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Volume 17, Issue 11 | Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2024

Pictured above: Left: El Sierra's Math Puzzle Contest winners! Right: The Herrick Chamber Ensemble, featuring the orchestra, choir and jazz band, visited a few District 58 schools and the Downers Grove Civic Center (pictured) last Friday and performed mini concerts. Bravo!


Throughout this publication, you will see the following color-coded dots beside each article. The dots represent which strategic goal the article addresses:


• Focusing on Learning • Connecting the Community • Securing the Future 

• Building for Success • Cultivating Talent


Have feedback regarding Communicate 58? Click here!

District 58 calendar

Wednesday, Dec. 18

3:45 p.m.: Board Legislative Committee Meeting at the Downers Grove Civic Center


Thursday, Dec. 19

7 p.m.: O'Neill Band, Choir & Orchestra Winter Concert at O'Neill


Friday, Dec. 20

Full Day of School - Winter Break Begins After Dismissal

Dec. 23-Jan. 3

Winter Break: No School, Schools are closed


Dec. 24-25 and Dec. 31-Jan. 1

District Office is closed


Monday, Jan. 6

School Resumes


Click here to view the 2024-25 calendar.

Greetings from Dr. Russell: Have a great winter break!

Dear District 58 Community,


As 2024 comes to a close, I want to express my sincere gratitude for our District 58 community's support and partnership. This year has been very busy in District 58. We are nearly finished with referendum construction on our Phase I schools (Henry Puffer, Highland, Hillcrest and Whittier). These four schools have new, more secure entrances; central air-conditioning; and updated building infrastructure and mechanical systems. These same updates will be made to all District 58 schools over the next 1.5 years. In addition, we're half done with our middle school construction, and we're overall on schedule and on budget with the entire referendum project.


We also implemented new English-language arts and social-emotional learning curriculum resources, earned high scores on the Illinois School Report Card, joined a new athletic conference, and continued work toward our Strategic Plan goals. We've continued our partnerships with many local organizations, including the PTA and Education Foundation, to enhance learning in our schools. We live in a very giving community, and we've been fortunate to work with many local organizations and individuals to provide winter clothing, holiday meals, gift cards for basic essentials, and holiday gifts to our families experiencing financial hardship. I am very grateful for the generosity of our District 58 community.


These are just a few of the many things our District 58 family has accomplished in 2024. I appreciate your support, and I wish all of our students, staff, families and community members a very enjoyable holiday season and a happy new year!


Sincerely,

Dr. Kevin Russell

District 58 Superintendent of Schools

District 58 elementary schools join National School Lunch Program

District 58's elementary schools will join the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) in January 2025. The District's middle schools are already part of this federal program. Through the NSLP, District 58 will receive federal reimbursement to help subsidize the cost of meals served to elementary students. 


District 58 will partner with a new elementary food service provider, Open Kitchens. All meals will meet federal nutrition standards. Pre-ordered boxed meals are delivered daily to the elementary schools.


To help with the transition, during the week of Jan. 6, District 58 will provide meals to all students who currently receive boxed lunches. Families are not required to pre-order meals for the week of Jan. 6.


Starting the week of Jan. 13, all elementary students who would like to receive boxed lunches at school will be required to pre-order their meals through the MyMealOrder ordering system. Orders for the week of Jan. 13 are due on Monday, Jan. 6 at the end of the day. The price for lunch is $4.60. Reduced price meals are $0.40. There is no cost for students eligible for free meals. Families will pay for their meals through the MyMealOrder system; the system will automatically waive or reduce fees for qualifying families.


Students’ eligibility for free or reduced price meals is determined by a process of direct certification or an approved Household Eligibility Application (HEA). 


The January menu can be found here. Instructions on creating a MyMealOrder account can be found here.


If you have any questions, please contact your school office through this Friday, Dec. 20. If you have questions over the winter break, please contact Manager of Business Services Michelle Kovar at mkovar@dg58.org.


Elementary fun lunch will not be affected by this transition. In addition, District 58 will continue to partner with Quest Food Management at the middle schools, and there will be no food service changes at Herrick and O’Neill. 

Referendum construction continues on schedule and within budget

District 58 passed a referendum in 2022 with 67% of the vote. The referendum calls for District 58 to update aging school building infrastructure and mechanical systems; install air-conditioning; build more secure school entrances; and build additions to Herrick and O'Neill that would allow sixth graders to transition to the middle schools.


The work is being done in three phases and is on schedule for completion in fall 2026. Construction is overall on schedule and on budget. District 58's construction partners present regular updates at Board of Education meetings. Construction information is also shared on the District's Building for Success webpages. Recent referendum updates include:


  • Middle school construction is 50% complete and on schedule and on budget. The Board approved a middle school furniture purchase this month. Crews continue to build the new additions. The new spaces are expected to be weathertight by January, and drywall work completed in February. The exterior additions are expected to be completed in summer 2025. Interior middle school work is expected to be finished in fall 2025. All middle school construction is expected to be completed in summer 2026, and sixth grade will move to the middle school for the 2026-27 school year.


  • Phase I/Summer 2024 construction is nearing completion, with the final items planned to be completed over winter break. Phase I schools include Henry Puffer, Highland, Hillcrest and Whittier.


  • Phase II/Summer 2025 work is on schedule, and all bids have been awarded. Phase II bids came in over budget. However, the District has contingency funds built into the total cost to ensure that equity is maintained and all schools receive the work that was approved by the voters. While the overall budget is getting tighter, funds remain to complete the construction. Phase II schools include Fairmount, Indian Trail, Kingsley and Lester.


  • Phase III/Summer 2026 work is on schedule, with design work being completed. Due to Phase II bids coming in higher than expected, the construction team proactively increased its cost estimates for Phase III to help ensure there remains sufficient funding for these projects. There are funds in the project's contingency to cover the anticipated cost increases. Phase III schools include Belle Aire, El Sierra and Pierce Downer.


The image pictured above features the inside of the new O'Neill gymnasium.

Did you move? Let your school know!

District 58 will start residency verification after winter break

If your family has moved in the past year, or if your student’s address information has changed in any way, please contact your school office and provide your updated information prior to winter break. In addition, if you rent a property, please make sure that your school has a copy of your most recent lease. 


District 58 will open 2025-26 student registration in February 2025. As part of the student registration process, District 58 works with a third-party vendor to verify that all students live within the District’s boundaries. After winter break, District 58 will begin the student address verification process. By starting this process earlier, we hope student registration will go more smoothly and more efficiently. 


If our third-party vendor, Thomson Reuters CLEAR, cannot confirm that a student lives at their registered address, they will flag that student. District 58 will contact the student’s family and request additional documentation to confirm their address. A family will not be able to register their student for the 2025-26 school year until their residency is confirmed. 


Verifying residency is an effort to protect taxpayers and district resources by identifying non-residents attending District 58 schools. Illinois law mandates that parents demonstrate residency prior to enrollment in school and allows for periodic verification to validate compliance with the law. District 58 will share more information about 2025-26 student registration after winter break.


If you have any questions about registration, please contact your school office. Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter!

District 58 updates attendance information in family handbook

District 58 partnered with school office staff to develop consistent guidelines for reporting and calculating student absences. As a part of this process, we have updated the attendance section of the District 58 family handbook. The changes include permitting families to notify schools of student absences via an electronic form, as well as updated language regarding how tardies, half-day absences and full-day absences are calculated.

You can review the handbook here, and you will find the attendance section on page 12. 

District 58 will complete winter assessments in January

District 58's winter testing period will take place Jan. 6-24, 2025. During this period, the District will administer the MAP, AIMSweb and ACCESS assessments.


Schools will send out individual testing schedules. Please be extra sure that your child gets plenty of sleep and a good breakfast during these testing weeks!


View District 58's full assessment calendar. Learn more about District 58 assessments.

Grove Children's Preschool will hold open house Feb. 12

Preschool applications for 2025-26 will open Feb. 19

Will your child be 3 or 4 years old this August? Do you have a neighbor or friend with a future preschooler? Please share! Grove Children’s Preschool will hold an open house on Wednesday, Feb. 12 from 5-6:30 p.m. at Henry Puffer School, 2220 Haddow Ave. Parents and guardians may tour the preschool, meet the staff, hear an overview of the program, and ask questions.


Grove Children’s Preschool tuition applications for the 2025-26 school year will open online at www.dg58.org/preschool on Wednesday, Feb. 19. More information will be shared after winter break!

Preparedness in District 58 Topic 3: How does District 58 communicate emergency information?

In the Sept. 11 issue of Communicate 58, we shared links to our full four-part Emergency Preparedness series. Throughout the school year, we will also highlight parts of this series within this newsletter. Today, we highlight the first part of topic 3: How does District 58 communicate emergency information?


During a crisis situation, District 58’s top priority is student, staff and visitor safety. The District works closely with the Police and Fire departments, and it takes time to gather and confirm accurate information. District 58 will communicate crisis information to families and staff as quickly as possible. Thank you for your patience!


For smaller crisis situations, District 58 or the school will email families and staff information. For larger crisis situations, or emergencies requiring parents' immediate response (i.e. early dismissal), District 58 or the school will send families and staff an email, robocall and text message. You must opt in to receive a text message. Opt in by texting YES to 67587. Depending on the situation, District 58 will also post updates on social media.


Click here to view District 58's full four-part emergency preparedness series.

Prevent the spread of germs

Illnesses such as flu, RSV and COVID-19 are spreading in the community. District 58's Health Services website has great resources on preventing these illnesses, and steps to take if you get sick.


In addition, winter break is a great time to clean your child's coats, winterwear, book bag, lunch box and anything else your child takes to school to help fight the spread of germs!

IN OUR SCHOOLS

Congratulations to Herrick and O'Neill girls' basketball teams

Congratulations to the Herrick and O'Neill girls' basketball teams for finishing strong during their first seasons playing in the Southeast DuPage Elementary Athletic Association.


Herrick's seventh and eighth grade girls' basketball teams finished their regular seasons with 10-0 and 10-2 records, respectively, and both teams won the

regional championship.


O'Neill's seventh grade girls' basketball team won the first round of regionals before losing in the second round; O'Neill's eighth grade team advanced to the regional championship game.


Pictured: Herrick and O'Neill played each other during a crosstown game Oct. 23.

SCHOOL BOARD NEWS

Board Briefs and a look ahead

The Board of Education's December business meeting featured a Lester School report, a referendum construction update, construction bid approvals, National School Lunch Program approval, and more. View the Board Briefs.


The Board will hold its January business meeting on Monday, Jan. 13 at 7 p.m. at the Downers Grove Civic Center.

IN THE COMMUNITY

The Harlem Wizards are coming Jan. 19 - Buy tickets today!

The world-famous Harlem Wizards will return for a family-friendly District 58 event on Sunday, Jan. 19 at 6 p.m. at Downers Grove South High School. This Education Foundation event brings together the District 58 community, as District 58 teachers and staff compete against the Harlem Wizards in a fun and high-energy basketball game!


Event proceeds will benefit the Education Foundation of Downers Grove District 58. The Harlem Wizards are no stranger to District 58, most recently visiting in 2023.


Buy tickets at www.58foundation.org/events/Wizards. More information will be shared with families soon!

District 58 thanks community partners for donations and support

District 58 is part of a very giving community, and we occasionally share some of the incredible donations we receive in this newsletter!


Recently, First United Methodist Church of Downers Grove provided District 58 with several $25 Target gift cards to be distributed discreetly to families experiencing extreme hardship.


In addition, Immanuel Lutheran Church provided 45 families with a full Thanksgiving meal, and will provide those same families with a full winter holiday/Christmas meal next week. Each holiday meal can feed a family of 6.


Thank you, First United and Immanuel Lutheran, for your incredible generosity and support!

Community e-flyers

District 58 includes relevant e-flyers in the Communicate 58 newsletter and online. Learn more.


Downers Grove Grade School District 58

850 Curtiss Street, Suite 200, Downers Grove, IL 60515

Community Relations Office: 630-719-5805 I mhewitt@dg58.org | www.dg58.org

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