Thursday, June 6

The last day that school offices will be open 

Monday, June 10

Board of Education meeting

7 p.m. Downers Grove Village Hall

Monday, June 10

Summer school begins (Session I)

Wednesday, June 19

Juneteenth

District offices and summer school closed

Monday June 24

Summer school begins (Session II)

Thursday, July 4

Fourth of July

District offices, summer school closed

Monday, July 8

Board of Education meeting

Monday, July 29

Summer school begins (Session III)

Tuesday, July 30

School offices reopen

Click here to view the 2024-25 calendar

Click here to view the 2025-26 calendar

Bookmark these resources for 2024-25 •••••

Please visit these webpages as you prepare for next school year! Please note, some pages are still being updated for 2024-25. If you see a page under construction, please check back later this month.

• Back-to-school toolkit
• Family resources
• 2024-25 school supply lists
• 2024-25 calendar
• Health exam and immunization requirements
• Kindergarten resources
• Summer learning in District 58

Curricular Focus for 2024-25 •

English Language Arts

A new English Language Arts curriculum will be implemented in the 2024-25 school year after an intensive study and a year of piloting new resources. Students will experience the following coming this fall: 

UFLI Foundations (Grades K-2)

There will be more visual and auditory drills, spelling, multi-sensory skills that all build on past skills. 

Benchmark 2022 (Grades K-5)

Students will preview vocabulary, will have more small group lessons and more multicultural stories. Knowledge will build throughout the curriculum. 

CommonLit 360 (Grades 6-8)

Students will be exposed to rigorous, thematic units that are very engaging and aligned to state standards.

Already, teachers have received training in the new resources and will receive additional training in August and during during Professional Learning Mondays. The Board of Education approved the resources in March after a review and analysis of student student achievement data, curriculum review and feedback through surveys of the 75 pilot teachers. The curriculum aligns with the state’s new Comprehensive Literacy Plan. 

Social Emotional Learning: Zones of Regulation

Students in grades K-4 were introduced to the Zones of Regulation this spring, a curriculum to help students gain skills in regulating their emotions and behavior. Funded by a grant, the program will be fully implemented in the fall. Zones of Regulation will help students to identify and recognize emotions, how to regulate and manage their behavior and strategies to change or stay in the “zone” they are in. Students will learn vocabulary, skills in reading others, perspective about how others see and react to their behavior, insight into events that trigger their behavior, calming and alerting strategies and problem-solving skills.

Science Curriculum Review

The District will continue its ongoing curricular review as part of its continuous improvement cycle. Next up is the science curriculum. The first year (2024-25) is a review of the current resources and review of other science resources, then determining if a pilot of different science resources are needed. The process takes 2-3 years depending on whether a pilot year is needed. 

Fourth Grade Gifted Curriculum

The gifted program for 4th graders will shift to the students’ home school in 2024-25. Previously, students had been bused to Henry Puffer one day a week for day-long gifted instruction. Students will receive gifted instruction by the school’s teacher librarian. Next year, the committee will evaluate the criteria and identification process for the gifted program, evaluate the new delivery program model and build 5th grade units for programming to implement the following year.

Dual Language

The two-way Dual Language program will continue to expand by one grade level each year, next year moving to 2nd grade in the 2024-25 school year. The Dual Language program will incorporate new English and Spanish Language Arts curricular resources. Estrellita and Lunita Fonetica (Grades K-2) and UFLI Foundations (Grades K-2), which will expose students to more visual and auditory drills, songs and multi-sensory skills to learn Spanish phonics and reading; Benchmark Adelante 2023 & Benchmark Advance 2022 (Grades K-5), will work together to build a bridge between both languages and build students’ bilingual trajectory; and Galeria (Grades 6-8), which will provide students access to engaging videos, authentic texts and activities to expand their listening, reading, speaking and writing as well as Spanish related culture.

Parent Handbook

The Parent Handbook for the 2024-25 school year was provided to all District 58 families when they registered for the 2024-25 school year this spring. You may additionally request a paper copy from your child's school office.

Please review the 2024-25 Schools of 58 Handbook with your child. It is important to review this handbook to understand District 58’s procedures. The document, and any links in the document, may be amended during the year without notice. 

• 2024-25 School of 58 Handbook - English
• 2024-25 Manual Familias del Distrito 58 – Español

Calendar for 2024-25 •••

The 2024-25 calendar will be condensed to maximize construction time in the summer of 2025, meaning that classes will end prior to Memorial Day in 2025 and in the following school year start after Labor Day 2025. 

August 13-14: Teacher Institute Days *

August 15:  Non-work day for teachers/IA training*

August 16:  First Day of Classes – Full day

September 2: Labor Day *

October 8 & 10: Evening Parent/Teacher Conferences

October 14: Columbus Day: No School *

November 5:  No School: Federal Election *

November 8:  End of First Trimester

November 27-29: Thanksgiving Break *

Dec. 23-Jan. 3: Winter Break *

January 6:  School Resumes

January 20:  Martin Luther King, Jr. Day: No School *

February 4 & 6: Evening Parent/Teacher Conferences

February 17:  Presidents Day: No School *

February 21:  End of Second Trimester

February 28:  Teacher Institute Day *

March 31-April 4: Spring Break *

April 7:  School Resumes

April 18:  No School *

May 23:  Last Day of School (half day for students; if no emergency days are used)

May 26 Memorial Day * 

* Denotes no school

New construction updates on website ••••

There are new sections about construction on the District's website Building for the Future. They include sections about workplace safety, sustainability/environmentalism in the design and implementation process and updates about construction specifics at each school, called Projects at a Glance. These were recommendations from both the Superintendent’s Community Advisory Council and the PTA Council. As part of our Strategic Planning on Goal 2: Connecting the Community, the District regularly asks for feedback on such things as website updates and other communications. 

Congratulations to Green Apple winners! ••

Congratulations to the 41 staff members who received Green Apple Awards from the Education Foundation of Downers Grove District 58 this spring. As part of Staff Appreciation Week 2024, the Education Foundation of District 58 invited the community to make a Green Apple donation to the Education Foundation in honor of a District 58 employee who has made a positive impact on their child or family. Each honored employee received a Green Apple Award certificate with a personalized message from the gift giver.

School Office relocations ••••

Because of construction at six of our schools this summer, the school offices at those buildings have moved temporarily to the following schools. Phone numbers will remain the same. Please note that all school offices close for the summer on June 6 and are scheduled to re-open on Tuesday, July 30.

• Henry Puffer – offices move to Belle Aire, 3935 Belle Aire Ln.
• Highland – offices move to Belle Aire, 3935 Belle Aire Ln.
• Hillcrest – offices move to Kingsley, 6509 Powell St.
• Whittier – offices move to Lester, 236 Indianapolis Ave.
• Herrick – offices move to Pierce Downer, 1436 Grant St.
• O’Neill – offices move to Fairmount, 6036 Blodgett Ave.

Some playgrounds closed during construction ••••

With construction occurring at six schools this summer, we are asking for parents’ help in discouraging students and families from accessing school yards under construction: Herrick, O’Neill, Henry Puffer, Highland, Hillcrest and Whittier.

Additionally, playgrounds may be limited or closed at elementary schools:

• Henry Puffer – The southeast or primary level playground will be closed; the north or intermediate playground will remain open.
• Highland – Playground is closed.
• Hillcrest – Playground is open; please access it from Dunham Road.
• Whittier – Intermediate playground will be closed. The west or primary level playground remains open.

School and district office summer hours •

School offices will close for the summer on Thursday, June 6 and reopen to the community on Tuesday, July 30. For those who need to register, or if you have other questions, please call the District office at 630-719-5800. Please note that the District office begins summer hours the week of June 10 and will be closed on Fridays. Regular work hours begin the week of July 22. District summer office hours are Monday-Thursday from 7 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Mental health resources available over the summer •

A database of mental health professionals and services is available for District 58 families, called ReferralGPS. The service allows District 58 families to access the database at no cost. Funding was made possible through the state grant that District 58 earned from the Illinois Department of Public Health. School district staff and families may access it by visiting ReferralGPS (https://referralgps.com/find-help/DG58) to search for treatment resources or connect with a Care Navigator anonymously through their website.

U.S. program to help families buy food •

Summer EBT, or SUN Bucks, is a new permanent nutrition program authorized by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to help families buy food for their school-aged children during the summer. SUN Bucks 2024 will provide a $120 annual benefit to eligible children via an Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) issuance by the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) later this summer. Click here for the flyer (Spanish flyer)

Local School Supply Drive •

For all families with students K-12, a school supply drive and backpack drive will be held on Sunday, July 28 at the Grove Church from 12-1 p.m.

See the flyer here or at right for details and to register.

GPS offers summer reading for parents ••

Our partners in parent and youth education, GPS, is recommending some summer reading for parents. Many are speakers from their local series. Click here or on the flyer to view their suggestions. Check out their website for upcoming speakers GPSParentSeries.org

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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