District Digest

Board of Education Committee of the Whole Meeting - Strategic Plan Update

The Monday, March 6 Board of Education meeting will be a Committee of the Whole meeting. The meeting topic is "Strategic Plan Update - DEI Committee." Community members are welcome to attend and engage with the Board. Full meeting agenda will be posted HERE

March 6, 2023 | 6:30 p.m. at Hadley Junior High School

Invite the Board to Engage

The Board of Education understands the importance of formal and informal engagement with the community and are committed to broadening the opportunities for two-way communication. If you belong to a group or organization, please invite the Board to engage with your membership about District 41. Board members are looking for opportunities to attend meetings, neighborhood gatherings, or simply meet for coffee with a small group. To invite Board members to an engagement opportunity, please contact Chief Communications Officer Erika Krehbiel at ekrehbiel@d41.org.

Dual Language Informational Night for Incoming Kindergarteners - March 2

New kindergarten families are welcome to come learn more about the District 41 Dual Language Program on Thursday, March 2, 6:30 p.m. at Churchill Elementary School, 240 Geneva Road in Glen Ellyn. Information will be shared in both English and Spanish.
To learn more about all of the language programs in District 41, click here.

Feedback Opportunity! Take the Illinois 5Essentials Survey

All parents are encouraged to participate in a brief survey to help District 41 gather valuable data to inform school improvement. The Illinois 5Essentials Parent Survey is administered annually by the Illinois State Board of Education. The survey is open through March 31, 2023.

Please CLICK HERE to take the survey and choose “Parent Survey.” The deadline is March 31.

Each school needs at least 20 percent parent participation for a data report to be provided for the school. For more information about the survey, see below. Thank you in advance for your participation. Your feedback is very much appreciated!

WHAT IS THE 5ESSENTIALS SURVEY?

The 5Essentials Survey identifies five indicators that lead to improved outcomes for all students, including improved attendance and larger test score gains.

The five indicators that positively affect school success are:

Effective Leaders
Collaborative Teachers
Involved Families
Supportive Environments
Ambitious Instruction

Research derived from the Five Essentials for School Success has proven that schools strong on at least three of the 5Essentials are 10 times more likely to improve student outcomes.

For questions regarding the survey, please call Department of Wellness at (217) 782-5270 or email 5Essentials@isbe.net.

Music and Mental Health - Stronger Together at Hadley

Hadley Jr. High School Guidance Counselors Jessica Johnston and Kyle Sieck visited 8th Grade Band Classes to present on the topics of mental health and music. The 8th Grade Bands spring concert program music is centered around the topics of mental health, strength, resiliency, and triumph. Two pieces specifically were composed with the ideas of mental health in mind, that being Fragile by Randall D. Standridge and Unknown by Brian Balmages. Because of this, Hadley Guidance Counselors presented on the topics of mental health as a means to provide a safe space for our students and also inform their musicianship for a more meaningful, impactful performance. This is in conjunction with a piece commissioned for us by composer Timothy Loest entitled Stronger Together thanks to the JCS Grant we received. Mr. Loest met with our 8th Grade Bands and composed the piece based on student input in combination with our district's motto of "stronger together" during and following the pandemic.

We invite the community to join us for the 8th Grade Spring Band Concert on May 16, at 7 p.m. in the Hadley Auditorium for this concert series and the world premiere of Stronger Together.

Hadley Orchestra Receives DuPage Foundation JCS Grant

The Hadley Jr. High School Orchestra was awarded a grant for the 2022-23 School Year through the JCS Fund: Young People's Music Initiative from the DuPage Foundation. This funding helped provide professional musicians to work with our string students. During the month of February, the following string experts assisted our orchestra students in full orchestra classes and in group lessons.

String Clinicians:

Mrs. Joanne May ~ Violin ~ Retired Orchestra Director from Glenbard East High School and retired Music Director from Elmhurst College.

Mr. John Fitchuk ~ Viola ~ Retired Orchestra Director from Wheaton Warrenville High Schools and retired Music Director from Wheaton College, Illinois Benedictine and Oberlin Colleges.

Mrs. Ann Griffin ~ Cello ~ Principal cellist of the Chicago Sinfonietta and private instructor in Wheaton.

Mr. Alan Steiner ~ Bass ~ Bassist for the Chicago Sinfonietta and private instructor in Buffalo Grove.

"This type of musical experience was incredibly beneficial to all of the students. Thank you to all of the professional string musicians that worked with our students and to the DuPage Foundation for providing this wonderful learning opportunity," stated Georgia Alemis, Hadley Orchestra Director.