Friday, April 5

Board of Education Financial Advisory Committee meeting 7 a.m. O’Neill Middle School

Monday, April 8

Board of Education meeting 7 p.m. Downers Grove Village Hall

Tuesday, April 9

Kindergarten Roundup at Indian Trail

6-7 p.m.

Wednesday, April 10

Northside 5th Grade Orchestra and Herrick Chamber Strings

7 p.m. Herrick Middle School

Thursday, April 11

Southside 5th Grade Orchestra and O’Neill Chamber Strings

7 p.m. O’Neill Middle School 

Tuesday, April 16

Southside Elementary Band Concert (5-6 gr)

7 p.m. O’Neill Middle School

Tuesday, April 16

Northside 4th Grade Orchestra and Northside 6th Grade Orchestra

7 p.m. Herrick Middle School

Tuesday, April 16

Board of Education Policy Committee

7 a.m. O’Neill Middle School

Thursday, April 18

Northside 5th and 6th Grade Band Concert

7 p.m. Herrick Middle School

​​Thursday, April 18

Southside 4th Grade Orchestra and Southside 6th Grade Orchestra

7 p.m. O’Neill Middle School 

Wednesday, April 24

Herrick Chamber Ensembles Concert

7 p.m. Herrick Middle School

Wednesday, April 24

O'Neill Chamber Ensembles Concert

7 p.m. O'Neill Middle School

Click here to view the 2023-24 calendar.

Click here to view the 2024-25 calendar

Click here to view the 2025-26 calendar

Dear District 58 Families,

Typically the message in this space comes from Dr. Russell; many of you may have heard the sad news that Dr. Russell’s wife Melissa passed away on March 23. Kevin is so deeply grateful for all of the expressions of support and care he and his family have received during this incredibly difficult time. Many people and organizations have also reached out to inquire about how we can tangibly support the Russell family. We are working on a couple of ideas as a District and will share that information as it becomes available. For now, know that all of the thoughts and words of comfort from the District 58 community that have been shared with Kevin and his family are very much appreciated.

Warmly,

Justin Sisul

Assistant Superintendent for Personnel and Staff Development

Students to meet authors and illustrators at schools! •••

Author Fest is back!

The District 58 Author Fest Book Signing and Photo Opportunity is back again this year on Friday, April 26. The favorite annual event is sponsored by the Downers Grove Area Council of PTAs with support from the Education Foundation of District 58 and the Downers Grove Junior Woman’s Club. The event is open to the community and will be held 5-7 p.m. at Anderson’s Bookshop, 5112 Main St., Downers Grove. 

The event will feature three children's authors – Greg Pizzoli, Jasmine Warga and Kate Hannigan. 

Earlier in the week, all District 58 1st, 3rd, and 5th graders will meet with one of the three authors to hear insights about the writing/illustration process. Small groups of students will also meet the author during a special lunch/discussion as part of Author Fest.

Twenty percent of every book purchased for the book signing at Anderson's will come back to the PTA Council to be used for future district-wide programming, including Author Fest. 

Partnership will provide library cards for all D58 students ••

The Downers Grove Public Library’s (DGPL) Student Library Card program will make library cards available to all students in District 58 as part of an intergovernmental agreement recently signed between the two entities.

During District 58’s registration process, parents can sign their students up to receive a library card. Students will receive their library cards for the 2024-2025 school year. Student Library Cards may be used in the same way as a regular library card, providing access to books, research databases and study room spaces. "I am so glad that this partnership can further our already strong partnership with District 58. Thousands of children will receive their very own library card, which will give them access to all of the amazing physical and digital resources the library offers. In addition, teachers will be able to use these resources in their classrooms to supplement and enhance their lessons,” said DGPL Children’s Services Manager Allyson Renell.

The initiative is made possible through an amendment of Public Act 102-0843 (Cards for Kids Act Expansion) which allowed the DGPL Board of Trustees to waive registration fees for children under 18 who live outside of a library district. For example, in District 58, there are approximately 400 students who live in unincorporated Downers Grove. The Downers Grove Public Library will coordinate library card registration with area libraries on behalf of District 58 students who live in municipalities such as Woodridge, Westmont and Oak Brook. Read more.

O’Neill Math Contest: Eighth Overall! •••

​​Integrated Math 1 students at O’Neill participated in their second Illinois Council of Teachers of Mathematics (ICTM) competition. O’Neill students competed both individually and as a team, ultimately earning 8th place out of 48 schools! "We are very proud of our students’ hard work and perseverance. Way to go Math 1 students!" said math teachers Kristen Mitzel and Kelly Messineo. 

Pictured here are (photo 1) Hayden D., Mac B. and Noah L.; (photo 2) Jacob S., Nate T. and Cole H.; (photo 3) Tudor C., Husain A. and Arvin T.

Last day of school on May 29 ••

With the start of spring, we hope that the inclement weather is behind us and do not expect to use any emergency days for the remainder of this school year. Please note that the two days used as “heat days” at the start of school were added onto the calendar before school began and thus were not officially designated as emergency days. As such, the last day of school will be Wednesday, May 29, 2024. As in past years, the last day for students in grades K-8 will be a half day. The elementary schools will dismiss at 11:30 a.m. and the middle schools will dismiss at 11:45 a.m. The last day for the Grove Preschool will also be Wednesday, May 29 with its annual year-end picnic. 

Other significant dates are:

• April 29 – Eighth Grade Select 58 Awards, 6:30 p.m. Herrick
• May 15 – Distinguished Service Awards, 4 p.m. O’Neill
• May 28 – Eighth Grade Promotion

5 p.m. Herrick (Downers Grove North High School)

7 p.m. O’Neill (Downers Grove North High School)

• May 29 – Last Day of School 
• Aug. 6, 7 – Sneak Previews

O’Neill Sneak Preview for incoming 7th graders (Registration in late May)

Herrick Sneak Preview for incoming 7th graders (Registration in late May)

• Aug. 16 – First day of student attendance for 2024-25 school year

Please see your principals’ newsletters for important dates regarding your schools’ field days, spring concerts, end-of-year PTA and school events and other important dates! 

Please join us in celebrating some very special people in our District – assistant principals and coordinators – who keep our schools and programs humming smoothly and have an unwavering dedication to our students and staff! If you'd like to give a shout-out to one of them, please email Faith Behr at fbehr@dg58.org or head over to our Facebook page!

Parents: Please take our Special Services Survey ••

District 58 invites families to complete its Student Services survey. This optional short survey will help District 58 better understand the scope of its needs in the following service areas: guidance and school counseling services, psychological services, social work and health. Take the one-minute survey here. 

Dual Language Information Night for Kindergarten families••

If you would like to learn more about the District’s Dual Language program, plan to attend the April 29 Information Night for incoming Kindergarten students. Students in District 58’s Dual Language Program receive instruction in both English and Spanish and experience the same classes and content as students in general education.

The information night will be held at El Sierra School from 6:30-7:30 p.m. and will be conducted in both English and Spanish.

English Flyer

Spanish Flyer

Very important to register your child by April 8! •• •

Before we can count classrooms, teachers and supplies, we need to count students! Please register your student for the coming school year by Monday, April 8.

To date, we have 46 percent of current families registered, a good start, but we would like close to 100% registered by next week. 

Click here to register, and click on “Returning Student Application” and follow the prompts in the step-by-step instructions. District 58 is encouraging families to register their student(s) promptly, as early registration helps the District determine its hiring, staffing, classroom, and transportation needs for the upcoming school year. While registration is occurring now, an invoice won’t be sent until after May 1 and fees will not be due until school begins. If you have technical questions during the registration process, please get in touch with District 58’s Technology Help Desk by filling out a Technology Help Ticket or calling 630-719-2768. For general registration questions, please contact your school office. Thank you for your help in supporting a smooth transition to the next school year!

New this year, all registration will be conducted online. If families cannot complete the process online, they can call or visit their child’s school and the process can be completed there. District 58’s preschool registration is also open and is accepting applications at www.dg58.org/preschool.

Update on gifted, accelerated math placement communications ••

Accelerated math communications grades 3-7



On Monday, April 29, we will send communication to the families of all newly single- or double-accelerated students currently in grades 3-7, as well as the families of students who were invited to take an additional assessment but were not successful in that assessment. Any families of students in grades 3-7 who do not receive a communication on April 29 should generally assume that their student will progress to the next sequential year of math instruction.

Gifted communications



On Monday, May 13, we will send communication to the families of all newly eligible students for gifted programming. This will include students in 3rd, 4th and 5th grade for next year's elementary program, and students in 6th and 7th grade for next year's middle school program.

Students in grades 4, 5 and 7 who are currently in the program remain eligible for next year and will not receive a separate communication.  

Accelerated math communications grade 2



On Tuesday, May 28, we will send communication to the families of all newly accelerated students in 2nd grade. We wait for the spring MAP scores for 2nd grade students to determine eligibility, which is why this timeline is delayed.

Please don't hesitate to reach out to Liz Ehrhart, eehrhart@dg58.org, in the Curriculum Department with any questions.

2024 Solar Eclipse ••

Next Monday, April 8, District 58 will be along the path of a solar eclipse. Locally, this will be experienced as a partial eclipse, occurring during our regular school dismissal time, 2:00 pm for elementary schools and 2:10 pm for middle schools. There will be no changes to the regularly scheduled instructional day.

While this is a rare and exciting phenomenon, it presents a risk of eye injury to everyone, including children who may not understand the dangers of looking directly in the direction of the sun. The timing of the eclipse, when children are transitioning home, requires coordination in explaining to students they should not at any time be looking at the sun without appropriate eye protection. As students are dismissed, staff will be reminding students about the importance of not looking directly into the sun. If you choose to send properly certified protective eyewear to school with your child(ren), we will allow them to put on the glasses when they exit the building. 

Due to the timing of the partial eclipse occurring at dismissal, there will be no viewing events at any of the schools. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.

How you can support your child with assessments ••

This month, students in grades 3-8 will complete the Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR) and additionally, students in grades 5 and 8 will complete the Illinois Science Assessment (ISA). Both are state-mandated assessments. Your child will have seen sample test items and will have reviewed the structure and format of the test. We ask students to give their genuine best efforts as we know they are strong, persistent and capable. We continue to ask for your support in encouraging your children to approach these tests with the same rigor and investment as they would with any other test. Please read this letter from Assistant Superintendent Liz Ehrhart about these tests and ways to help support your student.

Mental health resource database available to D58 families and staff •••

A database of mental health professionals and services is available for District 58 families, called ReferralGPS.

The service allows District 58 families to access the database at no cost. Funding was made possible through the recent state grant that District 58 earned from the Illinois Department of Public Health.

School district staff and families may access ReferralGPS by:

• Contacting District 58 Student Services (social workers, psychologists, counselors) to seek out personalized provider lists
• Visiting ReferralGPS (https://referralgps.com/find-help/DG58) to search for treatment resources or connect with a Care Navigator anonymously



Learn more.

Are you interested in a job working with students?

Attend "Dive into DuPage": Job Fair ••

Some of the top-notch DuPage school districts, including District 58, will be at the "Dive into DuPage" Job Fair on April 11, 5-7:30 at Southeast Alternative School, 6S331 Cornwall Road, Naperville. Scan the QR code to register for the event.

Click on the image at left to view the flyer. We hope to see you there!

Parent workshops by Glenbard Parent Series ••

7 p.m. Thursday, April 11

Haciendo conexión a través del juego/Making Connection Through Play. In Spanish only. Zoom link at GlenbardGPS.org

Noon and 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 16

Raising Kids Who Feel Safe, Seen and Secure: The Power of Showing Up. Zoom links at GlenbardGPS.org

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

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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