Highland Happenings
December 13th, 2024
Happy Friday the 13th!
Good Afternoon Highland Families,
It may be Friday the 13th, but it was all fun and smiles at Highland! Today our Huskies welcomed the Herrick Chamber Choir, Chamber Strings, and Jazz Band to Highland for a concert. It was great to hear all of the talented musicians, see some Highland alum, and show our Huskies some of the opportunities that wait for them in middle school. Next week is filled with fun as the 12 Days of Highland continue, we hold our December All-School Meeting, and we participate in our annual All-School Sign! Winter MAP testing will begin after Winter Break. More information about MAP testing, including the Highland testing schedule, can be found below. 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
If winter weather requires schools to close, District 58 will promptly email and call all families and staff. The District will also post school closure information on the website, www.dg58.org, and social media channels.
District 58 has the option to use an e-learning day or an emergency day (also called snow day) during bad weather.
This year, District 58 will likely use e-learning days. E-learning days do not need to be made up at the end of the school year. District 58 needs to maximize the summer for referendum construction, so e-learning days would allow District 58 to keep on its construction schedule.
Learn more about District 58's winter weather procedures.
Our Winter MAP benchmark testing will begin the week after Winter Break. This is an exciting opportunity for our students to demonstrate their knowledge, as well as for our teachers to collect data to inform their instruction. 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!
District 58 will start residency verification after winter break
If your family has moved in the past year, or if your student’s address information has changed in any way, please contact Lori at lblahous@dg58.org or call 630-719-5835 and provide your updated information prior to winter break. In addition, if you rent a property, please make sure that your school has a copy of your most recent lease. You may email a copy of your lease to lblahous@dg58.org or drop off a copy at our school office.
District 58 will open 2025-26 student registration in February 2025. As part of the student registration process, District 58 works with a third-party vendor to verify that all students live within the District’s boundaries. After winter break, District 58 will begin the student address verification process. By starting this process earlier, we hope student registration will go more smoothly and more efficiently.
If our third-party vendor, Thomson Reuters CLEAR, cannot confirm that a student lives at their registered address, they will flag that student. District 58 will contact the student’s family and request additional documentation to confirm their address. A family will not be able to register their student for the 2025-26 school year until their residency is confirmed.
Keeping your child’s address information up-to-date will help make the registration process go more smoothly and ensure your child’s registration is completed without delay. Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter! District 58 will share more information about 2025-26 student registration after winter break.
District 58 Provides Free Developmental Screenings for Ages 0-5
Do you have young children at home? Do you have friends or neighbors with little ones? Please share this information!
District 58 offers free preschool and developmental screenings designed to identify young children, ages 0-5, who might have developmental delays and who would benefit from special education prior to beginning kindergarten.
Yearbook
The Deadline for 6th Grade Shout Outs is FRIDAY!
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.
2024-25 Yearbook Cover Contest - "H.O.W.L. with Pride!”
All students are invited to get creative and show us how you "H.O.W.L. with Pride" for a chance to have their drawing printed on one of the covers of the 2024-25 Highland School yearbook!
The 2024-25 Yearbook Cover Contest flier and submission form was sent out last week.
If you misplace your form, you can download one here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1bqAn1V5bYKyGVUER5Y2cL2O_ZQLLZjvn/view?usp=sharing
Submissions are due by Friday, January 17, 2025. (Sorry, no late submissions will be accepted).
Artwork will NOT be returned to the student.
Students may team up to design a cover, but no more than two students per entry.
Please contact Christina Zycinski at clzycinski@gmail.com with any questions.
Dining 4 Dollars
Thank you to everyone who attended Panera’s Dining 4 Dollars! We appreciate your support!
As we plan the Dining 4 Dollars events for the remainder of the year, we would love to hear from YOU! Please use this survey [link] to share your thoughts and suggestions.
Staff Holiday Wishlist
Here is the Staff Holiday Wishlist! There is no obligation to give gifts, but it helps to have ideas if you choose to!
Tell Us What You Think!
We want to hear from you! Do you have an idea to share with the PTA? Do you have a question or two for us? Now if your time! CLICK HERE
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