Highland Happenings

Good afternoon Highland Families,

It was a week full of spirit days and hard work at Highland as our Huskies in grades 3-6 began Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR) testing. Everyone is doing a great job on testing and I am proud of the work they have done so far. I know our Huskies will keep doing a great job next week, and more information about IAR testing can be found below. This week we also hosted our annual Kindergarten Round-Up. It was exciting to welcome a new group of families to our community and it was a great opportunity to showcase all of the wonderful things going on at Highland! Now that we are well into March, our planning for the 2025-2026 school year continues to intensify. The most important thing you can do to help us plan for next year is to complete your student(s) registration. We are in the final stretch of the registration process and are asking all of our families to register by Friday, March 31st. If you need any assistance registering your student, or 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

• 03/18/25: 5th Grade Intramurals
• 03/19/25: Safety Patrol Meeting at Lunch
• 03/20/25: Highland Scoop Teams 3 & 4 Meeting
• 03/20/25: Kindergarten Round-Up
• 03/20/25: PTA Meeting
• 03/21/25: Treat Day

• 03/31/25-04/04/25: Spring Break!

We are very excited to share that the design for Mrs. Wallace's Outdoor Learning Space is completed and a construction date has been scheduled! The design for the outdoor space can be found below, and will be located on the West side of the building adjacent to our current car turn around. Construction on the outdoor learning space is scheduled for April 18th and 19th, and a rain date is currently being worked out. In the coming weeks we share the date for our dedication ceremony. We are very grateful to our entire Highland community for contributing to this wonderful, and deeply meaningful cause!

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!

Currently, students in grades 3-8 are completing the state-mandated Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR). Additionally, this spring, students in grades 5 and 8 will take the mandated Illinois Science Assessment (ISA).

Highland's testing schedule can be found below. District 58 approaches state assessments by supporting students and encouraging them to do their best, and we appreciate the partnership from our families in that encouragement. State assessment results will be available next fall.

Please click here to read a message from Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction Liz Ehrhart about District 58's approach to these assessments.

District 58 invites students to register for its Summer School programs! Registration is now open for most Summer School programs. Leap Into Kindergarten registration is an exception and will open on Tuesday, April 8 at 9 a.m. Registration deadlines vary depending on the class. In addition, registration is also open for the District’s Extended School Year program.

District 58 Summer School classes are open to students enrolled in public, private or parochial schools who live within the District 58 attendance area. Please register for the grade level your child will enter in fall 2025.

Families who need assistance registering for Summer School may contact Summer School Secretary Alissa Drake at adrake@dg58.org or 630-719-5869. Please see details about District 58’s Summer School programming below or visit www.dg58.org/summer.

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!

Each week, a member of the Highland staff will be highlighted in the Highland Happenings! This is a great opportunity for our Highland community to learn more about our staff members and all of the information featured in the Happenings can be found in the staff directory on our website. This week we are highlighting Ms. Beck!

Book Swap

Spring is around the corner… and that means Spring cleaning! Get your books ready for the book swap on April 16th! There will be donation boxes outside of the library starting March 24th, so bring in all of your old books to donate! (Please no baby/board books)

Any questions please contact Katie Troelstrup ktroelstrup@gmail.com

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!

Yearbook

Order Your 2024-25 Highland School Yearbook - The Deadline is Friday, April 11, 2025!

• To place your order, please visit https://www.treering.com/purchase?PassCode=1016950792033554

• If your family needs financial assistance to purchase the yearbook, please reach out to the PTA at highlandpta58@gmail.com.

• Not sure if you ordered your yearbook? Please search your email for "Treering Order Confirmation". Still not sure? Please contact Christina Zycinski at clzycinski@gmail.com or via text 312-371-8781.

Student Council Cutest Stuffed Animal Contest

Highland is sponsoring a Cutest Stuffed Animal Contest!

Class winners will then be voted on by the entire school. Voting will take place the week of March 24th.

You must pay $1.00 to vote-one vote per person. Please bring EXACT change.

Pictures of each class’ winner will be hung outside Mr. Craft’s office.

The Cutest Stuffed Animal owner will receive a gift certificate to the school store in March!

May the cutest stuffed animal win!

Student Council Pop Tabs for Ronald McDonald House

March 24th-28th

The little, seemingly insignificant tab you pull to open your aluminum cans

helps the Ronald McDonald House® provide a safe and comfortable place

family members can call “home” while their children recover in nearby

hospitals.

Little things like pop tabs can make a big difference! Help support families

and children through the Pop Tab program by collecting and donating the

aluminum tabs you pull to open soda, soup, and other cans.

Simply find a clean container, add your own decorations or use the

container wrap on the back of this page and start collecting! Please bring

all of the tabs to school no later than March 28th.

Student Council Service Project Party-In-A-Bag

March 20th-27th- Highland School Student Council is planning a Spring Service Project in

which we will collect birthday bags for Humanitarian Service Project’s –

Party-In-A-Bag Project. A Party-In-A-Bag contains party supplies and

is given to each of the 700+ local, impoverished children in both DuPage

and Kane Counties to help them celebrate their “special day”. If your

family would like to participate, we ask that you put together a

COMPLETE birthday bag for the birthday child. Below are the items that

need to be included.

Each Party-In-A-Bag MUST Include:

● Cake Mix

● Frosting

● Candles

● Balloons

● Streamers

● Napkins and plates (in original packaging)

Other party items that can be included:

● Cups

● Party Hats

● Treat Bags

● Decorations

● Table Cloths

● Party Games (card games, jewelry, small toys, wrapped candy, etc.)

Please place all the party supplies in a 10”-12” gift bag

Helpful Hints

√ Check all food expiration dates

√ Most Dollar stores carry great party supply items

Please place the items into the boxes outside of the Library no

later than March 27th. If you have any questions please email Mrs.

Varys (cvarys@dg58.org)

The Highland School Student Council

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 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.

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.

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