Reminder - District 86 will be administering the Family-School Relationship Survey to parents/guardians starting on Oct. 20.

This survey, which features 59 questions and is estimated to take no longer than 20 minutes to complete, will cover several topics about the needs and preferences of our families, including:

Participation in this process is completely confidential. Panorama will not share people's individual responses with their child's school or the district.

Parents/guardians will receive an email on Oct. 20 that will include additional information about the survey and a link they can use to access it. The deadline for completing the survey is Nov. 16 at 4 p.m.

Reminder - District 86 is hosting a job fair on Oct. 20 for people who may be interested in the openings we currently have for special education paraprofessionals. The event will be held from 4:30-6:30 p.m. at the Transition Center's Burr Ridge location (16W361 S. Frontage Rd). Below is a map and directions for how to get there. Please note that these directions feature general steps that correspond with travel between our buildings (i.e., from Hinsdale South, Hinsdale Central, Transition Center - Darien or the administration building to Transition Center - Burr Ridge). There will likely be additional steps to complete in order to get from your starting point to the location of the event.

People who are unable to attend the job fair in person can use the QR code on the right to access the open Zoom session we will be using that day to conduct virtual interviews from 4:30-6:30 p.m.

Click the image above to see a larger version of the entire route."

Hinsdale Central took first place at sectionals, which continued its dominance at the tournament dating back to the 2000-2001 season (results on the IHSA website only go back that far - https://bit.ly/3j75wxd). In addition to winning the championship, the Red Devils claimed two of the top three spots in singles (senior Sophia Kim came in first and senior Prachi Shah came in third) and the top two spots in doubles (seniors Bridget Novatoney and Nicole Hu came in first and senior Shannon Stover and sophomore Abigail Gambla came in second).

Hinsdale South's Chloe Goins will be joining her classmates from Central at state after taking second place in singles.

We congratulate everyone on their accomplishments at sectionals, and wish them the best of luck at state.

The boys cross country program from Hinsdale Central captured the conference title at all levels for the first time in school history. Special shoutout to the varsity team on winning back-to-back championships behind a first place finish by Dan Watcke and third place finish by Aden Bandukwala.

We congratulate the Red Devils on their accomplishments at conference, and wish them continued success in the postseason.

Kim Estoque from Hinsdale Central has been named the state coach of the year in girls gymnastics by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS). NFHS selects a coach of the year in the top 10 boys sports and top 10 girls sports for each of its member states. The organization then selects a national coach of the year for each sport from among the state winners.

We congratulate Coach Estoque on this well-deserved honor, and wish her the best of luck with the selection process at the national level.

The district's fine arts department produces newsletters that celebrate the hard work, creativity, and accomplishments of the students and staff at Hinsdale South and Hinsdale Central. Below are the October editions of both publications.

We congratulate the members of the fine arts department on their amazing accomplishments, and thank them for sharing their good news with us.

Hinsdale Central seniors Ellie Ursillo, Lily Ging and Simrah Qasim wrote an article about the college application process that appeared in a recent edition of the Devils' Advocate. In the piece, Ursillo, Ging and Qasim highlight how their classmates are approaching the process, and the emotions some are feeling as they think about leaving home to start this new chapter of their lives. You can access the article by visiting https://bit.ly/3SXEs6l.

Meanwhile, freshman Claire Weigus wrote an article for Hinsdale South's Stinger newsmagazine about the school's upcoming production of "Carrie: The Musical." In her story, Weigus details how members of the cast are juggling their participation in the show with their other responsibilities at school and home. You can access her article by visiting https://bit.ly/3yDusr3.

Below are reminders about several of the district's upcoming events and activities.

Oct. 21

Please visit https://bit.ly/3B4pHHk to access the latest COVID-19 data for our district, community and county. Below are the metrics we plan to update on a weekly basis.

On Oct. 19, the District 86 and District 88 Transition Family Groups will be hosting a virtual seminar about understanding and accessing government benefits.

During the event, which will be conducted via Zoom starting at 6:30 p.m., representatives from Family Benefit Solutions will talk about their organization's efforts to help families obtain the government benefits (e.g., Supplemental Security Income, Social Security Disability Insurance, Medicaid and Medicare) they may be eligible for, while also keeping as much money in the family as possible. In addition, they will discuss future planning so that benefits are not necessarily lost.

Downers Grove South High School is hosting Options Fair 2022 today (Oct. 17) from 6-8 p.m. This annual event, which is free and open to the public, was created to give students with special needs and their families an opportunity to meet with representatives from colleges and universities, as well as agencies that can provide services after high school. You can learn more about the fair by visiting http://www.optionsfair.org/.

William Stixrud and Ned Johnson will be the featured presenters for the first two events being held in conjunction with the 2022-23 Community Speaker Series.

During their sessions, which will take place Oct. 18 from 7-8:30 p.m. and Oct. 19 from 9:30-11 a.m., Stixrud and Johnson will provide information, advice, and tips that parents/guardians can use to improve the way they communicate with their children and handle challenging topics.

Both sessions are free and open to the public, and will be held in person at The Community House (415 W. Eighth Street in Hinsdale).

Please use the links below or visit http://www.d181foundation.org/ to register for the session you want to attend.