Pierce Downer this Week

Pierce Downer Families,

Welcome back! We hope everyone had a restful and refreshing Spring Break. It’s been wonderful to see the energy and smiles fill our hallways again, and today’s fun lunch was a great way to end our first week back. Thank you to our parents who make these lunches run so smooth!

I want to give a huge shoutout to our students for their incredible participation in this afternoon's PD Promise Assembly. I was especially proud to see our students engagement with our theme of Never Giving Up.

Finally, we are now past the registration deadline for the upcoming school year. If your family has not yet registered, please do so as soon as possible. If you need any assistance, our front office is here to help.

Third and fourth graders invited to join the instrumental music program

Attention current third and fourth grade parents/guardians! Next year, your child will have the opportunity to begin playing a musical instrument!

Please view this document to read FAQs about instrumental music and the recruitment process. Please review this information and talk with your child about playing an instrument! Additionally, please add the Parent/Guardian Information Meeting to your family's calendar:

Parent/Guardian Information Meetings:

• Beginning Orchestra Meeting (for 3rd Grade Parents): Tuesday, April 29 from 6-7 p.m. at Herrick Middle School

• Beginning Band Meeting (for 4th Grade Parents): Tuesday, April 29 from 7-8 p.m. at Herrick Middle School

Parents and guardians invited to take Student Services Survey

District 58 invites parents and guardians to complete its Student Services survey. This optional short survey will help District 58 better understand the scope of its needs in the following service areas: guidance and school counseling services, psychological services, social work and health.

• Take the one-minute survey here - English.
• Take the one-minute survey here - Spanish.

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

District 58 is busy planning for its 2025 Summer School and Extended School Year (ESY) programs!

While details aren't finalized, we wanted to share basic information for families who may want to start making summer plans.

More information, including registration links, will be shared next month.

Summer School: General Education & Enrichment classes will take place Monday, June 9 through Friday, June 27, 2025 at Henry Puffer School. No class will be held Thursday, June 19. This session will offer math and reading grade-level readiness courses, as well as enrichment classes; topics are still being finalized.

Extended School Year classes will take place Friday, May 30-Friday, June 27 from 8:15-11:15 a.m. at Henry Puffer School. No class will be held on June 19. This session is open to students who qualify through their Individualized Education Plan (IEP). The student’s IEP team will identify targeted goals and specific special education services for the student.

Please note, District 58 will not offer the Essential Skills Summer School program this year. This program was previously funded by federal money that is no longer available.

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 and not used for messaging purposes. 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.

April is Autisim Acceptance Month

Monday, April 14: Board of Educatin Mtg - Spotlight on PD

Thursday, April 17: Family Love Letter Event (Art class)

Friday, April 18: No School - Good Friday

Tuesday, April 22: PD Open House 6:00pm-7:30pm

Tuesday, April 22: Book Fair

Tuesday, April 22: 2nd Grade DG tour Field Trip

Thursday, April 24: PTA Kickball Event

Friday, April 25: 5th grade Field Trip to Field Museum

Saturday, April 26: Battle of the Bands at Ballydoyle

Tuesday, April 29: 6th grade Outdoor Ed

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.