The RISE Report

Downers Grove Grade School District 58 invites students in grades 1-6 to participate in the Science Fair this winter! Registration is now open through Friday, Dec. 22. To register for this year’s Science Fair, use this Registration Form. In order to register, you must know the District 58 username for each student. Usernames can be found in the PowerSchool Parent Portal.

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!

District 58 strives to create a culture of well-being for students, parents, staff and community. To further support this endeavor, the District has invested in an additional support service through ReferralGPS.

ReferralGPS is a service providing assistance to our community in finding local mental health and substance use-related treatment resources. The service compliments the District’s existing systems of support as a tool for student service teams and families to connect with treatment. Along with a searchable database of treatment options, ReferralGPS assists families in triage and appointment setting.

School district staff and families may access ReferralGPS in two ways:

1. Contact Student Services (social workers, psychologists, counselors) to seek out treatment options

2. Visit this link at https://referralgps.com/find-help/DG58 to search for treatment resources or connect with a Care Navigator anonymously

3. 
   

The platform has the ability to filter by mental health concern, clinician gender/specialty, location, and insurance acceptance. The service is available for all types of private and public insurance options including PPO, HMO, Medicaid, and families that are uninsured or underinsured.

ReferralGPS is available for use by district students, staff, and families at no cost. All information entered on the ReferralGPS tool is completely confidential and securely stored.

If inclement winter weather prompts District 58 to close its schools and facilities this year, the District will notify families and staff as soon as possible using a variety of communication tools. Please note, extreme weather is very unpredictable, and the decision to close schools is typically not able to be made until the morning of the event. District 58 will only send a message if schools will be closed. Otherwise, the day will proceed as usual.

How does District 58 communicate emergency closure information?

When a decision is made to close school due to inclement weather, the District will send an automated voice and email message to all parents and staff via the SchoolMessenger notification system. The communication will include whether District 58 will hold an e-learning day or a traditional emergency/snow day. The system will also send a text message to families and staff who have registered to receive texts. You are not automatically signed up for texts during registration but need to register. Sign up to receive District 58 text messages by texting YES to 68453 using a phone number that is on file with District 58. Opt out at any time by texting STOP to the same number.

District 58 also posts school closure information at www.dg58.org, on Facebook, X (formerly known asTwitter) and on the District’s answering machine at 630-719-5800. The District also notifies major news radio and network televisions stations.

Fall is here and cold and flu season is upon us and we are seeing students with cold and flu symptoms. To prevent the spread of these common viruses in the close confines of the classroom, we are cleaning daily and encouraging handwashing in the class. To decide whether or not to send your child to school, please consider the following guidelines.

Consider keeping your child at home for an extra day of rest and observation if he or she has any of the following symptoms:

· Very stuffy or runny nose and/or a cough

· Mild sore throat (no fever, no known exposure to strep)

· Headache

Definitely keep your child at home and consider seeking medical attention if he or she has any of these symptoms:

· Fever (greater than 100 degrees by mouth. Your child may return to school only after his or her temperature has been consistently below 100 degrees, by mouth, for a minimum of 24 hours without medication)

· Vomiting (even once)

· Diarrhea

· Chills

· General malaise or feelings of fatigue, discomfort, weakness or muscle aches

· Frequent congested (wet) or croupy cough

· Shortness of breath

· Lots of nasal congestion with frequent blowing of nose

To help prevent the flu and other colds, encourage good hygiene habits:

· Wash hands frequently

· Do not touch eyes, nose or mouth

· Cover mouth and nose when sneezing or coughing, use a paper tissue, throw it away and then wash hands

· Avoid close contact with people who are sick

The flu shot is one of the best ways to prevent illness from the seasonal influenza virus. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends adults and children receive the flu vaccine each year. Yearly flu vaccination is needed because immunity against the flu wears off over time. In addition, the flu virus strains often change, so the vaccine also changes from year-to-year in order to match the flu viruses expected to be circulating in the community.

Monday, December 11: Board of Education Regular Meeting

December 25-January 5: No School- Winter Break

Monday, January 8: School Resumes

Monday, January 8: Board of Education Regular Meeting

Monday, January 15: No School- MLK Day

Monday, February 12: Board of Education Regular Meeting

Monday, February 19: No School- President's Day

Friday, March 1: No School- Teacher Institute Day

Monday, March 11: Board of Education Regular Meeting

Monday, March 25-29th: No School Spring Break

Monday, April 1: School Resumes

Monday, April 1: Board of Education Regular Meeting

Monday, May 13: Board of Education Regular Meeting

Wednesday, May 29: Last Day of School

The Find Food IL Community Food Map is an excellent tool for individuals to find places offering free food or meals; school and Summer Meal programs; and grocery stores and farmers markets accepting SNAP/Link, WIC, and senior vouchers. ISBE partnered with the University of Illinois Extension to help families identify what is available in their community more easily.

Many students rely on school for access to meals. Especially as we enter the summer months, you can help by sharing the Find Food IL Community Food Map with your students and families. Those interested in linking to this resource can download hosting guidelines on the Illinois Nutrition Education Programs website. Contact Caitlin Kownacki or read the press release for more information.

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.

Building Bridges is a parent group under the Downers Grove D58 Area PTA Counil. Building Bridges works on building relationships between families with children who have special needs and our school community.

Whether you are a parent/guardian of a child with an IEP or 504, sibling, caregiver, teacher, librarian, or community member... Building Bridges would love to see your participation in our event for the 2023-2024 school year!

Please join our Facebook Page (Building Bridges Parent/Teacher Group)

https://www.facebook.com/pg/buildingbridgesDG58/

RISE Special Programs Coordinator

Email: jcadard@dg58.org
Website: www.dg58.org
Location: 1435 Jefferson Avenue, Downers Grove, IL, USA
Phone: 630-719-9478