Pierce Downer This Week

Pierce Downer Families,

Today we had our first evacuation drill at Pierce Downer School. The purpose of a fire drill is to familiarize and reinforce the proper evacuation routes and procedures. The goal is for students to feel confident that in the event of an emergency, they will know what to do to evacuate safely.

This week was filled with other firsts too, including our first PTA general meeting for this school year and our 2nd graders going on the first field trip of the year. We also enjoyed the first fun lunch from Home Run Inn Pizza. It was also exciting for our students to begin Earth Helpers, HOPE Club, and Student Council.

Thank you again to all of the volunteers who made our Donuts with Grown-Ups 2nd round event another HUGE success. It is always nice to have those opportunities to meet new families and see our students enjoy a special treat.

As mentioned in a previous newsletter, please remember that pets are not allowed on school grounds during the school day, especially during our arrivals and dismissals. I know how fun it is to have our furry friends with us to drop off or pick up students but we really need your help in following these guidelines.

Coming up next week, students who took the IAR assessment last year will be receiving paper copies of those results on September 28th. All students will have their fall assessment data sent home electronically via email.

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

As a reminder, every MONDAY students are dismissed at 2pm. We also invite students to wear orange on Mondays to support our commitment to a positive mindset, and spirit wear or school colors (blue and white) every Friday!

On Wednesday night, the PTA held its first general meeting for the year. It was great to see so many families in attendance. It is always a nice reminder of the amazing partnership we have with our families and the support given throughout the entire year. This meeting also featured a meet-and-greet opportunity to introduce the district's new Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction, Elizabeth Ehrhart.

Congratulations to Mr. Filus, PE teacher, on being this week's PD Cup recipient. Mr. Filus brings enthusiasm to his classroom. He has a great mix of fun, engaging sport/game activities and educational, health-related materials that encourages lifelong wellness.

Thank you Mr. Filus for everything you do!

You might find your student coming home with a "I was caught keeping my PD Promise" ticket. These tickets are used to recognize students who are keeping their promise to BE RESPECTFUL, BE RESPONSIBLE, and BE SAFE. When you see these tickets, ask your student how they earned it and share ways they can also continue to keep the PD Promise.

Your encouragement is appreciated in supporting our common behavior expectations!

This year Pierce Downer has the exciting opportunity to pilot a schedule that includes three lunch and three recess periods. Our goal is to reduce the overall number of students within each lunch and recess period in order to maximize staff supervision and increase student safety. This is also a part of our continued efforts to support positive student behavior. It is important to note that as with any pilot, if we do not find success by implementing this model, we will revert to our typical lunch and recess schedule. The pilot schedule is as follows:

• Kindergarten and First Grade will eat lunch at 11:20 am
• Second, Third, and Fourth Grade will eat lunch at 11:40 am
• Fifth and Sixth Grade will eat lunch at 12:00 pm

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.

September 28

IAR Reports Sent Home

October 12

Parent/Teacher Conferences

October 18

Parent/Teacher Conferences

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.