Principal's Corner

Tuesday, October 29, 2024 | 7:00pm – 8:30pm

Wednesday, October 30, 2024 | 9:30am – 11:00am

In Person at The Community House

In the age of high-pressure parenting, when so many of us feel like we’ve got to get everything exactly right the first time, Dr. Aliza Pressman is the compassionate, reassuring expert we all need—and the one whose advice we can all use.

Already beloved by listeners of her hit podcast, Raising Good Humans, Dr. Pressman distills it all with a handful of strategies every parent can use to get things right often enough: Relationship, Reflection, Regulation, Rules, and Repair.

Click here to register for the 10/29 PM session

Click here to register for the 10/30 AM session

Fall Party and Costume Parade Information

The children will celebrate Fall with a party and a costume parade on Thursday, October 31st. The outdoor all-school parade will begin at approximately 9:00 am directly after arrival and attendance. Parents are invited to join us this morning for the parade of costumes outside. The parade route is shown on the map below. 

Students should wear their costumes to school and please apply makeup at home. I would like to remind families that costumes with excessive gore or blood are not to be worn at school. Weapons or anything that looks like weapons are absolutely not allowed. Physical education and recess will take place as usual. Please bring a change of clothes if necessary so students may participate fully in the day.

Classroom parties will take place during the school day, and our generous PTO is providing SkinnyPop Brand Popcorn (ingredient information listed below) for our students to enjoy. 

*Afternoon kindergarten students and families are invited to participate in the costume parade. Please arrive between 8:30-8:40 on the morning of the 31st to do so. Parents will need to take their child home directly after the parade, and then return for their afternoon class. The afternoon students will have their classroom party as well. 

4th Grade Opera for the Young - Thursday 10/24 9:30AM

Elm 4th grade students are in the midst of learning about opera. They discovered what characterizes the opera genre, the voice parts typically used in opera, and they will explore how other art forms collaborate to create a production with sets, costumes, dance, lighting, props, scripts and acoustics. To culminate their experience, they have the opportunity to collaborate with Opera for the Young, an organization that specializes in adapting some of the most beloved operas into student-friendly performances geared specifically for kids.

On Thursday, October 24th at 9:30 a.m. in the Elm Gym, Opera for the Young will present Mozart's The Magic Flute with cameo appearances by Elm's 4th grade students. Every 4th grader will perform as part of the "Alien Council of Wisdom." All friends and family are invited to attend. All 2nd and 3rd grade students will attend the performance assembly as audience members. Please see below for more details, including costume information for 4th grade students.

Principal's Corner

Tuesday, October 29, 2024 | 7:00pm – 8:30pm

Wednesday, October 30, 2024 | 9:30am – 11:00am

In Person at The Community House

In the age of high-pressure parenting, when so many of us feel like we’ve got to get everything exactly right the first time, Dr. Aliza Pressman is the compassionate, reassuring expert we all need—and the one whose advice we can all use.

Already beloved by listeners of her hit podcast, Raising Good Humans, Dr. Pressman distills it all with a handful of strategies every parent can use to get things right often enough: Relationship, Reflection, Regulation, Rules, and Repair.

Click here to register for the 10/29 PM session

Click here to register for the 10/30 AM session

Satchel Pulse Screening Information

Elementary students and teachers will once again participate in the Satchel Pulse Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) Screener, a tool to help us monitor and improve the social-emotional skills of all our students. D181 first utilized this SEL screener in our elementary schools during the 2023-2024 school year after a successful pilot during the 2022-2023 school year. Teachers of students in grades K-5th will complete the screener about their students, and students in grades 3rd-5th will complete the screener about themselves.

SEL skills include developing healthy habits, managing emotions, setting and achieving goals, developing empathy for others, establishing and maintaining supportive relationships, collaborating with others, and making responsible and caring decisions. 

Satchel Pulse is a student-friendly screener with 25 simple questions. Information gained from this screener will provide our school teams with additional insight to best support our students’ social, emotional, and academic growth. Please let me know if you have any further questions.

Unity Day - Wednesday 10/16

Unity Day is Wednesday, October 16th! Elm is planning an exciting student assembly and some classroom activities in celebration of Unity Day. Unity Day is an opportunity for Elm School and our district to promote kindness, acceptance and inclusion. Wearing orange on Unity Day is a way to show that Elm is united in this effort! Feel free to have your student(s) wear orange that they already have or you can check out these options (t-shirt 1 and t-shirt 2)!

Order by Wednesday 10/16 12PM for Special Lunch on Thursday 10/24

The next Special Lunch (Steak 'n Shake) is on Thursday, October 24th. Orders must be placed by 12pm on Wednesday, October 16th. See ordering instructions HERE. 

Chick-fil-A - Thank You!

Thank you to all who attended our Chick-fil-A Spirit Night! A special thanks to Mrs. Olson, Nurse Pavich, Ms. Miscimarra, and Ms. Serritella for taking our orders, delivering our food, and helping with spin the wheel! We raised $418!

Bike Rodeo - Thank You!

Thank you to those students who participated in our annual Bike Rodeo on Tuesday 10/8! Many students went through the safety course after school and earned their licenses, thanks to our local Hinsdale and Burr Ridge Police Departments. Congratulations to those students, and thank you to the PTO Committee and parent volunteers who made that happen!

Free English Classes for Parents

Would you like to learn English with other parents? Would you like to learn how to get information about your child's school? This class is designed to provide a supportive and engaging environment for parents who want to improve their English language skills. Registration forms are available in English, Chinese, and Spanish HERE.