Communicate 58
News from Downers Grove Grade School District 58
Vol. 7 Issue 2
Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2015
Kingsley wins outdoor makeover


More than 40 volunteers from Newell Rubbermaid and HandsOn Suburban Chicago dedicated Wednesday, Sept. 2 to beautifying Kingsley School. They constructed an outdoor classroom, painted maps and other visuals on the blacktop, and landscaped the grounds.

Kingsley parent and PTA member Kim Breier worked with Kingsley, Newell Rubbermaid and HandsOn Suburban Chicago to help coordinate the event.

"We wanted Kingsley's outside to reflect what Kingsley feels and looks like on the inside," Breier said. "Mr. Stange is doing a remarkable job inside the walls of Kingsley, and now we're jumping in on the outside. We set a plan into motion, and I want you to know that your seven hours here today would have taken our PTA a year minimum to accomplish."

District develops innovative tool to better illustrate student progress
Learn more about SQUIRREL, longitudinal reporting at upcoming parent meetings

District 58 gathers student data from a variety of assessments, longitudinal reporting and classroom experiences to guide instruction for each unique student. Until last year, the District lacked a way to illustrate this volume of information in an easy-to-understand way for educators, students and parents.

Enter the SQUIRREL data portal. Throughout last year, District Web Administrator Matt Vivona and District administrative staff developed a secure data portal that gives parents and teachers detailed insights into each student's academic performance and growth.

Parents may explore SQUIRREL at dg58.info/squirrel. Once logged in, parents have access to graphs, visual data, information about curricula and a picture of student performance and achievement.

"The District uses a combination of data from classroom experiences and standardized assessments to make instructional decisions. It's great to have one place to look for classroom data, MAP results, AIMSweb results and other assessments," said Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction Dr. Matt Rich.

The SQUIRREL site also features several parent support videos to help explain this new tool. Parents wishing to learn more are encouraged to attend one of the District's upcoming parent education meetings. All meetings will be hosted at the District's Longfellow Center, 1435 Prairie Ave.

Parent Tech Support Meetings: 
(Focus on SQUIRREL Portal and 1:1 Learning)
Monday, Sept. 21 at 1:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.
Tuesday, Oct. 6 at 1 p.m.
Thursday, Oct. 8 at 6:30 p.m.
Monday, Oct. 19 at 12:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.

Parent Learning, Assessment and Reporting Meetings: 
(Focus on Standards-Based Learning & Longitudinal Reporting)
Monday, Sept. 21 at 2:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
Tuesday, Oct. 6 at 2 p.m.
Thursday, Oct. 8 at 7:30 p.m.
Monday, Oct. 19 at 1:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.


Family fun at Education Foundation's second annual Oktoberfest


Photos clockwise above: Oktoberfest facepainting in the kids' zone; guests enjoy quality time together; the Herrick vs. O'Neill donut-eating contest; and Education Foundation board directors.

Downers Grove hit the weather jackpot last weekend during the second annual Oktoberfest! Hosted by the Education Foundation of Downers Grove District 58, Oktoberfest offered traditional German fare, local entertainment, kid and family games, a Herrick vs. O'Neill donut-eating contest and more! All proceeds from the festival will directly benefit District 58 schools. Thank you for coming and making the event a great success!

Employee Spotlight
Meet Mrs. Michelle Rzepka,
new Hillcrest principal

Communicate 58 will regularly feature an employee profile to better acquaint you with the District 58 staff. This issue, we're featuring Hillcrest Principal Michelle Rzepka. An excerpt is featured below; for the full story, please click here.

Hillcrest Principal Michelle Rzepka
Michelle Rzepka may be Hillcrest School's new principal, but when school started Aug. 26, she wasn't a stranger. 

After District 58 hired Rzepka last spring, she immediately set forth to familiarize herself with Hillcrest and District 58. She visited each classroom and introduced herself. She attended a couple of PTA meetings. And, on the last day of school, she co-led a staff development meeting with retiring principal Paula Thomas.

"I already feel a part of the Hillcrest community," Rzepka said, smiling, during an interview last month. "Everyone has been so welcoming and wonderful! Paula was an amazing mentor. She gave me the opportunity to pick her brain and get to know Hillcrest while school was still in session."

Melissa Sawisch named new O'Neill assistant principal

O'Neill Assistant Principal Melissa Sawisch
The Board of Education approved Melissa Sawisch as the new assistant principal of O'Neill Middle School during its meeting on Sept. 15.
 
"I am happy to announce that Melissa Sawisch will be the next assistant principal at O'Neill Middle School," said O'Neill Principal Matt Durbala. "Melissa is a high energy, relationship-based person who possesses significant skills in the areas of professional development, data analysis and application, and instructional leadership. I am confident that Melissa will be a great asset to O'Neill and District 58."
 
Sawisch previously served as an instructional facilitator and assistant to the principal at Ogden School in LaGrange District 102. She also is an experienced classroom teacher and summer school administrator. She has participated on many district-level committees while at District 102. 
 
"I am so thrilled to serve as O'Neill Middle School's assistant principal," Sawisch said. "I appreciate the team-oriented and family-centered community that exists at O'Neill and throughout District 58, and I look forward to continuing the momentum!"
 
Sawisch replaces Melissa Capizzi, who left District 58 in August 2015.
58 Doing Good
Henry Puffer sixth grader donates 1,000th book to her charity project
 
During summer break, Gabriella Frank, a Henry Puffer sixth grader, delivered school supplies and books as part of her ongoing project to benefit low-income schools in the Caribbean.  Gabriella donated her 1,000th book on this recent trip.  She has also delivered more than 1,000 school supply items, including pens, pencils, crayons, markers, notebooks and folders. 

Gabriella first started collecting books and school supplies five years ago, when she was in first grade. She has won the Kohls' Kids Who Care scholarship contest several times and has been featured in this 58 Doing Good column each year for her service contributions.
 
Thank you for your remarkable generosity, Gabriella! 
Kingsley fifth grade girl scouts volunteer at food bank this summer
 
This summer, Kingsley fifth grade girl scouts (Troop 51739) volunteered an afternoon at the Northern Illinois Food Bank. They, along with other volunteers, helped sort apples into 5-pound bags to be distributed to the food bank's network of 800 partner feeding programs.
 
In all, the girl scouts and the other volunteers packed 8,555 pounds of food, which can provide 7,129 meals to hungry neighbors in northern Illinois.
 
"They worked diligently at their task and had fun as well! They received many compliments on how well they worked together," said Troop Co-Leader Angie Kelly.
 
This is not the first time these girl scouts have volunteered at the Northern Illinois Food Bank. In fact, after they volunteered this past spring, they immediately requested to sign up to volunteer there again during the summer.
Chicago Parent features Hillcrest's inclusive playground fundraiser
 
Hillcrest's Dream.Build.Play Experience fundraiser to build a new all-inclusive playground has raised $23,000 and was featured in the summer issue of Chicago Parent magazine! Read the story here.

Hillcrest parent Peg Chaidez is leading the crowdfunding effort. Once built, the all-inclusive playground will be the first of its kind in DuPage County, providing recreation for all children, those with and without disabilities.
 
Learn more about the Dream.Build.Play Experience at http://dbpexperience.com.
School Spotlight
Whittier offers fun summer reading incentives and programs

Contributed by Whittier parent Amy Ihde: To keep Whittier students reading over the summer, Ms. Coleman, LRC teacher, created several reading incentives and programs. 

Activities included Harry Potter Day with crafts and a game of Quidditch. Students had the opportunity to Skype with author Kate Klise, who wrote "Regarding the Fountain" and "Dying to Meet You". Kids had a chance to trade gently used books at the Book Swap Day. The LRC also planned a Board Game Day, which everyone enjoyed. Therapy Dogs Tessa and Abigail from The Bellyrub Klub in Addison were invited to the library to teach the children about working dogs. In addition, the kids had the opportunity to read to them. Students were given a BINGO sheet based on reading activities and were able to win prizes such as books, backpacks and totes, and autographed books.

It was a fun summer full of reading! Thanks Ms. Coleman and Mr. Krugman!
Board of Education news
The Board held a Special Meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 9 at the Administrative Service Center to interview candidates to fill the unexpired term of James Paul, who resigned in August 2015. 

The Board of Education also held a Regular Meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 15 at the Longfellow Center. During the meeting, they appointed Christopher Heppner to complete the unexpired term of James Paul. They also approved the proposed 2015-16 budget and listened to a spotlight regarding community engagement and District survey results. The Board Briefs regarding this meeting will be posted at www.dg58.org later this week.

The Board's next Regular Meeting will be Tuesday, Oct. 13 at 7 p.m. at the Longfellow Center, 1435 Prairie Ave. 
Community e-flyers
E-flyer logo

New community e-flyers were posted Tuesday, Sept. 15 on the District 58 e-flyer page. Click here to visit the page. 






 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
YMCA Club Saturday Night (third Saturdays from 6:30-9 p.m.)
 
 
Mission
  District 58 logo
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. 
In this issue
Kingsley wins outdoor makeover
District develops innovative tool to better illustrate student progress
Family fun at Education Foundation's second annual Oktoberfest
Meet Mrs. Michelle Rzepka
Melissa Sawisch named new O'Neill assistant principal
Henry Puffer sixth grader donates 1,000th book to her charity project
Kingsley fifth grade girl scouts volunteer at food bank this summer
Chicago Parent features Hillcrest's inclusive playground fundraiser
Whittier offers fun summer reading incentives and programs
Board of Education News
Community e-flyers
Welcome new support staff
Pierce Downer packs the racks
Preparedness Month

Welcome new support staff

Please give a warm welcome to our new support staff! These new employees will provide valuable assistance to our teachers and administrators. (Please view our Aug. 31 issue for a list of our new teachers.) 

 Jeremy Bradley
Instructional Assistant
BEST Program
O'Neill 

Brianna Sopcak
Instructional Assistant
BEST Program
O'Neill 

Erin Contreras
Instructional Assistant
Classroom
Pierce Downer

Rachel Neustadt
Instructional Assistant
Classroom
El Sierra

Calli Peters
Instructional Assistant
Classroom
Belle Aire

Dinagrace Bielawski
Instructional Assistant
Instructional Support
Kingsley

Jamie Lesniak
Instructional Assistant
Instructional Support
Kingsley

Margaret Prendergast
Instructional Assistant
Instructional Support
Fairmount

Keri Bernhard
Instructional Assistant
Resource
O'Neill

Jill Dold
Instructional Assistant
Resource
Herrick

Vicki Foley
Instructional Assistant
Resource
Herrick

Amy Landman
Instructional Assistant
Resource
Herrick

Carolyn Casella
Instructional Assistant
Special Education
Pierce Downer

Lynn Enright
Instructional Assistant
Special Education
Lester

Patricia Sashin
Instructional Assistant
Special Education
Lester

Joanna Blachowicz
Instructional Assistant
Special Education and Instructional Support
Belle Aire

Patricia McKane
Instructional Assistant
Special Education
Pierce Downer

Allison Williams
Instructional Assistant
Title 1
El Sierra

Maureen Vondrasek
Secretary and Clerk
Lester

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Pierce Downer packs the racks


When Mary French arrived at Pierce Downer to teach an afternoon P.E. class on Sept. 15, she was thrilled to find that the school's bike racks were completely full! This shows how Pierce Downer students value bicycling as a healthy, enjoyable and sustainable mode of transportation. Nice job!


Preparedness Month

September is National Preparedness Month.

 Emergencies can happen anytime, anywhere. Has your family developed a family emergency plan? Do you have an emergency kit ready? If not, no worries! The Village of Downers Grove published a handy resource guide with information on getting prepared.