Thursday, Sept. 7

6-7:30 p.m., Curriculum Night: El Sierra, Fairmount, Indian Trail, Hillcrest, Kingsley

Friday, Sept. 8

7 a.m. Financial Advisory Committee Meeting, O'Neill

Monday, Sept. 11

3:45 p.m. District Leadership Team Meeting, O'Neill

Monday, Sept. 11

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

Tuesday, Sept. 12

6-7:30 p.m., Curriculum Night: Herrick 7th Grade

Wednesday, Sept. 13

6-7:30 p.m., Curriculum Night: O'Neill 7th and 8th Grade, Herrick 8th Grade

Friday, Sept. 15

3-11 p.m. Oktoberfest

Saturday, Sept. 16

12 noon - 11 p.m. Oktoberfest

Tuesday, Sept. 19

8 a.m. Board of Education Policy Meeting at O'Neill

Wednesday, Sept. 20

6-7:30 p.m.,  Curriculum Night: Grove Children's Preschool at Indian Trail

Thursday, Sept. 21

6-7:30 p.m., Curriculum Night: Grove Children's Preschool at Henry Puffer;

Click here to view the 2023-24 calendar.

Grove Childrens Preschool gets the Gold again! ••

The Grove Children’s Preschool earned a Gold Rating again from the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE). It is the highest honor that a preschool can receive. “This achievement reaffirms Grove Children’s Preschool’s unwavering commitment to providing the highest quality education and nurturing environment for young learners,” said Superintendent Dr. Kevin Russell.

The rating is developed using a set of standards that focus on early learning and development and places a high priority on instructional excellence, family services, staff qualifications, professional development and program administration. The evidence for the audit is obtained through monitoring visits conducted through National Louis University’s contract with ISBE. During these monitoring visits, assessors collect evidence using an environmental scale and compliance checklist developed by ISBE.

“Earning the Gold Star rating for nine years is a testament to the passion and hard work that defines our preschool staff,” said Preschool Coordinator Susan Dillon. “We are deeply committed to nurturing young learners, encouraging their curiosity and promoting social and emotional growth."



Grove Preschool is a unique program where children of different ages and ability levels come together to learn and grow every day. There are several components to the preschool program. Blended Classrooms consist of tuition students, at-risk students and those with special needs. Specialized programs serve students with more significant needs, including autism. 

Read more.

It's been a great week and a half of school in District 58! Check out our back-to-school photo galleries below for highlights. Visit our Back to School Toolkit for helpful 2023-24 school year information. •••

• Belle Aire
• El Sierra
• Fairmount
• Grove Children's Preschool

• Henry Puffer
• Herrick
• Highland
• Hillcrest
• Indian Trail

• Kingsley
• Lester
• O'Neill
• Pierce Downer
• Whittier

Grade-Level Curricular Overviews ••

The Curriculum Department has developed an overview of each grade level of instruction in District 58. Each grade level page, grades K-6, highlights the goals of each area of study, gives ideas for supporting your child at home, and provides information on the curricular resources used to support learning for each area. Click here to learn more. 

Please view Curriculum Night video ••

Curriculum Night is a time for parents and guardians to meet as a group with their children’s teachers to learn about their instructional experiences and environment. Schools will email families detailed grade-level schedules. We encourage families to watch this brief overview video prior to curriculum night and to explore the academic resources listed on our website so that classroom teachers can spend less time talking about the general resources and more about the students’ learning experience. Here are more resources about Curriculum Night.

Assessment Calendar ••

Fall testing has already begun in some classrooms. Did you know? The purpose of most fall assessments is to better target instruction based on students’ strengths and needs. 

Parents and guardians may access the District's assessment calendar, which outlines each assessment, its purpose, testing dates, target audience, and estimated length. Schools will email families their specific testing dates. 

View the 2023-24 assessment calendar.

Emergency Preparedness Resources •••

September is National Preparedness Month. District 58’s top priority is the safety of our students, staff and visitors. Here is some information on how District 58 prepares for, communicates and responds to emergencies, as well as preparation tips for families:

Topics:

• Part 1: How does District 58 prepare for school emergencies?
• Part 2: How can families prepare for school emergencies?
• Part 3: How does District 58 communicate emergency inform
• Part 4: How does District 58 respond to emergencies?

Enroll in DG58 text messaging ••

Can we reach you via text in an emergency?

If you have not yet opted into the District’s text messaging service, please text “Y” or “yes” to 67587 to ensure that you will receive text messages from District 58. Or scan this QR code. Text messages will only be sent rarely and only for critical information such as a school closing.

Watch for survey on elementary lunch program •••

The District will send a survey this week to all elementary parents to gauge interest in a pre-packaged lunch program that can be ordered and paid online ahead of time, and then delivered to your child’s school. 

This format is a precursor to the District developing a full-scale elementary meal program. New kitchens at the two middle schools will be built as part of the referendum to prepare food for an elementary school program. However, completion of the kitchens is two years away. In the meantime, the district is developing other options.

Math for kids at the Farmer's Market ••

Where can you shop and have your child learn a thing or two? A few of our math teachers/interventionists have set up "Math at the Farmers Market" where students can build, explore and play math games. They set up the math booth earlier this summer and plan to again on Sept. 30 at the Downers Grove Farmer's Market. Join them Sept. 30 from 8 a.m. - noon! They also have a Facebook page called Downers Grove Math Community where they encourage mathematical play and positive engagement in math and hold events in the community where math can be done outside of school and beyond the textbook and as a family.

El Sierra, Fairmount, Indian Trail, Hillcrest, Kingsley

Thursday, Sept. 7, 2023. 6-7:30 p.m.

Herrick 7th Grade

Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2023. 6-7:30 p.m.

O'Neill 7th and 8th Grade, Herrick 8th Grade

Wednesday, Sept. 13. 6-7:30 p.m.

Grove Children's Preschool at Indian Trail

Wednesday, Sept. 20, 2023, 6-7:30 p.m.

Grove Children's Preschool at Henry Puffer;

Gifted Program

Thursday, Sept. 21, 2023, 6-7:30 p.m.

We are still hiring! •••

District 58 is hiring several full-time and part-time instructional assistant positions at various schools. Instructional assistants help supervise students and support classroom teachers through small-group or individual student instruction, under the teacher’s guidance. The starting salary is $16.80 an hour. Some instructional assistant positions that work in specialized programs also will receive a $2,000 stipend. Learn more and apply at www.dg58.org/employment.

Form your teams and save the date! ••

District 58’s favorite reading competition is coming on Saturday, Feb. 24! The Reading Games is a free and fun reading competition for students in grades 3-8. The mission of the Reading Games is to encourage reading in Grades 3- 8, expose kids to different genres, series, authors, and topics, as well as to foster teamwork and responsibility. All this occurs as teams of 5 - 8 students, led by a parent or other volunteer community member prepare for a fun competitive day of book trivia!

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Students form teams and collaborate to read nine books from one of two book lists. Lists are online now!

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• List 1 is geared for readers in third and fourth grade.
• List 2 is geared for readers in fifth and sixth grade. 
• Students in seventh and eighth grade who want to play should read from List 2.

Like prior years, The Reading Games hopes to accommodate every team that wants to participate and register during the registration period. Each team will need an adult team leader to register the team for the event, act as a point person for all communications and help their team prepare for The Games competition day. 

In addition, each team will be asked to send a volunteer (aged 16 years or older) to The Games to help run the day. For more information and to register, click here.

Workshop for parents on Facilitated IEP meetings ••

A parent workshop, geared specifically for families with students with IEPs, will outline the new process District 58 will use during IEP meetings. It will be held on October 11 from 7:00-8:30 p.m. The process, starting later this fall, is called IEP Meeting Facilitation. The presentation will explain the process and its benefits and help parents prepare for the meetings. The goal of the IEP Meeting Facilitation process is to provide clarity to teammate roles, ensure that the meeting stays focused on the needs of students, is productive and efficient, and remains collaborative, all the while ensuring the process is compliant with applicable laws. The workshop will also help parents build skills to participate in more effective and efficient communications among all team members. The workshop will be held by the DG58 Special Services team and Key2Ed. Click here to see the flyer.

Reminders about attending football games from District 99 •

Middle school-age and younger children may attend football games free of charge with a paid adult present. They must, however, be accompanied and supervised by a paid adult with a ticket/pass who is present for the entire time the child is present. If there is no adult, the student (younger than high school age) will not be allowed into the stadium. A child not in the presence of an adult or who cannot find their supervising adult will be required to contact a parent/guardian and be picked up from the game immediately.

New this year: No student backpacks, sports bags, tote bags, duffle bags, etc. will be allowed into the stadium during football games. Digital tickets can be pre-purchased here.  

Blessings in a Backpack Fundraiser •

DIY 5K with the Chicago Chapter of Blessings in a Backpack

Register for the 4th Annual "Do It Yourself" 5K Walk/Run to raise money for Blessings in a Backpack and to feed those who are food insecure. Or, join the team here and 100% of the proceeds of your sign-up will come directly to the DG58 program. Once you are registered, you will receive a t-shirt and more details about the, event, which is as easy as wearing your shirt and then walking or running to help feed District 58 kids!!

Parent workshops by Glenbard Parent Series ••

Two upcoming parent presentations will be held this month as part of the Glenbard Parent Series. District 58 is a partner with Glenbard Parent Series, which is a free ongoing series of parent workshops about issues facing today’s youth. 

• Let’s Talk About It! Suicide and Other Destructive Behaviors will be presented Wednesday, Sept. 6 at 12 noon. It is a virtual event and can launched here.

• Inside the Emotional Lives of Teenagers: How to Navigate the Bumpy Ride of Adolescence will be presented twice: Wednesday, Sept. 13 at noon and 7 p.m. It also is a virtual event and can be launched here.



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

Thank you for your many contributions! ••

District 58 thanks the many local organizations that generously donated school supplies to our schools this year! In particular, District 58 thanks Community Christian Church, which donated more than 75 backpacks, filled with complete school supply sets for a variety of grade levels.

In addition, District 58 thanks Kim Moustis Group of Keller Williams for school supplies and backpacks and First Christian Church of Downers Grove for holding a School Supply Fair for two days for our teachers. 

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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