1st Grade Music Program: We're Going on a Bear Hunt! - Wednesday 4/30 1pm

First grade students will present their musical program, "We're Going on a Bear Hunt," on Wednesday, April 30 at 1:00 p.m. in the Elm Gym. Doors will open at 12:45 p.m. All first grade families and friends are invited to attend. Students have been busy learning songs, dances and instrument parts to tell the story of the classic book by Michael Rosen and Helen Oxenbury. First graders are invited to wear any safari attire of your choice (i.e., browns, khakis, greens, safari vest, hat, binoculars, etc) the day of the program. We hope to see you there!

PTO Meeting - Friday 5/2, 9-10am

Please join us on Friday, May 2nd at 9am in the staff lounge for our monthly PTO Meeting. You can also access the meeting via Zoom HERE if you're unable to attend in person (Meeting ID: 833 9431 6349, Passcode: 347206).

Elm School Daughter’s Dance - Friday 5/2, 6:30-8:30pm

Please join us on Friday, May 2nd, 6:30-8:30pm for our first ever Elm School Daughter's Dance in the Elm School Gym. Tickets on sale now via SchoolPay. Don't delay as door sales will not be guaranteed. Everyone attending will need a ticket to enter.

Tickets: $15/daughter + Dad (or your favorite dance partner/adult guardian). $5 each additional daughter and each additional dance partner attending. **Dance partners/adult guardians must stay the duration of the event. This is not a drop off event.**

Come and enjoy the DJ, face painting, photo booth, and a sweet treat!

Click HERE for more details on the event and pricing. Please reach out to familyfun@elmschoolpto.org with any questions.

Thank You, Elm Families!

Thank you to all the wonderful Elm families who spent their Saturday afternoon making bird feeders out of bagels and cleaning up Harvester Park! We are also grateful for the District 181 Foundation for supporting our community service project with a KIDS Grant. 

Hinsdale Central Girls Basketball Summer Camp

We are excited to announce that Hinsdale Central High School will be hosting a Girls Basketball Camp June 2nd through June 6th (Monday through Friday), from 2:00p-4:00p. This camp is open to incoming 1st- incoming 8th graders who are interested in developing their basketball skills and learning from the experienced HCHS coaching staff and players.

The camp will be led by HCHS Girls Head Basketball Coach, Brett Moore, his staff, and current players (including some Elm alums!). The camp is designed to provide a fun and challenging environment where players can improve their basketball skills and develop important life skills such as teamwork, leadership, and sportsmanship. Hinsdale Central Girls Basketball finished 22nd in the state last season!

The camp will focus on developing fundamental basketball skills such as dribbling, passing, shooting, and defense. Players of all skill levels are welcome – there will be something for a beginner all the way to an advanced player. Additionally, the camp will include team games and scrimmages to help players develop their understanding of team concepts and strategies.

Registration for the camp is now open and can be completed online HERE. This camp sold out last year and will sell out again this year so REGISTER TODAY! We hope to see your player on the court this summer for a great experience at the Hinsdale Central Girls Basketball Camp!

End of the Year Pool Party - Thursday 5/29, 4-7pm

Please join us as we splash into summer at the End of the Year Pool Party! The party will take place on Thursday, May 29th, 4-7pm at the Hinsdale Pool. The price of admission is $10 per parent/child pair and $5 for each additional child and/or parent. The ticket includes admission to the pool, one slice of pizza from Brama La Pizza, bottle of water, and a raffle ticket towards one of two awesome prizes. This is NOT a drop-off event and requires all parents to stay with their children for the entire duration of the event. Tickets must be pre-purchased as tickets will NOT be sold at the door this year! Online ticket sales end on Tuesday, May 27th at noon. Get your tickets HERE!

Principal's Corner

The Community Speaker Series

Elm Earth Week Activities: April 21-25, 2025

• Monday: Wear Earth colors to school - blue, green, brown. Make it a Meatless Monday! Enjoy a vegetarian or vegan lunch or dinner. Watch this video about why you should go meatless.
• Tuesday is Earth Day: Take it outside for CHALK THE WALK! Draw pictures of our beautiful Earth.
• Wednesday: We love animals! Wear a shirt with an animal on it.
• Thursday: Nature Day - Wear clothing with flowers, leaves, trees, or anything that reminds you of nature!
• Friday: Feel the Elm Spirit Day! Wear RED and BLACK to show that Elm loves and supports our Earth!

Everyday next week, we are encouraging all students to bring a waste-free lunch. You can get some great ideas of what this looks like in this video. If we see students with these lunches, they will earn a special green Bowser Buck designed by our very own 5th grader, Keira Sweis! Thank you for supporting the Earth!

Other Suggested Activities for Earth Week 2025:

• Use a reusable water bottle every day

• Exercise outside

• Pick up litter in your neighborhood (wear gloves)

• Plant a tree, flower, plant, or garden

• Turn off the water while brushing your teeth

• Turn off the lights and open the blinds/curtains

• Unplug unnecessary electronics

• Visit Earthday.org for lots more ideas

Parent Input for 2025-2026 Class Lists

The planning process for the 2025-2026 school year has begun! This is a comprehensive process that we take very seriously. Many factors are considered as we develop our schedule and class lists. We collaborate with your child’s current teachers and specialists (including reading specialists, differentiation specialists, resource teachers, and staff from art, music, and PE) to create class lists that promote effective learning. We take into account your child’s academic, social, and emotional needs. Our aim is also to establish equitable classes regarding size, instructional support, gender, and more.

We welcome you, as our partners, to share your perspective on your child’s placement for the upcoming school year. Providing this information is optional. If you choose to share your input, please utilize the official form, as it is our designated method for collecting this important information. Additionally, we cannot honor requests that include the names of teachers or other students and we kindly ask that you refrain from doing so. Thank you for your cooperation! Should you wish to share your perspective, please complete the form by April 25, 2025. 

Kindergarten Registration

Spring NWEA MAP Assessment

Our Spring NWEA MAP assessment window opens on Monday, April 21st and will extend through Friday, May 2nd. Elm’s schedule is as follows:

While we realize that some absences are unavoidable, we ask that you make every effort to avoid scheduling appointments or other absences during this time to minimize the amount of instructional time missed for make-up assessments. 

Preparing for MAP:

A student who is well rested, well fed, and has a positive attitude about assessment is best prepared for testing. You can help your child do his or her best by considering these tips:

• Make sure that your child is in school and on time on test days.

• Make sure your child gets a good night’s sleep and eats a healthy breakfast before each day of testing.

• Be sure your child fully charges their device and brings it to school each day. 

• Remind your child that this assessment is only one measure. Emphasize that you have confidence in his or her ability to do the best job possible.

• Remind your child to listen to the directions and read each question carefully during testing. 

Communication of MAP Results:

Your child’s scores will be available in Skyward after administration is complete and all reports are available. We will reach out when scores are available for parents to view.

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, during the week of May 5th-9th. 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 questions. 

Sign up for Elm Running Club by Monday 4/21

Students in grades K through 5th are invited to participate in Running Club with Mr. Jensen and Mr. Kolar! This morning club will be held at 8:00AM to 8:30AM twice a week starting on April 22, 2025. The sign-up form will automatically close on April 21st at 5:00PM to ensure an attendance roster for the first day. We have a 60 student maximum so it may close before the anticipated date. Click HERE for more information.