The deadline for completing the family feedback survey is today (Dec. 7) at 4 p.m. As a reminder, the survey was created so that our parents/guardians could share their thoughts about first semester, and confirm whether they want their children to participate in our hybrid or remote instructional model following winter break. If we do not receive a completed survey for a student by the deadline, that student will begin second semester in their current model.

You can access the survey by visiting https://forms.gle/TbMpUZj4fjmmJi4G8.

Below is the updated COVID-19 data for the district as of Friday, Dec. 4.

You can access the dashboard where this information is being stored by visiting https://bit.ly/3d93aws.

District 86 will continue bringing approximately 25% of our students back on campus Dec. 7-11 in conjunction with our phased-in approach for administering in-person instruction. Below is information about the schedule and activities for this week.

When we announced that we were changing the rotation of our A, B, C and D groups for the rest of first semester, we shared that we were still working on the schedule for the week of Dec. 14. That schedule has been finalized (Group B is in person on Monday, Group C on Tuesday, Group D on Thursday and Group A on Friday) and is reflected in the updated chart below. Please note that we will be following our current condensed block and Wednesday remote schedules during this week.

The Columbia Scholastic Press Association (CSPA) has named Solstice, which is the art and literary magazine produced by students and staff from Hinsdale Central, a finalist for a Crown Award. This is the highest recognition CSPA gives to a student print or digital medium for overall excellence. The announcement about whether Solstice won a Gold or Silver Crown is expected to occur in March.

The magazine also earned several honors in conjunction with CSPA's 2020 Gold Circle Awards, including:

You can access additional information about the Crown Awards by visiting https://bit.ly/2VvF8DR and the Gold Circle Awards by visiting https://bit.ly/39BopaE. You can also check out the magazine by visiting https://bit.ly/3or2Q0N.

We congratulate all of the students who worked on the publication, including the following individuals who served as the editorial staff:

We also congratulate teachers Angelique Burrell and Michael Cousineau, who serve as the faculty sponsors for the magazine.

While the final product was amazing, what makes these accomplishments even more impressive is that the bulk of the work had to be done remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Way to go, Red Devils.

Hinsdale South and Hinsdale Central are teaming up this holiday season to celebrate the memory of a brave seven-year-old boy from Darien who lost his battle with cancer two years ago. The Hornet Leadership Board from South is working together with several clubs from Central to collect new, unused and unwrapped toys that will be donated to a toy drive organized in honor of Joey Ventimiglia, who passed away in 2018 from a rare form of cancer called Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG).

Students, staff, families and community members can drop off their donations at the entrance to South’s cafeteria (north side of the building off Elm Street) during a drive-by event on Dec. 8 from 1:15 p.m. to 3 p.m. that will feature music, candy canes and Santa hats, as well as South swag for every 10th car. Anyone who is unable to attend this event can bring their donations to South between now and Dec. 10. They will be collected from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on a daily basis in the foyer that is located off the school's circle drive entrance.

You can access additional information about the South and Central toy drive by visiting http://ow.ly/cFf950Czxyz. You can also learn more about Joey Ventimiglia by visiting https://bit.ly/33uLuYv.

The Hinsdale Central Drama Club will help ring in the holidays this week with a performance of "It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play" that will feature background music by the school's chamber choir.

On Dec. 11, the show will stream the entire day on www.broadwayondemand.com/series/ (type Hinsdale Central in the search function on the site). The cost to view it will be $10 per person or $15 per family. On Dec. 12, you can listen to an audio-only version of the performance for free on WHSD 88.5 Radio Central and NFHSnetwork.com that will start streaming at midnight and be rerun every 90 minutes.

You can learn more about the show by visiting www.hinsdaledrama.com.

The Global Humanitarian Club at Hinsdale South is partnering with Chipotle on a shop and share event on Dec. 9 to help raise money for people in Yemen who are facing a number of serious and significant health and humanitarian challenges.

You can access a flyer for the fundraiser by visiting https://bit.ly/36XUUgb. You can also access the GoFundMe page the club has set up to raise money for the Yemen Relief and Reconstruction Foundation by visiting gf.me/u/za68af.

We want to congratulate the 100 seniors from across the district who earned the Seal of Biliteracy for the fall of 2020. The students who received this award scored a 4 or 5 on the Advanced Placement exam in the spring, or performed well on a language proficiency test during first semester. You can access the full list of awardees by visiting https://bit.ly/39F1UBN.

We also want to let our seniors who speak another language at home know that there will be an additional opportunity to qualify for the Seal of Biliteracy during second semester. We will send out information about the February testing window when we return from winter break.

Each month, the world language teachers from Hinsdale South nominate individuals for recognition as the World Language Students of the Month. These students have a strong interest in a world or classical language, demonstrate the traits of being accountable, respectful and engaged, and perform actions and exhibit an attitude that exemplify what it means to have South Pride.

Below are the students from South who earned this honor for November.

The following faculty and staff members were selected as the winners of Hinsdale Central's Make A Difference Award for first quarter.

The school community recognized these individuals for "going above and beyond the call of duty for students, especially during these trying times."

We congratulate all of the winners, and thank them for everything they do on behalf of our students.

Last week, Hinsdale South recognized its Breakfast Club winners for December. The honorees included:

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

We congratulate these students on this honor.

The art department from Hinsdale Central created a video that showcases some of the amazing artwork our students produced this fall. You can check out the video by visiting https://youtu.be/MzCEilCBuMc.

We want to thank all of the students for sharing their creations with us. We also want to thank teachers Laura Milas, Evan Haase, Hannah Kabat and Alison Sunseri for everything they do to nurture the talents of these incredible artists.

Below is information about a few recent accomplishments by members of the Hinsdale South community.

Sophia Schiappa's photo titled "A New Life"

Carolina Ortiz's photo titled "Just Like Heaven"

Rebekah Salvato's painting titled "Black Is Beautiful"

Vince Doran, Member of the 2020 Class of the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame

Below are updates from the Hinsdale Central Latin Club.

The Hornet Leadership Board at Hinsdale South is partnering with Goodshop to raise money for the Class of 2022 that will be used to help fund prom (e.g., tickets, venue, transportation, decorations, food, etc.) and various other senior activities during the school year.

You can access additional information about how you can support the Hornet Leadership Board and Class of 2022 by clicking on the flyer or visiting https://bit.ly/2I8RrD6.