Pierce Downer this Week

Pierce Downer Families,

Winter break will be here quickly, and I want to share a few important updates with you. Winter benchmark testing will begin as early as December 16th, and MAP testing is scheduled to take place once we return from winter break. If your family will be traveling out of town before school lets out on December 20th, please notify the office so we can plan accordingly.

I also want to celebrate our students for their outstanding participation in our PD Promise Assembly today! The focus was on taking care of our winter gear and keeping our hallways clear, and our students are ROCKING it—way to go!

This week, we also celebrated and recgonized students who participated in the PTA Reflections contest. Congratulations to all of the PD Panthers who contributed pieces, and good luck to the students continuing on the regional level!

Lastly, don’t forget about our exciting school fundraiser in partnership with the Chicago Bulls. This is a great opportunity to support our school and enjoy some fun perks. Be sure to check out the details later in this newsletter.

Winter Weather Procedures in District 58

If winter weather requires schools to close, District 58 will promptly email and call all families and staff. The District will also post school closure information on the website, www.dg58.org, and social media channels.

District 58 has the option to use an e-learning day or an emergency day (also called snow day) during bad weather.

This year, District 58 will likely use e-learning days. E-learning days do not need to be made up at the end of the school year. District 58 needs to maximize the summer for referendum construction, so e-learning days would allow District 58 to keep on its construction schedule.

Learn more about District 58's winter weather procedures.

Read District 58's e-learning plan.

As always, please do not hesitate to reach to me with any questions. You can email me at LWagner@DG58.org or call the school office at 630-719-5860.

WE are PD-

Dr. Leland Wagner

At our school, we use the Bridges Math Curriculum for grades K-5 to help students develop strong number sense—a critical foundation for future success in mathematics. Number sense is more than just knowing numbers; it’s the ability to understand relationships between numbers, recognize patterns, and solve problems flexibly and creatively. The Bridges program engages students through hands-on activities, visual models, and real-world problem-solving scenarios that make math meaningful and accessible to all learners.

Strong number sense is essential because it empowers children to think critically, reason logically, and confidently approach complex math concepts as they advance. By focusing on building these skills early, Bridges helps ensure your child is not only prepared for higher-level math but also equipped with the confidence to apply mathematical thinking in everyday life.

To help parents and guardians understand the new curriculum and better support their child's learning at home, District 58 created three parent education videos.

• Video 1: Introduction to Bridges in Mathematics
• Video 2: Grade K-2 Bridges in Mathematics: Mathematical Models & Strategies
• Video 3: Grade 3-5 Bridges in Mathematics: Mathematical Models & Strategies
• 
  

Learn more about the concepts, models, and strategies in your child’s grade level by visiting Bridge’s Family Support Page.

Looking to engage in more practice and problem solving activities with your child? Visit Bridge’s Math at Home website for unit aligned games and activities.

Help Pierce Downer Elementary raise money through offering discounted Bulls tickets to your family and friends! Register below to receive a personalized link and start earning rewards.

https://bulls.spinzo.com/referral-program/RP-rjeyvqu

Every ticket purchased through your link helps you unlock prizes and helps your school raise money. All tickets available in your link are discounted at 10%, and another 10% of the total cost of each ticket sold on your link goes directly back to your organization.

Earn prizes and experiences such as Bulls swag, autographed items, locker room tour, and more! To view a list of all incentives, click here. There will also be a special prize for the student who sells the most tickets by Thursday, December 19th.

Happy Fundraising!

- Chicago Bulls

You can recognize a teacher with a DG58 Green Apple. The Education Foundation invites you to thank a special District 58 staff member with a Green Apple Award and donation to the Foundation, which supports many student and staff programs. Learn more. Give a Green Apple.

Do you have young children at home? Do you have friends or neighbors with little ones? Please share this information!

District 58 offers free preschool and developmental screenings designed to identify young children, ages 0-5, who might have developmental delays and who would benefit from special education prior to beginning kindergarten.

Please make sure your child has a snack each day. Snack breaks should consist of nutritious food choices such as fruits, vegetables, and other portable snacks. This aligns with Policy 6:50. The health and safety of our students are our highest priorities. Therefore, certain snacks or foods may be prohibited in your child's classroom due to food allergies. A daily snack can be provided for students who qualify for free/reduced lunch.

While a student can bring their electronic device to school, all non-district-issued technologies are to be silenced and out of sight throughout the school day. Students are allowed to wear smartwatches, but they are to be silenced during the school day. The district-approved technology will be utilized for students to participate in lessons and complete assignments. Please be sure to go over the expectations with your students.

November 27-29

No School: Thanksgiving Break

December 13

Fun Lunch: Culver's

District 58 has partnered with Safe2Help to give students a safe and confidential way to report potential threats or crises. Safe2Help was launched by the State of Illinois in December 2020 and aims to help prevent suicide, bullying, school violence and other threats to school safety.

With Safe2Help, students can connect with a trained crisis professional during their own crisis, or to report a potential threat. Students can submit a Safe2Help alert via the following ways:

• Website: https://app.safe22helpil.com
• Text: SAFE2 (72332)
• Phone: 844-4-SAFEIL (844-472-3345)
• App: "Safe2Help Illinois" app available in the Apple App Store and Google Play Store
• Email: HELP@Safe2HelpIL.com

All alerts are responded to by a trained Safe2Help crisis professional. Safe2Help is available 24 hours per day, 7 days per week.

District 58 staff are not the initial responders to the alert and will receive each alert after the Safe2Help professional provides support. District 58 staff will review alerts sent by Safe2Help during regular school hours, unless the nature of the alert necessitates immediate school action.

District 58 is pleased to continue using the Raptor Visitor Management System in all of our schools to strengthen our program of campus safety for students and faculty. Part of keeping students and faculty safe is knowing who is in our buildings at all times. The Raptor system will better allow us to screen visitors, contractors, and volunteers in our schools and provide us with a safer environment for our students and staff. Community High School District 99 currently utilizes the same platform on its campuses.

Upon entering a district building, visitors will be asked to present photo identification, such as a Driver’s License, which can either be scanned or manually entered into the system. If a parent or guardian for any reason does not have a US government-issued ID, the school staff member can use any form of identification and manually enter the person’s name into the Raptor system. The Raptor system will check to ensure that registered sexual offenders are not entering our school campuses without our knowledge. The Raptor system checks the visitor's name and date of birth for comparison with a national database of registered sex offenders. The registered sex offender database is the only official database checked by the Raptor system. No other data from the ID is gathered or recorded and the information is not shared with any outside agency. Once entry is approved, Raptor will issue a badge that identifies the visitor, the date, and the purpose of his/her visit. A visitor’s badge will not be necessary for those who visit our schools simply to drop off an item in the office or pick up paperwork.

The safety of our students is our highest priority and the Raptor visitor management system allows us to quickly identify those that may present a danger to our students. Thank you in advance for your understanding and your support in enhancing the school safety protocols in our district.