District Digest

In this issue…

• Calendar Reminders
• 5Essentials Feedback Opportunity
• Superintendent’s Student Advisory Council
• Hadley State Champion Wrestlers
• BPAC’s 2nd Annual Family Resource Night
• Nazca Lines at Churchill
• Hadley Inaugural Pops Concert
• The Arts@D41 Spotlight: Wendee Passini
• Rock Your Socks

• Glenbard Parent Series

For the District 41 2024-25 Official School Calendar please CLICK HERE

• March 31 - April 4 | Spring Break

All meetings are held at Hadley Jr. High School, 240 Hawthorne Blvd. unless otherwise noted.

• Monday, March 17, 2025 Regular Board of Education Meeting, 6:30 pm
• Monday, April 21, 2025 Regular Board of Education Meeting, 6:30 pm
For full Board Meeting agendas CLICK HERE. For Board Meeting stream archives CLICK HERE.

All parents are encouraged to participate in a brief survey to help District 41 gather valuable data to inform school improvement. The Illinois 5Essentials Parent Survey is administered annually by the Illinois State Board of Education. The survey is open now through March 31, 2025.

Click here to take the survey and choose “Parent Survey.” The deadline is March 31

Each school needs at least 20 percent parent participation for a data report to be provided for the school. Thank you in advance for your participation. Your feedback is very much appreciated!

For questions regarding the survey, please email 5Essentials@isbe.net​.​​​​​​​​​

The Superintendent's Student Advisory Council (SSAC) held their third meeting on Monday, March 10. To begin the meeting, Dr. Jeff McHugh and the students participated in a fun Either/Or activity. The council then discussed and analyzed data from the recent technology surveys taken by D41 staff, parents, and students. Finally, the council began discussion on the new topic of classroom engagement and the factors that determine a students' level of engagement during their learning day, including technology devices.
The SSAC includes three students from each grade 4th - 8th.

Great job, students!

Congratulations to Hadley Junior High Wildcats Kamden Cullen and Nick Ortega, 2025 State Wrestling Champions! Kamden, 6th grade, and Nick, 8th grade, both went undefeated in their matches this past weekend at Northern Illinois University to take top honors in their weight classes.

Head Coach Charlie McCluskey would like to thank past and present coaches and student wrestlers, and Glenbard West coaches and families for all of their support. Prior to this year, Hadley's only state champion was in 2010.
Way to go, Kamden and Nick!

BPAC (Bilingual Parent Advisory Committee) held their 2nd Annual Resource Fair in collaboration with Glen Ellyn and Glendale Heights libraries. The event featured 15 community organizations, including ACCESS DuPage, Chicago Workers Collaborative, Glen Ellyn Early Childhood Collaborative, Latino Awakening, and more. Attendees were also treated to a performance by Mariachi Creative who provided live music for the event.

Thank you all for joining us! For more information about the Bilingual Parent Advisory Committee, please CLICK HERE

3rd grade FLES students at Churchill created their own Nazca Lines while learning about Peru. Nazca Lines are a group of ancient geoglyphs in southern Peru created from etchings in the desert sand. With over 300 unique figures covering over 600 miles of desert, some of the geoglyphs measure over three football fields in length. Not much is known about the Nazca people or why they created these beautiful works, but they are an important part of Peru's history and tourism. After learning about the Lines, students used sand to create their own unique versions!

Congratulations to the Hadley Junior High 6th Grade Bands and Jazz Ensemble for entertaining everyone with an incredible inaugural Pops Concert! The concert began with a “second line” entrance from the Jazz Ensemble, touring around the Auditorium performing a tune entitled Li’l Liza Jane. The ensembles performed classics from Star Wars, Harry Potter, The Wizard of Oz, Jurassic Park, Sesame Street, and more! The evening ended with a dessert and snack social to celebrate the students and their musicianship. Hadley Band Directors Samantha Tribley and Chris Cooper, along with Band Student Teacher Sebastian Martinez, thank the students for their hard work and dedication, and the families for their support and generous food donations. Here's to more musical moments and memories!

How long have you worked in District 41?
24 years

What is special about the arts (specifically music) in District 41?
The arts at the elementary schools are special because we provide students with a way to succeed that may not be able to be explored in the general classroom. We give students the opportunity to create, perform, work collaboratively, and to begin a life long love for art and music. We also provide a level playing field for all students in that everyone is able to participate. Singing a song, playing a game, or performing rhythms allow everyone of all abilities, languages and cultures to come together because music holds no boundaries. Some of my favorite moments in my career have been watching newcomers participate and become a valued member of the class through music activities.

What inspires you as a music teacher?
What inspires me most is watching students have the a-ha moment. It can be with understanding rhythm patterns, playing a new song on the ukulele, or making a connection between a song we are learning and listening to and another moment in time.

Describe your typical day.
I teach 5-6 grade levels each day. Everything moves rather fast in my classroom, so I have to have everything organized and easily accessible. During the day, you can find me searching for new engaging lesson ideas and practicing any number of musical skills. Sometimes I practice conducting, sometimes it's a new guitar or ukulele song for students to try. I sing, speak, and perform music all day every day. I also run two after school music clubs, Chorus and Drumming Club. One of my coworkers asked if I sleep well because, as she put it, I "put on a full show" every 20 minutes.

What is your favorite memory as a teacher in District 41?
The first time I had Lincoln students and staff try the Plate Dance at Olympic Day (2004). I remember standing on the hill looking out over the field and thinking "this could go very well or very badly". It went well and my then principal (Chris Dransoff) was super impressed. We've been ending each Olympic Day with the Plate Dance ever since. It's a great moment. I get to jump around and dance with paper plates to some of my favorite music. Who gets to say that about their job besides me? I love it.

What are some of the special moments you have had with your students this school year?
I really enjoy my Drumming Club performances for parents. At the end of each session, the students perform a few of the songs/exercises we've worked on during our time together. It's so fun to watch the students be proud of their work while they perform for their families. Another fun thing I started with students this year is an activity called "Slay Or Nay" in which we listen to a song and the class gets to decide if the song Slays or Nays. The first time I did this was with holiday music in December and it was super fun. The #1 Slay song for all classes was "Sleigh Ride" by the Ronettes.

What advice do you give your students who are interested in pursuing music in high school and beyond?
Practice. Always practice. Not to make the music or your performance perfect, but to make the music and performance comfortable. So comfortable that it is as easy as breathing. And when it becomes comfortable, start looking for a new challenge to keep your music mind fresh and active.

Any other thoughts to add?
Music should always prompt an emotional response. It can be a positive or negative response, but it should awaken an emotion when listening. I find it fascinating that a song that makes my friend so joyful can make me enraged. So, don't be afraid to play the music you love for your children. If they see you loving music, they will learn to love it as well. Just check your lyrics before you play it. No one wants their 6 year old out in the world singing inappropriate lyrics to a Beastie Boys song (guilty parent here).

District 41 is participating in Rock Your Socks for World Down Syndrome Day (WDSD), March 21. On March 21st every year, District 41 staff rock funky or mismatched socks to celebrate everyone’s differences that make all who we are. Thank you to parent and Board member Jason Loebach for coordinating and donating socks to staff!

As part of Rock Your Socks, sock collection bins have been placed at all of our schools. We are collecting new, unused socks that will then be donated to the People's Resource Center.

District 41 is a proud partner of the Glenbard Parent Series. Check out the many programs offered to support parents with children of all ages! Check out their full updated list of upcoming events HERE and their 2024-25 brochure HERE.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 12 @ NOON and 7pm

Dr. Alexandra Solomon

HYBRID EVENT -- Cultivating Healthy Relationships For Joy, Peace and a Meaningful Life

TUESDAY, MARCH 25 @ NOON and 7pm
Dr. Mary Ann Little
How to NOT Raise a Narcissist in an All-About-Me World

Email: webmaster@d41.org
Website: www.d41.org
Location: 793 North Main Street, Glen Ellyn, IL, USA
Phone: 630.790.6400
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