District 58 wishes its employees a very Happy Staff Appreciation Week! Our District 58 teachers and staff have persevered to educate and support students throughout this global pandemic. Thank you for your hard work and dedication!

Want to recognize a staff member in a meaningful way? Give an Education Foundation Green Apple Award! With each Green Apple Award donation received, the Education Foundation will send a specially-designed Green Apple Award card to the teacher or staff member the donation is honoring, with a custom message from the donor. Green Apple recipients will also be celebrated on the District’s social media pages this spring and summer. Learn more.

The Education Foundation of Downers Grove District 58 invited the community to nominate exceptional District 58 staff for the Distinguished Service Award (DSA) in March.

The Foundation received nominations for 25 staff members. A committee reviewed all nomination essays and selected this year’s two DSA winners, who will be announced this Thursday, May 6!

The Downers Grove Music Club and the Bulut family recently awarded private music lesson scholarships to seven District 58 elementary orchestra students. Thank you, DGMC and the Bulut family, for your generosity!

District 58 is proud of these orchestra musicians for their continued hard work and wishes them good luck as they begin their private lessons! In this 2-minute video, DGMC President Gloria Salazar announces the scholarship winners and shares more information on this award.

Each spring, District 58 reviews student information to determine eligibility for the District 58 Gifted and Talented Program. 

The Gifted and Talented Program is offered as a one-day-per-week program for students in grades 4-6 who meet a set of District criteria. In middle school, there is a gifted section of English-Language Arts offered to students who meet a similar set of criteria. Approximately 3-5% of District 58 students are eligible for this program. For more information and to learn about the specific criteria, please visit our website. Families will be notified of their student eligibility on June 2, 2021. If you have any questions about this program or eligibility, please contact Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction Justin Sisul at 630-719-5867 or jsisul@dg58.org. 

District 58 is pleased to announce that Lauri Smith will serve as Lester School's new assistant principal, starting July 1. Mrs. Smith will replace current Assistant Principal Katie Novosel, who will become Lester principal after current Principal Carin Novak retires this summer.

Mrs. Smith currently serves as the Hillcrest and Pierce Downer assistant principal, where she has cultivated strong relationships with the students, staff and families at both of her schools.

"She is a positive, self-motivated educator and is passionate about supporting student growth," said Superintendent Dr. Kevin Russell. "We are certain that Mrs. Smith will be an asset to the entire Lester community!"

Congratulations, Mrs. Smith!

The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) awarded District 58 with a "Financial Recognition" rating on the District’s 2021 School District Financial Profile. Financial Recognition is the highest financial strength rating that ISBE awards, and this year marks the 19th consecutive year District 58 achieved this status.

All Illinois school districts receive an annual rating from the ISBE, which considers several financial indicators including fund balance to revenue ratio; expenditure to revenue ratio; days of cash on hand; percent of short-term borrowing ability remaining; and percent of long-term debt margin remaining.

View the 2021 Financial Profile for all districts in Illinois.

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, now through Monday, May 10.

Select 58 annually recognizes students 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.

District 58 thanks all families who completed their returning child(ren)'s registration for 2021-22 school year by the Friday, April 30 deadline. Early registration helps District 58 make important staffing and classroom decisions.

If you haven't completed registration and submitted three proofs of residency, please do so at your soonest convenience! District 58 launched a new enrollment tool this year that should make the registration process easier for families. Both returning and new students can register online.

Learn more and register at www.dg58.org/registration.

District 58's instrumental music teachers invite parents and guardians to attend virtual information meetings regarding the District's instrumental music program. Attend the meeting to learn about band and orchestra, the time commitment required, and how to rent an instrument and purchase supplies.

District 58 looks forward to helping parents and guardians prepare their children for a successful experience in the music program. If your child is interested in joining band or orchestra, please join the following meetings:

Thursday, May 6 from 6-6:30 p.m.

ID: 743 319 6401  Password: 58orch

Thursday, May 6 from 6:45-7:15 p.m.

ID: 865 734 4742   Password: 58staff

Thursday, May 6 from 6-6:30 p.m.

ID: 865 734 4742   Password: 58staff

Please visit District 58's Instrumental Music website to learn more information. Please note, this story's featured photo was taken pre-COVID.

Attention sixth grade families: Herrick and O'Neill middle schools will post a virtual Sixth Grade Parent Night presentation on their websites on Thursday, May 6 at 6 p.m. Please visit Herrick at www.dg58.org/he and O'Neill at www.dg58.org/on.

The presentation will cover the seventh grade curriculum, orientation and registration, as well as the middle school transition experience and this summer's Sneak Preview orientation event. Click here for more information.

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