Highland Happenings
October 11th, 2024
Good Afternoon Highland Families,
It was wonderful to see so many of our Highland families at parent-teacher conferences this week. Conferences are an important opportunity to strengthen the bond between home and school, and we are grateful to have such dedicate and supportive families. A special thank you to the Highland PTA for providing dinner for our staff on Thursday night! Next week we are very excited to welcome Illinois Teacher of the Year, Dr. Rachael Batchu Mahmood to Highland! Rachael is a Highland alumnus and we are thrilled she has chosen to visit our staff and students next Wednesday. As a reminder, there is no school on Monday. 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
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 …”
Sign up for The Reading Games!
It’s time to form your teams and start reading, because The Reading Games competition is returning! The Reading Games is an annual trivia-style reading competition for District 58 and District 61 students in grades 3-8. It will take place Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025 at O'Neill Middle School. Registration is open now through Friday, Nov. 15.
To participate, complete the following:
1. Form a team and complete the team registration OR complete an individual registration and The Reading Games will do their best to find a team for your child. Teams must have between five and eight students. They can represent a mix of grade levels and schools, but must attend District 58 or District 61.
2. Collaborate with your team to read nine books from one of two book lists. List 1 is geared for readers in third and fourth grade. List 2 is geared for readers in fifth and sixth grade. To prepare, students can meet to discuss the books and quiz each other.
3. Participate in The Reading Games on Feb. 22, 2025! During The Reading Games, students will face other teams to answer questions about the books they've read. Teams are encouraged to dress up and have fun, and prizes are awarded.
The Reading Games is sponsored by the Education Foundation of Downers Grove District 58 and the Grove Express Foundation.
Learn more about The Reading Games registration process. Visit The Reading Games website.
Health forms due Oct. 15
Tuesday, Oct. 15 is the deadline for students in grades K, 2 and 6, and any new students, to submit required examination and/or immunization forms.
Please visit the "Health Form Information" section of District 58's Registration webpage to access the forms. Your doctor's office also likely has the forms.
Any student who has not submitted their required health forms to SCHOOL NAME by Oct. 15 will not be permitted to attend school until we receive your forms. Thank you for your cooperation.
PTA All Day
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”!
Reflections
Calling students who love the arts to participate in Reflections!
All Highland students are invited to participate in the PTA Reflections program! This nationally sponsored art contest provides opportunities for recognition and access to the arts, which boost student confidence and align with our Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) goals. Entries will have the chance to advance to the Council, Region, State and National Levels!
Here’s how you can help support your student’s participation:
Read more about the Reflections program and this year's theme, "Accepting Imperfection."
Learn about the categories for entries and look over the contest rules.
Download and print an entry form to fill out with your student (or wait until a form comes home in backpacks).
Encourage your student to start creating! They can make a drawing, painting, dance routine, poem, short story, song, film … how they interpret this year’s theme is up to them.
Entries are due Friday, Nov. 1
Drop off visual art and written projects with Mrs. Blahous and Mrs. Schneider in the front office. Digital entries (music, dance, film, photography) can be uploaded to a free hosting service (Vimeo, YouTube) and emailed to jgmaschek@gmail.com or turned into the office on a flash drive, CD or DVD.
Questions? Email Julia Maschek at jgmaschek@gmail.com
Dining for Dollars
Fast Eddys is opening its doors to support the highland PTA on Tuesday from 4-9. The only thing better than pizza is the great cause you are supporting by dining out with us. Join us for a dine in or carry out order (bonus points if a slice makes it into a lunch box on Wednesday)!!
Fast Eddy’s
4246 Main St
Tuesday 10/15
4pm-9pm
15% of all dine in & carry out orders will help support the PTA
Yearbook
Order Your 2024-25 Highland School Yearbook NOW and Save 10%!
2024-25 yearbooks are available for purchase and are $16.25 each if you order BEFORE October 31, 2024. The price will increase after October 31st.
If your family needs financial assistance to purchase the yearbook, please reach out to the PTA at highlandpta58@gmail.com
To place your order, please visit https://www.treering.com/purchase?PassCode=1016950792033554
6th Grade Shout Outs Are Back!
Parents and relatives of 6th Grade Students have the opportunity to purchase 1/8 page or 1/4 page “Shout Outs” in the 2024-25 yearbook to celebrate their student’s promotion to Middle School!
All “Shout Outs” are full color and are $5.00 for 1/8 page, $10.00 for 1/4 page.
For more information and detailed instructions on how to purchase your "Shout Out" please visit: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Gtkd1rykOaSBomUJI9sMd16Vnyn9xYEv/view?usp=sharing
The deadline to design and purchase “Shout Outs” is Friday, December 20, 2024 - This is the day before Winter Break!
Questions? Please contact Yearbook Chair, Christina Zycinski, at clzycinski@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!
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