Sat. Feb. 10

District 58 Solo and Ensemble Festival

Thursday, Feb. 15

5-6:30 p.m. Grove Preschool Open House

Monday, Feb. 12

7 p.m.: Board of Education Meeting at Village of Downers Grove

Monday, Feb. 19

President's Day: No School (District and school offices are closed)

Saturday, Feb. 24

8 a.m. - 3 p.m. The Reading Games



Monday, Feb. 26

3:45 p.m. Board District Leadership Team at O'Neill

Monday, Feb. 26

District 58 Festival of Music

Thursday, Feb. 29

End of Trimester

Click here to view the 2023-24 calendar.

Click here to view the 2024-25 calendar

Click here to view the 2025-26 calendar

A message from Dr. Russell •••••

Dear District 58 Families,

I hope this message finds you well. As we wrap up winter parent-teacher conferences, I wanted to take a moment to extend my gratitude to our families and staff.

These conferences serve as a bridge between home and school that provides an important opportunity for collaboration and partnership to support students' growth and development. Your commitment to attending these conferences demonstrates your dedication to your child's education. Please know that you can schedule a time to meet with your student’s teacher at any time outside of conferences.

The partnership between families and educators is essential in creating a nurturing and supportive learning environment for our students. Your active involvement and collaboration with educators not only strengthen this partnership but also reinforces the importance of working together towards common goals.

I'd like to express my gratitude to our exceptional teachers and staff for their dedication in organizing and facilitating these conferences. Their valuable insights, guidance and support are instrumental in empowering our students to achieve their utmost potential. Your continued support, collaboration and dedication to excellence in education are truly appreciated. Together, we are making a meaningful difference in the lives of our students. Thank you for your unwavering commitment.

We are pleased to report that Tuesday, March 19 will now be an in-person/regular school day, instead of an e-Learning Day. The school day was originally scheduled as an e-Learning Day because several District 58 schools were scheduled to be used as polling places. District 58 closes its buildings when its schools are designated as polling places to provide for the safety and security of its students and staff. After numerous conversations with the DuPage County Election Board, the District was notified that none of its schools will be used as a polling site for the Primary Election on March 19, 2024. Therefore, students will be in school on that day instead of having an e-Learning Day. The District has no control over when its schools are designated as polling places but will continue to advocate that locations other than District 58 schools be utilized.

Sincerely,

Dr. Kevin B. Russell

Superintendent

Congratulations Green Apple Winners! •••

More photos are posted in the Photo Gallery.

Sixteen staff members were awarded the Education Foundation’s Green Apple Awards for exemplary service as part of the holiday campaign. They received a personal message from the donor, were celebrated on the District’s social media pages and received a personal visit from Superintendent Dr. Kevin Russell. Congratulations to our Holiday 2023 Green Apple Award recipients!

• Lindsay Doty, Highland
• Ima Brohol, Henry Puffer
• Tina Dobias, Henry Puffer,
• Kendall Guege, Henry Puffer
• Matthew D’Angelo, Hillcrest
• Laura Velinske (DiPietro), Hillcrest
• Sandra Munizzo, Hillcrest
• Jennifer Mejdrech (Glynn), Fairmount
• Karen Kroll, Fairmount
• Emily Weist, Belle Aire,
• Allison Hedman, Whittier
• Maggie Sabatino, Highland
• Kyle Winter, HIghlandAngela Vahle, Highland
• Angela Vahle, Highland
• Catherine Boyce, Pierce Downer
• Amanda O’Hearn, Belle Aire

Check out a photo gallery of the awardees. ​​​​​​​Congratulations to these wonderful educators! The Green Apple Award program is a year-round program. You can send a Green Apple to any staff member at any time. To send a Green Apple, click here.

Legislators visit District 58 to discuss issues and solutions •••

Photo Caption: Above, clockwise (l to r) Regional Office of Education Superintendent Amber Quirk, Illinois Senator John Curran, District 58 Superintendent Dr. Kevin Russell; State Representative Jenn Ladisch-Douglass, State Representative Terra Costa Howard, U.S. Congressman Sean Casten; District 58 Buildings and Grounds Director Geoff Neustadt, Barbara Allen and Downers Grove Mayor Bill Barnett; O’Neill Jazz Band; Board of Education members and Legislative Committee Chairs Emily Hanus and Melissa Ellis; Allison Hannam and State Representative Anne Stava-Murray; District 58 Board President Darren Hughes and Curriculum Coordinator Christine Priester. Center photos State Senator Suzy Glowiak Hilton and DuPage County Board Member Lucy Chang Evans and a soloist with the Jazz Band.

Below, Dr. Russell is pictured with student council members from both Herrick and O'Neill, who introduced the legislators at the breakfast.

More than 90 elected officials and community members attend annual Legislative Breakfast

Six area legislators joined 90-some local elected and appointed officials as well as parents and community members at District 58’s 2024 Annual Legislative Breakfast Feb. 2. It is a years-long tradition in District 58 to welcome state and federal legislators, along with school and community leaders, to discuss education and how legislators and educators can partner to find solutions.

Thank you to the following legislators for participating in the event:

• U.S. Rep. Sean Casten
• Sen. John Curran
• Sen. Suzy Glowiak-Hilton
• Rep. Terra Costa Howard
• Rep. Jenn Ladisch Douglass
• Rep. Anne Stava-Murray

The forum opened with comments from legislators then broke into smaller groups to discuss issues such as the youth mental health crisis, school safety, unfunded mandates, social media and bullying, social-emotional learning and more. The event closed with remarks from Superintendent Dr. Kevin Russell. “This event gets bigger and better every year,” he said, thanking legislators for taking time out of their busy schedules to attend. “We’re proud to host this event that brings together so many to promote and highlight education and civic engagement,” he said. Read more.

More photos are posted in the Photo Gallery

Twenty-two students advance to state in PTA Reflections contest

Twenty-two District 58 students will advance from the regional to the state level of the PTA Reflections arts recognition and achievement program.

Through Reflections, students in kindergarten through eighth grade are invited to submit works of art in six areas: dance, film production, literature, music composition, photography and visual arts. The theme for the 2023-24 program is “I Am Hopeful Because!”

The Illinois PTA will review each student’s work of art and announce those entries advancing to the national level of PTA Reflections this spring. Congratulations to the following students: 

Belle Aire

Cora M., Music

El Sierra

Harper L. Dance

Florence B., Music, with the assistance of Riley M. and

Haley M.

Henry Puffer

Lissette A., Visual Arts

Herrick

Zachary Y., Dance

Asha G., Music

Leah A., Photography

Sadie S., Visual Arts

Highland

Sydney M., Dance

Ava R., Visual Arts

Hillcrest

Nora J., Film

Greta H., Literature

Lester

Mitchell O., Literature

George O., Music

Lydia O. Photography

Pierce Downer

Anneliese M., Film

Lucy R. Music

Conor M., Photography

Michael M. Photography

Whittier

Clare H., Dance 

Elsie O., Dance

Sadie P., Literature

In addition, two other students, whose projects under the Downers Grove Reflections Council were forwarded to the state for adjudication, were Makayla C. with Delay-Lace PTA and Emily S. from Eisenhower Jr. High PTA, both in the Visual Arts category. Both schools are in Darien District 61.

Students to perform at Solo and Ensemble Festival this weekend •••

More than 400 orchestra and band students will be showcasing their musical performance skills at the Solo and Ensemble Festival this weekend. It is an enriching opportunity for students to elevate their skills, showcase their musicality and mark their 10 weeks of preparation. Professional adjudicators will listen to each student's performance and provide constructive feedback.

"We are proud of the initiative and growth students have shown during their preparation," said the orchestra and band directors. “This is an excellent opportunity for our students to improve their musical skills, to take ownership of their learning, and to build confidence," they said. There are 192 band students, mostly 6th, 7th and 8th graders and a few 5th graders. Orchestra includes grades 5-8, with 238 students performing solos as well as three ensembles, a duet and the Herrick and O'Neill Chamber Strings.

Registration to open this month ••

We hope you are starting to think about next year! We are! District 58 student registration for the 2024-25 school year will open the week of Feb. 26. The District will ask all returning students to register by April 8. This includes all returning District 58 students who attend an outplacement or specialized program.

District 58 encourages families to register their student(s) promptly before April 8, as early registration helps the District determine its hiring, staffing, classroom and transportation needs for the upcoming school year.

We want your opinions! •••••

Parent feedback is important to us! Please watch for parent surveys that will be sent via email next week. Our Parent/Guardian School Environment Survey will be released on Monday. This survey should take just a few minutes, yet the valuable input you provide will help guide the work of our principals, teachers and district administrators as they plan school improvement efforts. All responses are anonymous. 

 

Parents will also be invited to take the annual Illinois State Board of Education’s 5Essentials Parent Survey through Friday, March 29.

Assessment results to be sent home electronically ••

This winter, students in grades K-8 were assessed in reading and mathematics using the NWEA-MAP assessment. 

Depending on your child’s age and educational experience, they may also be assessed using AIMSWebPlus in either reading or mathematics. Reports will be sent home electronically in the coming days.

Please check your spam folder! ••

District 58 Parents: Principals' newsletters and other messages sent last Friday may have landed in your spam folder. The third-party provider we use for mass communication and e-mail informed us that some emails may have been caught in spam filters due to some security changes. Please check your spam folder. We understand that the issue has been corrected and apologize for the inconvenience.

Grove Children’s Preschool will host Open House on Feb. 15 ••

Preschool applications for the 2024-25 school year will open Feb. 21

Parents and guardians are invited to an open house to learn more about the District’s gold-rated Grove Children’s Preschool program. The Open House will be Thursday, Feb. 15 from 5-6:30 p.m. at Henry Puffer School, 2220 Haddow Ave. Parents and guardians may tour the preschool, meet the staff, hear an overview of the program, and ask questions throughout the open house.

Grove Children’s Preschool tuition applications for the 2024-25 school year will open online at www.dg58.org/preschool on Wednesday, Feb. 21 at 8 a.m. First-priority preschool applications are due Monday, March 11. Here is what community members and parents said about the Grove Preschool program when it earned a Gold Rating from the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE). It is the highest honor that a preschool can receive.



• “We knew it when we found the right preschool! Total gold stars - all of the staff!”
• “This is a phenomenal group of educators! Their role sets the tone for the parents and the kiddos when starting their school experience!”

Read more about the Grove Preschool and registration

Parent workshops by Glenbard Parent Series ••

7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 8

Un plan para el éxito en la escuela secundaria, la universidad y la carrera/A Blueprint for High School, College and Career Success. Dr. Lourdes Ferrer-Allen. Zoom link available at GlenbardGPS.org

Noon and 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 15

The How of Happiness in All Areas of Life: Enhancing Your Potential For Joy. Sonja Lyubomirsky, Ph.D. Zoom link available at GlenbardGPS.org

7 p.m. Thursday, Feb.22

Live Life Well Week Event: Motivating the Next Generation to Lead Boldly and Achieve Their Dreams. A'ric Jackson. Hybrid Event. More information and Zoom link available at GlenbardGPS.org



Programs are free and open to the public. No registration is required. Click here to see the 2023-24 schedule. 

Flu Vaccines, Health resources for uninsured or underinsured •••

• Free Flu Vaccines
• DuPage Health Coalition Resources

Downers Grove Grade School District 58

2300 Warrenville Road, Suite 200NE, Downers Grove, IL 60515

Community Relations Office: 630-719-5805 I fbehr@dg58.org | www.dg58.org

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