Henry Puffer Post

Dear Henry Puffer Families,

We are thrilled to begin the 2024-2025 school year! The first day of school is this Friday, August 16th. We also hope you can join us for our Meet & Greet on Tuesday, August 13th, from 2:45 to 3:30 PM. Afterward, stay for an Ice Cream Social provided by our wonderful PTA.

I will send out our weekly newsletters every Sunday evening, ensuring you have all the important information for the upcoming week.

We’re excited to share that our school construction projects are nearing completion, and we can’t wait to welcome students, staff, and families back into our newly improved building! Below, you'll find some pictures showcasing the progress.

Please note that the construction has affected our typical preparation for the school year. Our custodians are working tirelessly to move everything back into Henry Puffer, much like moving into a new home. As a result, teachers may not have the usual time to set up their classrooms in advance, but rest assured, both the rooms and our dedicated staff will be ready for the first day of school. While it might take a bit longer to unpack all the boxes, our "home" will be ready for our students.

This year, instead of just preparing our school and classrooms for our students, we will prepare the school and classrooms with our students. Thank you in advance for your patience, flexibility, and understanding. It will all be worth it in the end!

I hope everyone is enjoying this last week of summer break!

Sincerely,

Mark Leipart
Principal

Be sure to follow us on X @HenryPufferDG58.

8/2: Class List Were Released
8/5: New Teacher Week Begins
8/13: Teacher Institute

8/13: Meet the Teacher (2:45-3:30)

8/13: PTA - Ice Cream Social (3:30)

8/14: Teacher Institute Day -Our Henry Puffer office will be close until 11:00 - All district staff will be taking part in Opening Day events.
8/16: First Day of School! Wear your Puffer gear or Blue & White!

8/16: PTA Back-to-School Parents' Coffee Hour! - Puffer "Small Gym" immediately following 8:15 bell

8/27: Curriculum Night (6:00-7:30 p.m.)

9/2: Labor Day - No School

9/3: Grove Preschool Curriculum Night (6:00-7:30 p.m.)

9/9: Board of Education Meeting (7:00 p.m.)

9/13: Downers Grove Oktoberfest

9/14: Downers Grove Oktoberfest

9:27: Fun Lunch!

School Calendar 2023-24

A big thank you to Mrs. Soderlund, Mr. and Mrs. Broomhead, and our Girl Scout troop for your incredible work on The Free Little Math Library! We’d also like to give a huge shoutout to Mr. Maywin, Mr. Broomhead, and our PTA for reviving Hannah's Garden! We can’t wait for our students and community to enjoy these wonderful additions at Henry Puffer.

Please join me in welcoming our newest teammates to the Puffer Family for the 24-25 school year.

Music:

- Katrina Shenton (Welcome back!)

- Liz Sevilla

Art:

- Georgi Beck

- Kathryn Gorvett

OT

- Wei (Becky) Zhang

Mark Leipart, Principal mleipart@dg58.org

Jennifer Srabian, Secretary jsrabian@dg58.org

Natalia Augustine, Part-Time Secretary naugustine@dg58.org

Attendance: hpattendance@dg58.org

Email: mleipart@dg58.org
Website: www.dg58.org/hp/
Location: 2220 Haddow Avenue, Downers Grove, IL, USA
Phone: 630.968.0294
X: @HenryPufferDG58

AM Preschool: 8:25 - 11:05 am Monday through Friday

PM Preschool: 11:55 am - 2:35 pm, Monday through Friday

Grades Kdg-6th: Monday - 8:15 a.m.-2 p.m.

Grades Kdg-6th: Tuesday-Friday - 8:15 a.m.-3 p.m.

*Supervision begins at 8:05 for kdg-6th grade arrival. For safety purposes, please do not drop students off sooner.

If your child is going to be absent or late to school, please call the Henry Puffer Office at 630-968-0294 or email our attendance email address at hpattendance@dg58.org to report his/her absence. If you call before or after office hours, you are welcome to leave attendance information on the school's voicemail. We kindly ask that you do not email attendance information to the teacher or principal.

Dear District 58 Families,

If your child is a bus rider, you may now access 2024-25 general education bus routes online at www.dg58.org/family-resources/bus-routes or on your PowerSchool parent account (instructions are on the bus route webpage). Families whose children use specialized bus routes will be directly contacted by the bus company/bus driver with their bus pickup and dropoff information starting Monday, Aug. 12.

Taking the bus is an exciting time for students, and we have worked hard to ensure our students are on a bus route and ready to go. However, there may be some students who recently registered or who did not select transportation during enrollment that may not have a bus stop assigned to them. We are working to update our records. If you signed up for general education bus service and your child’s bus stop is either missing or inaccurate on PowerSchool, please do two things:

1. Look at your school’s bus routes and determine the closest stop to your house. Your child should use that stop and will be allowed on the bus.

2. Please email or call your school office and let them know. We will be working with the bus company to update PowerSchool student accounts with the correct bus route and stop.

If your child rides on a specialized bus route and you don’t receive a call from the bus company or bus driver by Wednesday, Aug. 14 by 3 p.m., please contact your case manager or Special Services Secretary Amy Dunbar at adunbar@dg58.org or 630-719-5824.

District 58 requests that students please arrive at their bus stops a few minutes early during the first weeks of school. As bus drivers get acquainted with new routes, it is likely that some routes may run early or late, and we may adjust bus stop times as needed. Any student who arrives late due to a delayed bus will be excused. We appreciate your patience and flexibility!

Sincerely,

District 58

Are you looking for a full-time or part-time job? Please consider working for District 58 at Henry Puffer! We have several job openings available that we would like to fill prior to school starting. District 58 staff earn competitive wages, and full-time staff receives a comprehensive benefits package.

Henry Puffer is hiring lunch supervisors and full-time instructional assistant positions.

Instructional assistants help supervise students and support classroom teachers through small-group or individual student instruction, under the teacher’s guidance. The starting salary is $17.47/hour Learn more and apply at www.dg58.org/employment.

• Tuesday 8/27 - Henry Puffer Curriculum Night (6:00-7:30)

• Tuesday 9/3 - Grove Preschool @ HP and Gifted Curriculum Night (6:00-7:30)

District 58 will use the Raptor Visitor Management System in all of our schools to strengthen our program of campus safety for students and faculty. The Raptor system will better allow us to screen visitors, contractors, and volunteers in our schools and know who is in our building at all times. District 99 uses the Raptor system at both of its schools.

Upon entering a school, 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 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 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 school safety protocols in our district. We appreciate your patience as we implement this new protocol.

Arrival

Students may arrive at Henry Puffer School beginning at 8:05 a.m. 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 8:15 am. Anyone arriving after 8:15 a.m. should enter through Door One for an office pass.

Dismissal/After School

Following daily dismissal at Henry Puffer School (2:00 p.m. on Monday and 3:00 p.m. 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.

*Please note that entrance times may change as students build routines. We have not used our normal entrance procedures in several years, and we recognize that it may take students longer at the start of the school year to be ready to start the school day. The District also recognizes that bus arrival times vary during the first few weeks of school as drivers learn new routes. As students build routines and bus arrival times become more consistent, student entry times may get pushed back. This will allow our teachers the necessary time to prepare for the day. Supervision times will remain the same and any changes will be communicated in advance.

Arrival: If you are driving and dropping off in the Haddow Circle, please ensure that students exit the vehicle on the passenger side so that we do not have students walking through the parking lot area. Students dropped off by car will walk to their assigned entrance. Parents may NOT park in the Haddow Circle. We ask that you please find a marked parking spot if you wish to park and walk up. Students will enter through their assigned door. Arrival will take place between 8:05-8:15. Students arriving via bus should walk to their assigned entrance after getting off the bus.

Dismissal: Students will be dismissed from their arrival door, expect for 1st grade (door 9). It is a good idea to have a designated "pick up spot" on or near the property. Ensure your child knows where you will be picking him/her up each day. (Kindergarten students must always be released to an adult). Parents may park and walk to an area near their child's designated door. Parents may NOT park in the Haddow Circle. We ask that you please find a marked parking spot if you wish to park and walk up. Parents may drive up in the Haddow Circle only. Children should enter the car on the passenger side. Those picking up on the Belmont side must park and get out of the car to walk up and meet your child. Please do NOT park in the bus lane.

School Hours: Professional Learning Mondays

• Grades Kdg-6th - 8:15-2:00

Students may arrive to Henry Puffer at 8:05. We are unable to provide staff supervision prior to 8:05.

Students may enter the building upon arrival at 8:15 and head straight to classrooms. Please note that there will be no playground supervision before school, and students should walk straight to their designated entrance upon arrival.

School Hours: Tuesday through Friday

• Grades Kdg-6th grade- 8:15-3:00

Student Entry/Exit Doors

Kindergarten Students at Mrs. Murphy's door

Ist & 2nd Grade Students at Door 8 (Belmont Side)

3rd Grade Students at Door 5 (North Playground)

4th-6th Grade Students at Door 4 (North Playground)

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.

We wanted to remind everyone that while a student may 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 may wear smartwatches, but they are to be silenced during the entire school day, including lunch & recess. 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 as the policy was recently amended by our school board.

This section will be dedicated to shining a spotlight on the learning taking place in our amazing school!

Celebrating Students & Staff

We love celebrating our students & staff both in and out of the classroom. During the school year, this section will be dedicated to celebrating our students and members of our staff!

We recognize that there may be times throughout the day that your child may forget a needed item (water bottle, lunch, instrument, etc.). We ask anyone dropping off materials to leave these on the table in the vestibule. Please use the available post-its and pens to label anything you are dropping off with the student's name and teacher.

Linked below are the minutes from our most recent PTA meeting.

Meeting Minutes from 5/16/2024

Our next meeting: September 19th (7:00 p.m.)

PTA Meeting Schedule: 2024-2025'

September 19th

October 24th

November 21st

January 16th

December – no meeting

February 20th

March 20th

April 10th

May 8

Save the Date! The 2024 Puffer Ice Cream Social will be taking place on the Belmont Playground after the Teacher Meet & Greet/Supply Drop-off (2:45PM-3:30PM) on Tuesday, August 13th starting at 3:30PM! New this year: Show up with your bike to participate in a Bicycle Rodeo to win prizes!

Want to volunteer at one of our many stations? We'd love your help! Sign up with the link below for any of our 30-minute long volunteer slots:

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70A0544A9AF2CA1F58-50457182-puffer

Can't wait to kick off a great school year with everyone!

PTA Recommendations

Please note that information BELOW this point is repeated information that has been shared in a previous newsletter(s), but is still made available here for your reference.

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.