Highland Middle School

The Illinois State Board of Education released an FAQ on reopening schools in the 2020-21 school  year. 

• Aug. 20, 2020:  First day of school for 1st - 8th-grade students        
• Aug. 21, 2020:  First full day of school for kindergartners
• Nov. 3, 2020: No School, Election Day. (New as of June 22, 2020) 
• Nov. 25-27, 2020: Thanksgiving break
• Dec. 21, 2020- Jan. 4, 2021: Winter break
• March 22-26, 2021: Spring break
• June 4, 2021: Tentative last day of school 
• June 11, 2021: Last day of school if 5 emergency days used                       

District 70 is initiating a new communication tool for the community known as Board Briefs. Board Briefs are designed to highlight important conversations and decisions made on behalf of students, families, staff, and the larger community by the District 70 School Board at each monthly School Board meeting.

Keep up with the latest D70 news by reading Board Briefs posted on our website under Board. 

Recordings of our live-streamed school board meetings are posted for public viewing.  

Here is the Vimeo link to watch District 70 school board meetings that have been held remotely and live-streamed during COVID-19. 

Registration for KINDERGARTNERS and NEW STUDENTS and RETURNING STUDENTS is now open on the D70 website.

For new kindergartners, as well as students who will be new to the district this fall for the 2020-21 school year:

• On the d70schools.org website, go to HOME, then NEW STUDENT REGISTRATION and follow the directions.
• You may also register on your home school website, under PARENTS. 
• Please register as early as possible so we can make sure we have staff in place for all students.
• We encourage you to pay online. 
• You may pay by check by mailing the check to Libertyville School District 70, Educational Resource Office, 1381 W. Lake St., Libertyville, Il. 60048.  
• Questions? Email District 70 registrar, Cristina, directly at cdistefano@d70schools.org. 

• Go to your parent PowerSchool account at powerschool.d70schools.org.
• Sign in with username and password.
• If you forgot your password, select "Forgot Password" and create a new password.
• Fill out the section called School Forms. You must fill out School Forms separately for each of your children you are enrolling.
• We encourage you to pay online. 
• You may pay by check by mailing the check to the Libertyville School District 70, Educational Resource Office, 1381 W. Lake St., Libertyville, Il. 60048.   
• Questions? Email District 70 registrar, Cristina, directly at cdistefano@d70schools.org. 

We proudly present this year's virtual spring musical The Show Must Go Online! 

The staff and students have two performances with two different casts!

To access this year's musical, use the links below:

"Friday" Performance of The Show Must Go Online

"Saturday" Performance of The Show Must Go Online

Please enjoy these end of the school year video messages from Supt. Dr. Matt Barbini for 
students:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0o02r5pbhRU&t=1s


parents:
https://vimeo.com/425647663/5dd17dbd6d


staff:
https://vimeo.com/425393906/f644956f38

Libertyville School District 70’s Highland Middle School Dean of Students Ryan Anderson will be the new assistant principal of student services for  Wauconda High School on July 1. 

Anderson has served as dean of students for two years. Before Highland, Anderson taught social studies at  Warren High School for seven years. 

“I’m excited to move back to a high school setting, that was the plan all along,” Anderson said. “Five years ago, I never thought I’d be doing any of this. I couldn’t ask for a better staff to work with than Highland.”

While District 70’s first dean of students moved onto a principalship, the second one was a high school teacher who used the grade school administrative position to propel himself into high school administration, just like Anderson is doing. 

“What I’ve really enjoyed the most is the community and the family feel of Highland,” Anderson said, adding that it will be hard to leave the professional group he has grown close to.  "Students and parents are so invested in the school, this is a community that is involved. I’ve had a great experience working with families and trying to help students through the middle school years, which is tough. It was an honor for me to have an impact on those kids and help them out.”

 Anderson’s accomplishments at Highland Middle School include setting up Parent Nights on current issues confronting middle school children, tweaking the Class Act program, and working with the counseling center. 

 While looking forward to his new school, Anderson noted he will miss the students. “My job was to find a way to connect with more than 900 students, and I did that. So, of course, I will miss them. I will miss them a lot.” 

NEW   PARENT FAQ on Impact and D70 Response to COVID-19 
(Updated regularly) 

Illinois State Board of Education FAQ for Families. (released 5.14.20)

The Restore Illinois Plan - a public health approach to safely reopen Illinois 

**For the latest news from D70 during COVID-19, please visit the PARENT section on your school website and click on COVID-19.**

• Adler Park School
• Butterfield School
• Copeland Manor School
• Highland Middle School
• Rockland School

The health and safety of our students and staff continue to be our first priority in District 70.

We are closely monitoring the situation and making the necessary preparations in case the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) becomes more prevalent in our community. As we partner with the Lake County Health Department (LCHD), the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), we will continue to communicate with you in the days and weeks to come. 

To reach District 70's Remote Learning website.


District 70's e-learning plan:

E-learning Verification Form
Approval from the Lake County Regional Office of Education on March 24, 2020

For more information please visit the Parent FAQ on Impact and Response to COVID-19. 

District 70 takes closing schools seriously. When the decision is made due to inclement weather or power outages in schools, District 70 uses an emergency notification system to deliver phone calls and emails about school closings or safety emergencies.

For more information about school closings, please read the FAQ.

 There also now is an option to opt-in to receive the information via text by texting 67587 with either Y or YES as the message you send. (This will not be activated for 48-hours from when you opt-in.) This text (SMS) service only will be used in the event of school closings or a school emergency.

Please welcome to new Butterfield Assistant Principal Carrie Modra.

Modra comes to District 70 via the North Chicago School District where she was the Early Childhood Special Education Coordinator. She has a master's degree in principal preparation from Concordia University in Chicago and a master's degree in speech-language pathology from Purdue University. She did her undergraduate work in speech-language pathology at Augustana College in Rock Island.

Before North Chicago, Modra was a speech-language pathologist with Woodland School District 50 for nine years, working in two schools.

Before working in public schools Modra practice at private businesses in Libertyville and Highland Park, as well as worked in area hospitals for nine years.

Please give a warm welcome to Ms. Modra.