Last year, we launched "D86 Forward," which is a print newsletter that features information and updates about what is happening across the district. The latest edition of the publication, which we mailed to more than 35,000 residences and businesses last week, includes the following:

You can access an electronic version of the newsletter by visiting https://bit.ly/3iDNbZh.

The District 86 Math Pathways Team will be hosting virtual community forums on Sept. 24 from 12:30 p.m. to 2 p.m. and Sept. 28 from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. During these sessions, which the general public will be able to attend via a web conferencing platform called Webex, the team will share information and answer questions about its unanimous recommendation to implement an integrated math pathway beginning in the fall of 2022. This recommendation will be presented to the board of education during its meeting on Oct. 15.

You can access the information about the forums that we shared via email and social media on Thursday, Sept. 17 by visiting https://conta.cc/3ktb8TS. You can also access a frequently asked questions document about the team’s recommendation by visiting https://bit.ly/3iFp8Jn. We will provide the web conferencing links for both events later this week.

Reminder - We will be following a revised schedule this week (Sept. 21-25) in order to accommodate the administration of the SAT to more than 1,000 District 86 seniors on Sept. 23 and 24. Below is information about how the week will be structured to ensure that we have enough staff members to help administer the test. 

*Seniors will take the SAT on Sept. 23. Freshmen, sophomores and juniors will engage in asynchronous learning from home that follows the Wednesday remote schedule.

**Seniors with approved accommodations will finish the SAT on Sept. 24. Freshmen, sophomores, juniors and seniors without approved accommodations will engage in asynchronous learning from home that follows the Wednesday remote schedule.

*** All students (i.e., freshmen, sophomores, juniors and seniors) will follow the Wednesday remote schedule on Sept. 25. On this day, students will engage in synchronous learning from home that is conducted via Zoom and features direct contact with their teachers and classmates.

In last week's email, we shared the list of students from Hinsdale Central who have been named semifinalists in the 66th annual National Merit Scholarship Program. We are excited to announce that three of our seniors form Hinsdale South have also earned this honor - Carson Kotecki, Bryn Larson and Dhruv Vaze.

They are among the 16,000 students from across the country who were selected as semifinalists from the more than 1.5 million individuals who took the qualifying exam last fall. They will now have the opportunity to compete for the 7,600 National Merit Scholarships worth more than $30 million that will be offered in the spring. You can access additional information about the National Merit Scholarship Program by visiting https://bit.ly/2Zup73M.

We congratulate these students on this tremendous accomplishment, and wish them the best of luck in the next phase of the competition.

The members of the Hinsdale Central Book Club are reading three novels this month that represent the themes/genres of realistic fiction and anti-racist literature:

The club provides students with the time, space and opportunity to discuss a wide array of literary works that they choose, and also make book-loving friends. You can learn more about the Hinsdale Central Book Club by visiting https://bit.ly/2ZOU4zD.

Hinsdale South will be hosting a Virtual Variety Show on Friday, Sept. 25. At 7 p.m. on this day, the school will email a link that people can use to view the show. The link will also be shared via the school's social media accounts (Facebook, Twitter and Instagram). You can check out a trailer for the show by visiting https://bit.ly/3cb2qGB and a flyer for the show by visiting https://bit.ly/3cathmm or clicking on the image to the left.

We hope that you will join us for South's Virtual Variety Show on Sept. 25. We also encourage you to save the date for Hinsdale Central's Virtual Variety Show, which will be held on Oct. 22.

Break a leg, Hornets.

The next District 86 Board of Education meeting will be held on Thursday, Sept. 24 at 6 p.m. During this meeting, the board will receive an update on the district's return to school plan and the efforts being undertaken to resume in-person instruction as quickly and safely as possible.

The agenda and packet of materials for the meeting, as well as instructions for how to participate in the session, will be posted on BoardDocs (https://bit.ly/394u9as) and shared via email tomorrow (Sept. 22).

Due to the continuing health concerns related COVID-19, the Rotary Club of Hinsdale has transformed its annual Hinsdale Rotary Run Charity Classic into a “virtual” race that will be held on Oct. 4. Instead of running along the same course, everyone participating in this year's event will have the opportunity to complete the 3K, 5K and 10K run/walk races anywhere they choose - e.g., on the treadmill, around their neighborhood, etc. The money raised will benefit several local nonprofit organizations, including:

You can access additional information about the event by visiting https://bit.ly/2ZC1giK.