Welcome to the District Digest for Glen Ellyn School District 41. This email will be sent to you periodically and will include district happenings and updates.

Returning Registration 

This is a busy time of year, with many competing demands on your time. This is a reminder to those families whose children are not yet registered for school next year to know that registration for returning students ends Friday, March 20. Please take a few minutes to register your child now so that we can do the best possible job planning for your child's experience next year. Click Here to register and for more information.

Also, it's not too early to schedule school physicals with your child's doctor. Students without required physicals on file will not be able to start the first day of school.



Kindergarten Registration Document Drop-off

We have designated next week for our offices to accept the required documentation to complete the kindergarten registration process.  Parents who have not yet submitted the required documentation for kindergarten registration should plan to do so next week. No appointment necessary.  

School office staff will be available Monday, March 16 - Friday, March 20, from 9:30 a.m. - 4 p.m.  If these dates and times are difficult for parents, please contact your child's school. It is not too late to complete the kindergarten registration process.



New Elementary Schedule and Start/End Time

As part of contract negotiations with the Glen Ellyn Educators Association (GEEA), the Board of Education and GEEA membership have voted to implement a new schedule for District 41 elementary schools. This collaborative process resulted in a  student-centered elementary school schedule framework including additional time in the school day for core instruction and teacher planning. 

Next year, elementary school start times will be 8:30 a.m. and dismissal will be 3:30 p.m. Morning kindergarten students will end their day at 11:30 a.m. and afternoon kindergarten students will begin their day at 12:30 p.m., giving kindergarten a ½ hour longer in the day than they currently have now.  

Please see the following links for additional information:
Each school will build their master schedules for next year based on the new start and end times and the scheduling framework to include every aspect of the student's day. If you have questions, please contact building principals.
 

PARCC Continues

We have completed the first week of PARCC testing and it went well overall. PARCC testing will continue next week for all students in 3rd - 8th grades. Just a reminder that District 41 is mandated by the State to administer this test and it is not optional. All students are expected to complete the test and make up times will be scheduled for those students who do not take the test due to illness or absenteeism. Schools who do not test 95% of their students will be reviewed by the State of Illinois for non-compliance. 

For more information about PARCC, Click Here. If you have specific questions about testing, please contact your school office.

Your Input is Essential - Please Take the 5Essentials Survey!

Calling all parents - We want to hear from you! Please take the 5Essentials survey and let us know about your experiences with our schools. The survey closes on March 20.

To take the survey please CLICK HERE and select the PARENT survey to begin.

On behalf of the Illinois State Board of Education, UChicago Impact administers the Illinois 5Essentials Survey. This survey is based on the Five Essentials for School Success, an evidence-based framework developed by the University of Chicago. This framework identifies how school performance on five factors or "essentials" can lead to important student outcomes, including improved attendance and larger test score gains.

The 5Essentials are:
  • Effective Leaders
  • Collaborative Teachers
  • Involved Families
  • Supportive Environment
  • Ambitious Instruction
For more information about the Illinois 5Essentials Survey, please visit https://illinois.5-essentials.org . If you have any questions or concerns about the survey, please contact 5Essentials Client Services at 1-866-440-1874 or 5essentials@uchicago.edu

 

Music Education Foundation Summer Music Grants

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The Music Education Foundation (MEF) Summer Music Grants are almost too good to be true! But it's true: All eligible District 41 students who apply will receive a grant to attend music camp this summer! Thank you, MEF!

Click here to learn more!

Students Spark a Community-Wide Effort to Save the Monarchs

Last fall, 2nd and 3rd grade students from Ben Franklin Elementary began a Problem-Based Learning inquiry to research the alarming decline in the number of Monarch butterflies throughout the country.

The students conducted research at the Glen Ellyn Public Library, engaged experts throughout the village and presented to the Glen Ellyn Environmental Commission. The Willowbrook Wildlife Center worked with the students to help determine a solution to this problem. What resulted was a Glen Ellyn civic initiative to spread awareness about this important issue.

Organizations throughout the Glen Ellyn Community have committed themselves to developing and promoting a civic effort to save the Monarch butterfly from extinction.

Community partners include:
  • Glen Ellyn Environmental Commission
  • Glen Ellyn Park District
  • Glen Ellyn Public Library
  • Glen Ellyn Public Works
  • Glen Ellyn School District 41
  • Village of Glen Ellyn
  • Willowbrook Wildlife Center


    • District 41 families, and all area residents, are invited to find out how to save the Monarch butterflies at "Milkweed to Monarchs: Doing Our Part to Save the Butterflies," a family-friendly hands on presentation Saturday, March 21, at 11 a.m. or 2 p.m. at the Glen Ellyn Public Library. Willowbrook Wildlife Center Naturalist Kevin Luvy will share background information about the decline of Monarch butterflies and strategies that families can employ to help sustain Monarchs in home gardens. Participants will take away tips about planting milkweed seeds and the benefits of native planting as well. Students from Ben Franklin will present their findings from their research as well as their solutions to the problem. All attendees will receive free packets of milkweed seeds to take home and plant in their gardens.

    On June 20, the Village of Glen Ellyn and the Glen Ellyn Park District will plant milkweed in demonstrative gardens, with residents invited to attend. Participants will be given as many as three plants to plant in their own gardens. The goal is to plant milkweed gardens at as many as 100 public and private locations. The Village hopes to develop a registry that will show the locations of the planted gardens.