Henry Puffer Post

Dear Henry Puffer Families,

I hope you are enjoying a wonderful weekend and taking advantage of the beautiful weather. This week, we completed our Fall benchmark testing, and Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR) scores were sent home with 4th-6th graders on Friday. If you didn’t receive a score report for your student, please contact the Henry Puffer main office. Additionally, MAP & Aimsweb Plus Benchmark reports will be sent via email on Thursday.

We are gearing up for a busy few weeks ahead. On Wednesday, we will observe Patriot Day, a day of remembrance for the events of September 11, 2001, and a time to honor the brave service of our firefighters, police officers, paramedics, and military. This Friday, our students will enjoy the Storm Science Assembly, a fun and educational experience brought to us by our fantastic PTA. For more details on upcoming PTA-sponsored events, please check out the PTA Posts in the newsletter below.

If you have any questions or need assistance, please don’t hesitate to reach out at 630-968-0294. Wishing you a great Sunday!

Mark Leipart
Principal, Henry Puffer School

Be sure to follow us on X @HenryPufferDG58.

9/9: Orange Monday - Wear Orange to promote the Happiness Advantage

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

9:11: Patriot Day!

9/12: MAP/Aimsweb Plus Benchmark Reports will be sent home

9/13: Spirit Friday - Wear you Puffer Gear or Blue & White to show your school spirit!

9/13: Storm Science Assembly (12:45-2:15) - kdg-6th grade

9/13: Downers Grove Oktoberfest

9/14: Downers Grove Oktoberfest

9/18: Assembly: kdg-3rd (8:30-9:00)

9/18: Assembly 4th-6th (12:40-1:10)

9/19: PTA Meeting (7:00 p.m.)

9/20: Lung Run

9/26: Evacuation Drill w/ Fire Dept. (1:00 p.m.)

9:27: Fun Lunch!

10:10: Picture Day!

11/14: Picture Retakes

School Calendar 2024-25

September 11 is Patriot Day. On this day, the President requests that the American flag be flown at half-staff and that we observe a moment of silence.

Patriot Day is a day we remember the events of September 11, 2001 and we honor and celebrate the courageous service of our firefighters, police officers, paramedics and military. On this day in our nation’s history, in the face of tragedy, we saw courage: firefighters, police officers, and paramedics rushed to help. We saw selflessness: strangers helped strangers. We saw love: people from around the world sent cards, supplies, and comfort. In honor, respect and remembrance of this important event in our nation’s history, we will now observe a moment of silence.

Wednesday is an opportunity to turn something negative into a positive activity by honoring the good work of others and by doing good works ourselves. It's an opportunity to be courageous, selfless, and loving, and if possible, say thank you to those who work so hard to keep us well and safe.

Tuesday, Sept. 3 - Informational Meeting for 5th & 6th Grade students from 12:00-12:20 (this is 5th grade Recess & 6th graders Lunch)

Monday, Sept. 9 - Contract & Statement of Intent due to Ms. B or Mrs. J.

Monday, Sept. 16 - Thursday Sept. 19 Campaigning period. Posters will be up by Monday end of day.

Thursday, Sept. 19 @ 12:40 - 1:30 Elections - held in the large gym

"The Orange Frog" is a parable that follows Spark, a frog who discovers that he turns orange whenever he experiences and shares positive emotions. At first, Spark is unsure about this change, as he lives in a pond where most frogs remain green and focus on the struggles of everyday life.

Throughout his journey, Spark encounters several other frogs, each representing different attitudes towards positivity and change:

• Biff: A hardworking frog who initially resists Spark's positivity, believing that focusing on problems is more realistic. However, over time, Biff begins to see the benefits of Spark's approach and slowly starts adopting a more positive outlook, which improves his productivity and well-being.

• Buster: A competitive frog who is skeptical of Spark's optimism. Buster prioritizes success at any cost and doesn't understand how positivity can lead to better results. As he witnesses Spark's success, Buster starts to reconsider his approach and eventually embraces positivity as a tool for growth.

• Lily: A supportive and curious frog who is intrigued by Spark's transformation. Lily quickly adopts Spark's positive mindset and becomes a key ally in spreading positivity throughout the pond. Together, they inspire others to change, leading to a ripple effect that transforms the entire community.

As Spark and these frogs navigate their individual challenges, the parable highlights the power of positivity in overcoming obstacles and fostering a more productive and fulfilling environment. The story illustrates how embracing a positive mindset not only enhances personal well-being but also influences others, creating a culture of happiness and success.

Ultimately, "The Orange Frog" teaches that by choosing positivity, individuals can spark change in themselves and their surroundings, leading to greater achievement and satisfaction in both personal and professional life.

"The Happiness Advantage" by Shawn Achor explores how happiness fuels success, not the other way around. Achor argues that when we are happy, our brains are more productive, creative, and resilient, leading to better performance in various aspects of life. He introduces the concept of the "happiness advantage," which shows that positive emotions not only enhance our work but also improve health, relationships, and overall well-being. By cultivating optimism, gratitude, and social connections, individuals and organizations can harness this advantage to achieve greater success and fulfillment.The "Happiness Advantage" has been a District 58 initiative amongst staff members for the past five years. This year we will help teach and include our Henry Puffer students in the 7 Principles of the "Happiness Advantage".

7 Principles of the Happiness Advantage:

1. The Happiness Advantage: Positive brains have an advantage over neutral or negative brains. This principle emphasizes that happiness fuels success and performance, not the other way around.

2. The Fulcrum and the Lever: Our mindset acts as the fulcrum, and our power to change is the lever. Adjusting our mindset can significantly affect our performance and outcomes.

3. The Tetris Effect: This principle highlights the power of focusing on patterns of possibility rather than patterns of failure, training the brain to spot opportunities.

4. Falling Up: Instead of falling down during a crisis or failure, we can use adversity as a stepping stone to achieve even greater success.

5. The Zorro Circle: This principle teaches that gaining control in small, manageable steps leads to bigger victories. It’s about focusing on small goals before expanding outwards.

6. The 20-Second Rule: Reducing barriers to positive habits by making them easier to start can help us sustain these habits. Conversely, increasing the barriers to bad habits can help eliminate them.

7. Social Investment: Building strong social connections during challenges can significantly improve our resilience and overall happiness.

We are extremely proud of the focus and effort our students gave on our Fall MAP assessments. Our students demonstrated their knowledge, and we look forward to using the data to inform our instruction as we plan for the school year.

While we are still waiting on a few assessments to filter in, the preliminary results are fantastic!

Students in the average quintile and higher:

Math

Fall 23-24: 77.08%

Fall 24-25: 81.74%

Growth of 4.66%!

Reading

Fall 23-24: 71.49%

Fall 24-25: 80.08%

Growth of 8.59%!

As required by law, all new students, as well as students entering grades K, 2, and 6, must receive health examinations and immunizations and submit completed health forms by October 15th. To learn more check out the Health Services page on the District 58 website.

Thank you to many of the families who have already completed and submitted these forms. In accordance with Illinois law, failure to comply with these requirements by Oct 15 of the current school year, or 30 days following registration for first-time registrants, will result in the student's exclusion from school until such requirements have been met. All sections of the child examination form must be completed including the health history, which must be filled out by the parent.

District 58 communicates frequently regarding these requirements as it is our hope to avoid school exclusion for all of our students. If you are in need of additional assistance, our school nurse, Mrs. Slattery (mslattery@dg58.org), would be happy to assist you in answering questions or connecting you with resources to complete this requirement.

District 58 invites the community to Downers Grove Oktoberfest on Friday, Sept. 13 and Saturday, Sept. 14. The festival will feature live music, a Kids Zone and authentic Oktoberfest food and brew in a traditional German atmosphere. This event is the Education Foundation of Downers Grove District 58’s largest fundraiser, and all proceeds will support the foundation’s programs for District 58 students and staff. Purchase tickets here.

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!

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

Join the Puffer PTA Facebook group

The Annual Lung Run will be held Friday, September 20 immediately after school. This fun & healthy event is for the entire Puffer and Grove community: teachers, parents, and students. Preschool through 3rd grade run a 1/2 mile, and 4th grade and older run 1 mile. Registration forms were sent home on Tuesday, September 3 and are due Wednesday, September 18.You may also register for the Lung Run using this link. you have any questions or want to volunteer, please contact Gretchen Snape at 630-796-0795 or Britt Magnus at brittsheldon@gmail.com.

In connection with the Lung Run on 9/20, we are excited to have our first dine & share of the year with Home Run Inn! Order and pay using the link below by 9/16 and pick up your take and bake pizza on 9/20 between 3:15 pm - 3:45 pm at Henry Puffer!

Home Run Inn donates 30% of orders back to our PTA!

Link to Order

Last Day to Order: Tuesday 9/16

Pick Up Date: Friday 9/20

Pick Up Time: 3:15PM – 3:45PM

Pick Up Location: Henry Puffer Lunch Room

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. If you have any questions or need help forming a team, please reach out to Puffer's Reading Games liaison Colleen Broomhead at colleen.clinnin@gmail.com.

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.

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.

It is amazing how far technology has come over the last decade and continues to advance. We recognize the value technology has not just in education, but our world. However, we hope that we can work together to remind students that during the school day, personal electronic devices should be turned off or silenced and out of sight. This includes wearable devices if they become distracting to the learning environment. Students should not be using phones, Apple Watches, or other devices to send or receive text messages or phone calls during the school day.

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)

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.

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.

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.

The staff at our school will be utilizing The Zones of Regulation™ curriculum, commonly known as "The Zones." You may recall that we introduced this program to our Puffer students last fall. This year, we look forward to starting the year integrating this into student’s daily practice. As a refresher, this program includes lessons and activities designed to help your child develop self-regulation skills, which encompass self-control, self-management, and impulse control. Self-regulation is defined as the optimal state of alertness of both body and emotions for any given situation. The curriculum aims to teach students to recognize which Zone they are in and how to use strategies to maintain or change their Zone.

Through these lessons, students will expand their emotional vocabulary, learn to read facial expressions, understand others' perspectives, identify triggers for their behavior, and develop calming and problem-solving strategies.

A key component of this curriculum is ensuring that all team members understand and use The Zones language. This shared understanding creates a supportive environment, allowing students to practice and quickly adopt self-regulation skills in various situations. You can assist in this process by:

• Using The Zones language and discussing the concepts as they apply to you in different environments. For example, verbalize your own experiences: “This is really frustrating me and putting me in the Yellow Zone. I need to calm down by taking deep breaths.”

• Helping students become aware of their Zones and feelings by pointing out your observations.

• Validating the student's current Zone and helping them brainstorm appropriate self-regulation strategies for the context.

• Sharing how the student’s behavior affects your Zone and feelings.

• Encouraging students to use The Zones language to express their feelings and needs, and to share their Zone with you.

• Showing interest in learning about the student’s triggers and preferred tools for self-regulation, and asking how they would like reminders to use these tools.

• Asking students to frequently share what they have learned related to Zones.

• Reinforcing students for recognizing their Zone and managing their behaviors appropriately, rather than only pointing out unexpected behaviors.

It's important to remember that everyone experiences all of the Zones, and it is not considered “bad” to be in the Red and Yellow Zones. The Zones of Regulation aims to provide a neutral, judgment-free framework for understanding and managing emotions. We look forward to partnering with you in our implementation of Zones of Regulation this school year.