November 2019 eNewsletter
Have good news to share? Contact Communications Director Jamie Lavigueur by replying to this email.
Elementary School Highlights
Walker School Completes Service Projects for Veterans
Walker third-graders in the H.O.P.E. (Helping Ordinary People Everyday) Club wrote two grants to put together a special service project for Veterans Day. The first was for four flags to be placed at the Naperville Field of Honor. The flags honored: John Skay (parent of third-grader Jack Skay) currently serving in Afghanistan; local veteran Uly Backas, (former senior reader at Walker); Korean War veteran Gerald Harbach (grandfather of Walker teacher Rachel Wade); and Dr. Lipov, who provides healing to veterans suffering from PTSD.
The second grant provided treats for 100 goody bags the students put together for veterans who are receiving treatment from Dr. Lipov for PTSD. The bags included KIND bars, donated Halloween candy from students, water bottles, gum and mints, and special letters of encouragement.
Monroe School Supports Mothers, Veterans
The Monroe Cares student group held a baby supplies drive for veterans who are mothers. Thank you to all who donated!
Prospect School Honors Music Legend
Prospect first and second grade students learned about Louis Armstrong, then built their own instrument and paraded through Prospect hallways.
Madison School Accepts Blue Ribbon Award
Dr. Hector Garcia, Madison Principal Kimberley Rutan, and Madison teacher Lorene Himpelmann accepted Madison's Blue Ribbon Award at the U.S. Department of Education ceremony on Nov. 15. The Blue Ribbon is the highest award given by the U.S. Department of Education. This is the second time Madison has received the award (the first in 2009). Madison representatives are pictured with Aba Kumi, Director of the National Blue Ribbon Schools Program.
Oak School Hosts Daughters Dance

The Oak School PTO hosted a '50s-themed Sock Hop Daughters Dance Nov. 8 where students and parents enjoyed Oberweis ice cream, a DJ, photobooth, and more!

The PTO plans these fun events to bring students and parents together and build community. The Sons Dance will be held in February.
Elm School Celebrates Differences
Elm fourth-graders rotated through seven stations, manned by parent volunteers, where they experienced what it's like for another person to live with learning challenges, autism, or visual/hearing/motor impairments.

The event ties into D181's social-emotional learning for academic success (SELAS) initiative with the goal of encouraging empathy, openness and understanding. Thank you to our volunteers!
The Lane School Makes a Run for Fun
The Lane held its second annual Orange Ruler Fun Run, which raises money for PTO events and student enrichment projects. Students surpassed their fundraising goal and collected more than $32,000.

Principal Brandon Todd (pictured below with PTO Co-Presidents Elizabeth Phelps and Amanda Harder) promised to attend every student’s PE class if they met their goal - he made good on his promise and even dressed the part!
Food Allergy Presentation Held at Elementary Schools
The week of November 4, Kyle Dine visited all D181 elementary schools to perform a Food Allergy Awareness presentation.

Dine visits schools across North America to share fun and educational performances about food allergies that incorporate music, puppets, and games.
Middle School News
Clarendon Hills Middle School
'Real World Day' Teaches Real-Life Lessons
CHMS eighth-graders learned some important life lessons Nov. 8 as they took part in "Real World Day."

Each student was tasked with choosing their ideal career and made decisions as a 23-year-old version of themselves, with a starting salary in that career, and decisions to make about housing, transportation, and insurance. For The Hinsdalean story on Real World Day, click here .
Congrats Nate Carmody!
CHMS sixth-grader and Monroe School alum Nate Carmody won the middle school first-place trophy in the Illinois Chess Teachers "64 Square Chess Championship" tournament at The Community House. Congratulations - we're proud of you, Nate!
Hinsdale Middle School
HMS Eighth-Graders Experience History in Washington, D.C.
HMS students traveled to Washington D.C. earlier this month to tour major monuments, museums, and government sites as a complement to their U.S. History studies.
Above: Evan Bhatt, Supt. Dr. Hector Garcia, and Tasia Koziarska. Evan and Tasia were selected to lay the wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

Where did students go?
  • Military Memorials: WWII, Korean, Vietnam, Iwo Jima, Air Force Memorial, Arlington National Cemetery
  • Presidential Monuments: Lincoln, Jefferson, Washington, Franklin D. Roosevelt and Mt. Vernon
  • Landmarks: Capitol Building tour, Library of Congress, Supreme Court, the National Archives, National Cathedral, and a photo stop at the White House. 
  • Smithsonian Museums: Holocaust, African American and then a choice of Natural History, American History or Air and Space.
HMS Art Students Honored in Chicagoland Exhibit
Twenty-four HMS art and digital media students were showcased Nov. 6 in the Chicagoland 4x5 Art Exhibition at Oswego High School, and seven students received awards . HMS had more award-winners than any other middle school and was the only school to have award winners in both the 2D traditional and digital media categories. For more information (and more good news from the HMS Art Department!), visit d181.org/news .
More News & Celebrations
D181 Bands Perform at String Festival
400 students from D181 and D86 participated in this great night of making music.
Parents Learn English, School System Basics
Parents As Educational Partners is being offered again this year for District parents seeking to learn English and the U.S. school system. The class is held weekly on Mondays at Madison School. Pictured are parents from the class with Superintendent Dr. Hector Garcia.
Bilingual Family Night Held
Teachers and families who participate in the District's Bilingual programming traveled to the DuPage Children's Museum in Naperville to spend the evening building community and engaging in STEAM activities. There are 138 students in the program. 90 parents and children attended the event.
Rotary Run Check to Benefit D181 Students
The Rotary Club of Hinsdale presented the proceeds earned from the 2019 Rotary Run to the D181 Foundation at its November meeting.

Thanks to our student, staff, and family participation, $6,160 was donated to benefit D181 students! Thank you D181 community and the Rotary Club of Hinsdale for your support!
Planning for Inclement Weather
We recently sent out an email detailing our practices for school closures in the case of inclement weather. We've also created a webpage with this information, where we'll post weather-related updates and calendar changes due to make-up days at www.d181.org/weather .
Second Reminder: Important Calendar Change
The 2019-20 calendar was updated with a change in student attendance days.  Students will be in school on March 6, 2020 , which had originally been scheduled as an Institute Day and non-attendance day. The Institute Day is now scheduled for Feb. 28, 2020, which means it is a non-attendance day for students. The Board of Education approved the calendar change at its meeting Sept. 16. The revision was made to align our calendar with the Regional Office of Education Institute Day.
COMMUNITY CONSOLIDATED SCHOOL DISTRICT 181
115 West 55th St. Clarendon Hills, IL 60514
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