What's Up at Whittier

As the 1st Trimester of the school year comes to an end, teachers will begin preparing report cards for students. This year, report cards will be available electronically through PowerSchool. More information on this process will be coming from the District Office. Report Cards will be posted on Friday, November 22.

As we commemorate Veterans Day and honor all veterans, and especially our Whittier family/community veterans, please stop by our Wall of Heroes if you are able to on Monday. The schedule for viewing and class tours is in an article below. Thank you to all who submitted information about a special veteran to be added to our wall.

Some deadlines are coming up this month. Please keep these in mind if you are participating:

Reading Games Registration Deadline - Friday, Nov 15

PTA Playground Brick Sales End - Saturday, Nov 30

Information on both of these events can be found in articles below.

As always, thank you for sending your children to us each day - ready to take on new adventures and learn all they can! We appreciate all of your support!

Stay safe, stay healthy, and stay strong!

Michael Krugman - Whittier Principal

Monday, November 11 - Veteran's Day - wear red, white and blue to honor our veterans; Whittier Wall of Heroes; Board of Education Regular Meeting, 7:00pm, DG Civic Center

Tuesday, November 12 - Young Rembrandts, 3:00-4:00pm

Wednesday, November 13 - SC Spirit - PJ Day; Baseball Intramurals, 3:00-4:00pm; Language Labs, 3:00-4:00pm; Grade 1 Dress the Turkey Night, 6:00-7:00pm

Thursday, November 14 - Student Council Meeting, 3:00-3:30pm; Baseball Intramurals, 3:00-4:00pm; Chess Scholars, 3:00-4:00pm; BAM Theater, 3:00-4:10pm

Friday, November 15 - Whittier Spirit Day (wear your favorite Whittier spirit wear or our school colors - blue and gold/yellow)

Monday, November 18 - Happy Orange Day (we wear orange on Mondays to choose happy); Student Council Community Service Project for Animal Support begins

Tuesday, November 19 - Science Club, 3:00-3:40pm; Young Rembrandts, 3:00-4:00pm

Wednesday, November 20 - SC Spirit - Cartoon Day; Language Labs, 3:00-4:00pm

Thursday, November 21 - Chess Scholars, 3:00-4:00pm; BAM Theater, 3:00-4:10pm

Friday, November 22 - Whittier Spirit Day (wear your favorite Whittier spirit wear or our school colors - blue and gold/yellow); Fun Lunch

Here are the School Hours for the 2024-25 school year:

Kindergarten Half- Day:

8:15-11:20am (Monday-Friday)

Grades K-6:

8:15am-2:00pm (Monday)

8:15am-3:00pm (Tuesday-Friday)

Whittier Office Hours:

8:00am-4:00pm

Click the link below for the approved District 58 school calendar for 2024-25, which includes all school days off.

The Whittier Student Council Spirit Days and monthly Community Service Projects for November/December have been planned. Show your Whittier Spirit as you participate in all the fun activities that our Student Council offers.

November Spirit Days

Wednesday, November 13 - PJ Day - wear your pajamas to school

Wednesday, November 20 - Cartoon Day - dress up like your favorite cartoon character

Wednesday, December 4 - Stuffed Animal Day - bring a small stuffed animal to spend the day at school with you

November Community Service Project

Help support the Animal Welfare Institute and the DuPage County Animal Services during the week of November 18-22! The Student Council will sell mochis at lunch. Students can purchase 2 mochis for $1. The proceeds will be split between the two organizations.

The Animal Welfare Institute's (AWI) mission is to improve the welfare of animals reducing the suffering they experience at the hands of humans.

The mission of DuPage County Animal Services (DCAS) is to protect the health, safety, and welfare of people and pets in DuPage County.

As we celebrate and honor our veterans on Veterans Day - Monday, November 11, we have created our annual Whittier Wall of Heroes. Families were asked to submit photos and info on any veterans in their family. These commemorative sheets will be on display for students and families to view on Monday. Please see the schedule below, and feel free to visit when your child's class is visiting the wall, or any time between 9:00 and 11:00am and between 12:30 and 1:45pm.

Thank you to our Whittier Veterans!

9:00-9:10am - Miss Karius

9:10-9:20am - Mrs. Modine

9:20-9:30am - Mr. Swade

9:30-9:40am - Ms. Sullivan

10:20-10:30am - Mrs. Roberts

12:10-12:20pm - Mrs. Quill

12:30-12:40pm - Mr. Miller

12:40-12:50pm - Mrs. Hodkowski

12:50-1:00pm - Mrs. Miller

1:00-1:10pm - Mrs. Smitley

1:10-1:20pm - Mrs. Hedman

1:20-1:30pm - Mrs. Zagorski

1:30-1:40pm - Mrs. Richards

1:40-1:50pm - Mrs. Lyons

We will be clearing out and donating our Lost & Found on a monthly basis. Lost & Found items are kept in the Lost & Found bin in the main foyer area. The week they will be donated, we will hang them on the clothes rack in the main hallway for students to have a better view. If you notice your son/daughter is missing something, have them check the Lost & Found. Thank you!

This week's schoolwide Jaguar Jackpot Raffle was for Lunch with a Friend from McDonald's. Congrats to Ariana P for winning the raffle. She and her friend, Aria M enjoyed McDonald's for lunch this past Thursday. Jaguar Jackpot raffle tickets are earned for following our schoolwide expectations in the areas of Be Respectful, Be Responsible, and Be Safe. Keep up the good work Whittier Jaguars!

The Chicago Wolves "Read to Succeed" reading incentive is back!! Students can earn a free Chicago Wolves ticket after reading at home for 10 nights during the month of November, from the 4th through the 22nd. The log and directions (appropriate for your child's grade level) will be coming home on Monday, November 4. After 10 nights of reading, send BOTH the log and the form back to school. After the incentive has ended, students who participated will receive a voucher for a FREE Chicago Wolves ticket.

For security reasons, District 58 removed its staff email addresses from the school directory web pages. The District replaced it with buttons next to every staff member’s name that say, “Email [Staff Member’s Name]”. When you click this button, a web form will appear. Type your message in that form, and it will immediately be delivered to the staff member’s inbox.

District 58 made this change because we’ve seen an increase in phishing (scam) messages sent to staff. Scammers were previously able to send bulk phishing emails to staff by accessing the email addresses listed in our staff directory. We want our staff to be accessible to our community, while also keeping our staff email accounts secure. We hope this solution will accomplish this goal. Please reach out if you have any questions.

Bricks for the new Intermediate Playground are still available. Please help us close the gap on the cost of our new playground by purchasing a personalized brick that will be displayed in the playground seating area. See the image below for more information. Deadline to purchase bricks is November 30. Thank you for your support!

Scan the QR Code below or click this link to purchase your brick(s).

https://whittierdg.givebacks.com/store?limit=21&live=true&category=Bricks

Form your Reading Games teams and save the date!

Our favorite reading competition is coming on Saturday, February 22, 2025! The Reading Games is a free and fun reading competition for students in grades 3-8. The mission of the Reading Games is to encourage reading in Grades 3-8, expose kids to different genres, series, authors, and topics, as well as to foster teamwork and responsibility. All this occurs as teams of 5 - 8 students, led by a parent or other volunteer community member prepare for a fun competitive day of book trivia!

Students form teams and collaborate to read nine books from one of two book lists.

• List 1 is geared for readers in third and fourth grade.

• List 2 is geared for readers in fifth and sixth grade.

• Students in seventh and eighth grade who want to participate should read from List 2.

Like prior years, The Reading Games hopes to accommodate every team that wants to participate and register during the registration period. Each team will need an adult team leader to register the team for the event, act as a point person for all communications, and help their team prepare for The Games competition day.

In addition, each team will be asked to send a volunteer (aged 16 years or older) to The Games to help run the day.

To see the book lists, get more information about the games, and to register (starting in mid-October), go to the Reading Games Website.

Please check out our website and Facebook page for more information.

https://www.readinggamesdg58.com/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1011975142231082

Pre-orders for this year's Whittier Yearbook can now be made. Click on the flier below for more information. While the early bird ordering discount has ended, you can still order a yearbook at regular price.

The GPS Parent Series - Navigating Healthy Families has launched their current event schedule. This is a worthwhile free resource! Keep in mind they are offered virtually both at noon and 7pm, so hopefully everyone can attend one of the options. By participating in the year-long learning opportunities, it's like we are building a virtual parenting manual. Anyone who is a parent knows, we can use all the help we can get. Click on the attachment below to view the current events calendar.

★Fall Experiences★

There are still opportunities for both kids and adults to participate in Fall Experiences!

Please consider signing up for anything that is still open! https://bit.ly/4dh3zL1

Disney Trivia (Grade 4), Fri, Nov 15

Holiday Gift Wrapping (Adults), Tues, Dec 17

★Uncle Bub’s Dining Fundraiser★

Tues., Nov. 19 from 11am -8pm

Support Whittier by grabbing a meal from Uncle Bub's (132 S. Cass Ave., Westmont) on Tuesday, November 19 between the hours of 11am and 8pm!

Dine-in, curbside pickup or have it delivered! Just be sure to present the FLYER.

★Volunteer Opportunities - Committee Chairs Needed★

Volunteers are needed to chair the Fun Fair Committee and separately, Math & Science Night Committee.

Grab a friend and co-chair a committee together! The Fun Fair and Math & Science Night are PTA sponsored events for all Whittier students and their families. Do you think these events should take on a new look? As Committee Chair, you get to choose! The PTA website has all the resources you need to plan an event. Sign up to chair a committee so these wonderful events can continue and feel great knowing you are supporting our students. Email: president@whittierschoolpta.org with questions.

★PTA Bricks - Playground Fundraiser★

So much going on this Fall, but don’t forget to order your personalized brick so it can be included with our one-time spring installation next to the new intermediate playground! We’ve seen so many great ideas & orders already! Names, graduation years, quotes, just about anything goes & the kids will love reading them all! Bricks are tax-deductible & all proceeds are going directly to replenish the PTA funds used to cover the playground project. We appreciate your support! https://shorturl.at/DnDDF.

**Ask your employer to match your brick purchase.**

★Rejoin the PTA. Click HERE.★

See the Whittier Weekly newsletter for additional PTA related information. The newsletter is emailed to PTA members every Monday.

Student safety is always at the forefront of our mind when planning at school. It is extremely important for all individuals who are driving students to and from school to follow all the rules of the road, along with our Whittier procedures. Please share this information with anyone transporting students.

Arrival

Students may arrive at Whittier beginning at 8:05am each day when adult supervision begins. In order to assist with a timely and safe arrival process, the school playground will be closed before school. Upon arrival, students should line up by their assigned door. Students will be directed to enter the building beginning at 8:15am. Anyone arriving after 8:15am should enter through Door One for an office tardy pass.

Dismissal/After School

Following daily dismissal at Whittier (2:00 pm on Monday and 3:00 pm Tuesday through Friday), all students who are not scheduled to remain in the building must leave the school grounds and check in at their destination as there is no supervision on school grounds. We want to ensure the safety of all students.

Students may return to the playground after school hours and/or on the weekends. This will be done at family discretion, as our district playgrounds also function as community parks outside of school hours.

Driving and Walking Procedures

Hill Street traffic - travels WEST ONLY from 8:00am-4:00pm (One Way Street)

- Hill Street will be used as a Student DROP OFF ONLY during school hours.

- Hill Street will be used as a Student PICK UP ONLY during school hours.

- Car drivers will need to travel west down Hill Street entering the Drop-off/Pick-up Lane.

- As you enter the Drop-off/Pick-up Lane, please pull all the way up to the white street

markings and drop-off or pick-up. The car does not need to be at the ramp to drop-off

or pick-up students. Driver stays in the car. Students should exit the vehicle from the

passenger side.

- If car drivers want to park and walk their child(ren) to their designated area, they may do so after parking in a designated parking space at the west end of Hill, or on Blodgett or Grand. Parents may walk students to the sidewalk.

Grand Crosswalk at the Intermediate Playground

- Students should cross the street at the Grand crosswalk at the Intermediate Playground.

- Car drivers who travel south on Grand, may drop off intermediate-level students on Grand.

- If car drivers want to park and walk their child(ren) to their designated area, they may do

so after parking in a designated parking space at the west end of Hill, or on Blodgett or

Grand. Parents may walk students to the sidewalk.

Hill & Blodgett Crosswalk

- A crossing guard will be stationed at Hill & Blodgett to assist students in crossing to

school.

Blodgett Street

- We continue to ask parents NOT to drop off students on Blodgett.

- There is no parking on the west side of Blodgett, south of Randall from 2:30-3:30pm. Please follow these parking regulations.

Staff Parking Lot

- Please do NOT use the Staff Parking Lot as a drop-off or pick-up location.

- Students should NOT walk through the parking lot, they should only use the sidewalks.

Student Entrance and Exit

- Each class has been assigned to a specific door for entrance and exit to the building. (See the article below for specifics for each class).

- Please follow these guidelines to assist us in maintaining safety for all.

You may also review this information in the attachment below.

A couple of additional reminders about dropping off and picking up students at Whittier.

When entering the Drop-Off/Pick-Up Lane, please notice that there is NO PARKING along Hill Street in this area. This lane is strictly drop off and pick up. All drivers need to remain in their vehicles and exit the lane once students have exited or entered the vehicle. Again, please do not allow children to exit the vehicle on the driver's side and into traffic.

Please DO NOT double park on Hill, Grand, or Blodgett in order to avoid traffic and either drop off or pick up students. This is very dangerous.

Together, we can all assist in providing the safest environment for our children. Thank you!

Student Arrival

Parents may not escort their students to entry doors. Parents may walk students to the sidewalk, at which time students will join the line to enter the building.

Students may arrive at Whittier beginning at 8:05am each day when adult supervision begins. In order to assist with a timely and safe arrival process, the school playground will be closed before school. Upon arrival, students should line up by their assigned door. Students will be directed to enter the building beginning at 8:15am. Teachers will direct students to their cubby area. Anyone arriving after 8:15am should enter through Door One for an office tardy pass.

Upon arrival to school, students in these classes will line up at the Main Entrance (Door 1):

KH - Mrs. Hedman

KR - Mrs. Roberts

1Q - Mrs. Quill

1R - Mrs. Richards

Upon arrival to school, students in these classes will line up at the West Entrance (Door 2), off the Staff Parking Lot:

2Su - Ms. Sullivan

2Sw - Mr. Swade

6M - Mrs. Miller

6Z - Mrs. Zagorski

Upon arrival to school, students in these classes will line up at the East Entrance (Door 4), off the Intermediate Playground:

3K - Miss Karius

3M - Mrs. Modine

4M - Mr. Miller

4S - Mrs. Smitley

5H - Mrs. Hodkowski

5L - Mrs. Lyons

Student Dismissal

Following daily dismissal at Whittier (2:00 pm on Monday and 3:00 pm Tuesday through Friday), all students who are not scheduled to remain in the building must leave the school grounds and check in at their dismissal destination as there is no supervision on school grounds. We want to ensure the safety of all students.

Students may return to the playground after school hours and/or on the weekends. This will be done at family discretion, as our district playgrounds also function as community parks outside of school hours.

Students in grades K, 1, 2, and 6 will dismiss from Door 2 (west end of the building near the Staff Parking Lot).

Students in grades 3, 4, and 5 will dismiss from Door 4 (east end of the building off the Intermediate Playground).

Student Arrival Reminders

Please remember to follow these helpful procedures:

As our 2nd and 6th graders arrive at the West Entrance, we ask that parents allow students to line up on the blacktop, and then move to the grass area or sidewalk to wait for the bell to ring. Parents are welcome to drop students off and then head home, as well. Staff supervision and student safety patrols begin at 8:05am and remain with students until they enter the building at 8:15am.

As our Kindergarten and 1st graders arrive at the Main Entrance, we ask that parents line up a step or 2 in front of the sidewalk along Hill Street. Please do not stand and wait on the sidewalk as this blocks students from walking to their assigned line-up spot and blocks students from getting out of a vehicle if they are being dropped off. Please do not wait in the street or too close to the street, as this is our Drop-off Lane. Parents are welcome to drop students off and then head home, as well. Staff supervision and student safety patrols begin at 8:05am and remain with students until they enter the building at 8:15am.

As our 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders arrive at the East Entrance, we ask that parents wait on the other side of the fence. Parents are welcome to drop students off and then head home, as well. Staff supervision and student safety patrols begin at 8:05am and remain with students until they enter the building at 8:15am.

While we all love our furry four-legged friends, and many of them are so cute, we do ask that you keep all pets off of school property and any adjacent sidewalks. Some of our students may be allergic or scared of dogs and other pets. You are welcome to walk to school with them, but then please stay on the sidewalks across the road on Hill, Blodgett, and Grand.

Thank you for your cooperation, and for assisting us in maintaining the safety of our students.

We ask that parents report their child(ren)'s absence to the school office.

There are a variety of ways you can now report your child(ren)'s absence from school:

1. Call the school office at (630) 719-5865 (24 hours a day), and leave a message regarding your child's absence from school.

2. Email the Whittier secretaries (ccasella@dg58.org and kpeters@dg58.org) indicating the reason for your child's absence.

3. Report absences electronically. Just click on the link below, complete the information, and submit the form. This form can also be found on the Whittier webpage.

https://forms.gle/1Q3gXFonR3by2ppR9

While many parents contact the classroom teacher with absence information, the school office MUST also be notified. Please report student absences using one of the 3 methods above. Thank you for your assistance!

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.

As the school year begins, we want to remind you about wearing appropriate and safe footwear to school. Please review the article below.

It is important for students to be prepared for PE class. In order to participate safely in PE class, we ask that ALL students wear closed-toe gym shoes during each PE class. This allows for maximum safety during PE activities, and does not mark up the gym floor. Students can keep a pair of gym shoes at school to change into, or wear gym shoes on PE days. If a student arrives to PE class without the appropriate shoes, he/she will be given an alternate activity to complete. He/she will not be able to participate in the regular class activity that day, due to safety concerns. Thank you for helping us keep our students safe during PE class.

In addition, we want to maintain safety at recess, too; and having students wear the proper shoes to play outside is very important. Please make sure that your child wears closed-toe shoes for outdoor recess. While sandals and flip-flops are cute and comfortable, they are not always safe for kids when they are playing. Thank you for your assistance and cooperation in keeping kids safe!

While a student can bring their electronic device (including cell phones and AirPods) 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. Parents - PLEASE DO NOT text or call your child using their personal device while at school. ALL communication needs to go through our main office at (630) 719-5865. The district-provided technology will be utilized for students to participate in lessons and complete assignments. Please be sure to go over the expectations with your student.

We want to remind you of the health requirements for your incoming second or sixth-grader. All second and sixth graders will need to have a dental exam completed and turned in no later than May 15, 2025. This form can be dated anytime between November 15, 2023 - May 15, 2025. The form can be downloaded and printed here: Dental Form

The completed form can be dropped off to the school office, mailed, or emailed to the school nurse. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out!

Each year, we place the safety and security of our students and staff as a top priority. We are constantly reflecting on practices and discussing any ways that this area can be improved. Please know that ALL exterior entrance doors to Whittier are securely closed and locked during the school day. This includes the doors at the Main Entrance. With our new secure entrance, visitors are required to ring the bell on the outside column. You will be greeted by an office staff member over the intercom, admitted to the building, if necessary, and then check-in at the entry window.

The District will continue to use the RAPTOR security system as part of our safe school program, which requires ALL visitors to show a state-issued ID, have it scanned, and then the visitor receives a name badge to wear during their entire stay in the building. Please be prepared to show your ID upon arrival at Whittier.

The District and School Emergency Management Plans are reviewed with all staff at the start of the school year, as well as re-visited throughout the school year.

Safety Drills are held throughout the school year.

- Intruder/ALICE Drills are practiced in coordination with the DG Police Department.

- Fire Drills are practiced in coordination with the DG Fire Department.

- Tornado/Take Cover Drills are practiced.

A Parent Guide, developed in conjunction with MAVinS (Mothers Against Violence in Schools), on talking to children about safety drills is sent home in early fall.

We do our best each and every day to maintain the safety of all who are in our school.

As everyone knows, safety is always at the forefront of our mind, especially when students are in the building. Many safety protocols have been established and are followed on a daily basis by both staff and students.

One of these safety measures is that no staff member or student should allow a visitor into the building at any time. Even if the visitor is recognized, they still need to enter the building at the main entrance and be buzzed in after identifying themselves to an office staff member.

We would ask that parents and other visitors to our building during the school day, be aware of this procedure and follow this protocol when already authorized to be in the building. Please do not allow entry to anyone - even if you know them. This is the responsibility of our office staff. If you are waiting or walking in the hallway and you see someone at the door, please allow them to be recognized and acknowledged by our office staff. This is the only way we can maintain who is in the building at any given time. We appreciate your assistance and follow through with this very important safety protocol.

Understandably, sometimes there may be an item or two that gets left behind at home that is discovered after the start of the school day. We are more than happy to deliver those items to your child(ren) once dropped off. If you need to drop something off to get to your child, please do so by ringing the bell on the main entrance column, sharing with the office staff what you are dropping off, and then, after being admitted to the building, leaving your item in one of the cubbies in our new office entryway. There are post-its and pens so you can leave your child's name on the item(s). We will do our best to get any items to students in a quick and efficient manner. Our delivery may not be immediate, depending on the number of items we receive, but we will get the item(s) to your child as soon as we can.

We wanted to share with you how we handle homework and classwork when a student is absent. If you have any specific questions, please contact your child's teacher; otherwise, we ask that parents honor the homework request process that is followed by teachers at Whittier.

If a student is absent 3 or more days, on the third day, homework can be requested if they are feeling well enough to complete it. Otherwise, the teacher will touch base with the student upon his/her return to school and work on what needs to be made up.

If a student is going to be absent due to a vacation or other out-of-town obligation, daily homework will not be provided. Upon return to school, the teacher and student will touch base to discuss what was missed and what needs to be made up. During their time out of school, we recommend that students read, keep a journal of experiences on the trip, and practice math facts or current concepts.

In case you still need to purchase any of the school supplies for your child(ren), you can find the grade-level supply lists in the attachment below.

If you have not yet opted into the District’s text messaging service, please text “Y” or “yes” to 67587 to ensure that you will receive text messages from District 58. Text messages will only be sent rarely and only for critical information such as a school closing.

Now that the school year has begun, there are many more school buses out on the road. School bus safety is a huge challenge, as sometimes vehicle drivers do not understand when they need to stop for a school bus.

This article supports the reason for the rule and the image below can be used to help guide drivers. Please take the time to review when and how to stop for a school bus. Thank you for helping keep all school bus riders and drivers safe!

Mental Health Resources Info -

District 58 strives to create a culture of well-being for students, parents, staff and community. To further support this endeavor, the District has invested in an additional support service through ReferralGPS.

ReferralGPS is a service providing assistance to our community in finding local mental health and substance use-related treatment resources. The service compliments the District’s existing systems of support as a tool for student service teams and families to connect with treatment. Along with a searchable database of treatment options, ReferralGPS assists families in triage and appointment setting.

School district staff and families may access ReferralGPS in two ways:

1. Contact Student Services (social workers, psychologists, counselors) to seek out treatment options

2. Visit this link at https://referralgps.com/find-help/DG58 to search for treatment resources or connect with a Care Navigator anonymously

The platform has the ability to filter by mental health concern, clinician gender/specialty, location, and insurance acceptance. The service is available for all types of private and public insurance options including PPO, HMO, Medicaid, and families that are uninsured or underinsured.

ReferralGPS is available for use by district students, staff, and families at no cost. All information entered on the ReferralGPS tool is completely confidential and securely stored.

Whittier strives to develop lifelong learners within a caring, safe, and healthy learning environment. Our staff will be responsive to each student and collaborate with families and community. Our students will solve problems with perseverance, and develop a social conscience which enables them to contribute to their school, family, and community. Together we will be respectful of diversity and inclusivity, and we will positively impact the world.

Michael J. Krugman, Principal

Email: mkrugman@dg58.org
Website: www.dg58.org/wh
Location: 536 Hill Street, Downers Grove, IL, USA
Phone: 6307195865
Twitter: @MKrugmanDG58