Highland Middle School

District 70 student textbook and technology fees for the 2019-2020 school year will remain unchanged.

Fees for the upcoming school year, including textbook rental fees, technology fees, and supply costs, will be $125 for students in kindergarten through fifth-grade, while sixth- eighth-graders pay $225. Incoming sixth-graders will receive a new Chromebook.  

All School Dance is tonight from 7-9 in the North Gym. There will be a DJ, photo booth, food, and fun! Students can wear jeans or dress up if they would like. Entrance to the dance is $5 and your Highland ID. Feel free to bring some cash for the photo booth and concession stand! When you arrive at the dance you will enter through the front doors to the right of the office by Mrs. Varghese's room. All money raised will go towards Lambs Farm.

Show Choir, please be aware that there is a typo with the performance sheet handed out yesterday. The correct date should read that the Arteffects Performance is on THURSDAY MARCH 7TH, not March 8th. We will hand out corrected sheets on Monday at rehearsal!

Attention all students, are you interested in taking a field trip to Lamb’s Farm? The field trip will take place during a school day. Buy a one dollar raffle ticket today at lunch for a chance to participate in this field trip. If you win the raffle, you will have the opportunity to visit and volunteer at this year’s chosen charity organization with other Highland students! Raffle sales will continue until March 1st.

Libertyville School District 70 has been named a Top Workplace 2018-19 by an independent improvement specialist after reviewing data collected by staff survey results.

District 70 placed 11 in the mid-size company category, between 250-999 employees, out of 55 companies listed by the Chicago Tribune, which sponsored the survey. About 2,612 companies were invited to participate in the study. 

The Libertyville school district also was honored with the award in 2015-16. 

Lamb's Farm will definitely be feeling the love from HMS! Our Student Council candy gram sales raised a successful $545.41! Thank you to everyone who made a purchase!

Reminder to all Show Choir performers, rehearsal returns today and will be from 3:45 to 5:30. See you there!

Attention all students interested in joining stage crew for Aladdin. There will be a meeting today Thursday in Mrs. Raymond's room right after school . The meeting will be brief until 4pm. If you cannot attend but are interested in joining Stage Crew, please see Mrs. Raymond for more information.

There will be a NJHS escape room committee meeting during 7th period today in Mrs. Grant's room. There will be a 7th grade Student Council meeting today during the first half of 5th period in Mrs. Grant's room for all officers and representatives.

If you have signed up to be a part of the Publicity Crew for Aladdin, Jr., please attend a short informational meeting after school today 3:45-4:15 in room 116b. Please see Miss Luka with any questions.

The All School Dance is coming up this Friday night from 7-9 in the North Gym. There will be a DJ, photo booth, food, and fun! This is a casual dance. Students can wear jeans or dress up if they would like. Entrance to the dance is $5 and your Highland ID. Feel free to bring some cash for the photo booth and concession stand! All money raised will go towards Lambs Farm.


Attention all students, are you interested in taking a field trip to Lamb’s Farm? The field trip will take place during a school day. Buy a one dollar raffle ticket today at lunch for a chance to participate in this field trip. If you win the raffle, you will have the opportunity to visit and volunteer at this year’s chosen charity organization with other Highland students! Raffle sales will continue until March 1.

The Math Counts Team took 2nd place at their competition this past Saturday. This qualified them for the state competition. One of the team finished 3rd in the individual competition and 2nd place in the count down round. Great job team!!

Peer helpers, there will be a meeting today during your lunch/recess period. 7th grade students should meet in Mr. Smigielski's classroom and 8th grade will meet in Mrs. Dunlap's room.

The first Art Crew meeting will be this afternoon from 3:35-4:30.

There will be a 7th grade Student Council meeting tomorrow during the first half lunch for all officers and representatives in Mrs. Grant's room.

The all School Dance is coming up this Friday night from 7-9 in the North Gym. There will be a DJ, photo booth, food, and fun! This is a casual dance. Students can wear jeans or dress up if they would like. Entrance to the dance is $5 and your Highland ID. Feel free to bring some cash for the photo booth and concession stand! All money raised will go towards Lambs Farm.

Attention all students, are you interested in taking a field trip to Lamb’s Farm? The field trip will take place during a school day. Buy a one dollar raffle ticket today at lunch for a chance to participate in this field trip. If you win the raffle, you will have the opportunity to visit and volunteer at this year’s chosen charity organization with other Highland students! Raffle sales will continue until March 1.

Please pick up any artwork you've left in the art room.

Attention all students interested in joining stage crew for Aladdin. There will be a meeting tomorrow in Mrs. Raymond's room. The meeting will be brief. If you cannot attend but are interested in joining Stage Crew, please see Mrs. Raymond for more information. Also if you have signed up to be a part of the Publicity Crew for Aladdin, Jr., please attend a short informational meeting tomorrow from 3:45-4:15 in room 116b. Please see Miss Luka with any questions.

Reminder that Concert Choir has rehearsal after school today until 5pm.  We have minimal rehearsal time until the Choir Concert  and we need to make up as much rehearsal as possible.

The first Art Crew meeting will be tomorrow, the 20th from 3:35-4:30.

All students who signed up for Costume Crew and set construction crew there will be will be your first meetings today in the Drama Room from 3:45-4:15. Please see Mrs. Burton if you have questions.

To all Set Crew Members, please meet in Mrs. Burton's Room today after school from 3:45-4:15 for a quick informational meeting.

Reminder to all show choir performers, rehearsal returns Thursday, February 21 from 3:45 to 5:30. See you there!

Please pick up any artwork you've left in the art room.

The Libertyville School District 70 Board of Education agreed Monday night to hire Dr. Matthew J. Barbini, currently deputy superintendent of schools in Community Consolidated School District 15 in Palatine, to be the next superintendent of schools for District 70.

During a school board meeting, board members unanimously approved a three-year contract with Barbini that will begin on July 1, 2019. He replaces Supt. Dr. Guy Schumacher, who is retiring in June after a decade in the top slot.  

There will be NO before school Study Hall again tomorrow morning except for those takings tests.

Valentine's day is tomorrow and today is the last day to treat your friends or your teachers with candy grams! They are 50 cents each and will be for sale outside the cafeteria. Don’t miss out on this sweet opportunity! Additionally, Pure Vida bracelets will be available for purchase for $5 during candy gram sales.

All 6th Grade Choir students should come to the music room TODAY, girls AND boys. We will be putting our songs together to make up for the days missed because of snow.

Feb. 18                                 No School - President's Day

Please use caution when approaching school buses as students board before school and as they unload after school. 

It is illegal to pass a school bus whose red stop lights are flashing, according to a letter distributed by Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White.

For the first time this year, District 70 grade school students reviewed bus safety with Toby Tire, a robotic bus safety program sponsored by White's office. The program reviewed general safety measures for children, including staying away from strangers, looking both ways to cross a street or board a bus,  staying clear at least 10-feet around buses, and staying seated and speaking in normal tones while riding in a bus. 

In a commitment to new statewide accountability and support, the 2018 Illinois School Report Card will take on new areas of concentration when released in late October. Reinstating the work of the No Child Behind Act, the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), signed into law in 2015 by President Barack Obama, offers credence to student growth and graduation rates, accounting for fifty percent of how schools are evaluated, and carrying with it a 15-year timeline.

Transitioning from a spotlight focused on standardized test scores, multiple indicators of students’ success will be used to assess school quality. In addition to standardized tests, comprehensive indicators will include academic growth, chronic absenteeism, English learner proficiency, fine arts participation, school climate survey summaries, science measures, as well as preschool to second grade and elementary/ middle-grade indicators. The system also measures the academic progress of individual student demographic groups across the inclusive indicators. High school indicators comprise college entrance examination (SAT) success, as well as graduation accountability.

Using these balanced indicators, as defined through ESSA, a set of four tiers have been designated to reflect individual school performance; Exemplary, Commendable, Underperforming/Comprehensive, and Lowest Performing/Targeted, with funding and support services aligned to the most challenged or struggling of schools.

For more information, read the comprehensive summary of Illinois' Every School Succeeds Plan.