Pierce Downer This Week

Pierce Downer Families,

Our week started strong, celebrating World Kindness Day, spreading joy and compassion throughout our school with acts of kindness, including the amazing messages shared from our families to our staff members. This was so well received, that I will be including a "SHOUTOUT" button at the bottom of the newsletter if you would ever like to share a kind note!

Thank you to all of the parents who joined us at the PTA meeting this past Wednesday. The meeting included a school safety presentation, sharing information about all of the things we do to ensure school is a safe place for our students. We are dedicated to creating and nurturing a place for our children to learn and grow.

If you were unable to attend the Safety Presentation, you can view a voice-over presentation HERE.

As a friendly reminder, we will have school on Monday and Tuesday next week, and then we're off for the Thanksgiving break! It is a perfect time to reflect on gratitude and spend quality time with loved ones. I know I am beyond thankful to be a part of the Pierce Downer family and community!

With that being said, please do not hesitate to reach out. You can email me at LWagner@DG58.org or call the Pierce Downer Main Office at 630-719-5860.

As always, WE are PD!

Dr. Leland (Lucky) Wagner

Students in grades 1-6 are invited to participate in the Science Fair this winter! Registration will be open Monday, Nov. 27 through Friday, Dec. 22. To register for this year’s Science Fair, use this Registration Form. The Science Fair will take place Saturday, Jan. 20 from 8-11 a.m. at O’Neill Middle School. The fair is open to all District 58 students in grades 1-6. Participating in the Science Fair is voluntary, but District 58 encourages every student to consider participating!

Students may register as an individual or with one partner. More details can be found here.

Parents should have received an email on Thursday, Oct. 19 inviting them to sign up to purchase lunch for their elementary-age student (K-6) if they choose. Parents can sign up and begin ordering lunch now but the program begins the week of Monday, Oct. 30.

The lunches can be ordered through MyMealOrder (www.MyMealOrder.com) and are made by District 58’s food service provider Quest. The online program gives you the ability to manage and pay for your student’s meal purchases and they will be delivered to your child’s school. To sign up, visit: https://MyMealOrder.com and click the login button, then click on “Register for a Free Account.”

You will need your student’s ID number, last name and school to complete registration. In the Oct. 19 email, you received your student’s ID number. This document shows detailed step-by-step directions to set up an account and to begin placing orders. Once you finish registration, you may log in to begin managing your student’s account instantly. Students who currently receive a lunch under the free/reduced lunch eligibility will continue to do so, and should not use the MyMealOrder system at this time.

The Grove Express Foundation warmly invites the District 58 community to partake in this enjoyable family run/walk event. With a shared vision and purpose, three esteemed nonprofit organizations - the Education Foundation of Downers Grove District 58, the Rotary Club of Downers Grove, and the Roadrunners Soccer Club - have united to carry on a 20-year legacy that champions education and empowers youth.

By taking part in the Grove Express 5K, the funds raised will support important initiatives such as Select 58 and Teachers Grants for District 58, facilitated by the Education Foundation of Downers Grove District 58. Furthermore, your generous support will enable Transition 99 (T99) to provide ongoing educational services to hundreds of students with special needs through the Roadrunners Soccer Club, as well as offer scholarships to high school students at both DGS and DGN through the Rotary Club of Downers Grove.

Mark your calendars for Thursday, November 23rd, at 8:30 a.m. as we gather in downtown Downers Grove at Maple & Grove Streets for this annual Thanksgiving Day tradition. Secure your spot today by registering at https://runsignup.com/groveexpress.

The Pierce Downer Student Council planned a "Matching Day" for a spirit day on November 16th. It was fun to see so many students matching with friends. While some were in pairs and others in large groups, we ALL are PD Panthers!

Congratulations to Mrs. Coyne on being this week's PD Cup recipient. Mrs. Coyne is a Kindergarten Teacher at Pierce Downer School. Mrs. Coyne provides a solid foundation to build on for our youngest students. She does so with a caring, nurturing, and intentional practice. We are lucky to have Mrs. Coyne in our PD family.

Thank you Mrs. Coyne for everything you do!

District 58 is pleased to continue using the Raptor Visitor Management System in all of our schools to strengthen our program of campus safety for students and faculty. Part of keeping students and faculty safe is knowing who is in our buildings at all times. The Raptor system will better allow us to screen visitors, contractors, and volunteers in our schools and provide us with a safer environment for our students and staff. Community High School District 99 currently utilizes the same platform on its campuses.

Upon entering a district building, visitors will be asked to present photo identification, such as a Driver’s License, which can either be scanned or manually entered into the system. If a parent or guardian for any reason does not have a US government-issued ID, the school staff member can use any form of identification and manually enter the person’s name into the Raptor system. The Raptor system will check to ensure that registered sexual offenders are not entering our school campuses without our knowledge. The Raptor system checks the visitor's name and date of birth for comparison with a national database of registered sex offenders. The registered sex offender database is the only official database checked by the Raptor system. No other data from the ID is gathered or recorded and the information is not shared with any outside agency. Once entry is approved, Raptor will issue a badge that identifies the visitor, the date, and the purpose of his/her visit. A visitor’s badge will not be necessary for those who visit our schools simply to drop off an item in the office or pick up paperwork.

The safety of our students is our highest priority and the Raptor visitor management system allows us to quickly identify those that may present a danger to our students. Thank you in advance for your understanding and your support in enhancing the school safety protocols in our district.

November 22-24

No School: Thanksgiving Break

December 5

PTA Reflections

December 8

PD Promise Assembly

December 11

Board of Education Spotlight

December 23- January 5

Winter Break

January 8

School Resumes

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.