**5/25: Scavenger Hunt
Please join us for the Elm School "Around Town" Scavenger Hunt- SIGN UP HERE
When: Thursday, 5/25
Time: 3:30-5:30 PM
Where: Start and finish on Elm School blacktop. Around town to find the listed items. Snacks, Scavenger Hunt item list, and additional details will be provided at 3:30 PM that day.
*Parent(s) must be present and vehicles will be needed. This is not a drop-off. Please also bring a pen and cell phone to take pictures and mark off your list.*
**6/1: End of the Year Pool Party
Please join us for the Elm School end of year school pool party!
When: Thursday, 6/1
Time: 4-7pm
Where: Hinsdale Pool (500 W. Hinsdale Ave)
Important: Parent(s) must be present. This is not a drop-off party.
Tickets are $5/person and this includes pool entry, pizza (from Brama La Pizza) and a bottle of water. Concessions will NOT be available during the party. BUY TICKETS HERE. 
The Principal's Page
**Teacher Appreciation Week- Thank You!
This week, Elm School celebrated Teacher Appreciation Week. The PTO and Elm families worked overtime to make us all feel special! What an amazing week of treats and surprises! We had breakfast, lunch, and snacks, car washes, notes, and cards! Thank you so much for your amazing generosity!
**Kindergarten Screening Information
On Wednesday, May 31 and Friday, June 2 all incoming kindergarten students will be screened in early literacy, early numeracy, and fine motor skill development. The screening process will take approximately 30 minutes and will be held at Oak Elementary School in the preschool wing. The screening assessment will be completed one-on-one with a D181 staff member who all are very experienced with young children. Most of the activities students will participate in are verbal and intended to not be stressful. More information will be sent closer to the screening dates on the procedure for entering the building and where parents/guardians will wait.
All incoming kindergarten students will take part in the screening as a way to identify student needs and where to begin instruction in the fall. We are asking you to sign up for a screening time for your child. If your child attends the D181 Neighborhood Preschool Program at Oak you do not need to sign up for a time for the screening. Your preschool teacher will complete the screening in May during the preschool school day.
You may self-select your date and time for May 31 or June 2, 2023. It is important to sign up for a time early and to attend, as classroom placements will only be sent to parents for students who have completed the screening assessment. Directions for selecting a screening date and time can be found here. If you have tech issues in signing up, please contact Nick Skrip at nskrip@d181.org
If you have any further questions you may contact the Department of Learning by phone at 630-861-4923, or by email at:
Dr. Kathleen Robinson, Assistant Superintendent of Learning kathyrobinson@d181.org
Dr. Dana Bergthold, Assistant Superintendent of Student Services dbergthold@d181.org
Dr. Tracey Miller, Director of Assessment, Instruction, & Evaluation tmiller@d181.org
Thank you and we look forward to meeting your child on May 31 or June 2!
**Technology Update
We will be switching from AirWatch to Jamf School for our iPad management needs. In order to facilitate this change we will need to collect all iPads at the end of the school year to erase and re-enroll them in Jamf School. Students will turn in their equipment to their classroom teacher.
Students in 5th grade and in 2nd grade will need to return their iPad including their charger and charging cable.
Students in grades K, 1, 3 and 4 will return their iPad and do not turn in their charger. We will not be giving them new chargers at the start of the year as they are expected to retain their existing chargers. Students in these grade levels will be returned the same iPad they’ve been using, already enrolled in the new system.
Students entering grades K and 3rd will receive a brand new 9th Gen iPad at the start of the school year.
Students that are attending summer learning programs will not turn in their device until the conclusion of those programs (ESY, Summer Learning, Math Camp, Time to Shine, Bridge). Bridge attendees may not be entirely known by the collection date. The parents will be permitted to keep the child’s iPad until the appeal process is completed. If they don’t make it into Bridge once the appeal process is completed, they will be asked to return the iPad at that point.
Students will turn in their equipment to the classroom teacher.
Grades K, 1, 3, and 4 - NO CHARGING EQUIPMENT
Grades 2 and 5 - YES CHARGING EQUIPMENT
- iPad (with case)
- iPad charging brick
- iPad charging cable
**Rotary Run 2023
The Hinsdale Rotary Run Charity Classic on October 1, 2023. This event supports the Rotary Club in its international and local efforts, including these local non-profit organizations:
- The Community House
- D181 Foundation
- Hinsdale Hospital Foundation
- Rotary Foundation
- Hanson Center-Ray Graham Association
Hinsdale Rotary is offering a close-of-school “Flash Sale” for $20 for individuals and $75.00 for families of 4 or more! School & Team competitions will be for the prestigious “Mrs. B” and “Mr. K” Trophies. Once again, they will feature the “world famous D181 Mascot Race.”
- Sign up here: https://runsignup.com/Race/IL/Hinsdale/RotaryRunCharityClassic
For more information visit: https://runsignup.com/Race/IL/Hinsdale/RotaryRunCharityClassic
**Last Day of School Information
The last day of school for kindergarten students will be Thursday, June 1, 2023. The last day of school for first-fifth grade students will be Friday, June 2, 2023. Students will be dismissed at 11:40 on this day. Please let us know if you have any questions. Thanks!
**Spring MAP
The spring administration of Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) for 2nd-7th grade students and MAP for Primary Grades (MPG) for 1st grade students has ended. Your child’s scores are now visible in Skyward under the “Test Scores” section of the “home” tab.
Our District uses the data from this assessment in a variety of ways. In the classroom, it provides teachers with a means for monitoring student growth in reading and mathematics over time. At the District and building levels, MAP data help us set goals and evaluate initiatives. Finally, in conjunction with other criteria, MAP scores may be considered when providing intervention and in course placement decisions. For more information on the various ways we use assessments in D181 please visit the Assessment Information section of our website.
When viewing your child’s MAP scores, you will see two kinds of numbers. The first, called a RIT score, stands for Rasch UnIT and is a measurement scale developed to simplify the interpretation of test scores. It is an equal-interval scale, like feet and inches on a ruler. The RIT scale ranges from 100–350. RIT scores make it possible to follow a student’s educational growth from year to year.
The second score you will see is a percentile rank. A percentile rank tells you how your child’s score compares to other students of his/her age and grade. For example, a percentile rank of 50 indicates that a student performed the same as or better than 50% of his/her same-age peers. Both scores help families and educators track student learning over time.
**Course Placement for Fall 2023
MAP scores have traditionally been utilized as one component of math course placement in elementary and middle school as well as in language arts and social studies placement in middle school. The placement criteria for fall 2023 are available on the Placement, Advancement & Acceleration section of the D181 website under the header of “Placement Criteria (2023-2024).” Placement determinations will be communicated to families during the week of May 22nd. Finally, if you anticipate that your child will qualify for Summer Math Bridge, please note that this program is planned to take place between June 12 - June 30, 2023. A full list of D181 summer program dates are available on D181’s website under the Placement, Advancement & Acceleration section.
This Week at Elm
Please Note: This is not meant to be a comprehensive list - just the key highlights from the school and district for events over the next 7 days.
**Library Books Due 5/19 & Summer Book Bags
All Elm library books will be due on Friday, May 19th. Please help your children to return their books as soon as possible.
Summer Book Bags
Students in grades K- 5 are invited to check out books from the Elm School library to read during the summer! There are so many benefits from reading that we want to make sure students have great books to read.
- Each student may check out up to ten books.
- Books and the bag are due on Friday, August 25th.
- Just as we expect you to take good care of the books you check out during the school year, we expect you to take good care of books you take with you for the summer.
- You are responsible for the cost to replace any lost or damaged books.
- There is a $1.00 fee if the bag is not returned in August. We will use the bags again next year.
- Students who have returned all books or paid for lost books may check out books.
- 5th graders may also check out books. They will need to make arrangements to return them. This is an especially good opportunity for students who do not have a public library card.
- Turn in the permission slip by Friday, May 19th.
Save the Dates!
- 5/25: Elm School Scavenger Hunt, 3:30 PM
- 5/29: NO SCHOOL- Memorial Day
- 6/1: Elm School Field Day
- 6/1: Last PTO meeting of the year, 9:00 AM (Teacher's Lounge @ Elm)
- 6/1: End of year Pool Party at Hinsdale Pool, 4-7PM
- 6/1: Last Day of School for Kindergarten
- 6/2: Last Day of School for grades 1-5- Dismissal @ 11:40 AM
Elm School and District News
**Write Stuff School Supply Kits for 2023-24
School supply kits for the 2023-24 school year are now available via Write Stuff. Order your student supply kits HERE. Orders must be placed by June 5th if you would like your kits to be shipped directly to Elm School. There is no cost to have your kits shipped to school during the sale dates. Orders after June 5th will incur standard shipping charges and kits will be shipped to your home. The storefront will remain open until July 15.
**The Parent List
Advocating for your child’s needs means identifying the RIGHT resources and people. If you have found that special HERO who helped with your child’s learning, developmental, emotional or health issue, pay your insights forward by contributing your anonymous positive review to The Parent List. It takes only three clicks and some brief provider information to help another local parent navigate a tough situation. Submit your insights HERE .
The Parent List contains first-hand feedback from school District 86, 63 and 181 parents about doctors, therapists, and other providers that have helped address childhood anxiety, depression, school avoidance, eating disorders, insomnia, peer relations, grief, stress and more. To read existing Parent List reviews of providers, go to hcpto.org/parent-list/ Questions can be emailed to: parentlist@hcpto.org.
In no way does the Hinsdale Central High or Elm Elementary School PTO or staff, school districts 86, 63 or 181 endorse or recommend any specific provider reviewed on The Parent List. The Parent List is a subjective forum set up by the Hinsdale Central PTO for your convenience. Parents and guardians are solely responsible for deciding to use any of the service providers on The Parent List in any capacity, and school districts 86, 63, and 181, and the Hinsdale Central and Elm School PTOs disclaim all liability for any damages, injuries, losses, expenses, or claims of any kind arising out of the provision of services by anyone or any agency appearing on The Parent List.
**Field Day Volunteers Needed!
We are looking for 32 volunteers to help with Field Day at Elm on Thursday, June 1st from 12pm-3:00pm. Volunteers will be asked to run one station throughout the entirety of field day. Mr. Kolar will send out a video tutorial on how each station is run ahead of time. There will be 16 stations total (2 volunteers assigned per station). Please note: this is an outdoor event - if it rains, Field Day will have to be canceled.
Please sign up HERE and ENTER YOUR STUDENT(S) GRADES IN THE COMMENTS SECTION. Mr. Kolar will try to assign volunteers to one of your children's stations. Thank you!
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