Let your word be heard!
Complete the school environment survey by Feb. 14
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Hundreds of students share discoveries at Science Fair 2015
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Siblings celebrate their achievements at the Science Fair Jan. 24.
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O'Neill Middle School swarmed with students, parents, grandparents, siblings and friends during the Science Fair on Saturday, Jan. 24.
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A first grader shows off his project to his younger brother.
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The hallways, gym and common spaces hummed with excitement and activity as students proudly showed off their
Science Fair experiments to their families.
Several middle school Science Fair projects qualified for the regional Science Fair as well. Congratulations to our middle school students who will advance to the next level!
Herrick students who qualified:
Mason Adams, Alex Karrow, Braden Moore, Nikita Lukhanin, Julia Paterek and Kate Sosnovsky
O'Neill students who qualified:
Brianna Backman, Giana Fallara, Korina Luco, Clare Quirin and Karin Schroeder
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Grove Children's Preschool registration opens this month
Preschool open house rescheduled to Feb. 9
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Grove preschoolers at play
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Due to the weather, Grove Children's Preschool has rescheduled its open house to Monday, Feb. 9 from 6-7 p.m. at Indian Trail School, 6235 Stonewall Ave. The open house will showcase preschoolers' work and provide prospective families with more information about the program. Grove Children's Preschool is a part of Downers Grove Grade School District 58.
Grove Children's Preschool will also open enrollment for the 2015-16 school year this month. Parents may enroll their incoming preschooler according to the below schedule:
- Registration for current/returning preschoolers begins Friday, Feb. 6
- Registration for siblings of current District 58 students begins Friday, Feb. 13
- Registration for new District 58 families begins Friday, Feb. 20
Enrollment is open to all District 58 children who will be 3 years old on or before Sept. 1, 2015. Access a preschool application, as well as a parent's preschool application guide, at www.dg58.org/preschool.
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Have an outstanding teacher?
The Downers Grove Junior Women's Club invites students to submit an essay describing why their teacher is special. The club will honor one Downers Grove area teacher with the annual Outstanding Teacher Award.
Students in grades K-3 should submit a 60-word essay. Students in grades 4-8 may submit 100 words. The essay can be about any teacher. Parents may help those who are too young to write, but the entry must use the child's own words.
Entries are due Feb. 13. They may be emailed to julieinchicago@hotmail.com or mailed to:
Downers Grove Junior Woman's Club
Attention: Julie Johnson
6123 Blodgett Avenue
Downers Grove, IL 60516
Contest entry forms are available at www.dgjwc.org/Awards.
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Passport to Dining supports students, schools and local biz
The Grove Foundation invites families to a terrific opportunity to support  your students, schools and local businesses while having a fun time!
The Foundation will host its annual Passport to Dining fundraiser on Thursday, Feb. 26 from 6-9 p.m. Participants will receive a "passport" to get stamped while visiting five different local downtown Downers Grove restaurants: Ballydoyle Irish Pub, Gatto's Restaurant & Bar, Another Round Bar & Brill, Emmett's Ale House and Smokey Tomato Caf� & Catering. Guests may taste a variety of complimentary specialty appetizers and desserts. Drinks are additional. Submit a completed passport to be entered to win the grand raffle prize!
Tickets cost $25 if purchased on/before Feb. 20. Tickets may be purchased at Anderson's Bookshop (DG location), Community Bank of Downers Grove, Downtown Management or Pierce Downer School. They may also be purchased online at www.thegrovefoundation.org.
Tickets purchased on/after Feb. 21 cost $35. They will only be available by contacting dggrovefoundation@gmail.com.
Don't delay! Last year's event sold out. Space is limited and tickets sell quickly!
The Grove Foundation received the 2012 Downers Grove Chamber Choice Award for Philanthropy. Since 1991, the Grove has supported several community initiatives, including District 58's first grade Little Sprouts program and the Districts' fifth grade Helping Children Grow program. Thank you for your support.
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Featured video:
District 58's SAMRi Teacher Camp inspires educators across the U.S.
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SAMRi Teacher Camp - Winter 2015
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More than 320 educators met at O'Neill Middle School for the fourth SAMRi Teacher Camp on Saturday, Jan. 17. SAMRi Teacher Camp is a professional development opportunity hosted by District 58 that attracts teachers from across Illinois and even the United States.
"So far today I've learned a great deal about how to inspire our kids to be 21st century writers," said Lisa Wolcott, kindergarten teacher from Schulylkill Haven, Penn. "I already have a new lesson plan in my head that I'll take home to Pennsylvania with me."
SAMRi kicked off with a fantastic keynote speech by Chris Bronke, English chair at Downers Grove North.
"It's not enough for us to just be passionate. We need to sit there and say how I can turn my passion into a product?" Bronke challenged teachers.
SAMRi Camp offered more than 40 different classes that ranged from guided math and formative assessments to coding and makerspaces. Each class involved creativity and collaboration, and teachers were free to attend the classes that seemed most interesting to them.
"My favorite thing about SAMRi is being able to collaborate with other teachers from districts all over Illinois and even some other states," said Liz Wesolowski, Indian Trail fifth grade teacher and SAMRi team member. "Also, getting ideas, refreshing my idea base and expanding my PLN, or professional learning network."
Kingsley teacher Cathy Seiden and Bannockburn School District 106 teacher Sarah Barnett met up to exchange ideas and insights about SAMRi.
"The people here connect and communicate with you when you're presenting and it's really a great way for me to show what I'm doing in my classroom," Barnett said.
"Last year at SAMRi, Sarah had presented on how she used 1:1 in her first grade classroom, and it was a godsend as I started 1:1 this year to have some really great ideas," Seiden added.
Learn more about SAMRi by visiting www.dg58.org and searching for "SAMRi Teacher Camp."
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Education Foundation news
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Wanna attend the Harlem Wizards game for free? Volunteer!
 The Education Foundation of Downers Grove District 58 is looking for volunteers to make this year's Harlem Wizards vs. District 58 basketball game a success! There are several fun volunteer opportunities available, and all volunteers will get free admission to the game. Volunteers must be at least in high school or older.
The Harlem Wizards game takes place Sunday, Feb. 15 at 6 p.m. at Downers Grove South High School. The Harlem Wizards are an international traveling basketball team, known for not only their basketball prowess, but also their comedy and fancy hoop tricks.
But, the mighty District 58 team is up to the challenge! Led by coach Superintendent Dr. Kari Cremascoli, the District 58 team includes 30 principals, teachers, students and community members. The players include local celebrity Coach Josh Porter, Commissioner Geoff Neustadt and principals Jason Lynde, Matt Neustadt and assistant principal Adam Ubben. They're suiting up, ready for the challenge!
Rep. Ron Sandack and Mayor Martin Tully will referee the game.
Tickets are selling like crazy. In fact, all reserved and courtside tickets have sold out! General admission tickets cost $10 in advance or $12 at the door. Tickets are available at Community Bank of Downers Grove, 1111 Warren Ave.
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Parent Education Night rescheduled to Feb. 10
Help your child develop better time management and organization skills. (Who knows, you might learn a thing or two, too!)
Due to the snowstorm, the Education Foundation rescheduled its Parent Education Night to Tuesday, Feb. 10 from 7-8 p.m. (Q&A session from 8-8:30 p.m.) at the Herrick Middle School cafeteria, 4435 Middaugh Ave.
This free event, called "A Parent's Guide to Helping Your Child Develop Critical Executive Function Skills for Success in School and in Life," will equip parents with tools to help develop their children's executive function skills, which include organization and time management.
Lisa Marsicano, a highly regarded executive function skills specialist and coach, will lead the presentation. Marsicano owns Solutions for Student Success, LLC, in Downers Grove and serves students, families and schools across the country. She produces her own line of student planners and wrote "A Manual for Student Success: Practical Strategies for How to REALLY Do Better in School." She recently created an innovative online coaching tool that offers customized support for students.
To attend this free event, please register at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/parent-ed-night-executive-function-skills-rescheduled-tickets-15619111182. If you previously signed up for the canceled Parent Education Night, please re-register for this rescheduled event.
For more information on the Education Foundation, please visit www.58foundation.org.
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Congrats December and January
Green Apple award recipients!
 The below District 58 teachers and staff received a Green Apple award during December 2014 and January 2015.
Parents, students and community members made a donation to the Education Foundation of Downers Grove District 58 in honor of a teacher or staff member who has positively affected their lives. Each recipient received a Green Apple award certificate with a personal message from the individual who awarded them. To learn more about the Green Apple program, visit www.58foundation.org. Congratulations teachers and staff!
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Doreen Arlow
Jennifer Barriball
Meghan Beard
Jon Belonio
Deanna Bloom
Jennifer Boatman
Jane Bouhuys
Maureen Chmel
Anthony Coglianese
Janice Conboy
Shor Costello
Tracy deBuhr
Kelly Demarco
Michele Doose
Daniel Dvoracek
Cindy Dwyer
Jean Esler
Candace Ferries
Tara Fulton
Karen Grant
Donna Haidle
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Elise Harris
Katherine Hurckes
Bray Judycki
Kara Jurinek
Ann Kehoe
Andrew Kupisch
Matthew Leiser
Elizabeth Levy
Lindsey Lewis
Katherine Main
Katherine Matson
Todd McDaniel
Diane McIlavne
Jamie McPherrin
Carin Novak
Laura Novotny
Kathleen O'Connor
Diane Peterson
Julie Plepel
Christine Poggensee
Diana Rhoades
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Heather Richards
Margaret Rohlfing
Brittany Sanfillippo
Michelle Schmidt
Catherine Seiden
Sharlyn Sombeck
Kristen Steiner
Colleen Sullivan
Melissa Swallows
Patricia Szczurek
Nicole Trezzo
Linda Vandeyacht
Maura Vivona
Christina Wallace
Cori Walter
Mark White
Nicholas Willard
Kimberly Wojcik
Kelly Wyatt
Kathryn Yee
Erika Zagorski
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Lester, El Sierra and Belle Aire collect food during "Souper Bowl"
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(l-r) Belle Aire's Student Council President Arden, Treasurer Adam and Vice President Emily pose with some of the canned goods they collected during "Souper Bowl" 2015.
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Last week, the Lester, El Sierra and Belle Aire student councils sponsored "Souper Bowl" activities, during which students and staff collected non-perishable food. Students "voted" for which team they thought would win the Super Bowl by putting their food in boxes labeled Seahawks or Patriots.
At all three schools, the Seattle Seahawks easily won! (On the field, it was quite a different story...) "Lester collected over 400 food items that we donated to the People's
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Souperbowl at Lester!
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Resource Center of DuPage. The Seahawks were voted for by a 3 to 1 margin!" said Marina Kasicki, Lester teacher and student council sponsor. "We want to thank everyone who donated soup cans for our Student Council Souper Bowl this week," added El Sierra Principal Jason Lynde. "The final results are in... Seahawks 170 and the Patriots 60. In all we are able to donate 130 cans of soup to a local food pantry."
"Belle Aire got into the spirit of the Super Bowl last week," said Joan Mommsen, Belle Aire teacher and Student Council sponsor. "Students were asked to bring in non-perishable items for the FISH food pantry in Downers Grove and place them in a Patriots or a Sea Hawks themed box to show which team they were supporting. The Patriots might be the victors in the world of football, but the Sea Hawks won 147 food items to the Patriot's 40 items at Belle Aire."
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O'Neill collects food and necessities for deployed troops
O'Neill collected canned food, dryer sheets, hand warmers, batteries, Band-aids, foot powder, beef jerky, dental floss and more to send to our troops fighting abroad. Students also included a letter or Valentine with their donation. Thanks for your support, O'Neill!
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41 students will advance to state PTA Reflections competition
An impressive 41 District 58 students advanced to the state-level Reflections competition.
Reflections is a national PTA arts recognition and achievement program for students. Through Reflections, students in preschool through 12th grade are invited to submit works of art in six areas: dance, film production, literature, music, photography and visual arts. The theme for the 2014-15 contest was "The World Would be a Better Place If..."
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Visual
Elijah Hsu
Calia Cremascoli
Andrea Davenport
Amina Rizvi
Benjamin Lorenc
Gracie Swierczynski
Photography
Emma Aleksiunas
Rose Balicki
Lauren Dry
Megan Fogarty
William Mulligan
Connor Podiaskeck
Conner Schewe
Ellis Sioukas
Grant Sioukas
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Music
Kyra Cain
Elijah Chen
Nikolas Fotos
Lincoln Peckenpaugh
Linnea Peckenpaugh
Ryan Koudelik
Literature
Aidan DeCastro
Abigail Culcasi
Samantha Mark (2 entries)
Liana O'Rourke
Mathew Perry
Madeline Riske
Clara Sigale
Tegan Smith
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Film
Carly Cummings
Rainu George
Cora Hader
Erich Hene
Conner Ryan
Rajan Fisher
Dance
Grace Dicke
Aniya Garner
Emma Gramm
Lukas Kamedulski
Reese Lingertot (2 entries)
Emily Marsaglia
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Help Herrick teacher win new science lab furniture
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Ms. Henry's students get excited about science during the Zipline Challenge.
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Help Herrick Middle School win new science lab furniture by voting for their video every day in the Diversified Woodcrafts Create & Explore 40K Giveaway now through Feb. 28!
Science teacher Jill Henry produced a compelling video about Herrick's outdated science labs and entered it into this competition. The top 10 videos will advance to the final round. A panel of judges will review the finalists and select one school to win $40,000 in furniture!
To vote, follow these steps:
1. Visit http://bit.ly/1z1IzjD.
2. Click on "Love It" by the video.
3. It will ask you to register (they will not use your email for anything except the contest).
4. Once you have registered, it will take you to the screen with the video again. Click "Love it" again.
5. It should confirm that your vote was submitted/counted. You should also see the total number of votes increase by one.
6. If the page freezes and just says, "waiting," click refresh on the browser page and try submitting again.
Thank you for your vote!
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Chicago Steel Hockey visits Pierce Downer, Belle Aire
The Chicago Steel Hockey team visited Mary French's physical education classes at Pierce Downer (pictured above) and Belle Aire in January. The students had a ton of fun learning how to play hockey from the semi-pros!
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Indian Trail fourth graders skype with students in Maine
 Indian Trail fourth grade teacher Michele Maycan wanted to find a way to connect her students with children from other parts of the country. She thought that collaborating with peers from far away would help her students gain new perspectives and insights.
She recently stumbled upon a website called "Chatting Across the USA," where she connected with Brewer Community School in Brewer, Maine. Recently, her students held a classroom discussion with Brewer third graders via Skype. Each class shared important facts about their home state with each other.
"For example, we shared that we were the 21st state to enter the union and that our capital is Springfield," Maycan said. "We also shared pictures with interesting state facts, such as our state bird is the cardinal and our state snack food is popcorn. Maine really enjoyed hearing about famous people in Illinois, especially Barack Obama and Michael Jordan."
Maycan said that both the Illinois and Maine students enjoyed the activity and hope to do it again.
"My students loved seeing kids from Maine and hearing the way they shared their information. We loved learning their unique names and hearing about their facts!" she said. "With more time my students could have chatted socially with them because they were so interested in their lives!"
She is working with the Brewer teacher to brainstorm future collaboration opportunities: possibly a group poetry reading or a favorite book discussion.
View more photos.
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Community photo: Herrick performs at DGN Choir Festival
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Herrick choir students perform during the eighth annual DGN Choir Music Festival Concert Jan. 20, 2015. Photo provided by Luis Rizo.
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  The mission of District 58, in partnership with parents and community, is to challenge and engage each child by providing quality educational programs and support services in a safe, nurturing, and child-centered environment in order to prepare all students to be lifelong learners and contributing members of a global society.
Communicate 58 is designed to share timely, relevant information about District 58 with parents, community members and others who are interested in how we are living out our mission. If you have any questions/comments regarding Communicate 58, or have an article/photo idea for the publication, please contact Community Relations Coordinator Megan Hewitt at mhewitt@dg58.org or 630-719-5805.
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District 58 on social media
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Did you know?
Next week is
"Random Acts of Kindness" week.
Kids -we challenge YOU to go the extra mile to make someone's day. Here are some ideas to get started:
- Smile at 25 people
- Pick up 10 pieces of trash
- Compliment 5 people
- Invite a new friend to play with you
- Pat yourself on the back
- Help someone up when they fall down
Parents - please participate this week as well. Get creative!
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In the next Communicate 58:
Kindergarten roundup schedule & PARCC information for parents. Keep tuned!
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Looking ahead
Saturday, Feb. 7
8 a.m.-1:30 p.m.
Northside Solo Day - Elementary Band and Orchestra at Herrick
Monday, Feb. 9
6-7 p.m.
Preschool open house at Indian Trail
7 p.m.
Regular Board of Education meeting at Longfellow
Tuesday, Feb. 10
7-8:30 p.m.
Parent Education Night at Herrick
Wed., Feb. 11
5-8 p.m.
Parent-teacher conferences
Thurs., Feb. 12
5-8 p.m.
Parent-teacher conferences
Friday, Feb. 13
7:30-9 a.m.
Legislative Breakfast at O'Neill
Sunday, Feb. 15
6 p.m.
Harlem Wizards Game at DGS
Monday, Feb. 16
Presidents Day. No school.
Tuesday, Feb. 17
5-9 p.m.
Southside Solo Day - Elementary Band and Orchestra at O'Neill
Wed., Feb. 18
3:45 p.m.
Legislative Committee at ASC
5-8 p.m.
Gifted parent-teacher conferences at Whittier
5 p.m.
PARCC parent information meeting at Longfellow
6 p.m.
PARCC parent information meeting at Longfellow
Thurs., Feb. 19
5-8 p.m.
Gifted parent-teacher conferences at Whittier
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