Highland Happenings

Good Afternoon Highland Families,

I hope you had a great week! It was a great week at Highland as three of our grade-levels had field trips, including our annual 6th grade Outdoor Education trip, hosted our April All-School Meeting, and ended the week with treat day at lunch. This year our 6th graders went to Covenant Harbor in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, and had a great time hiking, fishing, and more. We are grateful for the beautiful weather we had for all of our field trips this week! Now that we are in the month of May, it is time to get excited about all of the great end of the year activities that we have coming up! Click on the picture below for more details!

MAP testing continues next week. More information regarding MAP testing, including the schedule can be found 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

• 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

• 05/12: 3rd Grade Learn Not to Burn
• 05/13: Herrick counselors visit 6th grade
• 05/13: Fit Friends Club after school
• 05/14: Kindergarten field trip to Brookfield Zoo
• 05/15: 5th grade field trip to Brookfield Zoo
• 05/15: Scoop Meeting
• 05/16: 1st grade field trip to Lyman Woods
• 05/16: 6th grade field trip to the Holocaust Museum

Our Spring MAP benchmark testing continues next week. 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!

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!

Coffee in Car Line Fundraiser!

Another opportunity to fundraise for our library! The PTA is partnering with the Martini Family to bring you: Coffee in Car Line! Order your hot coffee or cold brew today: https://highland58pta.givebacks.com/store?limit=21&live=true

Pick up will be during morning drop off between 8 - 9 a.m., in the parking lot of the church across the street from Highland. Add ons like creamer and sugar will be available during coffee pick up.

Thank you to the Martini Family for your generosity!

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!

Order School Supplies Now!

Order your school supplies today for the 2025-2026 school year! Use this link: https://schooltoolbox.com/school-supplies/ then enter "Highland" in the search box and be sure to choose the grade your student will be entering in the fall.

Supplies will be shipped directly home! If you have any questions, please email Nikki O'Farrell at ofarrell.nikki@gmail.com.

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!

Field Day

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

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