7-8 p.m. Southside 4th Grade & Chamber Strings Winter Concert at O'Neill

Science Fair Registration Opens

Middle School Report Cards Available Online

7-8 p.m.: Northside 4th Grade & Chamber Strings Winter Concert at Herrick

7 p.m.: Board of Education Meeting at O'Neill

3:45-5:15 p.m.: Board Legislative Committee Meeting at TBD

Elementary Report Cards Sent Home

7 p.m.: Herrick Musical at Herrick

7-8 a.m. Board Financial Advisory Committee Meeting at TBD

7 p.m.: Herrick Musical at Herrick

District 58 looks forward to bringing back the Science Fair on Saturday, Jan. 22 at O'Neill Middle School. This event showcases the science projects of District 58 students in grades 1-8. Science Fair registration will open on Friday, Dec. 3. The registration link will be emailed to families and posted to the District 58 website on Friday.

If you have a science background and would like to be a judge, please fill out this form. Please contact Jason Lynde at jlynde@dg58.org with any questions regarding Science Fair volunteers.

As you have heard, District 58 is conducting an equity audit. There will be surveys for students (grades 4-8), staff and families as a part of this audit. The surveys are in the process of being finalized; we will send a more detailed communication regarding these surveys on Friday afternoon. Specific to the student surveys, please know that we would not administer any survey to students without proper and timely notification to families. 

While the entire student survey cannot be widely shared prior to administration, a copy of the student survey questions will be available at the District Office for review beginning next week, prior to its administration. Again, this information will be included in Friday’s communication, as will the procedure to follow if a family prefers for their student(s) not to participate in the survey. Student surveys will be administered in the later part of the week of Dec. 13 (we will finalize the specific date on Friday).

District 58 is continuing to conduct equity focus groups. These are one-hour opportunities to respond to questions about your experience in District 58 as it relates to educational equity. If you are interested in joining one of these groups, please fill out this form.

Additionally, there had been previous discussion in District 58 regarding a social-emotional learning (SEL) assessment; one company mentioned as a possible provider of this assessment was Panorama Education. Any potential SEL assessment is a completely separate endeavor and not at all connected to the equity audit. At this time, District 58 is not in the process of administering any SEL assessments/surveys, nor do we have a relationship with Panorama.

Please contact Justin Sisul at jsisul@dg58.org or 630-719-5867 with any questions about the equity audit or survey process.

The first trimester of the school year concluded on Nov. 19. Each trimester, student achievement information is shared with students and families. Report cards for students in grades K-6 will be sent home with students on Thursday, Dec. 9. Middle school students will not receive paper report cards unless a family specifically requests one through the main office. Final grades for middle school students will be available to view through the parent portal on Friday, Dec. 3. 

This school year marks the return to our typical reporting systems (which had been adjusted based on the realities of the pandemic for the previous four trimesters). While we maintain our reporting structures, we also recognize the effects of the unfinished learning many of our students have experienced due to the impact of COVID-19 on instruction in the 2020-21 school year. Just as our instructional practices recognize the need to meet students where they are and ensure that foundational skills are solidified to address current grade level standards, a child’s report card is a reflection of their learning at a moment in time, acknowledging that all students were - and continue to be - affected differently throughout the pandemic experience.  

The number one priority for District 58 is to keep our students and staff safe. This is why our District has taken COVID-19 safety protocols and mitigation measures so seriously. We will continue to follow the recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH), and the DuPage County Health Department (DCHD). 

Since the week of Nov. 15, 2021, District 58 has experienced a sharp increase in students reporting positive COVID-19 cases (click here for a link to our dashboard). It is important to note that cases this year are now far exceeding what the District experienced at the same time last year (click here for a link to last year’s dashboard). When the District/school is notified of a positive case, we immediately report it to the DCHD (per IDPH guidelines). The DCHD has shared that the District continues to implement the mitigation measures called for in the guidance properly. The DCHD has also complimented the District for offering onsite symptomatic and screening testing (if you are interested in testing, please contact your school nurse). While the District will continue to do everything possible to slow the spread of COVID-19, we need your help. Please continue to be diligent and adhere to all safety measures outside of school that slow the spread. 

The District along with the Illinois State Board of Education will continue to emphasize in-person instruction for our students. The District will also continue to work closely with the DCHD to monitor cases and mitigation measures so we can continue to keep our students and staff safe and in-person.

Please click here to learn more about the universal measures that are in place at all schools in District 58. In addition, please click the following links for additional COVID information.

Earlier this year, District 58 sold its Longfellow Center and will vacate the building by the end of 2021. Longfellow is a large 93-year-old building. It has amassed a great deal of instructional materials, furniture and other items over the years. For the past several months, District 58 has taken many steps to ensure that all items are moved out of Longfellow in the most sustainable manner possible.

If schools cannot be open due to inclement weather, District 58 will have the option to declare an emergency day (also known as “snow day”) or an e-learning day. Last summer, the Board of Education approved an e-learning plan that allows District 58 to use e-learning days in lieu of emergency days.

For the 2021-22 school year, in most instances, District 58 will declare a traditional emergency day. This will give students and staff the day off with no expectation for e-learning. It will also add one additional in-person instructional day to the end of the school year. Illinois school districts are limited to five emergency days per year.

In certain instances, District 58 may opt to use an e-learning day. For example, while a traditional emergency day might be used after a heavy snowfall, e-learning days might be a better option if a severe cold spell requires schools to close for multiple consecutive days. An e-learning day does not need to be made up in June. Learn more about e-learning days.

All school closure communications will specify whether the District will use an emergency day or an e-learning day.

Please visit www.dg58.org/family-resources/winter to learn more FAQs regarding winter weather in District 58. We will continue to highlight one FAQ in the next few issues of Communicate 58.

O'Neill recently completed Raise Craze, a fundraiser where students performed acts of kindness for others while raising money for their school. O'Neill set a goal of raising $8,000. Instead, they tripled their goal, raising $23,755 and performing 4,391 acts of kindness! Congratulations, O'Neill!

To celebrate, students who participated duct taped Principal Matt Durbala and Assistant Principal Bryant Cobo to the wall during lunch on Tuesday, Nov. 23.

Proceeds will support the O'Neill PTA. As part of Raise Craze, students donated items to the Backpack Project and the DuPage Senior Citizens Council.

The Board of Education will hold its December business meeting on Monday, Dec. 6 at 7 p.m. at O'Neill Middle School.

Please note: this meeting combined the facilities workshop and regular business meeting and is being held one week earlier than typical business meetings.

The agenda will be posted on BoardDocs on Friday, Dec. 3.

Last week, the Bishop Fitzgerald Council 14649 Knights of Columbus (from St. Joseph in Downers Grove) delivered 47 coats for District 58 children in need. The District coordinated with the Knights to provide coat sizing to ensure each child's need was met.

The Knights of Columbus organization annually donates coats to District 58. As always, THANK YOU, Knights of Columbus for your generosity! We especially thank Dennis Arcaro from the Knights for leading this effort!

Immanuel Lutheran Church in Downers Grove provided 42 full Thanksgiving meals to District 58 families in need last week! Each meal pack fed a family of six. In addition, the church will provide an additional 40 meals to families in need over the December holidays. They even provided home deliveries for families without access to reliable transportation.

District 58 thanks Immanuel Lutheran for their kindness, generosity and support, and especially to Connor and Whitney Cavanagh for leading this effort!