Highland Happenings

Good afternoon Highland families and welcome to March!

I hope you had a great week and have some fun St. Patrick's Day activities planned for this weekend. As you know, Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR) testing begins next week. More information, including the testing schedule, can be found below. While standardized testing is rarely a preferred activity for our students, I am always so very proud of all of our students for the effort they put into the assessments, and for taking the test seriously. In order to have some fun during testing weeks, we are going to have spirit days and watch a movie at lunch. More information about both can be found below. I am very excited to welcome our incoming Kindergarten families to Kindergarten Round-Up next week! This is a great opportunity for our new families to get to know Highland better, and an opportunity for us to welcome them to the Highland family. If you know a family who has an incoming kindergartener, please encourage them to reach out to the Highland main office. We are in the final stretch of the registration process and are asking all of our families to register by Friday, March 31st. If you need any assistance registering your student, or have any questions or concerns, please reach out to the Highland main office at 630-719-5835. Take care and have a great weekend!

My Best,

Zac Craft

Principal, Highland School

In order to spread some joy during IAR testing, students will be watching a movie at lunch. The movie we will be watching is the movie companion to our One Book One School Title, The Wild Robot! In addition, our students in 3rd-6th grade will be provided with a piece of sugar-free mint gum during IAR testing. If you do not want your student to watch the movie at lunch or chew gum during IAR testing, please contact me at zcraft@dg58.org to make alternate arrangements. Please feel free to reach out to the Highland main office at 630-719-5835 if you have any questions.

• 03/18/25: 5th Grade Intramurals
• 03/19/25: Safety Patrol Meeting at Lunch
• 03/20/25: Highland Scoop Teams 3 & 4 Meeting
• 03/20/25: Kindergarten Round-Up
• 03/20/25: PTA Meeting
• 03/21/25: Treat Day

• 03/18/25: 5th Grade Intramurals
• 03/19/25: Safety Patrol Meeting at Lunch
• 03/20/25: Highland Scoop Teams 3 & 4 Meeting
• 03/20/25: Kindergarten Round-Up
• 03/20/25: PTA Meeting
• 03/21/25: Treat Day

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!

Beginning next week, students in grades 3-8 will complete the state-mandated Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR). Additionally, this spring, students in grades 5 and 8 will take the mandated Illinois Science Assessment (ISA).

Highland's testing schedule can be found below. District 58 approaches state assessments by supporting students and encouraging them to do their best, and we appreciate the partnership from our families in that encouragement. State assessment results will be available next fall.

Please click here to read a message from Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction Liz Ehrhart about District 58's approach to these assessments.

Do you know a District 58 employee who goes above and beyond? Please consider nominating that individual for a Distinguished Service Award! The Education Foundation of Downers Grove District 58 annually hosts the free Distinguished Service Awards program to recognize the remarkable contributions of District 58 employees. Nominations are due Friday, March 21. The DSA ceremony will be Tuesday, May 6 at 4 p.m. at O’Neill Middle School.

English

• View DSA Frequently Asked Questions

• View the 2025 DSA Nomination Form

Spanish

• Premios al Servicio Distinguido Preguntas Frecuentes

• Premios al Servicio Distinguido Formulario de nominación

Please visit www.dg58.org/dsa for more 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!

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. O'Donnell.

Book Swap

Spring is around the corner… and that means Spring cleaning! Get your books ready for the book swap on April 16th! There will be donation boxes outside of the library starting March 24th, so bring in all of your old books to donate! (Please no baby/board books)

Any questions please contact Katie Troelstrup ktroelstrup@gmail.com

Student Council Cutest Stuffed Animal Contest

Highland is sponsoring a Cutest Stuffed Animal Contest!

Bring your stuffed animal to your classroom on or by March 17th.

Voting will take place in each classroom for a classroom winner on March 17th.

Class winners will then be voted on by the entire school. Voting will take place the week of March 24th.

You must pay $1.00 to vote-one vote per person. Please bring EXACT change.

Pictures of each class’ winner will be hung outside Mr. Craft’s office.

The Cutest Stuffed Animal owner will receive a gift certificate to the school store in March!

May the cutest stuffed animal win!

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.

Grades K-3 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

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.

PTA Meeting Thursday, March 20

Please join us for our March PTA meeting at 7 p.m., following Kindergarten Roundup! Here is the link for anyone who can join us virtually… https://meet.google.com/kcn-kopy-zyf

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).

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