Dear Red Devil Families:

On behalf of the Deans' Office, I wanted to share a procedural update that was communicated about a month ago, but has become an issue for a number of students. Please take a moment to read through this important information with your student.

Wearing a D86 lanyard and a school issued ID is an expectation of all Red Devils; students and staff. The D86 lanyard and school issued ID is an important part of our overall school safety and security measures. Students and staff wearing a D86 lanyard and school issued ID allows our staff who work at Central to easily identify members of our school community. It also allows any law enforcement agent to do the same as well in an emergency situation.

In recent months, we have noted a significant number of students requiring temporary IDs (forgetting their IDs at home) and/or failing to wear their d86 lanyard and school issued ID throughout the school day. Please note the following:

Thank you for partnering with us to make sure we are all contributing to a safe and orderly learning environment at Hinsdale Central as well as helping us teach and reinforce responsible decision-making skills for our students!

Sincerely,

William C. Walsh, Principal

In the days following this announcement, some parents/guardians have sent us questions about Evolv Express and OPENGATE, the testing process that is being conducted at Central and South, and the potential selection of a weapons detection system for use in our buildings. The answers to those questions can be found here.

If you have additional questions or need more information about the topics covered in this document or the weapons detection systems in general, please contact Kurt Bluder, who is the district’s director of security. His email address is kbluder@hinsdale86.org.

Dear Parents/Guardians of District 86 Juniors,

As you may know, Illinois requires students to take the SAT in order to graduate. While participation in this process is mandatory, the scores that students receive on the test can open doors in terms of college admissions, scholarships and academic recognition.

As I reported to the board of education in October, one of our top academic priorities is to provide students with access to opportunities and resources that they can use to improve their SAT performance. Below are some of the ways we are helping our juniors prepare for the test, which we will be administering to them during school on April 12.

Our math and English curricula are built upon the same foundational skills that are tested on the PSAT and SAT. This means that your student is practicing the SAT skills in their English and math classes because they are embedded in the activities, assignments and assessments developed by our core content teams. In addition, the department chairs in our core content areas are working with course teams on our early release days to identify ways to better emphasize frequently missed SAT and PSAT skills in the curriculum.

Our math and English teachers have received data for the students in their classes who are close to meeting grade-level SAT scores based on the results of their last PSAT assessment. They are then providing these students with additional practice and support that will help them reach grade-level benchmarks (540 on both the EBRW and math sections).

We have identified approximately 100 juniors who will be receiving SAT prep support on the early release Wednesdays that are scheduled to take place between January and the test date in April. All other juniors are encouraged to utilize the Khan Academy’s free targeted SAT practice and support that are available to those with a College Board account.

We know that many of our students already have an account that they created in conjunction with taking an AP test, sitting for the SAT outside of the district, or checking a past PSAT score. However, if your child still needs to set one up, they can do so by visiting https://account.collegeboard.org/login/signUp. Please note that the creation of accounts can only be done by students and their families. District 86 does not have the access or ability to complete this process on behalf of our students.

Below are a couple things to keep in mind when creating an account.

When your student logs in to their College Board account, they will have access to all previous SAT Suite assessments and AP scores. Even if they don’t use the free practice offered by Khan Academy, they can review their previous scores so they know their current performance level and can determine what work they need to do to reach their goals.

In addition to the SAT practice and support, Khan Academy has partnered with the College Board to provide free, targeted skill development activities for all students. This means that once you create and link your College Board account to a Khan Academy account, your child will have access to skill building lessons and practice questions that are based specifically on questions they missed. Here is a link that provides great information about what Khan Academy can do to help your child “level up” on the SAT.

As you may recall from previous communications, the College Board is switching to digital testing for all assessments in the SAT Suite starting next school year. This means that the SAT, PSAT 9 and PSAT 10 will still be given in the traditional format this spring, but will transition to the digital format in the fall of 2023.

Please visit https://bit.ly/3BIjqCg for additional information about this shift and to access resources (e.g., full-length digital practice exams) that will help your child prepare for it.

We will continue to work with the curriculum leadership teams on both campuses to make sure that all of our students are well prepared for the test in the spring. In the meantime, please contact me or the assistant principal for curriculum and instruction at your child’s school if you have questions or need more information.

Sincerely,

Dr. Chris Covino

Assistant Superintendent for Academics

Dear Hinsdale Central Parents and Guardians,

We Need Your Feedback.

Parents across Illinois once again have an opportunity to participate in the annual statewide Illinois 5Essentials Survey. This survey is designed to generate a detailed picture of your child’s school as it relates to the important elements of school effectiveness.

On behalf of the Illinois State Board of Education, the Illinois 5Essentials Survey will be administered online by the University of Chicago. All survey responses will be kept confidential. The state will provide survey results for individual schools only if a school has at least 20 percent of parents take the survey. If you have children attending more than one school, we ask that you complete the survey for each school.

To take this short survey:

The Illinois 5Essentials Survey identifies five indicators that can lead to important student outcomes, including test score gains. Research has shown that schools strong on these indicators are ten times more likely to improve student learning. The five indicators that effect school success are effective leaders, collaborative teachers, involved families, supportive environments, and ambitious instruction.

Parents will have until March 31, 2023 to participate in the survey. 

For more information about the Illinois 5Essentials Survey, or to view previous years’ Reports, please visit https://www.5-essentials.org/illinois. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact 5Essentials Client Services at 1-866-440-1874 or impact-surveys@uchicago.edu.

This is a reminder to all seniors that you are required to file the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) or complete a FAFSA Non-Participation Form in order to graduate. If you are choosing to complete the non-participation form, please return it to your counselor.

If you have colleges requesting your 7th semester transcript, please complete the 7th semester transcript form and return to your counselor as soon as possible. You can print the form OR make a copy of the request form and rename the document: “[Your Name] Request for 7th semester transcripts” and share with your counselor. We will not begin sending these until the beginning of February when grades are complete.

Attention Seniors! Do you speak another language at home? Are you taking a level 4, 5H, or AP World Language Class? Test your knowledge in February and you could be awarded the Illinois State Seal of Biliteracy and receive recognition on your transcript and possibly college credit. For more information and registration check out this website.

This event is free and open to all. If you are interested in attending, please register in advance by using this registration links.

Please visit the Hinsdale Central NHS website for information on the application process and to access the Google Form where you will submit your application.

Here is the link to purchase tickets – Current Hinsdale Central Students will need their School ID# to purchase.

Here is the link for Guests to be approved – once a guest is approved the code will be emailed to the HINSDALE CENTRAL STUDENT. The code will then be used to purchase a ticket.

Students having difficulty with technology, should contact the Hinsdale Central Tech Help Desk at helpdesk@hinsdale86.org or call 630-655-6180. The IT staff can help students reset passwords or repair Chromebooks as well as many other tech issues. 

Please visit P3Campus.com or use the free P3 Campus mobile app to submit your tip. Both resources will also allow you to: