Wednesday, May 1

Dual Language Piñata Event

6 p.m. O'Neill

Thursday, May 2

Beginning Band/Orchestra Parent Meeting

6:30 p.m. (Band – 4th grade) Herrick

7:30 p.m. (Orchestra – 3rd grade) Herrick

Monday, May 6

Staff Appreciation Week

Tuesday, May 7

Incoming 7th Grade Parent Night

6:30-7:30 p.m. Herrick, O’Neill 

Wednesday, May 8

DGCC Choir Concert

7 p.m. O’Neill

Wednesday, May 8

DGCC Choir Concert

7 p.m. O’Neill

Monday, May 13

Board of Education meeting

7 p.m. Downers Grove Village Hall

Wednesday, May 15

Distinguished Service Awards 

4 p.m. O'Neill 

Wednesday, May 15 

Parent Presentation

7:30 p.m. Herrick

Click here to view the 2023-24 calendar.

Click here to view the 2024-25 calendar

Click here to view the 2025-26 calendar

PHOTO GALLERY:Eighth graders honored at Select 58 ceremony ••••

Congratulations to the 58 amazing 8th graders for earning the prestigious Select 58 Recognition Award! Your commitment to service, both within our school and community, is truly inspiring. As Superintendent Dr. Kevin Russell said during Monday’s ceremony, “Keep making a positive impact and blazing a trail of kindness wherever you go. We are proud of each and every one of you!” A highlight of the ceremony was when former O’Neill student and Select 58 recipient Grace Stapleton spoke to students and urged them to continue to show up and get involved in high school.  

A video highlighting each Select 58 honoree.

Check out more photos in the photo gallery. 

PHOTO GALLERY: Students inspired by authors at Author Fest ••••

Pictured above at top left, clockwise, are: Kate Hannigan with Hillcrest students, Kingsley student and her drawing with Greg Pizzoli, Fairmount students, Highland students, Jasmine Warga at El Sierra and Henry Puffer students with their Author Fest welcome sign.

Students got to meet top children’s book authors at the District 58 Author Fest, held last week at each of the District’s elementary schools. The annual event is a favorite of students and inspires them in reading, writing, creative thinking and illustration. Author Fest is sponsored by the Downers Grove Area Council of PTAs with support from the Education Foundation of District 58 and the Downers Grove Junior Woman’s Club.

Last week, all District 58 1st, 3rd, and 5th graders had the opportunity to hear from one of the three featured authors – Greg Pizzoli, Jasmine Warga and Kate Hannigan. Students learned about the author’s background, what led them to writing, and their writing and/or drawing process. 

Teacher librarians helped prepare students for the visits by reading the author’s books and pairing it with an activity, such as drawing a graphic cartoon about a point in time, similar to Kate Hannigan’s historical graphic novels. “It is a great way to get the students excited for the visit and helps the author feel connected to the school right when they walk through our door,” said Ashley Honn, teacher librarian at Henry Puffer. Small groups of students also had the chance to meet one of the authors during a special lunch/discussion as part of Author Fest. The authors asked students questions about what books they liked to read and why, and other topics.

More about Author Fest.

Photos from Author Fest.

Groundbreaking ceremonies are "just the beginning"•••

Pictured above left to right, clockwise are: Herrick Principal Dr. David Norman and students; Herrick students and staff ready to dig in; student council officers; O'Neill students and staff, Superintendent Dr. Kevin Russell and retired O'Neill teacher Richard Samonte; O'Neill Principal Lauryn Humphris and student council officers; O'Neill staff and students breaking ground. Additional Herrick photos. Additional O'Neill photos.

While construction is progressing at both middle schools, both Herrick and O’Neill celebrated the large projects with official groundbreaking ceremonies on April 22. The ceremonies marked an important milestone in our ongoing commitment to providing updated and high-quality educational facilities for our students both at the middle schools and the elementary schools. Student council members, PTA representatives, construction contractors and engineers as well as principals, superintendent and Board President Darren Hughes contributed remarks.

“This groundbreaking is just the beginning of a much larger project that will update all 13 schools in the district,” said Board President Hughes. “The board thanks the community for entrusting us with the first district-wide capital project since we built the majority of our schools during the post-World War II baby boom.”

Students looked to the future in their speeches. “As we grab our shovels and dig deeper, let’s not forget that not only are we breaking ground, we are also breaking our past limitations,” said Herrick Student Council President Andrew Cheng. “The possibilities for future students and teachers are endless!” 

At the O’Neill event, Student Council President Lydia Larsen said, “Having a learning environment catered to our needs as students can only help us grow on the path to fulfilling full futures.”  More photos from the ceremonies can be found here.    

Keep up to date on Building for Success

Check out the dashboards at both middle schools. There are webcams (updated every 30 minutes), drone video and photos of progress (updated weekly) and more. 

Herrick Middle School Dashboard

O'Neill Middle School Dashboard

Please take our survey on communications and extra curriculars •••

Parents and staff are invited to take a short online survey to help Downers Grove Grade School District 58 improve its efforts regarding communications and its extra curricular offerings for students.

Both surveys grew out of the Strategic Plan and will help us with future decision-making. As with all surveys, once results are analyzed and reported to the Board of Education, they will be posted on the District’s survey page.

Give a Green Apple for Staff Appreciation Week •

It’s District 58 Staff Appreciation Week May 6-10, and the Education Foundation of Downers Grove District 58 invites the community to recognize an exceptional District 58 staff member with a Green Apple Award.

When you submit a Green Apple Award donation, the Education Foundation will give a specially designed Green Apple Award certificate to the specified teacher or staff member with a short, custom message from the donor.

All donations will support the Education Foundation’s programs, which include the Teacher Grants Program, Distinguished Service Awards, Select 58, Sneak Preview, New Teacher Luncheon, The Reading Games and more. 

Green Apple donations and messages may be submitted online here. All donations are tax-deductible. While the Green Apple Program is open year-round, if you would like your Green Apple Award to be delivered before the end of the school year, please submit your donation by Friday, May 17.

Thank you to Blessings in a Backpack volunteers! •

Downers Grove School District 58 would like to join National Blessings in a Backpack during National Volunteer Week to thank and celebrate the many local volunteers who help ensure students in need are fed during the weekends.

The Blessings in a Backpack (BIAB) goal is to “provide kids hunger-free weekends.” BIAB for District 58 is closing the weekend hunger gap for almost 200 kids in District 58. Students in all 13 schools rely on the school's free and reduced-price meal program. Seventeen local community volunteers are committed to feeding them on the weekends and during school vacations or other non-attendance days.

“The volunteers make it possible to distribute ready-to-eat food to kids each Friday, which helps to ensure that students are well-nourished and ready to learn,” said District 58 Assistant Superintendent Jessica Stewart. Join us in thanking these volunteers.

Help wanted: Summer help needed ••

District 58 is now hiring for summer help! The shifts are daytime hours with $14/hour pay. We're hiring for school custodial support, technology device refresh and support, and curricular material preparations. Apply at https://www.dg58.org/about/employment

Calling all incoming 7th grade parents •••

Herrick and O’Neill Middle Schools look forward to meeting incoming 7th grade families for the 2024-25 school year! As a first step, parents have been invited to "Incoming Seventh Grade Parent Night" at your child’s respective middle school, Herrick or O’Neill, on Tuesday, May 7 from 6:30-7:30 p.m. An email was sent to families earlier this year outlining transition activities and middle school information. Please check your emails for future updates from principals Dr. David Norman (Herrick) and Ms. Lauryn Humphris (O’Neill) on additional PTA and school activities. You can also register now for Sneak Preview, a summer transition program for incoming 7th grade Herrick and O’Neill students sponsored by the Education Foundation of District 58.  

Have you registered your child yet for the 2024-25 year? •••

Schools have begun to call those who have not yet registered to ask if they are returning for 2024-25. April 8 was the deadline in which we asked families to register for the coming year. If you haven’t registered, please do so as soon as possible by clicking here. If you are having trouble registering, we are happy to help you. Please call your child’s school.

Education Foundation of District 58 invites you to Bougie Bingo •

Get ready to yell BINGO!



Join us for the 1st Annual Bougie Bingo hosted by the Education Foundation of Downers Grove District 58. We're going glam at the Moose Lodge so don't miss your chance to win dazzling prizes, enjoy fabulous company and support a great cause!

Date: Friday, May 3

Venue: Loyal Order of Moose, 1030 Warren Avenue, Downers Grove

Time: 7:00 - 10:00 p.m.

Click on the QR code for tickets or get them here.

(Each ticketed player gets three drinks, heavy apps throughout the event, and a chance to win exclusive prizes.)

Parent workshop by Glenbard Parent Series ••

Noon and 7 p.m. Wednesday, May 1: “And, Then They Stopped Talking to Me: Surviving Middle School" with Judith Warner. Zoom link at gps.org

Programs are free and open to the public. No registration is required. Click here to see the 2023-24 schedule and the video library. 

GRIT2: Mental health matters and it matters here in DG

This month, activities and events will be happening throughout Downers Grove to shine a light on mental health and resources in our community. They include:  

• Green Ribbon Initiative - green ribbons and yard signs throughout DG neighborhoods and streets
• Participating D58 Schools "Wear Green for Mental Health" days on May 7 – Mayoral Proclamation 
• May 18 FREE Fishel Park Yoga/Pilates and Provider Fair - 9am-11am (in front of Cadence Kitchen)

Information and updates can be found at umatterhere.org 

Village of DG survey: Guiding Thoughts  

If you are a resident, business owner or operator, property owner, developer, or community stakeholder of Downers Grove, you are encouraged to complete the Community Questionnaire. 



The surveys contain questions about important issues and opportunities facing the village that the Guiding DG planning process should address. Your feedback is essential to creating a successful plan for our community!

Downers Grove Grade School District 58

2300 Warrenville Road, Suite 200NE, Downers Grove, IL 60515

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

STAY CONNECTED