Bulldog Paw Prints
Week Ending February 10, 2023
PTA Trivia Night, 2023
Students were excited play a role in this fundraising event as well, and their donations/votes selected which staff member would be taped to the wall and which staff member would get a pie in the face during our school picnic. Mrs. Barnick will be taped to the wall, and Mrs. Fulton will get the pie!
Safety Conversations with Students (repeat item)
District 58’s number one priority is ensuring that all of our students and staff are safe and we continue to be thoughtful and proactive in terms of how we address these critical conversations with our community and with our staff and students. Preventing school violence is the responsibility of us all. In the weeks ahead, our school principals will be meeting with each classroom in their schools to review critical safety measures and reinforce expectations with our students. Below are the presentations and/or talking points that will be used with grade bands for your review.
3rd-6th Presentation (Will also be used as review with middle school)
We know that while these discussions are crucial to have with our children. As adults, it can be difficult to know exactly how to broach these topics with our children at home. We hope a review of the materials that we have developed will provide you with some of the terms, vocabulary, and developmental approaches that we use to support students’ understanding of these concepts. In addition, the materials provided below are from various organizations that specialize in this topic that can help you prepare for further discussions with your child.
Talking to Children about Violence: Tips for Parents and Teachers
National Association of School Psychologists
Helping Children Cope with Frightening News and How to Ask What Kids are Feeling
The Child Mind Institute
Helping Teens with Traumatic Grief: Tips for Caregivers and Assisting
Parents/Caregivers in Coping with Collective Traumas
The National Child Traumatic Stress Network
As always, our social workers and counselors can assist you in thinking through how best to tailor discussions at home for your particular child or children. Please do not hesitate to reach out to me. Preventing school violence is the responsibility of the entire community and together, we can make a difference in helping our children understand the importance of those collective efforts.
*I will be hosting a safety presentation for parents (parents only) at Belle Aire on Monday, February 13, at 6:00 p.m. While the focus will be on the Grades 3-6 slide deck, I will also take time to highlight tools that are available to students, discuss ways that you can partner with us at the school as supports at home, and talk through the various safety drills that we conduct each year.
Valentine's Day Classroom Parties (repeat item)
As an option, students will be allowed to bring and exchange Valentine's cards with their classmates if they so choose. If your family opts to do this, the cards cannot have any candy or other edible items attached to them. Stickers, pencils, erasers etc. are fantastic options, but please do not send any edible items to school to be shared with others. Those items will be returned home. Thank you!
Camp Half-Blood
District 58 Author Fest. (repeat item)
Dusti will be visiting the 5th graders at Belle Aire, Fairmount, Kingsley, Lester, Pierce Downer, and Whittier.
The community is invited to meet Dusti at a Book Signing held at Anderson’s Bookshop, 5112 Main Street from 6:30 - 8:30 p.m.
Dusti Bowling grew up in Scottsdale, Arizona, where, as her family will tell you, she always had her nose in a book. Dusti currently lives in Eagar, Arizona with her husband, three daughters, and a bunch of farm animals. She will share with students her inspiration for her middle grade novels including Insignificant and Momentous Events in the Life of a Cactus, 24 Hours in Nowhere, The Canyon’s Edge, and Across the Desert. Dusti's books have been honored numerous times with medals and awards including the Sakura Medal, and a Golden Kite Honor, as well as being named best books of the year by the Chicago Public Library, A Mighty Girl, and many more.
www.dustibowling.com, @dustibowling, @58foundation, #AuthorFest, #AuthorFest58, #DG58AuthorFest2023
Dusti will be visiting the 5th graders at Belle Aire on the morning of Thursday, April 27
www.facebook.com/AuthorFestD58PTA, @authorfestd58pta
David Biedrzycki
We welcome David Biedrzycki for his first Author Fest visit to District 58!
David will be visiting the 1st and 3rd graders at Belle Aire, El Sierra, Kingsley, HIghland, Hillcrest, and Pierce Downer.
The community is invited to meet David at a Book Signing held at Anderson’s Bookshop, 5112 Main Street from 6:30 - 8:30 p.m.
David has always loved to draw. Thanks to an early lesson from his older brother Bob and practice, practice, practice, he was pronounced an awesome artist at the age of 4. While he always strived to be the best artist he could be, he did not want to lead the life of an artist and pursued work as an illustrator which developed into writing the stories he illustrated. David married his best friend Kathy and lives with three kids in Medfield, Massachusetts. David’s presentations are energetic, humorous, and give insights to the creative process that students don’t get from just reading the stories. He will feature just four of his many picture books including SumoKitty, SumoPuppy, Invasion of the Unicorns, and Bear Alert.
www.davidbiedrzycki.com, @DavidBiedrzycki, www.instagram.com/artofdave1, www.facebook.com/david.biedrzycki,, @58foundation, #AuthorFest, #AuthorFest58, #DG58AuthorFest2023
David will be visiting the 1st and 3rd graders at Belle Aire on the afternoon of Friday, April 28
Health Updates/Requirements
Kindergarten, 2023-2024 (Repeat Item)
Will your child attend kindergarten in District 58 next school year? Or do you have a friend or neighbor whose child will? Here are three steps to prepare!
1. Give us a call at the school (630-719-5820) or email Amy (adamico@dg58.org) to let let us know your child will be attending kindergarten next year. We will get your family added to our kindergarten contact lists.
2. Attend Kindergarten Roundup on March 23, 2023 (6:00 - 7:00 p.m.). This is an adult-only event that will help you understand what a typical kindergarten day looks like, learn about health requirements, meet the teachers, and more.
3. Visit our Kindergarten Resource webpage for information on Kindergarten Roundup schedules, school boundary maps, kindergarten registration, immunization requirements, kindergarten curriculum and much more!
Full Day Kindergarten: Will District 58 offer free full-day kindergarten next school year? District 58 is exploring the feasibility of a full-day kindergarten program and hopes to complete its work and make a recommendation at the Feb. 27 Board of Education Curriculum Workshop. More information will be announced following this meeting!
Grove Children’s Preschool will hold an open house on Feb. 15
Will your child be 3 or 4 years old this August? Do you have a neighbor or friend with a future preschooler? Please share! Grove Children’s Preschool will hold an open house on Wednesday, Feb. 15 from 5-6:30 p.m. at Henry Puffer School, 2220 Haddow Ave. Parents and guardians may tour the preschool, meet the staff, hear an overview of the program, and ask questions throughout the open house.
Grove Children’s Preschool tuition applications for the 2023-24 school year will open online at www.dg58.org/preschool on Wednesday, Feb. 22 at 8 a.m. First priority applications are due Wednesday, March 8.
Monday, February 13: 2:00 Dismissal; Parent Safety Presentation (6:00 p.m. at Belle Aire)
Tuesday, February 14: Classroom Parties; Spanish Class (after school)
Thursday, February 16: Young Authors Club (after school); Chess Club (after school); Kindness Club (Grs. 3-6, after school)
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February 20: No School
March 8: Grs. 3, 4 Music Performance (live-streamed)
March 27 - April 2: Spring Break (School Resumes on April 3)