On Sept. 9, we sent District 86 families information about the back-to-school survey we are asking them to complete by Sept. 24 at 4 p.m. This brief survey (33 questions that will take approximately 11 minutes to finish) is providing parents/guardians with the opportunity to share their thoughts on several topics, including student needs, family-school communication and school public health measures. Participation in this process is completely confidential - i.e., Panorama will not share people's individual responses with their child's school or the district.

We will send families additional reminders about taking the survey before it closes on Sept. 24.

We experienced an unexpected delay in the collection of some of our COVID-19 data that prevented us from updating our dashboard on Friday, Sept. 10. We are currently in the process of finalizing our data for the week of Sept. 6, and will post it on the dashboard later today (Sept. 13). We apologize for any issues or inconvenience this delay has caused.

Every Wednesday, Superintendent Tammy Prentiss participates in school walk-throughs with our principals. The purpose of these visits is to stay updated on what is going on in our buildings, while also strengthening relationships with our students, faculty and staff.

During the walk-through at Hinsdale South on Sept. 8, Superintendent Prentiss and Principal Arwen Pokorny Lyp stopped by the Learning Leadership Team meeting and listened to the conversation staff members were having about teaching in a pandemic. They also visited a few math and social studies classrooms.

At Hinsdale Central, Superintendent Prentiss and Principal Bill Walsh had the chance to experience the learning that was taking place in several business classes, including Business Education, Introduction to Business, Investments, Accounting, Business Law and Marketing.

Check back here next week for a summary of the walk-throughs that are scheduled to take place on Sept. 15.

We currently have EarthCams set up that feature a live time-lapse of the work that is being done on the new pool at Hinsdale South and the student services addition at Hinsdale Central.

You can access the EarthCam for South's pool project by visiting https://bit.ly/2VsCYbO and the EarthCam for Central's student services addition by visiting https://bit.ly/2X3WGvy. You can also access information about all of the district's Future Ready Facilities projects by visiting https://d86.hinsdale86.org/Page/1509.

Hinsdale South's world language department held a contest on Duolingo over the summer for students who wanted to work on their language skills; were interested in a world language, but had not taken one before; or were already taking a world language, but were considering starting another one.

Below are the students who finished in the top 10 in overall points for the contest, as well as those who earned the highest score for an individual language.

We congratulate these students on their achievements.

Below are a few of the recent honors and accomplishments that were earned by student-athletes and teams from Hinsdale Central.

You can access additional information and updates from Central's athletics department by visiting https://bit.ly/38RIHLq.

Freshman Kamile Zinis from the girls swimming and diving team and senior Billy Gneiser from the boys golf team were named the Hinsdale South Athletes of the Week for the week of Aug. 30.

Kamile was part of the team that took first place in the 400-yard freestyle relay against Riverside Brookfield. She also came in first in the individual 100-yard breaststroke during the same meet.

Billy has been a medalist in five of the team's first six matches. He took fifth place at the Rolling Meadows Invite with a score of 71. He also helped lead the Hornets to a fourth place finish at the Willowbrook Invite.

We congratulate Kamile and Billy on this recognition.

On Sept. 21, there will be a dedication and ribbon-cutting ceremony at Burns Field Park (320 N. Vine Street) at 5:30 p.m. for the outdoor SaveStation that the Just1Mike Foundation is donating to the Village of Hinsdale. A SaveStation houses an automated external defibrillator (AED) that is available for anyone to use 24/7.

The Just1Mike Foundation is seeking to raise awareness about and increase the survival rates of teens and young adults who suffer sudden cardiac arrest. It was started to honor the life and passions of Michael Brindley, a former Hinsdale Central student who died of sudden cardiac arrest at the age of 16.

You can access additional information about the event and the foundation by visiting https://www.just1mike.org/events.html.

We are excited to share that all 27 young adults from our Transition Programs were able to continue in their competitive employment positions over the extended summer break. This was due, in large part, to a Secondary Transitional Experience Program (STEP) grant from the Illinois Department of Human Services, which enabled us to meet the transportation needs of our students.

Diane Compton, who is a parent and educational advocate, will be the guest speaker during an event being hosted by District 86 and the Parent Teacher Network on Sept. 14 at Hinsdale Central.

The event, which will begin at 7 p.m. in Central's auditorium, will feature information about how to build limitless mindsets in students, teachers and parents/guardians. All members of the District 86 and feeder district communities are invited to attend.

You can access a flyer for the event by visiting https://bit.ly/3kQhkHi. Please note that anyone in attendance will be required to wear a face covering and practice social distancing.

The next District 86 Board of Education meeting will be held on Thursday, Sept. 16. The agenda and packet of materials for the meeting will be posted on BoardDocs (https://bit.ly/394u9as) and shared via email tomorrow (Sept. 14).