Highland Happenings
September 27th, 2024
Welcome Fall!
Good Afternoon Highland Families,
This week our students and staff participated in several safety drills including our first active threat drill of the year. I am so proud of the way our students and staff performed during these drills and I am grateful for our strong partnerships with the Downers Grove Police and Fire Departments. We know how vitally important these drills are, but also recognize that they may cause worry or anxiety, please let us know if your student would like some additional support. This week we also hosted our September All-School Meeting. Congratulations to the Blue Team for taking home the Minute-To-Win-It challenge! We capped off the week with a storm science assembly thanks to the generosity of the PTA! If you have any questions or need any assistance, please don't hesitate to reach out to us at 630-719-5835. Take care and have a great weekend!
My Best,
Zac Craft
Principal, Highland School
Attendance Letters Next Week
Regular school attendance is crucial for your child’s academic and social development. We appreciate your partnership in helping them arrive at school on time each day.
District 58 is focused on improving student attendance, and as a part of this effort, I will be sending an attendance awareness letter home to each student’s family. This letter will be sent home on Friday, October 4, and it will include the number of days your child has been in attendance. Please reach out to me should you have any questions about your child’s attendance or this letter.
Apply to a District 58 committee by Oct. 4
District 58 is recruiting new members for its District and School Board committees/councils. Please consider participating! Applications are due on Friday, Oct. 4. See the links below for more information:
View Superintendent Dr. Kevin Russell’s letter regarding committee recruitment.
View committee and council descriptions, goals, meeting dates and membership needs.
Thank you for your interest!
Reflections art program entries due Nov. 1
Is your student interested in visual or performing arts? Please consider participating in PTA Reflections!
Each year through Reflections, more than 300,000 students around the country in preschool through high school create original works of art inspired by a student-selected theme. This year's theme is "Accepting Imperfection" and categories for entry include visual art (painting, drawing, sculpture, textile art), photography, film-making, music composition, dance choreography and literature. Visit our local Reflections website to learn more about the program, read the guidelines and download an entry form. All entries are due to your local school by Friday, Nov. 1.
Projects are judged and have the opportunity to advance through Council, Region, State and National levels of competition. Our Council level is called the Downers Grove Area Council and includes all District 58 schools as well as Darien School District 61. All District 58 students whose projects advance to the Council level are invited to attend a recognition ceremony on Dec. 3 at O’Neill Middle School, where they will receive a ribbon and see their work on display.
All students whose projects advance to the State level are invited to Spotlight, a state-wide Reflections celebration in May. Students with projects advancing to the National level are eligible for bronze, silver and gold medals and scholarships ranging from $200-$800.
Looking for inspiration? Browse the virtual gallery of projects that made it to Nationals in last year’s Reflections program inspired by the theme “I am Hopeful Because …”
Health/Physical Examination & Immunization Record due October 15th
As required by law, all new students, as well as students entering grades K, 2, and 6, must receive health examinations and immunizations and submit completed health forms by October 15th. To learn more check out the Health Services page on the District 58 website.
Thank you to many of the families who have already completed and submitted these forms. In accordance with Illinois law, failure to comply with these requirements by Oct 15 of the current school year, or 30 days following registration for first-time registrants, will result in the student's exclusion from school until such requirements have been met. All sections of the child examination form must be completed including the health history, which must be filled out by the parent.
District 58 communicates frequently regarding these requirements as it is our hope to avoid school exclusion for all of our students. If you are in need of additional assistance, our school nurse, Mrs. Sweet (nsweet@dg58.org), would be happy to assist you in answering questions or connecting you with resources to complete this requirement.
Parent-teacher conference signups open on Sept. 24
District 58 now invites parents and guardians to sign up for fall 2024 parent-teacher conferences using the online PowerPTC conference signup system starting via www.PowerPTC.net.
The sign-up window will close Friday, Oct. 4 at 11 a.m.
Parent-teacher conferences will be held in person. However, families who require a remote option should schedule their conference in PowerPTC and then change the meeting type from “in person” to “video conference.”
Conferences will take place on the evenings of Tuesday, Oct. 8 and Thursday, Oct. 10.
Please view the parent-teacher conference signup guide (para Español: Registro para las reuniones de padres y maestros) to learn how to sign up for a conference using the system, along with other helpful information.
Outdoor Learning Space
As many of you know, earlier this calendar year we lost one of our beloved kindergarten teachers, Christina Wallace. Mrs. Wallace enjoyed spending time outside and to honor her memory, the staff at Highland decided to dedicate an outdoor learning space to her.
The outpouring of support last Spring as we fundraised for this memorial was remarkable! We wanted to ensure that we communicated with our Highland families our plans for the allocation of those funds as well as a timeline for completion.
The most important part during our planning stage was ensuring that any current or future construction projects would not disrupt the outdoor space. Recently, a space on the South side of the front lawn was identified for the outdoor learning space. Highland administration is working to obtain renderings and estimates, which we should have within the next few weeks and will share with our families. Our goal is for the project to be completed by the end of this calendar year.
Again, we thank you for your support and will keep you updated on the progress of this project! Here are some inspiration photos being used to design the space.
PTA All Day
Family Bingo Night
Join the PTA for a fun and free night of BINGO on Friday, Oct. 4th in the Highland Gym!
Snacks and drinks will be available for purchase on site (cash only - small bills appreciated!) or you can pre-order your pizza on the Givebacks website by Oct 1st - https://bit.ly/HighlandPTA
Join us for one or both sessions:
- Session 1 starts at 5:30pm, with doors opening at 5:15pm
- Session 2 starts at 6:45pm, doors open at 6:30pm
***Volunteers are still needed to bring you this event! Especially adults, but also responsible kids 5th grade and older. Signup at https://bit.ly/24BingoVol ***
Questions? Contact Amanda at amandacwiley@gmail.com or Kim at kimberlydillon4713@gmail.com
Partners in Art
ATTENTION! Parents for 2nd grade, 3rd grade & 5th grade!!!! These grades still have spots available! Sign up today so your kids don’t miss a chance to have this experience!
Partners in Art is a great program that allows parents to pair up and present a lesson on a famous piece of artwork, and then lead the class in a brief activity. We'll be able to provide you with the art, materials, and ideas for your presentation. We have PowerPoint presentations for each art piece. You don't need prior knowledge of art. The dates and times are flexible; you and your partner will work with the classroom teachers on the date/time that will work for both. We have 4 opportunities for each grade level.
For more details and to sign up please go to:
If you have any questions, you may reach out to Fon Boonyapredee (boonfamily2012@gmail.com).
Yearbooks
Online sales are open for the 2024-2025 Highland yearbook! If you order before Oct.31, you can save 10%! The sale ends after Oct.31. If your family needs financial assistance to purchase the yearbooks, please reach out to the PTA at highlandpta58@gmail.com.
Any questions please contact Christina Zycinski at clzycinski@gmail.com
Buy your yearbook today and save 10%
Book Fair
Highland’s Book Fair will be back during Parent Teacher Conferences Oct. 8-10. Students can shop during the day on Wednesday, 10/9. Parents can shop during Parent Teacher Conferences on 10/8 & 10/10. Have your child be cashless and sign up for a Student E-Wallet Here. Also, don’t forget to add a bit more for sales tax!
Fall Fundraiser
The 3rd Annual Fall Fundraiser is going to be “FIRE”
Get ready to experience the great outdoors... indoors! Join us November 15th at 7pm at Moose Lodge aka “Camp Highland”. Leave the kids and the bug spray at home for this adventure to “pitch” in for a great cause.
Dress in your favorite camping attire or cozy fall classics to enjoy all the best parts of camping - s’mores, spirits and sport. Whether you’re a seasoned camper or a city dweller, everyone will be pine-ing for this year’s gift baskets and donated experiences.
How can you help ahead of time? We're looking for donations! All in-kind donations will be appreciated & we're actively seeking experiences to sell at the event! Last year's experiences included:
Casino Night
Kids Kickball Tournament
Adult Pickleball Tournament
Blitzen’d Holiday Party
Wine tasting
For event questions or donation inquiries please contact: Jeannie Binz at Binz.jeannie@gmail.com
Forget the hiking boots and just bring your sense of adventure and generosity for an unforgettable night “under the stars”!
PTA Information
Please follow us on Facebook at Highland PTA 58 and on Instagram at highlandpta58. Feel free to email the PTA at any time at highlandpta58@gmail.com
*Also, please spend just a minute or two completing this survey for the PTA and different communication methods. We appreciate your time and input! Survey Link Here
Why should you join the PTA? The Highland Parent Teacher Association (PTA) is an all-volunteer organization dedicated to providing enriching, fun and educational programs to our school community. These may include family fun events - Bingo Night, Welcome to School Party - or educational programs - World Cultures Night, One Book One School program. We also support and fund many in-school activities, including school t-shirts, birthday books, additional field trips and assemblies.
One easy way to support the PTA is to purchase a parent membership for $15 (one user) or a family membership (two users) for $20. The purchase makes you a member of the Illinois PTA, and a portion of the proceeds will fund our Highland PTA activities. Members receive a regular newsletter with information about PTA activities and is the only way to access the all-school directory. Link Here Again To Buy/Renew Membership So You Don’t Have To Scroll Back Up
Always Here!
Item's that can be found in every edition of the Highland Happenings, such as the Highland Playbook and our student attendance form can be found below. We want to ensure that these resources are always available to our families while also making each week's Happenings as reader-friendly as possible!
Personal Electronic/Technology Devices Policy in DG58
It is amazing how far technology has come over the last decade and continues to advance. We recognize the value technology has not just in education, but our world. However, we hope that we can work together to remind students that during the school day, personal electronic devices should be turned off or silenced and out of sight. This includes wearable devices if they become distracting to the learning environment. Students should not be using phones, Apple Watches, or other devices to send or receive text messages or phone calls during the school day.
Keep In Touch
Email: zcraft@dg58.org
Website: DG58.org/HG
Location: 3935 Highland Avenue, Downers Grove, IL, USA
Phone: (630)-719-5835
Facebook: facebook.com/HGHuskies
Twitter: @HGHuskies