January 2020 eNewsletter
We're kicking off 2020 with plenty of positivity!
Have good news to share? Contact Communications Director Jamie Lavigueur by replying to this email.
Staying Connected with Students
Superintendent Dr. Garcia has been spending one morning each month working at one of our schools in an ongoing effort to keep students at the forefront of our work. This month, it was a special visit to W alker School.
School Celebrations
CHMS students see a Tale as Old as Time
CHMS choir and drama students recently took a field trip to see  Beauty and the Beast  at the Paramount Theatre in Aurora.
CHMS Cake Wars
CHMS held its annual Cake Wars where students used their creativity and marketing skills to earn the title of the top team. Pictured are the winning teams and their creations (click for larger version of photo).
HMS Student Selected for AIJB
HMS student Catherine Yan qualified to perform in the All-Illinois Junior Band after a successful audition. Catherine performed with the band Jan. 24-25 at the University of Illinois under the direction of esteemed conductor Robert Tyrome Herrings, III 
HMS Students Pick Up STEAM
The first meeting of the Hinsdale Middle School STEAM Club was held January 14. Students created videos and used the green screen in the new maker space!
The Lane
Mrs. Laschober's class set a goal to collect 100 socks for HCS Family Services the week of January 13 - and ended up collecting 561 socks! Great work giving back, students!
Elm
2010 Elm School alum Joseph Miscimarra visited Elm students to share what he’s learned during his studies in climate science now that he's at Marquette University.
Madison
Madison's Reading Ambassadors program has older students practice their skills by reading to younger students. The ambassadors do a great job of working with students and stopping to answer questions.
Monroe
Monroe students had an eventful Sunday field trip to the Frank Lloyd Wright Robie House in Chicago. In a special surprise, author ⁦of "The Wright 3," Blue Balliett , met them there.
Oak
The Oak PTO hosted its annual Blah Buster on January 24. Students and parents enjoyed a variety of activities aimed to cure the winter blahs.
Prospect
Prospect first-graders explored composite 2D shapes with Osmo Tangrams. "We wish we could do this every day!" they said.
D181 Neighborhood Preschool
D181 Neighborhood Preschool students have been working with Story Champs to help them identify elements of a story and to create their own stories. For more information on the preschool (or to register your child for the 2020-21 school year), visit d181.org/prek .
More News & Celebrations
D181 Students Earn Perfect Scores on WordMasters
Elm student Arya Yedavalli and Walker students Sachin Bhattacharyya, Jack Gerrard, and Maddie Whiteside each earned a perfect score of 20 on the WordMasters challenge, a nationwide vocabulary contest in which 150,000 students in grades 3-8 participate. The challenge requires students to think analytically and metaphorically by completing analogies with three vocabulary sets throughout the year.
HMS Chamber Strings performs at IMEC

The Hinsdale Middle School Chamber Strings is an extracurricular group made up of 6-8th grade string and percussion students. This is an auditioned group that rehearses as a large ensemble before school one day a week and takes part in monthly sectionals. Over the last seven years, the group, and orchestra program as a whole, has grown in size and popularity. In the spring of 2019, they applied and were accepted to perform for the Illinois Music Educator Conference in Peoria on January 30. HMS was one of just two middle schools accepted to perform.
PEP Graduation
A graduation ceremony for the Parents as Educational Partners (PEP) English classes was held at Madison School January 13. Congrats parents!
D181 Cares - Save the Date
Have gently used clothing, books, and toys you're looking to donate? All D181 schools will be participating in the D181 Cares donation drive to benefit Cradles to Crayons from February 24 to March 4. Boxes will be placed at each school to accept donations. More information to come!
Upcoming Events
February 5 @ The Community House
Two sessions: 9:30-11:30 a.m. and 7-9 p.m.
Join us for a free screening of "Screenagers Next Chapter: Uncovering Skills for Stress Resilience" followed by a discussion with filmmaker and physician Dr. Delaney Ruston. In her latest film, which features interviews with students from District 86, Dr. Ruston examines the science behind teens' emotional challenges, the interplay of social media, and, most importantly, what can be done in our schools and homes to help them build crucial skills to navigate stress, anxiety and depression in our digital age.

Registration Links:
6-9:30 p.m. Feb. 27 at
Hinsdale Middle School

This event is open to all District 181 third through eighth graders and their families. We hope you can join us for a fun evening of workshops and activities celebrating student authors and writing. This year's special guest is youth author Mary Winn Heider.
2020 Census - School Impact
A kindergartener counted in the 2020 Census this spring will be starting high school when the next census comes around in 2030: That’s 10 years of school supplies, teachers, school lunches, and so much more.

The 2020 Census is your opportunity to help ensure D181 students have a bright future. Census data guides how more than $675 billion in federal funding is distributed to states and communities each year for schools, health care facilities, roads, transportation, recreation centers, social services, and more. Responding to the census helps our community get its fair share of funding. For more information, click here.
• Starting in March 2020, everyone living in your home needs to be counted. That includes children and newborn babies, citizens and noncitizens, relatives and nonrelatives, and even those staying with you temporarily.

• It’s easier than ever to respond to the census. You can respond in 13 different languages, and you can complete it online, by phone, or by mail.

• Your responses to the census are safe and secure. The law requires the U.S. Census Bureau to keep your information confidential, and your responses cannot be used against you in any way.
COMMUNITY CONSOLIDATED SCHOOL DISTRICT 181
115 West 55th St. Clarendon Hills, IL 60514
© District 181. All rights reserved.
PH: 630.861.4900
FAX: 630.887.1079