I hope this edition of the Highland Happenings finds you well. Today officially marks the end of the 2nd trimester and what better way to celebrate than with treat day? I am very proud of all of the work that our Huskies have done so far this year and I am excited for all of great things to come during the last trimester of the year. Trimester 2 report cards will be posted to Powerschool on Friday, March 7th. Next week we are looking forward to our February All-School Meeting, our first graders participating in Starlab, and Anything-But-A-Backpack day on Wednesday. Just a reminder there is no school next Friday, February 28th due to the Dupage County Institute Day. Registration for next school year is now open ask that all families complete registration at their earliest connivence. If you need any assistance in completing the registration process, please reach out to Highland main office at 630-719-5835. Take care and have a great weekend!

My Best,

Zac Craft

Principal, Highland School

• 02/24/25: February All-School Meeting
• 02/25/25: 5th Grade Intramurals
• 02/28/25: No School, Dupage County Institute Day

• 03/04/25: 6th Grade Intramurals
• 03/05/25: Student Council Meeting
• 03/06/25: Scoop Team 1 & 2 Meeting
• 03/07/25: Fun Lunch

Regular school attendance is crucial for students' academic and social development. Since the pandemic, student absences have increased in schools nationwide, including in District 58.

District 58 is focused on improving student attendance and raising family awareness regarding their child's attendance. As part of this effort, all District 58 schools sent home attendance awareness letters on Friday, Jan. 31, noting the number of days students have been at school.

While ensuring your child attends school is important, we want to clarify that students should stay home when they are sick.

When determining if your child should remain home from school due to an illness, the District asks that you follow the recommendations of our local public health agencies and reference District 58's health guide. For example, your child should stay home if he or she has experienced the following symptoms within the past 24 hours: vomiting, diarrhea or a fever greater than 100. Your child may return to school if he or she has been symptom-free for 24 hours without the use of medication.

The Attendance section of District 58's Family Handbook provides additional information.

Will your child attend kindergarten at Highland next school year? Or do you have a friend or neighbor whose child will? Here are four steps to prepare!

1. If we don’t already know that you have an incoming kindergartner, contact the Highland office at 630-719-5835 or zcraft@dg58.org and let us know! We will add you to any school-specific kindergarten contact lists.

2. Attend Kindergarten Roundup at Highland on March 20th, at 6:00 p.m. Kindergarten Roundup gives parents and guardians the opportunity to visit their child’s future school, meet the principal and staff, and ask questions.

3. Visit our Kindergarten Resource webpage for kindergarten resources and helpful information.

4. Attend Kindergarten Dual Language Information Night. Learn more about the Dual Language Program below!

Incoming kindergarten families are invited to an informational meeting regarding District 58’s Dual Language Program on Wednesday, Feb. 26 from 6:30-7:30 p.m. at El Sierra School, 6835 Fairmount Drive. The meeting will be in both English and Spanish. It is intended specifically for parents and guardians of incoming kindergarteners for the 2025-26 school year.

Learn about:

• Understand the benefits of dual language learning.

• Learn more about District 58’s bilingual learning model and how to participate.

• Meet some of the dual language teachers and staff. Get answers to your questions.

• Learn how to enroll.

District 58’s Dual Language Program opens up a world of opportunities for young learners. We welcome your child to join this journey! To learn more, visit our Dual Language Program webpage.

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. Roche.

Donut Day!

Do-Rite Donut Pickup is TODAY!

Orders can be picked up in front of Highland between 3 - 5 p.m.

Library FUNdraiser

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.

We will be starting with our younger grades, K-2, and opening it up to the older grades in the coming weeks.

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!

We hope that everyone got a moment to stop by the beautiful posters of the library project during parent/teacher conferences last week. We are so very extremely close to being able to close the gap on Phase #1 which is the library classroom!!

As you can see, we are just shy of meeting the Phase #1 goal. Once we have the Phase #1 funds closed out, we'll be able to start on this project immediately and get it finished this school year - how great is that?!

And for those of you who might be waiting to donate in a large way, we are in early planning stages for a permanent door wall, which will live in the library forever.

The Highland Husky Read-A-Thon ends Friday, February 28th!

The Read-A-Thon is a marathon of student reading to raise money for the PTA. We are suggesting donations of $50 per student - $30 of that will help us meet our operating budget goal for the year and above that will go towards our library fundraising efforts.

Please check your email registered with the PTA to make donations and log minutes throughout the fundraiser. Givebacks sent an email for every student on Wednesday, January 29th. Please click on the link below “Your personal fundraising page has been created. Here’s the link” to make donations. To track minutes, click on “Enter your Minutes” under the What to do Next section.

Students can earn both in school and take home prizes based on their number of minutes read!

Grade level winners will earn the following:

• All grade level winners: Tumbler plus a $10 Everyday’s a Sundae Gift Card

• Kindergarten: Blue Husky sits with you and your class

• 1st: Mr. Craft or Mrs. Cristobal reads a book to your class

• 2nd: Helper to Mr. Tony at lunch

• 3rd: Guest on the Scoop

• 4th: Lunch on the stage with 2 friends

• 5th: Do Morning announcements

• 6th: DJ at lunchtime

Let’s get our Huskies reading and raise money for the library! Please reach out to Erin Grady at etgrady32@gmail.com with any questions

Family Dance

Tickets on sale now! Go to the Givebacks store and buy your tickets! Buy your tickets here

Get ready to glow at our All School Neon Party!

Date: March 7, 2025

Time: 7:00-9:00pm

Location: Herrick Cafeteria

Put on your brightest neon outfits, grab your special someone and join us for a night of fun, dancing, and unforgettable memories!

PTA Board Nominations

Now is the time to nominate yourself or someone else that would be a good candidate for the PTA Executive Board! Please fill out this Google form by Friday 3/21. We will be establishing a nominating committee at the March PTA meeting and final voting will be at the May PTA meeting.

Descriptions of each board position can be found here, including responsibilities and time commitments. Please don't hesitate to reach out to any of the current board members with questions (contacts listed above).

Any questions please reach out to us at any time, or even just say hi, highlandpta58@gmail.com

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.

Valentine's Day Class Party Pictures Needed for the Yearbook!

• Please send Valentine's Day class party pictures to Christina Zycinski at clzycinski@gmail.com. Be sure to include the teacher name and grade in your email!

• The yearbook committee is still accepting photos from any other Highland events - Science Fair, recess duty, class parties, Partners in Art, etc!

The deadline for ALL yearbook photos is Friday, March 28, 2025 - this is the Friday before 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