strive to live up to our mission and empower our students to become lifelong learners so that they can be productively engaged in today’s world. The current challenges that we are facing as a society inspire us to think creatively so as to ensure the safety of every student at Americana while continuing our noble mission of educating the next generation of leaders.

We hope that you and your child enjoy your experience at Americana. Should you ever have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me at (630) 260 6138 or at arodrigues@queenbee16.org at any time. I look forward to working collaboratively with you so as to ensure that your child has the most successful year possible.

In partnership,

Astrid Rodrigues