The District 58 Education Foundation is pleased to present a parent education night entitled "Digital Citizenship: How to Create a Positive Digital Culture for 6th- 8th Grade Students" on Thursday, February 13 from 7-8 p.m. at Herrick Middle School, 4435 Middaugh Ave. The event is open to all interested District 58 parents.  

While technology continues to evolve, the need to instill and reinforce the concepts of digital citizenship remain constant. This session will emphasize the need for creating a positive digital culture within your household and community, while highlighting current trends and digital platforms.  

Melissa Hemzacek, MSW, an internet safety specialist from the Illinois Attorney General's Office - High Tech Crimes Bureau, will discuss, among other things: 

• Digital citizenship
• Self-representation
• Cyberbullying
• Online predation

The workshop will also highlight available resources that will assist parents in facilitating conversations with their children about digital safety.  

Capacity is limited to 300 people.    

Click here to register for this free event.  

Downers Grove Children's Choirs renamed by students

The three Downers Grove Children's Choir ensembles -- previously known as Levels 1, 2 and 3 -- have catchy new names, thanks to some very creative students! The DGCC hosted a "name the choir" contest in the fall. From the suggestions shared through the Google Form, members voted on the names they liked most. The three winners were recognized at the Winter Concert Jan. 15 at O'Neill, and each received an iTunes gift card. 

The new choir names and their submitters are as follows:

• The Mini-Melodies Chorus (formerly Level 1, beginning 4th grade choir), submitted by Amelia Chavez, Whittier sixth grade 
• The Second Measure Chorus (formerly Level 2, 5th-6th grade), submitted by Diana Kwak, Fairmount fifth grade
• The Final Forte Choir (formerly Level 3, 6th grade/second and third year members), submitted by Grace Osterman, Whittier sixth grade

El Sierra participates in Jingle Jeans fundraiser, letter-writing campaign for Make-a-Wish project  

El Sierra staff enjoyed raising money for a good cause last month. Teachers were invited to participate in Jingle Jeans, where during most of December they could wear jeans for $1 a day. Staff raised $260 for the tornado victims of Washington, Ill. The donation was made through the McCormick Foundation, whose 50 percent matching grant resulted in $390 being donated by El Sierra. 

  

In addition, El Sierra K-6 students took part in the Macy's Make-a-Wish project again this year, writing a total of 292 letters that were dropped off at Macy's.  Each letter translated to $1 donated to the Make-a-Wish Foundation by Macy's. What a difference the students made!

Herrick students perform readers theater version of 'Midsummer Night's Dream'

Last month, students in Megan Winthrop's language arts/reading class at Herrick Middle School were transformed into the various characters of Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream," when the class staged an abridged readers theater production of the play. Winthrop said the activity is designed to provide a fun introduction to the time period in which the play was written, and prepare the students to encounter Shakespeare in high school. Students who wanted to participate chose their role out of a hat. 

 

Hillcrest students create 'dream team', hear from statisticians

As an extension project, two fifth-graders in Jo Fiene's class at Hillcrest School recently analyzed basketball stats in the NBA and in the NCAA and created a "dream team."  

"We then tweeted out to sports statisticians for feedback and have actually heard from two people -- one of whom works for ESPN!" said instructional coach Kristen Olsen, who worked with them on the project. 

Puffer third-graders take to Twitter to ask questions of 'Abraham Lincoln'

Students in Andrew Kupisch's third grade class at Henry Puffer School recently learned about Abraham Lincoln's life in a truly unique way: by "asking" him questions on Twitter and receiving real-time replies.  

 

Kupisch arranged to have his students "chat" several times over the course of about a week and a half with a Lincoln enthusiast and historian, who answered questions as Abraham Lincoln himself may well have done.

  

Click here for the full story!  

Herrick jazz band students got the chance Jan. 10 to perform at Downers Grove North High School's Jazz Cafe, which gives jazz musicians an opportunity to play in a family-friendly "club" atmosphere. The North cafeteria is transformed for the evening into a jazz club complete with music, candlelit tables, refreshments and fun.

Each year the high school invites a professional jazz musician to sit in with their top group as a featured artist for the evening, and the bands from Herrick and from Jefferson Junior High are invited to "play a set" on the same bill with the high school students. All donations collected that evening are given to charity.  

"It's a great program for all lucky enough to perform or just attend and enjoy," said Herrick band director Jon Ball.  

Click here to check out more photos from the event!  

Students in Jennifer Wozney Susmarski's second-grade class at Fairmount School participated in a tasty writing activity last month. The students built and decorated gingerbread houses, then spent several days writing descriptive pieces about their creations, as well as procedural pieces about how they put their house together. The hardest part, according to the students? Waiting three days to eat them!