Pierce Downer this Week

Pierce Downer Families,

Thank you for making our Halloween parade and parties such a delightful experience. It is SCARY how much fun we had at PD. Your creativity and enthusiasm brought so much enjoyment to our students. As we transition into cooler temperatures, please ensure your children are dressed appropriately for the weather, and labeling coats with student's name.

A quick reminder that there will be no school on Tuesday due to Election Day. Also, dont forget we encourage families to contribute to our PTA candy drive—your donations will help spread some extra sweetness in our community!

November: Month of Gratitude

Throughout the month of November we will be looking for different ways to express gratitude! One of the ways is through a staff SHOUTOUT! Please use the "button" below to share a special note with a staff member.

Staff Email Addresses

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.

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

The Grove Express Foundation invites the District 58 community to join the annual Grove Express 5K family run/walk event on Thanksgiving morning, Thursday, Nov. 28, in downtown Downers Grove.

This annual event is led by the Education Foundation of Downers Grove 58, the Rotary Club of Downers Grove, and the Roadrunners Soccer Club. All event proceeds will support local education and youth programs, including those at District 58.

Learn more and sign up.

It’s time to form your teams and start reading, because The Reading Games competition is returning! The Reading Games is an annual trivia-style reading competition for District 58 and District 61 students in grades 3-8. It will take place Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025 at O'Neill Middle School. Registration is open now through Friday, Nov. 15.

To participate, complete the following:

1. Form a team and complete the team registration OR complete an individual registration and The Reading Games will do their best to find a team for your child. Teams must have between five and eight students. They can represent a mix of grade levels and schools, but must attend District 58 or District 61.

2. Collaborate with your team 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. To prepare, students can meet to discuss the books and quiz each other.

3. Participate in The Reading Games on Feb. 22, 2025! During The Reading Games, students will face other teams to answer questions about the books they've read. Teams are encouraged to dress up and have fun, and prizes are awarded.

The Reading Games is sponsored by the Education Foundation of Downers Grove District 58 and the Grove Express Foundation.

Learn more about The Reading Games registration process. Visit The Reading Games website.

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.

Please visit these webpages as you prepare for the new school year!

* Back-to-school toolkit

* Family resources

* 2024-25 school supply lists

* 2024-25 calendar

* Immunization/health examination requirements

* Kindergarten resources

* Food services

November 5

No School: Election Day

November 15

Fun Lunch: Zazzos

November 20

Wheel Of Wisdom PTA Assembly

November 27-29

No School: Thanksgiving Break

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.