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Weekly Update
February 5, 2025
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Mental Health and Wellness Symposium - March 8, 2025
The keynote will be presented by Doug Bolton, author, Licensed Clinical Psychologist, and Director of School Consultation for Formative Psychological Services. The symposium will include breakout sessions for students and adults, a community resource fair, a book fair, and childcare for ages 3-10. Adult attendees will receive a free copy of Doug Bolton's book - Untethered: Creating Connected Families, Schools, and Communities to Raise a Resilient Generation. The first 500 adult attendees will receive a welcome bag and the first 200 student attendees will receive a free t-shirt. New this year - experience sessions for adults and students and a complimentary boxed lunch for all attendees.
For more information, visit ipsd.org/symposium or register here.
5Essentials Parent Survey
Parents across Illinois once again have an opportunity to participate in the annual statewide Illinois 5Essentials Survey. This survey is designed to generate a detailed picture of your child’s school as it relates to the important elements of school effectiveness.
On behalf of the Illinois State Board of Education, the Illinois 5Essentials Survey is administered online by the University of Chicago. All survey responses will be kept confidential. The state will provide survey results for individual schools only if a school has at least 20 percent of parents take the survey. If you have children attending more than one school, we ask that you complete the survey for each school.
To take this short survey:
1. Visit 5Essentials Survey Link
2. Type and select “Dupage” as "County." (The county is the location of the school district's main office.)
3. Type your school's name into the "School" field and select your school.
The survey will be open through March 28, 2025.
Parent Teacher Conferences
Parent/teacher conferences for early childhood, elementary, middle and high school will take place on Thursday, February 27, 2025 from 1:00 - 8:00 PM.
Families with early childhood and/or elementary students will receive communication from their building principal about the process. Conferences will be scheduled through their classroom teachers and communicated after February 10, 2025.
Middle and high school parents can begin scheduling conferences through ParentVUE on February 19 starting at 6:00 am. To schedule your conference for middle and high school students, log in to ParentVUE and select "Conference" from the menu on the left side to see the times available. Once you have scheduled your conference, you will receive a pop-up window with a confirmation message when selecting a timeslot. Please note: Parents will receive a pop-up window when changing time slots that confirms a new time slot was selected and the old one was removed. Parents will no longer receive a confirmation email when selecting a timeslot. Parents can request an email with their full itinerary of all their students.
Coffee & Conversation - Wednesday, February 26
Join us on Wednesday, February 26 from 7 to 8 PM in the Spring Brook Elementary LMC for coffee, light snacks, and conversation with District 204 Superintendent Dr. Adrian Talley, Board Member Justin Karubas, and Board Member Catey Genc. This will be an informal conversation to learn what you feel the district is doing well and what you would like to see in the district in the future.
This session will not be recorded. Individual situations will not be discussed. Register and submit your questions or discussion topics here.
School Safety Contest
Judging for the district's first annual Safety Contest themed "Safe Schools Start with Us" took place on Tuesday, February 18. The judging panel included Ron Wilke, IPSD Safety Coordinator; Ray Morris, Waubonsie Valley SRO; Alonzo Hedgepeth, Crone and Scullen SRO; Adam Brncich, Rival5 Support Engineer; Michael Jackson, IPPC Executive Board Member; and Keith Cross, City of Aurora Police Chief.
The top six finalists at each level will be notified by Friday, February 21, and invited to the February 24 Board of Education meeting, where winners will be announced. Winning students will receive the following prizes: $500 Amazon gift card - 1st place, $250 Amazon gift card - 2nd place, $100 Amazon gift card - 3rd place, and $50 Amazon gift card - Honorable Mention. Winning entries will also be featured on the district’s website and social media to help spread awareness of this important issue.
A special thank you to our judges and Rival5 for their generous sponsorship of our safety contest.
Explore 204: Grow Your Own Teachers
Winter Weather Reminder
District 204 follows a plan whenever there is consideration of holding an e-Learning day or canceling school due to weather conditions. The information will be announced by 6 AM on www.ipsd.org only if the district holds an e-Learning day or cancels school completely. The district will also make a 204 Connect phone call by 6 AM to alert parents and guardians to any changes to the regular schedule due to weather. Parents and students can also check the Emergency Closing Center for school closings. For more information, visit the district’s e-Learning webpage.
Communications Survey - Deadline February 28, 2025
To improve our communication with district families, IPSD 204 is conducting a communications survey to better understand how district stakeholders currently receive information from their child’s school and the district, and to understand their preferences on receiving information going forward. Please take a moment to share your perspective on communications you receive from your child's school and the district by completing this survey. The survey will be open through Friday, February 28.
Next Board of Education Meeting: February 24, 2025
The next regular Board of Education meeting is at 7 PM on Monday, February 24, 2025 at the Crouse Education Center, 780 Shoreline Drive, Aurora. Meeting agendas and documents will be available online prior to the meeting. Video of the regular meeting can be streamed live or viewed the following day at the District’s YouTube channel.
IPEF’s Inspire: Explore IPEF Breakfast Tickets on Sale Now!
Join us for Indian Prairie Educational Foundation’s Inspire: Explore IPEF Breakfast – it’s just one month away! Secure your spot today and be part of an inspiring morning supporting the impactful educational enrichment and health & wellness programs that the Foundation provides for our IPSD 204 students and teachers.
Date: Tuesday, March 18th from 7-9 AM
Location: White Eagle Golf Club
Get your tickets now! Inspire Breakfast Event Page
Don’t miss out on this opportunity to connect and make a difference. See you there!
Resources for Parents
Tuesday, February 25 | 7 PM
HYBRID EVENT -- LIVE LIFE WELL WEEK -- The Critical Skills to Unleash Perseverance, Passion and Purpose
Thursday, February 27, 2025 | 7 – 9 PM
Sarah Ward and Dr. Jessica Minahan
HYBRID EVENT -- Practical Strategies for Reducing Anxiety and Increasing Executive Function Skills (Organization, Time Management & Task Completion)
Details
Thursday, March 6, 2025 | Noon and 7 PM
Sarah Vinson MD
Better Days: Supporting Kids' Mental Wellness When Things Aren’t OK
Details
Wednesday, March 12, 2025 | Noon and 7 PM
Dr. Alexandra Solomon
HYBRID EVENT -- Cultivating Healthy Relationships For Joy, Peace and a Meaningful Life
Details
Operation Snowball 3-Day Retreat
Registration is now open for the Spring Snowball retreat, March 21-23 at Camp Henry Horner! This teen-led/adult-guided retreat offers the opportunity to discover something about yourself, make friends, have fun, and learn ways you can impact your peers. Spend a weekend focusing on self-care, connecting with others and creating a community that you can count on! Register Here.
Third-Party Educational Programs
The following companies have rented space in our schools to offer an after-school educational program for students. The distribution of this material is in no way an endorsement of programs, services, activities, or products by District 204. For more information, visit programs.
This Week's e-Folder
This week's e-Folder has been updated with information on community programs. For more information about the programs listed below, visit the 204 e-Folder.
International Night Feb 28 with University of Illinois Extension
Wildcat Theatre Summer Camp 2025
ALMAS Presents: Your Rights and Resources for Immigration Challenges
ALMAS Presents: Your Rights and Resources for Immigration Challenges (Spanish)
KidsMatter "Empower Yourself from the Inside Out"
Girl Scouts of Greater Chicago and Northwest Indiana
BrightSide Theatre Youth Project Beetlejuice Jr.
Scout Me in: Find a Cub Scout Pack Near You
Cub Scouts Pack 643. Three Fires Council
2025 OPUS 23rd Chamber Music Camp
Spring & Summer Athletic Programs for Kids
Calendar
February 24: Board of Education Meeting
February 26: Coffee & Conversation (Spring Brook Elementary LMC)
February 27: No School (Parent/Teacher Conferences 1 - 8 PM)
February 28: No School (Institute Day)
March 8: 3rd Annual Mental Health and Wellness Symposium
March 10: Board of Education Meeting
March 18: IPEF Inspire Breakfast
March 24: Board of Education Meeting