Henry Puffer Post

Dear Henry Puffer Families,

We had a fantastic first day of school, and are thrilled to kick off the 2024-2025 school year! A heartfelt thank you goes out to our incredible Henry Puffer staff, who worked tirelessly this week to prepare our classrooms and instructional spaces in a shorter timeframe than usual. We’d also like to extend a special thank you to our dedicated custodians, Nancy, Lavander, and John, for their tremendous effort in getting our building ready for the new school year.

Additionally, we want to express our gratitude to the PTA for organizing a wonderful Ice Cream Social and Bicycle Rodeo event after our Meet and Greet. It was a great way to bring our community together and start the year on a fun note!

We’re looking forward to a great first full week of school ahead! Just a reminder, our school day ends at 2:00 p.m. every Monday. If you have any questions or need assistance, please don’t hesitate to reach out at 630-968-0294.

Thank you,

Mark Leipart
Principal, Henry Puffer School

Be sure to follow us on X @HenryPufferDG58.

Benchmark Testing begins this week (MAP & Aimsweb Plus)

8/19: Orange Monday - Wear your orange to school!

8/20: School Assembly - 4th-6th (8:30 a.m.)

8/20: School Assembly - kdg-3rd (2:25 p.m.)

8/21: Fire Evacuation Drill (9:00 a.m.)

8/23: School Spirit Friday - Wear your blue & white, or Puffer gear to school!

Benchmark Testing continues next week (MAP & AImsweb Plus)

8/27: Curriculum Night (6:00-7:30 p.m.)

9/2: Labor Day - No School

9/3: Grove Preschool Curriculum Night (6:00-7:30 p.m.)

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

9/13: Downers Grove Oktoberfest

9/14: Downers Grove Oktoberfest

9:27: Fun Lunch!

School Calendar 2023-24

• Tuesday 8/27 - Henry Puffer Curriculum Night (6:00-7:30)

• Tuesday 9/3 - Grove Preschool @ HP Curriculum Night (6:00-7:30)

• Thursday 9/13 - Gifted Curriculum Night (6:00-7:00 p.m.)

Fall MAP benchmark testing begins this week. This is an exciting opportunity for our students to demonstrate their knowledge, as well as for us to collect data to inform our instruction and plan for the school year. Our message for the test is the same message as any other day: get a good night sleep, eat healthy breakfast, and try your best!

The District 58 Instrumental Music teachers are excited to launch a new school year in BAND and ORCHESTRA and begin making music together again soon! We look forward to seeing returning students and also are thrilled to continue our work with the over 300 beginner instrumentalists who started their musical journey during our summer jumpstart program!

In-school lessons will be starting at each elementary school the week of Sep. 3rd. Once we have established this routine, students will also participate in weekly after-school rehearsals to prepare for their concerts! Please watch for an email from your student’s orchestra or band teacher with details about lesson and rehearsal schedules. Click here to meet your band and orchestra teachers - we look forward to seeing you soon!

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.

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

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.

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.

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)

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.

We wanted to remind everyone that while a student may bring their electronic device (including cell phones and AirPods) to school, all non-district-issued technologies are to be silenced and out of sight throughout the school day. Students may wear smartwatches, but they are to be silenced during the entire school day, including lunch & recess. The district-provided technology will be utilized for students to participate in lessons and complete assignments. Please be sure to go over the expectations with your student as the policy was recently amended by our school board.

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!

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.

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

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.

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.