About the cover photos: Left: About the cover photos: Left: Indian Trail third graders enjoyed Valentine’s Day with some sweet treats from Kendra Scott and the Museum of Ice Cream. Right: ABC 7 Chicago Meteorologist Tracy Butler visited Kingsley School and discussed severe weather with Mr. Dennis's fifth graders. Learn more.

Throughout this publication, you will see the following color-coded dots beside each article. The dots represent which strategic goal the article addresses:

• Focusing on Learning • Connecting the Community • Securing the Future

Have feedback regarding Communicate 58? Click here!

The District 58 Board of Education will host the second of its twice-yearly Curriculum Workshops on Monday, Feb. 27 at 7 p.m. at O’Neill School. During this interactive meeting, the School Board and community members can learn about District 58's curriculum objectives and participate in mini-workshops in which the Board, administrative team and audience members will rotate through several classrooms. During this workshop, they will learn from teachers about the following subjects: Social studies/inquiry, dual language, elementary music, middle school advisory and the writing pilot program. The meeting will also offer visitors a 30-minute opportunity to engage in a two-way dialogue with the School Board. The Board agenda will be published on the Friday preceding the meeting on BoardDocs.

Please note that this will also be a special meeting and the Board may take action on the following items:

• Approval of a Full Day Kindergarten Program
• Approval of a Spring Outdoor Education Field Trip and associated fee
• Approval of a New Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction (this position is open due to Mr. Justin Sisul’s appointment as the new Assistant Superintendent of Personnel)

Will your child be 3 or 4 years old this August? The award-winning Grove Children's Preschool in District 58 has started accepting applications beginning today. Grove Preschool has earned back-to-back gold ratings, which is the highest rating the State awards preschools for excellence in teaching and learning. Priority applications are due Wednesday, March 8. Learn more.

Thank you to parents – 1,339 of you took the School Environment Survey in January and February. Survey results will be analyzed and presented to the Board of Education later this spring and posted on the website at www.dg58.org/surveys.

We are also asking parents, in addition to students and staff, to take the State’s 5Essentials Survey. Please click here to take the survey. The survey is an important part of the Illinois Report Card for District 58. In order to receive a parent survey report, a school has to achieve a 20% parent participation rate. In recent years, most District 58 schools have achieved this goal. Currently, only 7% of parents have taken the 5Essentials survey but there is still time. Your participation in this survey will help us understand the conditions at your child’s school and guide improvement. Your identity and survey responses will be confidential and not connected to you or your child. Learn more about 5Essentials. The survey closes on March 31, 2023. Please take the survey here. 

The Board of Education on Feb. 13 appointed Lauryn Humphris to serve as the principal of O’Neill Middle School, effective July 1, 2023. Ms. Humphris will replace current Principal Matt Durbala, who is retiring as principal after 18 years of distinguished service.

Ms. Humphris is a proud O’Neill graduate and District 58 is excited to welcome her back to her hometown. Read more. 

The Education Foundation of Downers Grove District 58 invites all eighth graders attending Herrick and O’Neill middle schools to consider applying for a Select 58 Recognition Award. 

Select 58 annually recognizes eighth graders who exhibit outstanding service and citizenry to their school and community. Fifty-eight students – 29 from Herrick and 29 from O’Neill – will receive this honor. Applications are due on March 10. More information and an application and materials can be found here. The ceremony will be held May 3 from 6:30-8 p.m. at Herrick Middle School. 

During its Feb. 13, 2023, regular meeting, the Board of Education heard a report from Henry Puffer, District student test data from the winter 2023 Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) and Aimsweb assessments, and continued its discussion to offer universal free full-day kindergarten. The District has offered a free half-day program and a tuition-based full-day program but, now with the referendum that frees up space in the elementary buildings and additional revenue streams available, a universal free full-day program can be considered. (The usual student fees would still be required, which is $241 for kindergarten for the 23-24 school year). View the Board Briefs or a video recording of the meeting.

Looking ahead: The Board will hold its second Curriculum Workshop meeting Monday, Feb. 27 at 7 p.m. at O'Neill. The meeting will also be a Special Meeting with agenda items as noted in the story about the Curriculum Workshop/Special Meeting at the top of this newsletter.

District 58 includes relevant e-flyers in the Communicate 58 newsletter and online. Learn more.

• Body Beautiful: The Body Image Signs, Struggles & Messages Your Teen is Experiencing (whether you realize or not)
• Chicago Flyers Track and Cross Country Clinics
• Maple Methodist PreSchool Parent Series on Speech Therapy