35 students selected for inaugural ILMEA All-State Elementary Chorus
The Illinois Music Education Association selected 35 fifth and sixth graders from District 58 to perform in its inaugural All-State Elementary Chorus on Jan. 30 in Peoria, Illinois. Only 300 students statewide were chosen for this honor.
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Nominate a special District 58 staffer for a Distinguished Service Award
 Do you know a District 58 employee who truly goes above and beyond? Please consider nominating that individual for a Distinguished Service Award!
The Education Foundation of Downers Grove District 58 annually hosts the Distinguished Service Awards program to recognize the remarkable contributions of District 58 employees. The Education Foundation will accept nominations now through Monday, March 7 at 4 p.m.
An Distinguished Service Awards ceremony will honor all nominees and announce the two award winners. The ceremony will take place May 2. Both nominees and their nominators will be invited to attend.
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District 99 seeks your input on 2017-18 school calendar
Community High School District 99, which includes Downers Grove North and Downers Grove South high schools, recently passed its calendar for the 2016-17 school year.
District 99 is now preparing their 2017-18 school year calendar.
They are considering adopting a new type of calendar that would start the District 99 school year a little bit earlier in August and finish the school year by the end of May.
District 99 seeks input from District 58 families regarding this potential change, via a brief survey.
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Board to vote on potential OKEEP expansion at March meeting
 District 58 provided the Board with an update and recommendation regarding the potential expansion of the Optional Kindergarten Enrichment and Enhancement Program (OKEEP) at the Board's Feb. 8 meeting.
District 58 recommended that OKEEP be expanded for the 2016-17 school year, giving special consideration for Lester School, which lacks space to fully implement OKEEP at the school.
The Board of Education is expected to make its final decision regarding OKEEP expansion at the March 14 regular Board meeting.
Read more details regarding the potential expansion of OKEEP in the
February Board Briefs. Scroll to the "OKEEP Update" section.
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Kindergarten Roundup coming soon
District 58 invites parents of future kindergarteners to attend Kindergarten Roundup this March and April. Kindergarten Roundup provides parents the opportunity to visit their child's future school, meet the principal and staff, and ask questions.
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A Glance at our Grants episode 4: High Interest Reading at Highland
How can you motivate students -- especially reluctant readers -- to love reading? Highland teachers Cori Walter and Sandi Hudecek set out to find an answer. They received an Education Foundation grant that funded several high interest books.
These books feature bold covers and exciting storylines at a variety of reading levels, so preteen students can easily find a great book.
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O'Neill student wins major reading contest for 4 straight years
Congratulations to O'Neill seventh grader Matt Leinart! For the fourth consecutive year, Matt has won the Illinois/Minnesota Braille Readers are Leaders Contest for Kids.
Led by the National Federations of the Blind of Illinois and Minnesota, the contest asks Braille readers throughout the two states to compete to read the most Braille pages during a seven-week timeframe.
Matt placed first in both states by reading an impressive 3,400 pages during the contest period.
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Musician shine at Solo Night
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Sisters Brynn (O'Neill) and Ella (Indian Trail) sport their Division 1 metals. Nice job!
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District 58 musicians recently performed in the annual Band/Orchestra Solo Festival. Each year, the District's Band and Orchestra Program teaches a study/performance unit on the preparation and performance of solo literature.
"All of our intermediate through 8th grade students are given solos to prepare for performance, and we invite professional adjudicators in to listen to each student and provide constructive feedback," said Christine Kaminski, elementary band teacher.
"Solo festival is an excellent opportunity for our students to improve their musical skills, as well as a fun celebration of all their work," she added.
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Fairmount unites for Frindle
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Superintendent Dr. Kari Cremascoli reads "Frindle" to Fairmount students during lunch.
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During the month of February, all of Fairmount School is reading "Frindle" by Andrew Clements, as part of their One Book, One School program. The children's book tells the story about a fifth grade boy who invents a new word for pen, called "frindle," in an effort to break the norms.
"Not only can the book be understood by a kindergartener, it's also very relatable and interesting to a sixth grader," said LRC Teacher Liz Levy. "It was a challenge to find a One Book, One School book that could be enjoyed by the entire K-6 age group. 'Frindle' is unique in that it can be relatable to kids of all ages."
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Jump Rope for Life kicks off
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The American Heart Association's Jump Rope for Heart fundraiser recently kicked off at Whittier School.
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Last year, District 58 raised more than $55,000 for the American Heart Association through Jump Rope for Heart. Let's try to beat that number this year!
If you haven't already received it, be on the lookout for Jump Rope for Heart information from your child's school. The campaign kicked off recently at Whittier School. Students invited family members and friends to jump rope with them. They had so much fun!
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O'Neill learns the art of dance
The O'Neill PTA annually hosts a dance and etiquette program for eighth graders. Students learn swing, salsa, fox trot, waltz and tango dances. They also learn etiquette essentials related to eye contact, introductions and asking for/accepting a dance. Students enjoy socializing in a safe and fun environment while learning.
Photography services donated by Michael Kruk Photography.
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Preschool performs Winter Sing
Grove Children's Preschool recently performed a Winter Sing. The children sang songs about snowmen, friendship and the importance of brushing your teeth.
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Henry Puffer goes Under the Sea
120 Henry Puffer girls brought their favorite guy to the fourth annual Daddy Daughter Dance on Friday, Feb. 5! With "Under the Sea"-themed decorations, fun music and delicious refreshments, everyone had a fantastic time.
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Hillcrest celebrates 100th Day
Hillcrest primary students celebrated the 100th day of the school year by counting, sorting, building and sharing, reading, writing and completing other activities surrounding the number 100.
Happy 100th day, District 58!
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Indian Trail makes birthday boxes
21 birthday boxes will help children in need
 The Indian Trail Student Council raised $200 during their December fundraisers. They used this funding to create birthday boxes for the Humanitarian Service Project in Carol Stream.
With help from Student Council sponsor and teacher Ms. Sandy Leff, the students wrapped 21 shoe boxes in festive birthday wrapping paper, and filled them with cake mix, sprinkles, frosting, decorative paper plates and utensils, streamers and balloons. The boxes will support birthday parties for low-income children that the Humanitarian Service Project assists.
Great work, students!
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Whittier's 'Soup for the Super Bowl' collected 300+ cans of soup
The Whittier Student Council recently held a "Soup for the Super Bowl" fundraiser.
Students could donate soup in support of the team they believed would win the Super Bowl. While Whittier didn't correctly pick the winning team, they still scored a win by donating more than 300 cans of soups to a local food shelter!
Thanks for your help, students and families!
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Hillcrest donates winter clothing
The Hillcrest Student Council recently led a Hat and Mitten Drive. Families donated hats, gloves, scarves and other cold weather clothing and accessories. These items were then donated to the St. Mary's PADS shelter. Thank you for your generosity!
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The meeting included:
- Flag salute and presentation by Indian Trail School
- A spotlight on the Special Services Department, highlighting the BEST, DLP and RISE programs
- An update on the potential OKEEP expansion
- And more!
The Board of Education will hold a Curriculum Workshop on Monday, Feb. 22 at 7 p.m. The Board's next Regular Meeting will be Monday, March 14 at 7 p.m. Both meetings will take place at the Longfellow Center, 1435 Prairie Ave.
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The mission of District 58, in partnership with parents and community, is to challenge and engage each child by providing quality educational programs and support services in a safe, nurturing, and child-centered environment in order to prepare all students to be lifelong learners and contributing members of a global society.
Communicate 58 is designed to share timely, relevant information about District 58 with parents, community members and others who are interested in how we are living out our mission. If you have any questions/comments regarding Communicate 58, or have an article/photo idea for the publication, please contact Community Relations Coordinator Megan Hewitt at mhewitt@dg58.org or 630-719-5805.
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Congrats Science Fair finalists!
Congratulations to
Herrick seventh graders Lucas Marra and Grace Sweeney for advancing to the regional science fair with the project, "What is the best soil for radish seeds?"
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UPCOMING EVENTS:
PARCC meeting
- Feb. 23
Do you have questions regarding your child's
2015 PARCC results? Would you like to learn more about changes to the
2016 PARCC assessment?
Come to a PARCC parent meeting on
Tuesday, Feb. 23 from 6:30-7:30 p.m. at the
Longfellow Center, 1435 Prairie Ave.
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Parent info night: Prep for college
- Feb. 24
The Herrick PTA invites middle school families to a free parent meeting regarding
college prep on
Wednesday, Feb. 24 at 7 p.m. at Herrick's cafeteria.
Karen Daluga, founder of Impact College Advising, will present "
Middle School: It's Not Too Early to Know What Colleges Expect."
Learn more info here.
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Passport to Dining - Feb. 25
Whittier teachers
Mrs. Lyons and Mrs. French are going to "
Passport to Dining" on Feb. 25. Join them!
The Grove Foundation's "Passport to Dining" fundraiser supports local businesses and District 58 schools.
Passport to Dining will take place on
Thursday, Feb. 25 from 6-9 p.m. Participants will receive a "passport" to get stamped while visiting five different local downtown Downers Grove restaurants:
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Mia's Cantina
1012 Curtiss St.
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Ballydoyle
5157 Main St.
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Gatto's Restaurant
5123 Main St.
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Another Round
5141 Main St.
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Smokey Tomato
1028 Curtiss St.
Guests may taste a variety of specialty appetizers and desserts. Drinks are additional. Submit a completed passport to be entered to win the grand raffle prize!
Click here to email the Grove Foundation to request a ticket. Tickets cost $35 and will support Grove Foundation programs, including the District 58 Little Sprouts Program.
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Families invited to Crosstown Classic
- Feb. 27
District 58 invites families to part two of the Crosstown Classic basketball series. T
he Herrick and O'Neill girls' basketball teams will play at Downers Grove North on Saturday, Feb. 27. Seventh grade will play at 6:30 p.m., and eighth grade will play at 7:45 p.m.
The Crosstown Classic will feature a half-time contest, DGN and Herrick band performances, raffle prizes, giveaways and concessions. Proceeds will benefit Bloom's Angels and the Herrick PTA.
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80s Night with Sixteen Candles
- March 10
The Education Foundation welcomes premier '80s cover band,
Sixteen Candles, to the annual spring fundraiser concert on
Thursday, March 10 at the Tivoli Theatre.
All proceeds will directly support District 58 programs, through the Education Foundation.
The evening will kick off with a
District 58 staff costume contest. Staff with the most votes will win cash prizes for their schools!
The show starts at 7:30 p.m. The costume contest starts at 6 p.m.
While the show is for adults only, the children can still enter votes in the costume contest.
The Education Foundation will post photos of each contestant in costume at all District 58 schools and hold costume contest pre-voting from March 1-9. Students may vote for their favorite costume with dollars, coins or any spare change - every penny will count!
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District 58 on social media
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