

Highland Happenings
April 17h, 2025

MAP Testing Starts Next Week!
Good afternoon Highland Families,
This week certainly brought some April showers, but hopefully we see some May flowers starting next week. This week we hosted one of the best events of the school year, our annual Open House. It was great to see so many families attend Open House and see so much of the great work our Huskies have done this year. Next week we are looking forward to field trips, treat day, and our April All-School Meeting. Spring MAP testing also begins next week. You can find more information about MAP testing, including the testing schedule below. If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to the Highland main office at 630-719-5835. Take care and have a great weekend!
My Best,
Zac Craft
Principal, Highland School
Weekly Preview
- 04/28: MAP Testing Begins
- 04/28: 5th Grade 50 States Field Trip
- 04/29: 6th Grade Outdoor Ed Trip
- 04/29: 2nd Grade DG History Field Trip
- 04/30: April All-School Meeting
- 05/02: Treat Day
Later On
- 05/05: Staff Appreciation Week Begins
- 05/06: 6th Grade Candor Health Presentation
- 05/06: Fit Friends Club
- 05/07: 6th Grade Field Trip: Field Museum
- 05/07: 3rd Grade Field Trip: Lincoln Park Zoo
- 05/08: Fit Friends Club
- 05/09: Fun Lunch - McDonalds
Attention 6th Grade Families
6th Grade Sports Physicals
Dear 6th Families,
Does your student plan to participate in a fall sport in middle school? A completed sports physical is required for all middle school athletes—even for practice before tryouts.
Since fall sports practices begin before the school year starts, we strongly encourage you to schedule your child’s sports physical as soon as possible to ensure they are eligible to participate. Sports physicals are valid for 13 months from the exam date, so be sure your child’s physical is up to date. Our health offices are currently accepting physicals dated after September 2nd, 2024.
Please submit completed sports physicals to Nancy Sweet at nsweet@dg58.org before the first practice. If you have any questions about requirements, feel free to reach out.
Thank you for your attention to this important step in preparing for a great season!
End of the Year Spirit Days Start May 5th!
Attention 3rd and 4th Grade Families!
The orchestra and band teachers are in the process of visiting each elementary school to introduce District 58's 3rd and 4th grade students to the different musical instruments they may choose to begin learning next year in our Instrumental Music Program.
Current 3rd grade students who would like to join ORCHESTRA: (Violin, Viola, Cello, String Bass)
Check out the video instrument demonstrations on our website: ORCHESTRA (3rd gr students)
Your next steps for joining the DG58 Orchestra:
Attend our Parent Information Meeting at Herrick Middle School on Tuesday, April 29 from 6:00-6:45pm
Register for a time for your future musician to test-drive their two favorite instruments on one of our fitting days usingTHIS LINK (https://tinyurl.com/2025BegOrchAppt).
Current 4th grade students who would like to join BAND: (Flute, Clarinet, Saxophone, Trumpet, Horn, Trombone, Baritone, Tuba, Percussion)
Check out the video instrument demonstrations on our website: BAND (4th grade students)
Your next steps for joining the DG58 Band:
Attend our Parent Information Meeting at Herrick Middle School on Tuesday, April 29th from 7:00-7:45pm
Register for a time for your future musician to test-drive instruments on one of our fitting days using THIS LINK (https://tinyurl.com/2025bandreg).
We are excited to share more about becoming a District 58 musician and sincerely looking forward to working with you and your student!
Spring MAP Testing Begins April 28th
Our Spring MAP benchmark testing will begin the week of April 28th. This is an exciting opportunity for our students to demonstrate the knowledge they have built all year, as well as for our teachers to collect data to inform their instruction and plan for next year. Below is the MAP testing schedule. We would appreciate it if you remind your student to try their best on the test, get a good night sleep before the test, (and everyday), and eat healthy breakfast!
Prevent the spread of germs
llnesses such as flu, RSV and COVID-19 are spreading in the community. District 58's Health Services website has great resources on preventing these illnesses, and steps to take if you get sick.
In addition, winter break is a great time to clean your child's coats, winterwear, book bag, lunch box and anything else your child takes to school to help fight the spread of germs!
May Lunch Menu
This Week's Episode of the Highland Scoop
PTA All Day
Library FUNdraiser
Donate and be a part of the Highland Elementary School's Library forever! In the new library at Highland, there will be a portion of a wall dedicated to those who have helped make it happen. Each book will cost $150 and will vary in coloration, size, font, etc to mimic books. Visit givebacks if you'd like to purchase: https://highland58pta.givebacks.com/store/items/1174508
Here are some ideas for you:
Family Name
In Loving Memory of Someone
Your 6th grader who will be graduating this year
Your local business (we are unable to display logos however, business names are acceptable)
Below is the example of how the donor wall will look! If you or someone you may know would like to make a larger donation, reach out to us and we are more than happy to customize some ideas for you!
Be a library reader today!
The best way to raise money is to do something FUN while making memories with your child!
For a donation of $25 to the library fundraising project, you can sign up for a slot to come in and read to your child’s class during their scheduled library time.
All grades are now open!
Visit https://evite.me/fSQsEEkk1H to view the schedule.
Please reach out to Cara Baran with any questions.
Thank you for your support of this important initiative!
Staff Appreciation Week
Hello Highland! Your student(s) brought home a brightly colored paper with these fun images. Please encourage them to write notes to at least 3 staff members, then cut them out & return to school! We will post them all in the halls for staff appreciation week!
There are extras in the office!
Dining for Dollars
Head out for dinner at Portillo’s on April 30 from 5pm - 8pm and help support the Highland PTA!
Portillo’s
1500 Butterfield Rd
Downers Grove
20% of the night’s sales benefit Highland’s PTA
Order online or in app for pickup using the code PORTILLOS7 before checkout in the “coupon code” field
Kane County Cougars Games
The Kane County Cougars Reading Club is now complete, and your PTA is happy to announce that all students have earned this award! Every student should have come home with a ticket order form and ordering instructions. Parents are now able to secure their student's free ticket and purchase additional tickets at kccougars.com. Tickets can also be purchased by mail or in-person.
Our school will have two special Highland Game Days, where a Section is reserved exclusively for our school, allowing our students to join in the fun with other classmates! Our Highland School games will be on Saturday, May 10 at 6:30 PM and Sunday, May 18 at 1:00 PM.
If there are any questions, please contact Paul Quillia at paulquillia@gmail.com. Paul previously worked for the Cougars, and can be very helpful with any ticket-related questions.
Congratulations to all of our students. Enjoy your Summer with this reusable reward!
End of the Year Party
Save the Date: Highland End of the Year Party
When: Sunday, May 18th
Time: 4:00-6:00p
Where: Highland School
More details to follow!
Donations
Do you have a drawer full of mismatched plasticware and takeout utensils at home? Great news! Highland will be accepting donations of any disposable utensils between now and the end of the year. These donations will be made available to students who need them for lunch, in the event utensils were not packed at home. We've all been there!
PTA Board Nominations
The following individuals have been slated for nomination to the 2025-26 Highland PTA Board:
Co-President: Melissa Mitra
Co-President: Monica Zycinski
Vice President: Julia Maschek
VP of Finance: Cara Baran
Treasurer: Emma Paluchniak
Secretary: Jeannie Binz
Thank you to everyone who submitted a nomination and all who participated in the process, including our nominating committee (Emily Bennett, Erin Grady, Jessicah Quillia, Amy Roe, & Mr. Craft).
Elections will be held at the May 13th PTA Meeting, which will start at 7p.m.
If you have any questions about the elections process, please feel free to contact the PTA Board at highlandpta58@gmail.com
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!
The 2024-2025 Highland Playbook is Now Available!
The Highlanad Playbook is your place to find important information about Highland including a staff directory, arrival/dismissal procedures, informaion about social-emotional learning, and much more. Click the image to the right to access the 2024-2025 Highland Playbook.
2024-2025 School Year Calendar (click to enlarge)
Community Resources
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