Bobcat Bulletin

El Sierra School provides all students with a challenging and differentiated education in a safe, nurturing, respectful, diverse, and collaborative school environment.

El Sierra Families,

Thank you for your flexibility this week with e-learning on Wednesday. We appreciate your support and efforts to help make that experience a positive one for our students. I was pleased to see so many of our students in each e-learning classroom!

Please note that our Family Math Night has been moved to Thursday, March 6th. The flyer in this newsletter has been updated. We hope that you will be able to attend this fun event!

I want to remind everyone that there is no school on this Monday (February 17th) in honor of Presidents' Day. Please also note that there is no school on Friday, February 28th due to the DuPage County Teacher Inservice Day.

Thank you!

Jason Lynde, El Sierra Principal

Our PTA provided a very engaging science assembly for our entire school on Friday, February 14th! The focus of the assembly was weather (lightning, thunder, hail, clouds, and tornados). Please talk with your children about the assembly to find our what their favorite part was. Topics like weather can also be scary, especially tornadoes, so please take a minute to talk with your children about ways your family stays safe during severe weather. We will be practicing our severe weather drills at El Sierra in March. Please click on the photo for the video link of a cloud that was made at the assembly!

Student registration for the 2025-26 school year is now open! We invite families to register their student(s) using the District PowerSchool Enrollment system. Please complete registration by Monday, March 31. We encourage families to register their student(s) in a timely manner, as early registration helps the District determine its hiring, staffing, classroom and transportation needs for the upcoming school year. Log on to your PowerSchool account. (If you are new and need to create a PowerSchool account, click here for instructions.)

See Megan Hewitt’s Feb. 4 email for details, or visit www.dg58.org/registration.

Will your child attend kindergarten at El Sierra next school year? Or do you have a friend or neighbor whose child will? Here are four steps to prepare!

1. If we don’t already know that you have an incoming kindergartner, contact the El Sierra office at 630-179-5825 or shutchison@dg58.org or emcintosh@dg58.org and let us know! We will add you to any school-specific kindergarten contact lists.

2. Attend Kindergarten Roundup at El Sierraon March 12 at 6:30 pm. Kindergarten Roundup gives parents and guardians the opportunity to visit their child’s future school, meet the principal and staff, and ask questions.

3. Visit our Kindergarten Resource webpage for kindergarten resources and helpful information.

4. Attend Kindergarten Dual Language Information Night. Learn more about the Dual Language Program below!

2/17 - No School (Presidents' Day)

2/19 - PTA Restaurant Fundraiser at Culver's in Darien 4:00-8:00 pm (See flyer below)

-- BPAC Mtg at 6pm

2/21 - End of 2nd Trimester

2/26- Dual Language Info Night at 6:30 pm

2/28 - No School (Inservice Day)

3/6 - Family Math Night at 6:30 pm (Rescheduled from 2/12)

3/7 - Report Cards Sent Home

3/11 - PTA Meeting at 6:30 pm

3/12 - Kindergarten Roundup at 6:30 pm

3/14 - Fun Lunch

3/18 - IAR (State Testing for 3rd - 6th Graders) Testing Begins

3/31 - 4-4 - Spring Break

Please join the PTA on Wednesday, February 19th from 4:00-8:00 at the Culver's in Darien. Grab a sweet dessert or a dinner on the go and 15% of your order will go back to the PTA! As always, we appreciate your support and hope to see other friendly El Sierra faces there! See the flier for more details and don't forget to mention the fundraiser at check out.

Incoming kindergarten families are invited to an informational meeting regarding District 58’s Dual Language Program on Wednesday, Feb. 26 from 6:30-7:30 p.m. at El Sierra School, 6835 Fairmount Drive. The meeting will be in both English and Spanish. It is intended specifically for parents and guardians of incoming kindergarteners for the 2025-26 school year.

Learn about:

• Understand the benefits of dual language learning.

• Learn more about District 58’s bilingual learning model and how to participate.

• Meet some of the dual language teachers and staff. Get answers to your questions.

• Learn how to enroll.

District 58’s Dual Language Program opens up a world of opportunities for young learners. We welcome your child to join this journey! To learn more, visit our Dual Language Program webpage.

Please see the flyer below, and use these links to sign up for this program:

March Session link: Bricks 4 Kidz

April/May Session link: Bricks 4 Kidz

As part of our new Student Library Card Program, District 58 invited families to sign up their child to receive a free library card during school registration last year. The Downers Grove Public Library recently finished preparing the library cards and delivered them to District 58 schools. Library cards will be given out by their classroom teachers.

Students who signed up and already have a library card will receive an envelope with information about the program. In addition, participating students who live in Woodridge should have received their library card by mail last month. Library cards may not yet be ready for students who transferred to District 58 mid-school year. If you did not sign up your child for a library card but would like one, please contact the school office. We will partner with the library for a second issuance of library cards later this year.

Learn more about the Student Library Card Program.

After winter break, District 58's elementary schools will join the National School Lunch Program and partner with a new elementary food service provider, Open Kitchens.

To help with the transition, District 58 will automatically provide meals to all students who currently receive boxed lunches during the week of Jan. 6. Families do not need to pre-order meals for this week.

Starting with the week of Jan. 13, all families who would like their child to receive a boxed lunch will be required to pre-order it online through the MyMealOrder system. Lunch orders for the week of Jan. 13 are due on Monday, Jan. 6 at the end of the day.

Click here to learn more information about ordering elementary boxed lunches.

If your family has moved in the past year, or if your student’s address information has changed in any way, please contact Ms. Hutchison at shutchison@dg58.org or call 630-719-5825 and provide your updated information prior to winter break. In addition, if you rent a property, please make sure that El Sierra has a copy of your most recent lease. You may email a copy of your lease to shutchison@dg58.org or drop off a copy at our school office.

District 58 will open 2025-26 student registration in February 2025. As part of the student registration process, District 58 works with a third-party vendor to verify that all students live within the District’s boundaries. After winter break, District 58 will begin the student address verification process. By starting this process earlier, we hope student registration will go more smoothly and more efficiently.

If our third-party vendor, Thomson Reuters CLEAR, cannot confirm that a student lives at their registered address, they will flag that student. District 58 will contact the student’s family and request additional documentation to confirm their address. A family will not be able to register their student for the 2025-26 school year until their residency is confirmed.

Keeping your child’s address information up-to-date will help make the registration process go more smoothly and ensure your child’s registration is completed without delay. Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter! District 58 will share more information about 2025-26 student registration after winter break.

Please feel free to use this Google Form to report your child's absence. This form is also linked on our website near our Weekly Newsletter link at the bottom of the page.

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.

Kindergarten (Perez) - Door 9

Kindergarten (Smith)- Door 10

1st Grade (Lopez, Meyers, Wyatt) - Door 8

2nd Grade (Hietpas & Sinnes) - Door 9

Dual Language 2nd (DeLeon) - Door 2

3rd Grade (Bennett & Claver) - Door 2

Dual Language 3rd & 4th - Door 2 for 3rd Grade & Door 5 for 4th Grade

4th Grade (Clinnin & Iaquinto) - Door 5

5th Grade (Incrocci & Rohlfing) - Door 4

Dual Language 5th & 6th (Blanco) - Door 4 for 5th Grade & Door 3 for 6th Grade

6th Grade (Echevarria & Scanlon) - Door 3

8:15am - 2:00pm (Kindergarten - 6th Grade) on Mondays

8:15am - 3:00pm (Kindergarten - 6th Grade) on Tuesdays - Fridays

Dear District 58 Families,

If your child is a bus rider, you may now access 2024-25 general education bus routes online at www.dg58.org/family-resources/bus-routes or on your PowerSchool parent account (instructions are on the bus route webpage). Families whose children use specialized bus routes will be directly contacted by the bus company/bus driver with their bus pickup and dropoff information starting Monday, Aug. 12.

Taking the bus is an exciting time for students, and we have worked hard to ensure our students are on a bus route and ready to go. However, there may be some students who recently registered or who did not select transportation during enrollment that may not have a bus stop assigned to them. We are working to update our records. If you signed up for general education bus service and your child’s bus stop is either missing or inaccurate on PowerSchool, please do two things:

1. Look at your school’s bus routes and determine the closest stop to your house. Your child should use that stop and will be allowed on the bus.

2. Please email or call your school office and let them know. We will be working with the bus company to update PowerSchool student accounts with the correct bus route and stop.

If your child rides on a specialized bus route and you don’t receive a call from the bus company or bus driver by Wednesday, Aug. 14 by 3 p.m., please contact your case manager or Special Services Secretary Amy Dunbar at adunbar@dg58.org or 630-719-5824.

District 58 requests that students please arrive at their bus stops a few minutes early during the first weeks of school. As bus drivers get acquainted with new routes, it is likely that some routes may run early or late, and we may adjust bus stop times as needed. Any student who arrives late due to a delayed bus will be excused. We appreciate your patience and flexibility!

Sincerely,

District 58

Students may arrive at El Sierra 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.

Following daily dismissal at El Sierra 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 the family's discretion, as our district playgrounds also function as community parks outside of school hours.

8:05 a.m. Student Arrival (Staff Supervision Begins at 8:05 a.m.)

• Parents who drive their child(ren) to school will follow normal drop-off/pick up procedures (See map below for traffic patterns)

• We will have a crossing guard at the 3rd-6th drop-off on Fairmount Avenue

• Please use the drop-off on Fairmount Ave. for grades 3rd-6th (See map below for traffic pattern)

• Please use the drop-off on Parkview Ave. for grades Kdg - 2nd (See map below for traffic pattern) & be aware that there is NO PARKING between the drop-off location & the first residential driveway
  

• IT IS ILLEGAL TO TURN LEFT FROM FAIRMOUNT AVE ONTO PARKVIEW AVENUE. A SIGN IS POSTED.

• Families with children in multiple grades can choose either drop-off location (See map below for traffic pattern)

• Students who ride the bus, walk, utilize daycare vans, or get dropped off will walk straight to their designated entry door and line up with their classmates until staff open entry doors for students to enter their classroom.

• Families who want to drive and then park to walk their child to school should park on 68th Street near the soccer fields and use the asphalt walkway by the playground.

• There is no parking in the school parking lot for families.

• Students should arrive no earlier than 8:05 am because staff supervision begins at that time

• Our playground, fields, and blacktop areas will not be used before school.

3:00 p.m. Student Dismissal

• Walkers will exit their classrooms through the door they entered the building in the morning

• We will have a crossing guard at the 3rd-6th grade pick-up on Fairmount Ave.

• Please use the pick-up area on Fairmount Ave. for grades 3rd-6th (See map below for traffic pattern)

• Please use the pick-up area on Parkview Ave. for grades Kdg - 2nd (See map below for traffic pattern)

• Families with children in multiple grades can choose either pick-up location (See map below for traffic pattern)

• For everyone's safety, we ask that families do NOT turn onto Parkview Ave. from Fairmount Ave. (Instead, drive down to Claremont Ave and turn onto Parkview... See map below for traffic pattern)

• Primary teachers will stay with their students until their family member picks them up/makes eye contact/hand waive to release the student

• Bus riders will line up in the designated areas in their correct bus line (two lines on the primary side and two lines on the intermediate side)

• Daycare students will line up in the gym in their designated areas and will be escorted to their daycare vans in the front of the building by El Sierra staff members

• Dual Language students using Kids Cab will line up in the gym in their designated areas, and then be escorted out the front doors to the Kids Cab vans by El Sierra staff

• El Sierra staff members will supervise each area

• Please alert the El Sierra Office (630-719-5825) if your child will go home differently than normal (i.e. a grandparent is picking up/they are not taking the bus, or walking instead of getting picked up, etc. )

For families who drive their child(ren) to school, and then want to walk their child onto school grounds, we ask that you park on 68th Street by the soccer field, and use the asphalt path to walk to your child's designated area. By not parking on Fairmount Avenue and Parkview Avenue, we have a much safer drop-off and pick-up area. Please see the map below:

For all students, there is a 20-minute lunch period and a 20-minute recess period. These times occur between 11:20 a.m. and 12:40 p.m. Lunch will take place in the gym/cafeteria.

All students will have a 15-minute recess time and a healthy snack break during their school day.

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 District 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.

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, Stacie Davis (sdavis@dg58.org) or Amie Rickert (arickert@dg58.org) , would be happy to assist you in answering questions or connecting you with resources to complete this requirement.

Please be sure that the office staff at El Sierra has your family's emergency contact information. In the event of an emergency, it is best to have two contacts. Please contact our secretaries (Beth, emcintosh&dg58.org, or Sarah (shutchison@dg58.org) with this information.

District 58 annually provides students and families with the Schools of 58 Handbook for families (English) or (Spanish) . Please review this important handbook with your child, as it offers an overview of the District’s policies, procedures, resources and student expectations.

During the first full week of school, District 58 will send home a letter and receipt with your child. This handbook receipt asks parents/guardians to acknowledge that they and their child reviewed and understood the Schools of 58: A Handbook for Families. When you receive the handbook receipt, please sign it and return it either with your child or at Curriculum Night. Handbook receipts are due by El Sierra’s Curriculum Night on August 28th.

This year’s handbook is only available electronically. If you need a printed copy, please contact our school office, and they can print you a copy.

View the District 58 Calendar 2024-25 for important district dates, including breaks, holidays, parent-teacher conference days, and more.

Email: jlynde@dg58.org
Website: www.dg58.org/es
Location: 6835 Fairmount Avenue, Downers Grove, IL, USA
Phone: (630) 719-5825
Twitter: @PrincipalLynde