Principal's Corner

Satchel Pulse Social Emotional Screener

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. Teachers of students in grades KG-5th will complete the screener about their students, while 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, which will be administered during October and February. Students and teachers will complete the screener which includes self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship, and responsible decision-making questions.  Information gained from this screener will provide our school teams with additional insight to best support our students’ social, emotional, and academic growth. If you have any questions related to the Satchel Pulse screener, please contact your building principal. 

Unity Day

We’re excited to celebrate Unity Day on Wednesday, October 21, with a day focused on kindness, empathy, and inclusion—core values at Elm School. Let’s turn our school orange! Students are encouraged to wear orange to show their support for kindness and a bully-free school.

Throughout the day, students will enjoy a read-aloud, reflect on the meaning of Unity Day, and talk about ways we can build a kinder, more inclusive community. As a school, we’ll also create a paper kindness chain, with every student and staff member adding a link to represent our commitment to kindness and the important role each of us plays in making Elm a welcoming place for everyone.

Technology Ambassadors

We are pleased to embark on the fourth year of the Tech Ambassadors leadership program at Elm School.  Students who complete the application process and are chosen as Tech Ambassadors will serve as leaders within our school and district. 

Grades 2-3 will meet during lunch/recess once a month

Grades 4-5 will meet every other Friday morning before school

Goals and Mission of the Tech Ambassadors: 

• To develop leadership skills in order to help their school community

• To serve as technology integration leaders in their school

• To foster positive digital citizenship

We ask both new and returning students to indicate their interest in the program by October 23rd.  Please discuss this opportunity with your child prior to starting the application process. If your student would like to apply for the Tech Ambassadors program, please have him/her complete this Google Form by October 23rd. We cannot accept applications submitted after this date. 

One-Day School-Wide Collection

On October 27th, in conjunction with our author visit from Aaron Reynolds, author of Creepy Pair of Underwear!, Elm will be hosting a one-day underwear drive to benefit BEDS Plus. Underwear is currently BEDS Plus’ most requested item, so we thought this would be a fun and meaningful way to connect our author visit with an opportunity to help our community, which is our October SuperHero Theme, "Be a Hero to our Local Community." We encourage our families and students to participate by sending in new, packaged underwear on October 27th. All sizes are welcome!

Sign up to volunteer for Fall Classroom Parties by Thursday 10/15!

Elm's Fall Parties will take place on Friday, 10/30 at the times listed below:

Grade & Time
Kindergarten 10:45-11:15
1st Grade 10:25-11:25
2nd Grade 12:15-1:15
3rd Grade 2:00-2:45
4th Grade 10:15-11:15
5th Grade 10:30-11:25

Please fill out the form HERE if you are interested in volunteering to help out during your class's party. Please take note of the party time when signing up to ensure you are available. The form will close Thursday 10/15 at 10:00 pm, and volunteers will be selected from a random name picker. Please reach out to Room Parent Co-Chairs with any questions!

Rotary Run - Thank You!

A big Bulldog THANK YOU to Alizeh and Haida Shamsi for representing Elm in the mascot race and tricycle race - well done!! 

Community Gardening Project - Thank You!

Elm PTO Community & Culture Committee hosted its first ever Community Gardening Event at Wellness House this past Saturday, October 10th. Elm families gathered and planted dozens of flowers and plants. The group had a wonderful time giving back to the community! Thank you to our volunteers!

Principal's Corner

Satchel Pulse Social Emotional Screener

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. Teachers of students in grades KG-5th will complete the screener about their students, while 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, which will be administered during October and February. Students and teachers will complete the screener which includes self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship, and responsible decision-making questions.  Information gained from this screener will provide our school teams with additional insight to best support our students’ social, emotional, and academic growth. If you have any questions related to the Satchel Pulse screener, please contact your building principal. 

Walk and Roll to School Day

Elm School is participating in National Walk to School Day on Wednesday, October 7. Parents and students are all invited to walk or bike to school. This movement aims to inspire our school community to come together to promote health and safer routes for students to walk and bike to school. 

Unity Day

We’re excited to celebrate Unity Day on Wednesday, October 21, with a day focused on kindness, empathy, and inclusion—core values at Elm School. Let’s turn our school orange! Students are encouraged to wear orange to show their support for kindness and a bully-free school.

Throughout the day, students will enjoy a read-aloud, reflect on the meaning of Unity Day, and talk about ways we can build a kinder, more inclusive community. As a school, we’ll also create a paper kindness chain, with every student and staff member adding a link to represent our commitment to kindness and the important role each of us plays in making Elm a welcoming place for everyone.

One-Day School-Wide Collection

On October 27th, in conjunction with our author visit from Aaron Reynolds, author of Creepy Pair of Underwear!, Elm will host a one-day underwear drive to benefit BEDS Plus. Underwear is currently BEDS Plus’ most requested item, so we thought this would be a fun and meaningful way to connect our author visit with an opportunity to help our community, which aligns with our October SuperHero Theme, "Be a Hero to our Local Community." We encourage our families and students to participate by sending in new, packaged underwear on October 27th. All sizes are welcome!

October at Elm! 🍂

We’ve got a fun month ahead! Check out and save our flyer for upcoming events and reminders that you need to know! 

Chick-fil-A Night - Wednesday 10/7, 4-7pm

Join us on Wednesday, October 7th, 4-7pm at Chick-fil-A (Willowbrook) for a fundraising event to support our school. Come say hi to Mrs. Morris, Ms. Swanson, Mrs. Hamilton, and Mrs. Martorano from 4-5pm! Invite friends and family to make it extra fun and don’t forget to bring cash to spin the wheel - $1 per spin for amazing prizes! **MUST MENTION ELM SCHOOL AT COUNTER OR DRIVE THROUGH**

Hinsdale Historical Society Pumpkin Decorating - Sunday 10/18, 10-12pm

Principal's Corner

Those Who Excel Nominations

Here in District 181, we have incredible educators who go above and beyond to support our students. Please encourage your staff and your families to nominate educators for the annual ISBE “Those Who Excel” awards! Awards are presented in seven categories: classroom teachers, early career educators (teachers 1-4 years), school administrators, student support personnel, educational service personnel, community volunteers, and teams.

ISBE Those Who Excel / Teacher of the Year Nomination Form (Nominations only take a few minutes!) More Information, award categories, and past winner information can be found here: https://www.isbe.net/TWETOY 

The deadline for nominations is Thursday, October 1, 2026.

D181 Town Hall

The Community Speaker Series

Michaeleen Doucleff, PhD

Author of “Dopamine Kids”

Wednesday, September 30, 2026

7:00pm – 8:30pm In Person at Hinsdale Middle School

Register

Parenting advice around screens is woefully outdated. It hinges on psychology and neuroscience from 25 to 50 years ago. It doesn’t work and often makes our lives harder.  Michaleen Doucleff, author of Dopamine Kids, offers you an easier and more effective approach. With a 5-step protocol, you’ll learn how to retrain your children’s brains so they naturally seek out activities and foods that bring gratification and true joy. The healthy option becomes the default in your home.  

Can't join us that evening? Please register, and a recording will be emailed to you after the event. The registration link is: http://weblink.donorperfect.com/CSSDoucleff

Questions? Contact speakers@d181foundation.org.