Pierce Downer this Week

Pierce Downer Families,

As we approach Thanksgiving, I want to take a moment to express my heartfelt gratitude for you, our students, our dedicated staff, and our incredible community. Your support, partnership, and care make all the difference in creating a nurturing and enriching environment for our children. We are still in session next week on Monday and Tuesday, but I wish you a very Happy Thanksgiving!

PTA Reflections Ceremony is Tuesday, December 3

Congratulations to the following Pierce Downer students who advanced to the Council level of the PTA Reflections Art Program:

Piper Coulas

These students will be formally recognized at the District 58 PTA Reflections Ceremony on Tuesday, Dec. 3 at O’Neill Middle School. The public viewing of artwork will begin at 6:30 p.m., and the program starts at 7 p.m.

Please note: this week’s issue of Communicate 58 newsletter mentioned that all students who participated in Reflections would be recognized at the Reflections ceremony. The newsletter meant to say that individual school PTAs will recognize all student participants, but the Dec. 3 Reflections ceremony is intended specifically to celebrate students who advanced to the Council level. We are sorry for this mixup.

Through the Reflections program, young artists can create original artworks in a variety of mediums. Artwork submissions are judged and the finalists will advance to the regional level. Beyond the regionals, the top artworks advance to the state and national levels.

This year's Reflections theme is "Accepting Imperfection."

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.

Report Card Update

District 58 posted first trimester student report cards on the PowerSchool Parent Portal on Friday, Nov. 22. Printed report cards will no longer be sent home. Please use these instructions to learn how to find and view report cards.

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 this LINK or click on the picture below.

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

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.

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.

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 this LINK or click on the picture below.

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.