Principal's Message
Dear Parents/Guardians,
“Part of the journey is the end” ~ Tony Stark (Iron Man)
By now our Senator family knows that Mr. Cobo is a HUGE superhero fan. Superheroes represent the best of us while also representing the beautifully flawed nature of a person. We cannot be perfect in every moment of every day. The goal is to grow and learn from interactions with peers, adults, and mistakes we make.
This school year has been filled with mistakes that have created learning opportunities as a community. What a journey middle school really is! It can be a rocky journey full of detours and dead ends but also bright lights leading our Senators to their end destination. The middle school journey might be ending for our 8th grade Senators, but their journey still continues.
When we reflect on the journey our students took in middle school, we need to look at the incredible growth our Senators have shown over the past two years. Nothing was normal for our students, yet they made the best of every twist and turn. They grew from every detour and made new paths when they hit a dead end. The lessons learned from this school year will last a lifetime. So the middle school journey may be ending for some, but they will always be Senators to us!
Please be sure to read below for important information about the end of the school year.
Have a great weekend!
Mr. Durbala & Mr. Cobo
The Week Ahead: June 6 - June 8
Monday, June 6 - BELL SCHEDULE
8:30 AM: SEL
......7th Grade - Check laptops/collect damaged & not returning. Locker clean out, Binder clean out
......8th Grade - Laptop collection. Locker clean out, Binder clean out
Period 6,7,8: Promotion practice
Tuesday, June 7
Period 1: Yearbook signing for 8th graders - Large Gym
Period 2: Yearbook signing for 7th graders - Large Gym
5:00 - 6:00 PM: 8th grade Promotion at Downers Grove North - Purple Gym
Wednesday, June 8 - 7th GRADE STUDENTS ONLY - NO EARLY BIRD CLASSES
8:30 AM - 11:45 AM: Last day for 7th graders
Friday, June 10
Trimester 3 Report Cards and Spring 2022 MAP reports mailed home.
Monday, June 13
The O'Neill office closes for the summer and will re-open on Tuesday, August 2
LAPTOP Collection is Monday!
8th grade students will turn in their Chromebook and charger on Monday, June 6. Chromebooks must be returned to O’Neill to participate in the promotion assembly.
7th grade students who have registered for next year at OMS will be allowed to keep their laptops over the summer. Chromebooks with damage belonging to 7th graders will be collected on June 6 and will be returned to the student in August. Students not returning to O'Neill for 8th grade will turn in their Chromebook and charger on Monday.
Google Accounts - As we are gearing up for the end of the year, eighth graders and students not returning to District 58 are encouraged to transfer their Google account to a personal account. This can be done with Google takeout. Here are the directions.
The OMS PTA is looking for Volunteers!
The OMS PTA only needs coordinators for School Supplies and Spirit Wear. All committees have well documented processes or people you can tap into for information.
Please contact omsptapres@gmail.com if you would like to help or for more information or questions.
Yearbook distribution
Families who did not purchase a yearbook have the chance to purchase one of a limited number of extra yearbooks we have available on a first come, first served basis. Students wishing to purchase a yearbook will need to bring $20 in cash to the main office.
Order your 22-23 school supplies now!
As a service to busy families of O'Neill Middle School, your PTA has teamed up with School Tool Box to offer 2022-2023 school supply kits for purchase. Get all of your child's school supplies delivered to the school in one bag! The PTA does not profit from the sale of any kits. See attached flyer for pricing information.
School Supply Kit 22-23 Flyer
To order and pay online, visit schooltoolbox.com Under Find Your School, type "O'Neill" or enter our zip code "60516" and then select "O'Neill Middle School.”
All students will need to order the basic kit for their grade and a math kit. Calculators are required for all Math classes and are available for purchase. Additionally, 8th grade students will need to choose Spanish, French, or Exploratory kit.
Please note that P.E. uniforms must be purchased separately.
Order Deadline is June 12, 2022
The school supply kits will be available for pick up at O'Neill Middle School during locker set up night.
Contact Jacynda Kruk at Summer2004e@yahoo.com with any questions.
FREE Covid tests for families
Did you know that the U.S. government has made free at-home COVID tests available to every family in the United States?
The process for securing these is simple: Just visit this website and complete the request form!
Tests will be mailed, free of charge, directly to your address.
With the most recent updates in joint guidance from the ISBE and IDPH, rapid at-home antigen tests are permissible to allow a student to return to school, assuming the student is COVID-free and symptoms are improving. Having these tests readily available at home returns students to school even faster than participating in the District’s at-school testing program (via NorthShore Clinical Laboratories), as this program only uses PCR tests, which require a lab to process the results.
If you need any assistance completing the form to secure at home free antigen tests, please contact your student’s school health office for support.
Important Parent Reminders
LIBRARY BOOK COLLECTION: All library books and materials checked out by students were due on Friday, May 27. Children with overdue books have received notices. Please return any O'Neill library books as soon as possible to the drop box outside Door #1. 7th graders with no overdue books who have registered to return to OMS in August will have the chance to check out up to 5 books for the summer on Friday June 3rd for summer reading.
LAPTOP COLLECTION:
- 8th grade students will turn in student laptops and chargers on Monday, June 6th. 8th graders are reminded to transfer their gmail account prior to the end of the school year. Instructions to do this will be shared this week.
- 7th grade students who have registered for next year at OMS will be allowed to keep their laptops over the summer. Chromebooks with damage belonging to 7th graders will be collected on June 6 and will be returned to the student in August.
Bus Clarification: Families are reminded that only students who qualify for bus transportation may ride a school bus. Students may only ride their assigned bus. Students MAY NOT ride a different bus than their assigned bus and students who walk may not ride a bus to go to a friend's house after school.
District 58 2022/2023 Calendar: The Board of Education recently approved the 2022-23 school year calendar. Calendar highlights include:
First Day of School: Thursday, Aug. 25, 2022
Thanksgiving Break: Nov. 23-25, 2022
Winter Break: Dec. 19, 2022 -Jan. 2, 2023
Spring Break: March 27-31, 2023
Last Day of School: Wednesday, June 7, 2023 (if no emergency days are used)
View the 2022-23 school year calendar.
Morning Announcements: Did you know you can read our daily announcements? The announcements read to students each morning are also available on the OMS website so families can also stay informed. Click here to see a sample
Face Coverings: Face masks are optional for students and staff
Activity bus: No activity bus the last week of school
District 58 launches the Safe2Help crisis reporting system
District 58 has partnered with Safe2Help to give students a safe and confidential way to report potential threats or crises. Safe2Help was launched by the State of Illinois in December 2020 and aims to help prevent suicide, bullying, school violence and other threats to school safety.
With Safe2Help, students can connect with a trained crisis professional during their own crisis, or to report a potential threat. Students can submit a Safe2Help alert via the following ways:
Website: https://app.safe22helpil.com
Text: SAFE2 (72332)
Phone: 844-4-SAFEIL (844-472-3345)
App: "Safe2Help Illinois" app available in the Apple App Store and Google Play Store
Email: HELP@Safe2HelpIL.com
All alerts are responded to by a trained Safe2Help crisis professional. Safe2Help is available 24 hours per day, 7 days per week.
District 58 staff are not the initial responders to the alert and will receive each alert after the Safe2Help professional provides support. District 58 staff will review alerts sent by Safe2Help during regular school hours, unless the nature of the alert necessitates immediate school action.
Learn more about Safe2Help and District 58's crisis resources.
Important Documents
O'Neill Middle School
Email: mdurbala@dg58.org
Website: https://dg58.org/on/
Location: 635 59th Street, Downers Grove, IL, USA
Phone: 630-719-5815
Twitter: @ONeillPrincipal
