Bulldog Paw Prints

We had a very nice Veteran's Day at school on Monday, and students experienced a variety of activities throughout the building. It was a day filled with recognition, and we all know that it is our veterans' service and sacrifice that has kept our country safe and free. Thank you to all of our veterans and to their families!

No matter which branch they served in, whatever their job path or how many years were served, raising their hands and committing themselves to service in the military was a brave and selfless act--one that resulted in few guarantees of where they would be assigned, whether and where they might deploy, and, in some cases, if they would return home in one piece—or at all. They accepted the unknowns and the risks. We are all grateful for their service and for those who continue to serve today.

Each month, the Board invites a different District 58 school to provide a spotlight at their monthly meeting, and our school was invited to do that this past Monday.

Mrs. O'Hearn and Ms. Weist introduced our student council. Our council officers (Kenny, Elin, Evie, Kylee and Ricky) led the Pledge of Allegiance, reviewed past events, and highlighted future activities like spirit days, whole-school projects and fundraisers.

Mrs. Crowler and Mrs. Marrera represented our PTA. Highlights included that 86% of our families are PTA members (a silver status award recognition resulted due to that high percentage), that 114 volunteers supported PTA efforts during the past year, and identified fundraising efforts and a review of the PTA's funding priorities.

I took some time to review student performance and work that is being done with our school improvement plan. Our fall benchmark data shows that we reached our expected growth in both reading and math. As we dig deeper into each grade level, we find that we continue to be a high-achieving school. We continue to refine our work to help students meet expected growth from one benchmarking period to the next.

IAR data is equally strong. The Illinois Assessment of Readiness is the state assessment that is administered beginning in third grade. 75% of our students met or exceeded expectations in both reading and math. The state also takes a close look at reading proficiency with the third grade data. This is a critical year and can predict the success of students on their entire education careers. If a child has not learned to read by the end of third grade, that child is likely to struggle throughout his/her education. That’s because fourth grade is when students move from learning to read to reading as their main method of learning. 2023 IAR results show that Belle Aire third graders had the fouth-highest level of reading proficiency in the state.

Thank you to everyone who presented at the Board meeting and to all of those who attended. I continue to be so proud of our community of leaders, all of the work our staff does, the dedication of our students and the partnerships we have with all of you.

*The week of Nov. 18 is celebrated as American Education Week. While we celebrate all aspects of our public school community during this week, three groups (IAs, nurses and secretaries) are recognized during this week. Wednesday, Nov. 20 is Educational Support Personnel Day. Sometimes also known as school support staff, these men and women are essential to our schools and our students daily both in Downers Grove and across the country. District 58 is home to nearly 175 secretaries, instructional assistants and registered nurses. We are so incredibly grateful to each one of them.

*Books Before The Bell:

PTA and I are excited to offer an in-school reading opportunity again this year. As part of National Education Week, we will be hosting Books Before the Bell this coming Friday, November 22, from 8:00 - 8:15 a.m. Interested families can come to the school starting at 7:55 a.m. and head to your child's classroom to do some reading together. It will be a great opportunity to be in the same environment where your child spends a lot of time each day, to connect with other families, and to enjoy some reading. We hope you can make it!

Please park in designated parking spots only or facing Ogden Ave on Belle Aire Ln (not on the perimeter of the parking lot or on the east side of Belle Aire Ln, which would have you facing the school). We need to keep the street and parking lot functioning for the school buses and typcial morning drop-off procedures.

Moving forward, District 58 schools will share student report cards with families by posting them in the PowerSchool Parent Portal. Trimester 1 report cards will be posted and available on Friday, Nov. 22. Please look for instructions for viewing report cards in the Nov. 20 edition of Communicate 58.

The Grove Express Foundation invites the District 58 community to join the annual Grove Express 5K family run/walk event on Thanksgiving morning, Thursday, Nov. 28, in downtown Downers Grove.

Since the Grove Express Foundation was established in 2021, it has proudly supported the Education Foundation of Downers Grove District 58, the Rotary Club of Downers Grove, the Roadrunners Soccer Club, and its own scholarship program. Event proceeds will be invested in the Downers Grove community through education and youth programs, including in District 58.

Learn more and sign up.

PTA will be hosting an additional, bonus fun lunch in December. This one will be through Culver's! More information and the order forms are in the works, but I wanted to push the ingredients/nutritional information your way early as you consider this for your children. Stay tuned for the details.

Menu Items

Oreos as an alternate dessert option

Disclaimer from the restaurant guide:

Culver's restaurants are often busy and cross contact may occur between ingredients and between different menu items, including allergens, thus if you have any food allergies it is important that you are aware of the ingredients listed in all menu items.

Another order option for spiritwear is open, and it includes some items for our colder seasons. Please use the link to see the details.

Monday, November 18: 2:00 Dismissal

Tuesday, November 19: Lunchtime Book Club (Gr. 4); All-School Meeting (wear team colors); PTA STEAM Club; PTA Meeting (7:00 p.m. at the school)

Wednesday, November 20: Lunchtime Book Club (Group 3B)

Thursday, November 21: Lunchtime Book Club (Group 3A)

Friday, November 22: Books Before The Bell (8:00 - 8:15 a.m.); Report Cards Posted in PowerSchool

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November 27-29: NO SCHOOL

I've attached an additional copy of this year's calendar:

2024 - 2025