Stay Up-to-Date in D158

Huntley 158 families,

As we approach the holiday season, I want to take a moment to reflect on what an incredible honor it is to work in the field of education. The greatest gift of this profession is the opportunity to work with your children each day; seeing their growth, watching them achieve goals; and being able to support and guide them to reaching their fullest potential. Each child brings their own unique gifts to our school community and it is these collective talents and perspectives that make Huntley 158 the truly special place that it is. This gift is far greater than anything we could find in a store.

This season, I encourage each of you to embrace the gift of time with your loved ones and to celebrate your child(ren)’s accomplishments from the first half of the school year. Each student has had numerous successes, both big and small, and as they are acknowledged, talked about and celebrated, you will see your child(ren) light up. These are the gifts that are truly memorable.

Thank you for your continued support of Huntley 158 and entrusting us as your children progress through their educational journey. Our students are at the heart of everything we do and watching their growth and achievements both in and out of the classroom are our greatest gifts.

We wish you a very happy holiday…one filled with love, laughter and memories in the making!

Go Huntley!

~Jessica

December Raider Roundtable: Career & Technical Education

Learn about Huntley High School’s Career & Technical Education (CTE) program in this interview with CTE department chair Nick Wedoff. Nick describes the purpose of the CTE program and courses offered, from computer networking and construction to education, accounting and design. Through the CTE program, students gain diverse skills, hands-on experiences and connection with the community. Are you a local business looking for some help with a project? Contact Nick Wedoff at nwedoff@district158.org.

Holiday Giving Around the District

Conley's One Warm Coat Drive

In November and December, Conley students, staff and families participated in a One Warm Coat drive in McHenry. A total of 307 coats were collected for families in need. Along with the coats, Conley students sent handwritten notes and holiday well wishes.

HHS Freshmen and Link Crew Raise $3,600

The freshmen class at Huntley High School adopted 28 children this holiday season to help make the holidays special. As part of the freshmen advisory curriculum, 9th graders learned about community service and the importance of being a good citizen. To put that into practice, they worked with the Rita Project through St. Charles Borromeo Church in Hampshire to provide gifts this holiday season. Each freshmen advisory collected approximately $100 to purchase toys, educational materials, and clothes for their adopted child. Link Crew leaders facilitated fundraising, and buying and wrapping gifts. Together, the freshmen class and Link Crew raised $3,600 and were able to purchase approximately $800 in gift cards for families. Another part of the community service curriculum is to honor our troops overseas. Freshmen created more than 500 holiday cards that were mailed to our armed services around the world.

HHS drop off holiday donations at the Grafton Food Pantry on 12/11

NHS Leads Adopt-a-Family Program Benefitting the Grafton Food Pantry

Huntley High School's National Honor Society partners with the Grafton Township Food Pantry each year to support families in need during the holidays. This year, 128 students adopted over 200 individuals in the community! NHS students work with their families, neighbors, sports teams, clubs, activities, religious organizations, etc. to help provide holiday gifts for families who utilize the pantry on a regular basis. The families create wish lists that are then shared by the food pantry with the high school to purchase items, many of which are basics like winter coats, jeans, boots, hats, gloves, etc.

Juniors Vanessa Roman and Jersey Caserno were co-organizers for this year's Adopt-a-Family program. Caserno said, “I was impressed with how many people are willing to support our community in so many ways. It’s not just Adopt-a-Family that people are helping out with. There are a bunch of other events that they are quick to contribute to and it’s really nice to see.”

Roman said, “I didn’t expect so many people to sign up so quickly. It was really cool to see how some people go above and beyond.”

Click the link for a related holiday fundraising article, with a spotlight on HHS and the Grafton Food Pantry, that appeared in the Northwest Herald on 12/15.

MPAC Around the World Holiday Potluck

The Multilingual Parent Advisory Committee (MPAC) held its first Holiday Around the World Potluck at Mackeben Elementary School on Monday, December 9. Families from across the district enjoyed tasty homemade treats and dishes from a variety of countries (Ukraine, Bulgaria, Ecuador, and more!) as well as crafts, games and music. Special thanks to MPAC organizers and Santa for showing up!

Huntley Hurricanes Basketball Qualifies for State

The Huntley Hurricanes had a successful weekend at the Special Olympics basketball skills regionals tournament. Two athletes received a gold medal and will be heading to state. Other Hurricanes athletes received silver and bronze medals! We're proud of all Hurricanes athletes, who did their best and worked hard!

December Huntley High Five Winners

December Huntley High Five students were celebrated at the board of education meeting on Thursday, December 5. Winners include: Sophie Heward - Kindergarten, Chesak; Azul Avitia - 5th grade, Conley; Finley Madigan - 1st grade, Mackeben; Matteo Luna - 5th grade, Martin; Zarsha Saleem - 2nd grade, Leggee; Lena Owczarek - 7th grade, Heineman; Adelyn Rahman - 6th grade, Marlowe; Trentin Johnson - 9th grade, Huntley High School; and Bryan Wirth - LIGHT Program

HHS Recognizes 91 Illinois State Scholars

HHS is proud to announce that 91 students have been named Illinois State Scholars this year. The program, administered by the Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC), recognizes high school seniors for outstanding academic achievement. To be named an Illinois State Scholar, students must be a resident of Illinois, attend a recognized Illinois high school, and achieve a high standardized test score (ACT or SAT) that ranks in the top 95th percentile among Illinois students. ISAC uses a formula that combines GPA or rank and standardized test scores to determine eligibility.

Being named an Illinois State Scholar is a prestigious honor, but does not come with a monetary award. It serves as recognition for academic excellence and is valued on college and scholarship applications. Click the link for this year's HHS Illinois State Scholars from HHS.

Elementary Math Games

Math games are a powerful and fun way for children to build essential skills like counting, number patterns, and problem-solving. By playing games, students explore math concepts in engaging ways, which strengthens their understanding and develops computational fluency naturally. Games also encourage strategic thinking, as children try different approaches to solving problems, and they help connect school learning to home by giving families a way to support math skills together.

At home, try playing math games with your child to see their thinking in action. Modeling strategies or discussing moves together can help reinforce learning. Regular practice through games, rather than rote memorization, builds both accuracy and flexibility, helping students develop confidence and a deeper understanding of math.

View our Huntley 158 math games for K-5 students here!

ROE social media presentation for parents

Cyber Guide for Parents - Free virtual class in January

The McHenry County Regional Office of Education (ROE) is hosting a free virtual class for parents to help them understand, manage and monitor their child’s use of technology. The class, taught by Rich Wistocki with Be Sure Consulting (BSC), will be held via Zoom on Wednesday, January 15, 2025 from 7:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

Parents will learn about how to have technology talks with their child as well as parental responsibility, trending crimes, reporting incidents, collecting evidence, software, red flags, sexting and social networking issues. For more information, click the links for flyers in English and Spanish.

Click the link to join the meeting via Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84204641245

Keep Your Students Safe Online: Join Smart Social for FREE!

Huntley 158 partners with Smart Social to provide families with knowledge and resources on how to manage their child's technology to keep them smart and safe online. SmartSocial offers 130+ expert resources on TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, Fortnite, Minecraft, Discord and more.

Sign up for your free VIP membership today to gain access to hundreds of blogs, webinars, tools and resources to help keep your child(ren) safe online! smartsocial.com/huntley

Inclement Weather Planning

As we move from fall to winter, here are some guidelines for what to expect in the case of potential inclement weather. Weather protocols are outlined below and in the graphic. Please visit our website for additional information as well as alternate school schedules.

Goal = In-Person Learning
Delayed Start (2-hour delay): Weather expected to improve over time; no first session for ECC
E-Learning Day: Inclement weather forecasted with adequate time to prepare (devices sent home with students)
No School / Snow Day: Unexpected and/or severe weather; not enough time to prepare

Guidelines for Keeping Your Child Home from School

While we aim to have all students at school every day, we recognize that the cold and flu season is upon us. We encourage you to please keep your child(ren) at home if they are not feeling well. We encourage you to review the "when to keep your child at home" guidelines posted on the district website. Thank you for doing your part in keeping Huntley 158 schools a healthy place for all students and staff to teach and learn!

attendance graph about chronic absenteeism

Attendance Update: Your Presence is Your Power

As this first half of the school year comes to a close, we would like to extend gratitude to our families for partnering with us to help improve student attendance which, in turn, improves student learning. We've seen some positive trends emerging and we'd like to share these with you! The chart at right shows an overall increase in the number of students with no absences and a decrease in chronic absenteeism. This trend is worth noting and celebrating!

We've added attendance dashboards on the district and school websites to keep everyone informed of attendance trends. Click the link to view district attendance data. For individual school attendance data, go to your school's website and click "attendance" under Students & Families.

Educator Focus for January 6th Institute Day

On our January 6th Institute Day, educators across all grade levels will engage in professional learning designed to support student growth. Early childhood staff will explore block play in inclusive preschool classrooms, while K-5 teachers will focus on literacy training, including strategies for writing and early literacy skills. EL teachers will work on progress monitoring and staff in specials, related services, and intervention will collaborate in their Professional Learning Communities (PLCs). At the 6-12 level, staff will delve into the Science of Reading within content areas, review student data from STAR, IAR, and ACT, and participate in PLCs. Additionally, LIGHT staff will analyze AFLS assessment results to guide data-driven decisions. This day of collaboration and learning is designed to equip our educators with strategies and insights that directly support student success and growth.

Huntley 158 Virtual Bulletin Board

The Huntley 158 Virtual Bulletin Board (VBB) is a way to connect Huntley 158 families with enrichment and educational events and programs in the community. We encourage you to click the link and visit our new VBB page to learn about what’s happening for students and families in the community!

To submit a program or event for inclusion on the Huntley 158 VBB, organizations must be not-for-profit or a taxing body based in Huntley 158 boundaries or a surrounding community. Please email your event flyer in PNG or PDF format to kimoore@district158.org and include "VBB" in the subject line. To ensure accessibility for all, flyers must be accompanied by a brief description of your event that includes the name of your event, date, time, location, call to action/website link (if applicable) as well as contact information. Thank you!

Educational Software Use and Data Privacy

Huntley 158 uses a variety of vetted and approved web-based tools and online applications to enhance learning and instruction for students across the district. These tools and applications need to abide by federal and state regulations that require parental review. Parents are asked to read and approve the district’s educational software use during the registration process each year. Prior to the start of the second semester, we’d like to remind families about this and encourage those interested in learning more about our partnerships with vendors and how we protect student data to visit our student data privacy webpage.

Family Communication and Changes to Contact Information

We value our partnerships with our families and want to ensure everyone receives newsletters and other important messages sent by the district and schools. Should you have any changes to your contact information (email/phone), please email studentupdate@district158.org so this information can be updated in Powerschool and School Messenger. If you are not receiving messages via email or phone and you're not sure why, please email communications@district158.org. Thank you!

December

Thurs., 12/19 - Regular Board of Education meeting @ district office; 7pm (open session)

Fri., 12/20 - SIP/Early Release Day; end of 1st semester (grades 9-12) and 2nd quarter (grades 6-8)

Mon., 12/23 - Mon., 1/6 - Winter Break; no school

January

Mon., 1/6 - Institute Day; no school for students

Tues., 1/7 - School resumes following winter break

Thurs., 1/9 - Dual Language steering committee meeting; 5pm-6:30pm

Wed., 1/15 - Cyberguide for Parents Virtual Presentation by ROE @ 7:30pm-9pm

Thurs., 1/16 - Regular Board of Education meeting @ district office; 7pm (open session)

Mon., 1/20 - Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Day; no school; D158 Foundation's Windy City Bulls Game; tip-off @ 11am; click here for the flyer

Thurs., 1/23 - Incoming freshmen course selection night at HHS; 5pm-9pm

Mon., 1/27 - MPAC meeting @ district office, 6pm-7:30pm

Wed., 1/29 - Mental Health and Wellness Fair @ Huntley Park District, 5pm-7pm

2024-25 School Calendar / Early Release Days

Check out the 2024-25 school calendar! Huntley 158 early release and institute days for the year are listed below.

EARLY RELEASE DAYS*

Tuesday, September 24, 2024

Friday, December 20, 2024

Thursday, February 13, 2025

Tuesday, March 4, 2025

Thursday, April 17, 2025

*also ECC Parent Education Day

Early Release Dismissal Times

Elementary school (Chesak, Conley, Leggee, and Mackeben): 1:30 p.m.

Martin Elementary School: 12:55 p.m.

Middle and high school: 12:30 p.m.

INSTITUTE DAYS

Friday, October 11, 2024 - No School

Monday, January 6, 2025 - No School

Find Upcoming Events & News at huntley158.org

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The Huntley 158 Board of Education meets twice monthly. Regular board meetings are held the third Thursday of each month and Committee of the Whole (COW) meetings are held the first Thursday of each month. All meetings are held at the Huntley 158 district administration building, 650 Dr. John Burkey Drive in Algonquin, unless otherwise noted. Meetings are live streamed and archived on the Huntley 158 YouTube Channel. Visit the D158 website for more information:

Parent Teacher Advisory Committee (PTAC) meeting - December 10, 2024

Click the link for the agenda

Regular Board Meeting - December 5, 2024

Click the link for the agenda and supporting documents or watch the meeting via YouTube.

Note: Meeting minutes are approved at the next month’s board meeting and can be found on the district website under About / Board of Education / Minutes and Agendas.

The Stay Up-to-Date in D158 district e-newsletter is published once a month and is sent via email to Huntley 158 families, staff, and interested community members. The newsletter is also posted on the district website. If you are not a parent or staff member but wish to receive the district's e-newsletter, email Denise Barr, director of communications and public engagement, at dbarr@district158.org. Please provide your first name, last name and email address, as well as your affiliation with the school district, to be added to the district's email distribution list.