Highland Happenings
September 20th, 2024
Happy Friday!
Good Afternoon Highland Families,
I hope this edition of The Happenings finds you well and enjoying the lingering summer weather. This week we held our first PTA meeting of the year! I am grateful for the strong partnership we have with our PTA and for all of the wonderful things they do for our students and staff! Next week we will conduct several safety drills followed by a storm science assembly on Friday! More information regarding our drills can be found below and more information regarding emergency preparedness in District 58 can be found on our website. 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
Health/Physical Examination & Immunization Record due October 15th
As required by law, all new students, as well as students entering grades K, 2, and 6, must receive health examinations and immunizations and submit completed health forms by October 15th. To learn more check out the Health Services page on the District 58 website.
Thank you to many of the families who have already completed and submitted these forms. In accordance with Illinois law, failure to comply with these requirements by Oct 15 of the current school year, or 30 days following registration for first-time registrants, will result in the student's exclusion from school until such requirements have been met. All sections of the child examination form must be completed including the health history, which must be filled out by the parent.
District 58 communicates frequently regarding these requirements as it is our hope to avoid school exclusion for all of our students. If you are in need of additional assistance, our school nurse, Mrs. Sweet (nsweet@dg58.org), would be happy to assist you in answering questions or connecting you with resources to complete this requirement.
Parent-teacher conference signups open on Sept. 24
District 58 invites parents and guardians to sign up for fall 2024 parent-teacher conferences using the online PowerPTC conference signup system starting Tuesday, Sept. 24 at 11 a.m. via www.PowerPTC.net.
The sign-up window will close Friday, Oct. 4 at 11 a.m.
Parent-teacher conferences will be held in person. However, families who require a remote option should schedule their conference in PowerPTC and then change the meeting type from “in person” to “video conference.”
Conferences will take place on the evenings of Tuesday, Oct. 8 and Thursday, Oct. 10.
Please view the parent-teacher conference signup guide (para Español: Registro para las reuniones de padres y maestros) to learn how to sign up for a conference using the system, along with other helpful information.
PTA All Day
Family Bingo Night
Family Bingo Night is a free event hosted in the Highland Gym by the PTA for all Highland families, including parents and older and younger siblings of Highland students. We hope you can join us for this fun event on Friday, October 4th - we'll have two sessions with doors opening at 5:15pm and 6:30pm. Look for more information soon!
Partners in Art
Partners in Art is a great program that allows parents to pair up and present a lesson on a famous piece of artwork, and then lead the class in a brief activity. We'll be able to provide you with the art, materials, and ideas for your presentation. We have PowerPoint presentations for each art piece. You don't need prior knowledge of art. The dates and times are flexible; you and your partner will work with the classroom teachers on the date/time that will work for both. We have 4 opportunities for each grade level. For more details and to sign up please go to:
If you have any questions, you may reach out to Fon Boonyapredee (boonfamily2012@gmail.com).
Parents Day & Night Out in Downtown DG
Schools Just Wanna Have Funds! Bring these Hall Passes to participating Downtown DG stores & restaurants on September 26, 2024 from 10am - 8pm. Each Hall Pass turned in with purchases will count to schools with at least 10 individual participants! Help Highland out and get some cute things at Greenstar Paperie, have lunch at Foxtail and pick up some popcorn at Wells Street Popcorn! Link to Hall Passes Here!
Yearbooks
Online sales are open for the 2024-1015 Highland yearbook! If you order before Oct.31, you can save 10%! The sale ends after Oct.31. If your family needs financial assistance to purchase the yearbooks, please reach out to the PTA at highlandpta58@gmail.com.
Any questions please contact Christina Zycinski at clzycinski@gmail.com
Buy your yearbook today and save 10%
Book Fair
Highland’s Book Fair will be back during Parent Teacher Conferences Oct. 8-10. Look for more information soon!
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”!
PTA Information
Please follow us on Facebook at Highland PTA 58 and on Instagram at highlandpta58. Feel free to email the PTA at any time at highlandpta58@gmail.com
*Also, please spend just a minute or two completing this survey for the PTA and different communication methods. We appreciate your time and input! Survey Link Here
Why should you join the PTA? The Highland Parent Teacher Association (PTA) is an all-volunteer organization dedicated to providing enriching, fun and educational programs to our school community. These may include family fun events - Bingo Night, Welcome to School Party - or educational programs - World Cultures Night, One Book One School program. We also support and fund many in-school activities, including school t-shirts, birthday books, additional field trips and assemblies.
One easy way to support the PTA is to purchase a parent membership for $15 (one user) or a family membership (two users) for $20. The purchase makes you a member of the Illinois PTA, and a portion of the proceeds will fund our Highland PTA activities. Members receive a regular newsletter with information about PTA activities and is the only way to access the all-school directory. Link Here Again To Buy/Renew Membership So You Don’t Have To Scroll Back Up
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