Pictured above: Left: seventh graders enjoy ice breakers at Herrick Sneak Preview. Right, O'Neill seventh graders practice opening lockers at Sneak Preview.

Throughout this publication, you will see the following color-coded dots beside each article. The dots represent which strategic goal the article addresses:

• Focusing on Learning • Connecting the Community • Securing the Future  • Building for Success • Cultivating Talent

Have feedback regarding Communicate 58? Click here!

Dear District 58 Community,

Welcome to the 2024-25 school year! District 58 is very excited to kick off another fantastic year of learning with our students. Our team accomplished a great deal of work this summer, ranging from referendum construction at six schools to hiring two administrators, 17 teachers and 16 support staff.  

We look forward to having students and staff back in the buildings again. The first day of school for grades K-8 is Friday, Aug. 16. It is a full day. 

Have a great school year!

Sincerely,

Dr. Kevin B. Russell

Superintendent of Schools

Please visit these webpages as you prepare for the new school year!

* Back-to-school toolkit

* School supply lists

* 2024-25 calendar

* Bus routes

* Immunization/health examination requirements

* Kindergarten resources

* Food services

* Student registration

* Family Handbook (Español)

Plus, student schedules and teacher assignments are available in the PowerSchool Parent Portal.

AM Preschool: 8:25-11:05 a.m., Monday-Friday

PM Preschool: 11:55 a.m.-2:35 p.m., Monday-Friday

Half-Day Kindergarten: 8:15-11:20 a.m., Monday- Friday

Full-Day Kindergarten and Grades 1-6: 8:15 a.m.-2 p.m. on Monday and 8:15 a.m.-3 p.m. on Tuesday-Friday

Grades 7-8: 8:30 a.m.- 2:10 p.m. on Monday and 8:30 a.m.-3:17 p.m. on Tuesday-Friday. Early Bird classes (band, choir and orchestra) will take place from 7:45-8:25 a.m. Monday-Friday.

District 58 Office and District Service Center: 7:30 a.m.-4 p.m., Monday-Friday

District 58 offers meal options for elementary and middle school students.

Middle School Food Service

The middle schools provide several lunch options daily for students. Lunches cost $4.60. Additional snacks can be purchased a la carte. Monthly menus for Herrick and O'Neill are posted in advance.

District 58 operates a cashless system for school lunches called PushCoin. Parents can fund student lunch accounts online at any time using an electronic check or credit/debit card. Students pay by scanning their school ID. The payment system will automatically deduct the lunch from the student’s lunch account and record what was purchased.

Elementary School Food Service

Elementary schools provide pre-ordered boxed lunches for students, through www.MyMealOrder.com. Lunches cost $4.60. Click here to learn more. Elementary boxed lunches will be offered starting the week of Aug. 26. Orders must be submitted by Aug. 22 to receive boxed lunch the week of Aug. 26.

In addition, elementary students may sign up to receive daily milk for $53 (which is 30 cents per day). Families should complete this Elementary Milk Order Form to sign their child up for milk. This is separate from the boxed lunch option. The $53 milk fee will be posted to the student's PushCoin account next month.

Free and Reduced Meals and Milk

District 58 provides free and reduced-cost meals and milk to students who qualify and apply. These meals will be provided starting the first day of school.

Please visit District 58's Food Services webpage for more information.

Families received and signed off on District 58's Family Handbook during registration last winter. As a new school year begins, we encourage families to carefully review the handbook again with their child(ren), as it offers an overview of the District’s policies, procedures, resources and student expectations. 

2024-25 District 58 Family Handbook

2024-25 Manual Familias del Distrito 58

If you have any questions about the handbook's contents, please contact your school principal.

Please note: we updated the handbook this month to reflect recent policy updates and other minor updates. We added an addendum to the last page that outlines all recent updates.

Curriculum Night is a time for parents and guardians to meet as a group with their children’s teachers to learn about the curriculum for the various grade levels and ask questions. Schools will email families detailed grade-level schedules.

Please see the 2024 schedule below.

Tuesday, Aug. 27

6-7:30 pm. Curriculum Night at Belle Aire, Henry Puffer, Highland, Lester, Pierce Downer and Whittier

Wednesday, Aug. 28

6-7:30 p.m.: Curriculum Night at El Sierra, Fairmount, Indian Trail, Hillcrest and Kingsley

Tuesday, Sept. 3

6-7:30 p.m.: Curriculum Night for Herrick 7th Grade and Grove Children's Preschool (Henry Puffer location)

Thursday, Sept. 5

6-7:30 p.m.: Curriculum Night for Herrick 8th Grade, O'Neill, and Grove Children's Preschool (Indian Trail location)

Thursday, Sept. 12

6-7 p.m.: Curriculum Night for 5th-6th Grade Gifted Program at Henry Puffer

Parents and guardians may access the District's assessment calendar, which outlines each assessment, its purpose, testing dates, target audience, and estimated length.

View the 2024-25 assessment calendar.

Please note: our fall testing period begins Monday, Aug. 19. Schools will email families their specific testing days.

District 58's successful 2022 referendum provided funding to install air-conditioning at the 11 elementary schools that lacked a centralized cooling system. This summer, crews upgraded electrical systems and installed air-conditioning at the four Phase I elementary schools and partially installed it at the two middle schools.

In the meantime, several schools are not fully air-conditioned, and schools can get hot. To alleviate the heat, our schools use their resources and building spaces wisely to provide heat relief for students and staff on hot days. Please click here to learn some of the ways our schools keep students and staff cool on hot days.

The District 58 Board of Education held a regular meeting on Monday, Aug. 12 at Belle Aire School.

View the agenda. The Board Briefs will be published later this week. The Board's next business meeting is Monday, Sept. 9 at 7 p.m. at location TBD.

District 58 elementary schools hosted Meet & Greet events on Tuesday, Aug. 13. In addition, the middle schools are holding Locker Setup Nights later today. Some schools also combined their Meet & Greet events with PTA welcome parties. Here are some photo galleries from yesterday's events:

* Henry Puffer Meet & Greet

* Hillcrest Meet & Greet

* Whittier Back to School Party

* Pierce Downer Back to School Party

Save the date: The Education Foundation of Downers Grove District 58 will host their annual Oktoberfest on Friday, Sept. 13 from 3-11 p.m. and Saturday, Sept. 14 from 11 a.m.-11 p.m. in the parking lot on Burlington Avenue between Main Street and Forest Avenue. More information on this fun family-friendly event will be shared soon!

Volunteers and sponsors needed! The Foundation relies on support from volunteers and sponsors to make its annual Oktoberfest fundraiser a success!

Sign up to volunteer!

Learn about sponsorship opportunities.

Visit www.dgoktoberfest.org to learn more.

District 58 includes relevant e-flyers in the Communicate 58 newsletter and online. Learn more.

• Yomechas Federation
• Sokol Chicagoland Gymnastics
• Healthy Kids Running Series