D58 board to review proposed budget in July
The Downers  Grove Grade School District 58 Board of Education is slated to approve the tentative 2010-11 budget at its July 12 meeting, after which the document will be posted for public review.
A budget workshop Monday, Aug. 23 will feature further discussion of the document. On September 13, the board will conduct a public hearing and adopt the final budget, which will guide spending for the 2010-11 fiscal year (July 1 to June 30).
For the full story on the board's initial review of the proposed spending plan, which includes approximately $2 million in cost-containment measures in response to the state's fiscal crisis and the current economic conditions, click here. |
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District 58 will move ahead with strategic plan process
The District 58 School Board voted May 10 to hire Linda Hanson, a consultant with School Exec Connect, to facilitate the district's strategic planning process.
Strategic planning is an opportunity for the community to provide input into District 58's future, and gain an understanding of where the district is headed. The process will involve engaging the community, most likely with a public workshop and surveys; creating a vision; and implementing that vision. The process will likely unfold over the next school year, with the district reaching out to a broad cross-section of stakeholders, including community members, staff, students and former students.
District 58's last strategic plan was adopted about 10 years ago. The plan encompasses a mission statement, strategic goals, a vision statement, quality standards and an action plan.
To view District 58's current strategic plan, visit www.dg58.org/boe/plan.htm. |
 Summer maintenance projects set
When school is out for summer, D58's maintenance staff kicks things into high gear to complete a variety of projects. The major projects planned for summer 2010 are:
--Roof replacements at Belle Aire, El Sierra and Kingsley --Chimney repair work at Henry Puffer, Herrick and Pierce Downer schools --Heating and ventilation work in Puffer's primary wing and Herrick's locker rooms --Outdoor security light pole work at 12 school buildings
--Asphalt repair at ASC, Fairmount, Henry Puffer, Highland, Lester and O'Neill --Asphalt sealcoating at Fairmount, Herrick and Whittier --Some ceiling replacement work at O'Neill Middle School |
 District 58 staffers, board member earn recognition from statewide organization
A number of District 58 staff members, as well as School Board President Elizabeth Davis, were honored May 7 by the Illinois chapter of the National School Public Relations Association for going above and beyond in service to students, families and community, and their support of public education. Receiving Awards of Merit during the breakfast at Meridian Banquets in Rolling Meadows were: - Dr. MaryBeth Webeler, Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction, in the Administrator category
- School Board President Elizabeth Davis in the School Board Member category
- El Sierra Principal Lucille Carney, Henry Puffer Principal Todd McDaniel, and English Language Learner teachers Ruta Koncius, Cindy Szwed, Traci Leach, Susan Barker and Elizabeth House in the Team category for their work in organizing the "Navigating the American Educational System" workshops for District 58's Spanish-speaking families
All were nominated by fellow District 58 staff members; entries were judged by a panel that included INSPRA board members and area superintendents. Click here for the full story. |
 DGEEA names Pat Brown Teacher of the Year
Every morning before class begins, students at Lester School stretch, run and skip for about a half-hour to get a jump-start--literally--on their day. The sessions, called Movin' in the Morning, are run by Lester and Highland School physical education teacher Pat Brown, who heard about a similar program in place in a Naperville school and thought it might benefit students in her building.
Brown's willingness to seek new ideas and new programs to better serve students has not gone unnoticed by her colleagues, who nominated
her for the Downers Grove Elementary Education Association's 2010 Teacher of the Year. Brown was chosen as the winner, and she was honored during a special reception May 17.
Click here for the full story!
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 District 58 honors retirees
District 58 recently bid a fond farewell to 20 retirees with a combined 446 years of service.
For the full list, including years of service, please click here! |
 Herrick Chamber Strings wins award at Marathon
Herrick Middle School's Chamber Strings pledged to raise at least $100 in sponsorships when they signed on to participate in the Music Marathon sponsored by Northwestern University last month--and the group learned May 10 that it did far more than that.
For the full story, please click here. |
 NASA astronaut pays visit to Whittier, Highland schools
Many children dream of one day traveling into space and living among the stars-and on May 12, students at Whittier and Highland schools got to meet a man who did just that.
NASA astronaut and Lombard native Daniel Tani paid a visit to both buildings that day to talk about his missions, and, to the students' delight, show a variety of photos and video clips of his time aboard the International Space Station.
For the full story, click here!
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El Sierra team demonstrates at TECH 2010
A team from El Sierra headed down to Springfield May 6 to share a multi-media presentation on their class' "I AM" writing project during TECH 2010.
Diane Claver's third-grade class first tackled writing "I AM" poems, then worked together to compile them into a multi-media presentation using Keynote software. Students Abby Casmere and Luke MacKinnon represented the class in Springfield.
For the full story, please click here. |
 Teen shares Tourette experience with O'Neill seventh graders
Although Highland Park High School
sophomore Ariel Small was diagnosed with
Tourette's Syndrome when he was just 6 years old, he has spent the past 10 years deciding who he is rather than letting his disease define him.
That was a powerful message for students in
O'Neill Middle School's seventh grade silver
cluster, who heard Small speak May 12 as part of their Disability Literature unit. The unit was launched three years ago with a grant from the District 58 Education Foundation.
Click here for the full story. |
 Pierce Downer honors Million Word Readers
What's black and white and read all over? Books--especially at Pierce Downer School this past year!
More than two dozen students in second through sixth grade logged at least one million words read through the Accelerated Reader program this school year, earning spots on the school's Wall of Fame.
Third-grader Teo Palubinskas read the most words, topping out at more than three million, while second-grader Kyle Johnson was the youngest Million Word Reader at Pierce Downer. Fifth-graders Emily Redpath and Michael Thompson each read two million words.
Other Pierce Downer students who logged at least one million words were third-grader William Fulton; fourth-graders Nicholas Arand, William Duellman and John Sandack; fifth-graders Kiera Baarstad, Adam Bandola, Julia Lockerby, Dillon ONeill, Joseph Ward, Evan McDonnell, Benjamin Greenblatt and Jack Scacco; and sixth-graders Stephen Bednar, Luke Goergen, Hannah Thompson, Margaret Schaub, Kelly Wallace, Liam Rowley, Madeline Ungari, Mary Clare Wall, Claire Santa Maria and Nathaniel Rapach.
Accelerated Reader is a software assessment used to monitor reading, and involves quizzes for each book read through the program. |
 Grove Children's Preschool focuses on needs of District 58's youngest learners
Water bottles, pudding cups and other recycled items were the paintbrushes, and newspapers were the canvas during a special Grove Children's Preschool Earth Day art project recently. The students used recycled materials for their art project, and while they worked, they discussed with their teacher other ways in which they try to be environmentally friendly.
Grove Children's Preschool uses an established, research-based curriculum to meet the educational and developmental needs of its students, who range in age from three to five years old. The preschool is a blended program, meaning tuition students and at-risk students are taught in the same classroom.
Although early childhood is facing some cuts in state funding, particularly for at-risk populations, Grove Children's Preschool staff are prepared to continue providing the same high-quality program that parents have come to expect. District 58 also is seeking alternate sources of funding, such as grants, to help bridge the gaps, said Terry Martin, Assistant Superintendent for Special Services.
For the full story, please click here.
For more information on Grove Children's Preschool, including registration information and tuition costs, call (630) 968-0454. An informational brochure and DVD are available at the ASC, 1860 63rd St., or online at www.dg58.org/preschool/preschool.htm. |
Student/parent resource network to host parent seminar
This fall the student/parent resource network, a collaborative project of organizations serving youth in DuPage County, will host a one-night presentation featuring nationally recognized youth culture expert and bestselling author Walt Mueller.
"A Step Ahead," set for Monday, Sept. 20 at the Tivoli Theatre in Downers Grove, is designed to equip parents to stay one step ahead of their children in the areas of music, media and internet exposure. The evening will include a presentation by Mueller, a Q&A session for parents, and an opportunity to connect with organizations in the community aimed at helping students and parents continue the dialogue in these areas.
Tickets will go on sale Monday, Aug. 2, at local merchants and online. Participating organizations in the student/parent resource network include Helping Girls Navigate Adolescence, Amplify Youth Development, Campus Life and Downers Grove Township. |
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Communicate
58 is a periodic, subscriber-based e-newsletter published by the
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Please send questions, comments and feedback to Jennifer
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