Highland Happenings

Good afternoon Highland Families,

I hope you had a great week! This week we wrapped up the majority of IAR testing and held our March All-School Meeting. Congratulations to the white team for taking home the minute to win it belt and to the blue team for taking home the Highland Swag Chain for earning the most Husky High Fives this month! I am very proud of all of the hard work our Huskies put into IAR testing. If your student needs to make up the IAR mathematics assessment, they will do so the week after Spring Break. Whether you are traveling or will be close to home next week, I hope you are able to take some time to unwind, relax, and recharge for the final 7 weeks of the school year! Due to Spring Break, there will be no edition of the Highland Happenings next week. If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to the Highland main office at 630-719-5835. Take care and have a Spring Break!

My Best,

Zac Craft

Principal, Highland School

• 03/31/25-04/04/25: Spring Break!

• 04/08/25: Fit Friends Club after school
• 04/09/25: Student Council Meeting
• 04/10/25: Highland Scoop Teams 1&2 Meeting
• 04/11/25: Fun Lunch: Als Grilled Cheese

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!

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 Mrs. Kauz!

Penny Wars

1-2-3-4 We declare a Penny War!

Bring in your coins and bills the week of April 14th-17th. Class jars will be located on the table by the gym!

Silver Coins & Paper Money = Positive Points (i.e. $1 = 100 points)

Pennies = Negative Points (i.e. 1 penny = -1 point)

Prizes: 1st place Class = Pizza Party

2nd Place Class = Ice Cream/Popsicle Party

3rd Place Class = Popcorn Party

Look for a flyer through backpack mail with a penny attached to help kick off the Penny War!

Book Swap

Start your spring cleaning now! Get your books ready for the Book Swap on April 16th. There are donation boxes out now through April 15th, so send in the old so you can get some new!

(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

Less than ONE MONTH to 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 by April 11 to ensure your yearbook is shipped directly to Highland!

• 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

Have a great Spring Break!

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