Bulldog Paw Prints

Latinx Heritage Month/Hispanic Heritage Month began on September 15 and will continue through October 15. It's during this time that we recognize and honor the histories and contributions of those who identify as Latinx and celebrate the many cultures and ethnicities of those in our community with heritage from Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America.

It's split across two months because September 15, is a key date in the history of several Latin American countries. It was when Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua declared their independence from Spain in 1821. Much like Black History Month in February and Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month in May, Hispanic Heritage Month is a time for Americans who identify as Hispanic to celebrate the traditions and history unique to their cultural background.

We run a number of safety drills throughout the year (fire evacuation, bus evacuation, active threat, severe weather), and we have our first set of drills set to begin next week.

First up is our fire evacuation drill. This type of drill helps students and staff quickly and safely exit the school in the event of a fire or in the event that the fire alarm sounds. Students will learn and practice the different routes available for them to exit the building in a safe and orderly way and to line up away from the building for attendance. We have procedures in place to account for all students, staff members, and visitors.

We will be conducting two fire drills next week -- one on Monday and one on Wednesday. Students will know about these drills, and we will be using the alarm system. Monday's drill will be an in-house drill for us as a student/staff community. Wednesday's drill will have the Downers Grove Fire Department present to observe and to identify any procedures that we should alter.

This type of drill takes about five to seven minutes to complete.

Wednesday, October 9, we will be conducting our bus evacuation drill. All students will board a school bus with their teachers, and a First Student bus driver will work with students to understand their roles/responsibilities as passengers. Expectations of remaining seated, staying out of the aisle, using appropriate voices, and maintaining a calm body will all be discussed in terms of safety, and students will learn the various ways they can exit the bus in case of an accident/emergency.

This type of drill takes about 15-20 minutes to complete.

Thank you Belle Aire community for attending Downers Grove Oktoberfest last weekend! I was there on Friday evening, and it was great to see some of our families, past and present!

All money raised at Oktoberfest will support the Education Foundation of Downers Grove District 58’s programs for District 58 students and staff. Learn more about the Education Foundation at www.58foundation.org.

Throughout the year, our sixth graders will be learning about and practicing various character traits. Students will learn how each trait looks and sounds, they will discuss various ways that they can practice the trait during the day, and they will identify the trait within the literature that they read. When the focus on each trait concludes, two students will be identified as having exhibited it in a consistent manner.

The first trait that was in focus this year was responsibility, and our Responsibility Rockstars were Janylah and Martin. Way to go!

District 58 invites parents and guardians to sign up for fall 2024 parent-teacher conferences using the online PowerPTC conference signup system starting Tuesday, Sept. 24 at 11 a.m. via www.PowerPTC.net.

The sign-up window will close Friday, Oct. 4 at 11 a.m.

Parent-teacher conferences will be held in person. However, families who require a remote option should schedule their conference in PowerPTC and then change the meeting type from “in person” to “video conference.”

Conferences will take place on the evenings of Tuesday, Oct. 8 and Thursday, Oct. 10.

Please view the parent-teacher conference signup guide (para Español: Registro para las reuniones de padres y maestros) to learn how to sign up for a conference using the system, along with other helpful information.

District 58's administrative offices are moving to the new Downers Grove Civic Center, effective Monday, Sept. 30. Our new address is:

Downers Grove Grade School District 58

850 Curtiss Street, Suite 200

Downers Grove, IL 60515

Business hours will continue to be 7:30 a.m.-4 p.m.

Please note: The District 58 Office will be closed on Thursday, Sept. 26 and Friday, Sept. 27 to transition staff and operations to the new location. District Office staff members will still be available by email on these days.

This year's school picture day went really smoothly, and the students looked great. The pictures will be coming in soon, and we will be having a make-up/re-take day on Monday, October 28.

Mrs. Cardinal is ready to get things started for this year's Kindness Club. Kindness Club has been quite popular with our students over the past few years, and it gives students the opportunity to make our Belle Aire community even better by helping others through acts of kindness. More information and the form to register is included in the link below:

Kindness Club, 2024-2025

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.

To see the book lists and get more information about the games, go to the Reading Games Website.

If you have a team and would like to register, or if you have any questions, please contact Lindsay Richardson at lindsayrichardson11@gmail.com for next steps. Thank you!

Monday, September 23: Fire Drill; 2:00 Dismissal

Tuesday, September 24: Student Council Speech Assembly; Run/Walk Club (3:00 - 3:30 p.m.); PTA Meeting (6:00 p.m. at the school)

Wednesday, September 25: Fire Drill

Thursday, September 26: Kindness Club (Grs. 3-6, 3:00 - 3:30 p.m.)

Friday, September 27: PTA Fun Lunch (for those who ordered); All-School Assembly (students should wear their team color)

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October 14: No School

October 28: Picture Make-up/Re-take Day

2024 - 2025