Pierce Downer this Week

Pierce Downer Families,

The staff at our school will be utilizing The Zones of Regulation™ curriculum, commonly known as "The Zones." You may recall that this program was introduced in its pilot form last spring to our students. 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.

Reminder that Monday is a 2pm dismissal.

As always, please do not hesitate to reach to me with any questions. You can email me at LWagner@DG58.org or call the school office at 630-719-5860.

WE are PD-

Dr. Leland Wagner

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!

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.

While a student can bring their electronic device to school, all non-district-issued technologies are to be silenced and out of sight throughout the school day. Students are allowed to wear smartwatches, but they are to be silenced during the school day. The district-approved technology will be utilized for students to participate in lessons and complete assignments. Please be sure to go over the expectations with your students.

Our arrival and dismissal procedures will look similar to previous years, with some added structure to ensure a safe and orderly process going into the building. Our RISE, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd-grade students will have assigned lines by their entrance doors. You will know by your class identifiers listed below:

Acevedo and Barc: AB

Boyce: 1B

Breault: 1Br

Contreras: 2C

Haushahn: 2H

deBuhr: 3d

Murphy: 3M

Kindergarten will continue to go in through the front entrance, but will now line up on the side pathway. Mrs. Coyne's class will line up on the C-line and Mrs. Grisamore's class on the G-line.

Our 4th through 6th grade students will enter through the main entrance.

We create lifelong artists by teaching realistic drawing and artistic methods using professional materials and then connecting, through an open art studio format, to the most powerful force on earth, a child’s imagination.

Teaching is centered around a custom printed ArtCard written by Maureen. 15 minutes of technical drawing skills + 45 minute open art studio with high quality art supplies. We end with circle talk, where the children learn to talk about their artistic process.

Session is 10 weeks and will meet on Thursdays from 3pm - 4pm starting September 19th.

Register here: https://www.hisawyer.com/maureen-claffy-art/schedules/activity-set/963133

Join us for a 4 week program and train to gain confidence, respect, and self-control! Kids learn important character and life skills, all while having fun, getting a sweat on, and raising money for the PTA!

Session is 4 weeks and will meet on Tuesdays from 3pm - 4pm beginning September 10th and will be held outside weather permitting (will move to the gym if needed).

Register here: https://member-site.net/?EV--bbXwMw

Please visit these webpages as you prepare for the new school year!

* Back-to-school toolkit

* Family resources

* 2024-25 school supply lists

* 2024-25 calendar

* Immunization/health examination requirements

* Kindergarten resources

* Food services

Tuesday, August 27: Curriculum Night

Monday, September 2: No School, Labor Day

Monday, September 9: Board of Education Regular Meeting

Wednesday, September 11: Picture Day

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.

District 58 is pleased to continue using the Raptor Visitor Management System in all of our schools to strengthen our program of campus safety for students and faculty. Part of keeping students and faculty safe is knowing who is in our buildings at all times. The Raptor system will better allow us to screen visitors, contractors, and volunteers in our schools and provide us with a safer environment for our students and staff. Community High School District 99 currently utilizes the same platform on its campuses.

Upon entering a district building, 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 will check to ensure that registered sexual offenders are not entering our school campuses without our knowledge. 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 visit our schools simply to 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 the school safety protocols in our district.