 Connections is focus of new D58 Language Arts curriculum
In today's global society, strong communication skills are more important than ever.
District 58's Language Arts committee spent two years translating research into best practice to develop the strongest possible program, which will be put in place for the 2010-11 school year.
Some features of the new writing curriculum will be teaching grammar and mechanics in the context of actual writing; writing throughout the curriculum; and promoting student ownership and responsibility by allowing them to select their own topics. For spelling, teachers will continue to use the Houghton Mifflin program, while emphasizing the application of correct spelling in the context of writing.
"The idea is that Language Arts needs to be taught in such a way that it guides students in making real-world connections," said MaryBeth Webeler, Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction.
Click here for the rest of the story.
Be sure to check out the next edition of our Bridges community newsletter, which is being mailed out in the next few weeks, for a peek at one of our writing lessons! |
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D58 schools raise funds for Haitian earthquake victims
Countries around the world rallied around Haiti following the devastating Jan. 12 earthqua ke, and students in District 58 used their heads to help--raising more than $12,000 for relief efforts in the process.
All District 58 schools participated in Hats for Haiti, in which students paid $1 for the right to wear a hat to school for a day; the money raised was donated to the American Red Cross for humanitarian aid efforts in Haiti.
Schools throughout District 58 also organized a variety of other fundraising activities to help with relief efforts. These included a Penny Harvest and PJ Day at Lester; "permission to wear blue jeans" week at Fairmount; Penny Wars at Henry Puffer; and a coin collection competition led by the Environmental Club at Kingsley, in which the winning class got a rain barrel purchased in their name for the school. The Care and Share Club at Belle Aire held a fundraiser in which students were sponsored by family and friends to hop, skip, dance and jump to raise money for Haiti.
All told, District 58 raised a total of $12,295 for relief efforts in Haiti.
Click here for a photo gallery of just a few of the many wonderful hats!
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District 58 nets favorable interest rate on Life Safety bond issue
District 58 issued $10 million in Life Safety bonds on Jan. 27 to pay for six school roof replacements, as well as approximately $1.6 million in other projects throughout the district. The district closed on the sale Feb. 1, with an average true interest cost of 2.58 percent annually over the next 10 years.
The district also issued another $2.8 million in General Obligation Bonds to refinance the remainder of an existing bond issued in 2001. These bonds carry an average true interest rate of 0.78 percent annually over two years.
District 58 has structured these bond issuances such that the district's annual debt service payments will remain at $1.2 million. This means District 58 taxpayers will not see an increase in their tax bills because of the bond sale.
Approximately $2 million of the Life Safety bond proceeds will be used to reimburse the district's fund balances, out of which it loaned money to pay for this past summer's roof replacements at O'Neill Middle School and Indian Trail School, as well as playground replacements at Whittier School. The bonds will also pay for roof replacements at Kingsley, El Sierra, Belle Aire and Henry Puffer schools, as well as about $1.6 million in other projects, including replacements of chimneys and light poles.
Click here to check out District 58's Roof Work FAQ, which discusses, among other things, how this bond issuance fits in with District 58's overall capital improvement and maintenance plans.
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Young scientists show their chops at D58 science fair
More than 750 budding young scientists participated in the 29th annual District 58 Science Fair, completing a total of 513 projects that were on display at O'Neill Middle School Jan. 23.
The building was pa cked with students eagerly answering questions and discussing their experiments with the judges, which included high school students, parents, staff members, professional scientists and representatives from Downers Grove Friends of the Gifted (FRoG), which co-sponsors the fair. More than 200 judges assisted this year.
Max Morlock, a sixth-grader at Hillcrest, and his brother William, a Hillcrest third-grader, told judges Meghan MacDonald and Robert Erck that their family goes camping often. That sparked the idea for their experiment, in which they tested five brands of batteries for longevity.
"So this is something that you can actually use, going forward--that's great," Erck said.
Click here for the rest of the story! |
District 58 to host second annual Family Fitness Night
Come try your hand at a class, check out fitness- and nutrition-related offerings from local stores and businesses, and hear from a dynamic speaker, all in one night!
District 58, in cooperation with a number of community agencies and businesses, will host its second annual free Family Fit Fair from 6-8:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 24, at O'Neill Middle School, 635 59th St.
A guest speaker is scheduled to discuss children's fitness/nutrition at 7 p.m. For more information, e-mail mfrench@dg58.org or pbrown@dg58.org. |
Nominate District 58 teachers, staff members for awards
Education Foundation Distinguished Service Award
Is there a staff member in District 58 who goes above and beyond in making students' educational experience the best it can be? Please consider nominating that individual for the District 58 Education Foundation's 2009-10 Distinguished Service Award!
Anyone who is on staff at District 58 is eligible, including teachers, principals, secretaries, custodians, aides, social workers/counselors, and employees at D58's central office and Longfellow Center. Applications will be available in early February at the central office, at the schools and on the Applications page on the Foundation's Web site. Nominations are due to Jennie Waldorf in the ASC no later than Friday, March 5. All nominees will be honored at a ceremony in April.
Downers Grove Junior Woman's Club Outstanding Teacher Award
The Downers Grove Junior Woman's Club is sponsoring the 19th annual Outstanding Teacher Award to recognize teachers in Downers Grove area schools. A student must write an essay (60 words for K-3, 100 words for grades 4-8) describing the teacher and what makes him or her special. The essay does not have to be about the child's current teacher.
Students with winning entries will honor the teacher they nominated with a plaque courtesy of the DGJWC on Tuesday, March 23. Entries must be postmarked by Friday, Feb. 26. Send them to bholloway14@comcast.net, or mail them to DGJWC, Attn: Barbara Holloway, 6630 St. James Court, Downers Grove, IL, 60516. Visit the Junior Woman's Club's Web site, www.dgjwc.org, or e-mail Barbara Holloway for an entry form. |
 Seminar series creator presents to D58 parents
To help Spanish-speaking parents get involved in their childrens' education, District 58 hosted a seminar series this school year entitled "Navigating the American Educational System."
The final session was Jan. 19 at El Sierra--and rather than watching the final video featuring Dr. Lourdes Ferrer, who developed the series for the DuPage Regional Office of Education, parents were able to hear from her in person. The Downers Grove South Caribbean Soul Dance Troupe also performed.
"The goal of these video seminars
was to inform and empower parents with the information and tools needed
to support their children's educational success," said Cindy Szwed, El
Sierra's English Language Learner teacher, who wrote the grant
application for District 58. "District 58 wants to help ensure the
success of all children, and we believe these seminars are one way of
reaching families who are new to our educational system."
The series was conducted entirely in Spanish, and was funded in District 58 by a grant from the District 58 Education Foundation. Staff members involved in the program were Szwed, Susan Barker, Ruta Koncius, Traci Leach, Yolanda Herrera and Elizabeth House; El Sierra Principal Lucille Carney; and Henry Puffer Principal Todd McDaniel.
The seminars included videos of Dr. Ferrer explaining the importance of reading and parental involvement, and discussing how parents can help at home and establish a positive connection with their child's school. Dr. Ferrer's presentation Jan. 19 addressed the difficulties students face, as well as the perspectives and actions parents must take to help promote their childrens' success. |
Open enrollment to begin next week for District 58's Grove Children's preschool
Applications for enrollment in the tuition-based Grove Children's Preschool program for the 2010-11 school year are now available at all District 58 schools.
Applications were accepted from returning students Feb. 1-5, and from siblings of students Feb. 8-12. Open enrollment begins Feb. 16. For specific registration information and tuition costs, call (630) 968-0454.
Click here for more information and/or to watch an Education Foundation-sponsored video on Grove Children's Preschool. |
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Tickets selling out quickly for Bacon Brothers concert
Tickets are selling quickly for the District 58 Education Foundation's 2010 Entertainment for Education fundraiser featuring the Bacon Brothers...have you gotten yours yet?
The Bacon Brothers, a folk and blues duo featuring a ctor Kevin Bacon and his brother Michael, a professional musician, will take the stage at the Tivoli Saturday, March 27. Doors open at 6:30 p.m., and the show begins at 8.
The $100 VIP tickets and $75 second-tier tickets are sold out, but there are still $50 tickets remaining. Tickets are available on the Foundation's Web site, www.dg58ef.com; at the District 58 office, 1860 63rd St.; at Community Bank of Downers Grove, 1111 Warren Ave. and 718 Ogden Ave.; or by calling (630) 886-5641.
The Tobias Music Guitar Lessons program in Downers Grove is sponsoring a raffle for an electric guitar, and ticket-holders also will receive 20 percent off any food purchase at participating downtown Downers Grove restaurants. More information is available by calling (630) 960-0427 or visiting the Foundation's Web site, www.dg58ef.com. |
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Communicate
58 is a periodic, subscriber-based e-newsletter published by the
Downers Grove Grade School District 58 Office of Community Relations.
It is designed to offer our district community a convenient way to stay
informed about what's happening in the
district.
Please send questions, comments and feedback to Jennifer
Waldorf, Coordinator of Communications, at jwaldorf@dg58.org.
Do you know someone who would like to receive Communicate 58? Please encourage them to visit www.dg58.org to sign up--and please pass this e-mail along to anyone who might be interested in the information.
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Notification procedures for weather-related closings
In the event of hazardous weather, the Superintendent of Schools may deem it necessary to close school.
District 58 utilizes an automated calling
system to alert parents of school closings. Should a ConnectED
subscriber miss a message, they can call 1-877-737-5291
(1-877-REPLAY-1) to hear it.
To continue reading, please click here.
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What's on our Web site?
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On District 58's Web site, parents and the community can find important news and documents, as well as get a glimpse into our schools and classrooms through feature stories and photo galleries.
Here are just a few of the items you can find online at www.dg58.org.
Board briefs
Tax levy 101
Standards-based report card information
Roof work plan FAQ
Photo galleries
Featured headlines
Education Foundation information
Technology integration plan
Strategic plan
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District 58 e-flyers
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Click here to view the latest postings on District 58's e-flyer page!
New postings include:
HGNA Chick Chat
Kingsley and Indian Trail re-sale events
DG Junior Woman's Club Teacher of the Year contest
Benedictine spring break soccer camp
DOLLS softball registration
Midwest Ballet Theater's Peter Pan
YMCA Youth Super Fun Days
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Dates to remember
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Feb. 15--NO SCHOOL (Presidents Day)
Feb. 22--Curriculum Workshop, 7 p.m., Longfellow Center
Feb. 23--Policy Committee, 7 a.m., ASC
Feb. 24--Legislative Committee, 3:45 p.m., ASC
Feb. 26--NO SCHOOL--Teacher Institute Day
March 1--NO SCHOOL--Casimir Pulaski Day
March 2--Financial Advisory Committee, 7 a.m., ASC
March 8--Board of Education meeting, 7 p.m., Longfellow
Click here for the full 2009-10 District 58 calendar, including institute days and holidays.
Click here for the 2009-10 Board of Education calendar.
Please note: the 2010-11 calendar will be posted on the District 58 Web site after it is approved by the board in March.
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New law prohibits cell phone use in school zones
Please note that a new law that became effective on Jan. 1, 2010, prohibits cell phone use while driving in school zones. According to the new law: "A person, regardless of age, may not use a wireless telephone at any time while operating a motor vehicle on a roadway in a school speed zone."
For more information, visit www.drivinglaws.org/ill.php. |
District 58 on Twitter
As part of ongoing efforts to communicate with parents and the community in a variety of ways, D58 has joined the world of Twitter!
Keep up with the latest news from District 58, its schools and the Education Foundation by going to www.twitter.com/DGDistrict58, or by signing up for your own account and requesting to follow DGDistrict58. You can also click on the link below.
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