Reminder - all students and staff will be off tomorrow (Nov. 8) in observance of Election Day.

We would like to thank the District 86 parents/guardians who have already filled out the Family-School Relationships survey. We greatly appreciate you taking the time to share your feedback with us.

We also want to encourage those who have not completed the survey to do so prior to the deadline on Nov. 16 (current response rate is approximately 7%). The input you provide will enable us to reinforce/build upon our strengths and identify/address areas of need or improvement.

If you still need to take the survey, you can do so by clicking on the personalized link at the bottom of the email sent via the Panorama platform on Oct. 20. You can also access the survey by visiting https://surveys.panoramaed.com/hinsdale86 and using the code for your child's school (these codes were included in several recent emails about the survey).

Reminder - the next Community Conversation will be held on Nov. 16 from 7-8 p.m. in the library at Hinsdale Central. This session will be focused on the district's multi-tiered system of supports (MTSS) and early release Wednesdays.

If you plan to come to this event, we ask that you please use the form found at https://forms.gle/rnCQAXyHiHuxtx3E6 to RSVP. This will help ensure that we are able to accommodate those who wish to attend. We will also be recording the session for people who are unable to join us. This recording will be posted on the district’s website and YouTube channel, and shared via email, social media, etc.

If you have questions or need more information about our Community Conversations, please contact Dr. Chris Covino at ccovino@hinsdale86.org.

District 86 will be hosting the DuPage County Health Department's Smile Squad at Hinsdale South on Nov. 22. The Smile Squad provides dental services to students from across the county who have Medicaid insurance or meet specific income guidelines/criteria.

Below are the services that District 86 students who meet the eligibility requirements will have access to on Nov. 22.

A letter will be sent home that includes the results of each student's exam and a summary of the services they received. All students who participate in the event will receive a free toothbrush.

Although the event is being held at South, it is open to students from Hinsdale Central who qualify. Transportation will be provided for these students.

If your child is eligible and wants to receive the services described above, please fill out the consent form featured in the links below and email it to the health services office at their school (southhealth@hinsdale86.org for Hinsdale South students and centralhealth@hinsdale86.org for Hinsdale Central students).

During events held last week, Hinsdale Central and Hinsdale South recognized the students who earned the following awards from the National Merit Scholarship Corporation and the College Board:

You can access the list of Central students who were honored by clicking here and the list of South students who were honored by visiting https://bit.ly/3zK36Qq.

We congratulate these students again on their incredible achievements.

The boys cross country team from Hinsdale Central had a fantastic finish to its season at the state tournament. The Red Devils came in second for the second straight year behind outstanding races by Aden Bandukwala, who won the first individual state title in school history, and Dan Watcke, who took third place.

We also want to give shoutouts to the girls team from Central, which took eighth place thanks, in large part, to a top 20 finish by Catie McCabe (11th), and Hinsdale South's Abby Petersen, who beat her seeding for her race by 79 places (was seeded 157th and finished 78th).

We congratulate the Red Devil and Hornet runners and coaches on their tremendous success this year.

The team's success helped Coach Bob Barber earn sectional swimming coach of the year honors.

Lanie Chen from Hinsdale South will be joining Coach Barber and the Red Devils at state after finishing third in the 100-yard freestyle.

You can access the results from the tournament by visiting https://bit.ly/3BM7Hje.

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

It was a tough end to a fantastic year for the Hinsdale Central boys soccer team. The Red Devils battled throughout their supersectional matchup against Naperville Central on Nov. , but wound up on the wrong side of the 4-3 score when the final whistle blew. While the outcome was not what the team or its fans had hoped for, it does not take away from a season that was filled with big wins, milestone moments and incredible accomplishments.

We congratulate the team and Coach Wiggins on their success this year, and thank them for treating us to a fun and memorable season.

Reminder - Civics students from Hinsdale South have organized a school supply drive that will benefit children in Florida who lost everything in the wake of the devastation and destruction caused by Hurricane Ian. There are three ways you can support this important initiative:

Please click the image on the right to access a flyer for the supply drive that includes the two QR codes mentioned above.

Any contributions you can make or assistance you can provide in spreading the word about this endeavor would be greatly appreciated. Donations will be collected through Nov. 18.

If you have questions or need more information about the supply drive, please contact teachers Kelly Van Hout (kvanhout@hinsdale86.org) or Mike Gross (mgross@hinsdale86.org).

Hinsdale Central held its Annual Day of Service on Oct. 29. Approximately 200 students and staff members teamed up to complete service projects at locations throughout the area. These locations included:

The students and staff also made 242 scarves and collected non-perishable food, water, socks and toiletries that were donated to The Backpack Project.

You can check out photos from the day by visiting https://bit.ly/3Fz4Akc and https://bit.ly/3TY2yyn.

We applaud and commend these students, many of whom are members of the Red Devil Service Club, for their efforts to give back to the community. We also want to thank the staff members who served as chaperones and assisted with the various projects, including Ben Kalal, Cindy Kasten, Ken Shum, Kelly Owen, Nicole Yeomans, Jen Regnier, Sally Phillip and Principal Bill Walsh. Special shoutout to Lisa Sopiarz for all the work she did to organize the day.

Cate McDonnell from Hinsdale Central was among the individuals from the Chicago area who were recognized for their community service by Buddy's Helpers, which is a nonprofit organization that "engages and educates student-athletes about the importance of making a difference on and off the field." Cate was honored for her efforts to collect new and used sports equipment that was donated to the Off the Street Club in Chicago’s West Garfield Park neighborhood.

You can access a story that WBBM Newsradio did about Cate and one of the other student-athletes who was recognized by Buddy's Helpers by visiting https://bit.ly/3DzPxUZ.

We congratulate Cate on this well-deserved honor, and applaud the work she is doing to positively impact the lives of others.

Teachers nominate students for the Breakfast Club award based on their academic or extracurricular accomplishments, contributions to the community or school spirit/pride.

On Nov. 1, the Latin Clubs from Hinsdale Central and Hinsdale South participated in their first Certamen gathering of the year with their peers from Lyons Township and Benet Academy.

The students from Central (Yusuf Ahmed, Hank Bolenbaugh, Jonathan DeToro, Zed Lillioja, Michael Sahs, Rowan Whelan and Ben Yan) took first place at the lower (Latin II) and upper (Latin III/IV) levels.

As for South, despite being undermanned going into the event, the pairing of Aasrith Poola and Sami Khalil took first place at the novice (Latin I) level, while Philemon Rassi, who competed solo against three- and four-person teams, finished third at the upper level.

We congratulate both clubs on their accomplishments at the competition, and wish them continued success this season.

Calling all theater lovers. Below is information about a pair of upcoming productions that are being staged by students and staff from Hinsdale South and Hinsdale Central.

Hinsdale South's fine arts department will be performing "Carrie: The Musical" Nov. 10-13.

Tickets for the show are $20 for adults and $10 for students. In addition, the performance scheduled for Nov. 12 at 7 p.m. will be interpreted in American Sign Language.

You can check out a flyer for the show by clicking the image below or visiting https://bit.ly/3Cn58rg.

The Hinsdale Central Drama Club will be performing "Clue: On Stage" Nov. 17-19.

The performances on Nov. 17 and 18 will begin at 7 p.m., while the performance on Nov. 19 will begin at 5 p.m.

Tickets for the show can be purchased at the box office or by visiting www.ticketpeak.co/hcdrama.

As we have shared in previous editions of this email, Superintendent Tammy Prentiss and our principals participate in school walk-throughs on Wednesdays to stay updated on what is going on in our buildings, while also strengthening relationships with our students, faculty and staff.

During the most recent walk-through at Hinsdale South, Superintendent Prentiss and Principal Patrick Hardy visited Spanish, marketing and earth science classes. At Hinsdale Central, Superintendent Prentiss and Principal Bill Walsh had the chance to experience the learning that was taking place in Foundations of Cooking, AP Computer Science Principles, Algebra 2/Trig Honors, Algebra 1 and Honors Geometry.

You can check out photos from the walk-through at South by visiting https://bit.ly/3SZl2gL and the walk-through at Central by visiting https://bit.ly/3U18R4m.

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.