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.  

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.

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. 

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

Who doesn't love candy? Make sure to treat your friends or your teachers with candy grams this Valentine's Day! They will only be for sale this week! They are 50 cents each and will be for sale outside the cafeteria. All sales will benefit our school wide charity, Lambs Farm! Additionally, Pure Vida bracelets will be available for purchase for $5 during candy gram sales.

All group pictures for the yearbook will be taken during the school day tomorrow. We will not be doing retakes, so please make sure you listen to the announcements for when your club photos are being taken. You are responsible for any and all missed work while you are out of class. See you there!

All 7th and 8th grade students interested in being a part of a crew for Aladdin Jr. please come to the Drama Room today during your half of recess. Crews include set construction, costume, art, publicity, lighting and sound, assistant to the director and stage crew.

Congratulations to the 7th and 8th Grade Boys’ Volleyball Teams on their impressive victories over Lake Bluff Monday night. Great job boys!

The Butterfield Fun Fair is coming up on Saturday, February 23. They are looking for HMS students to volunteer. If you would like to volunteer please pick up a pink flier in Student Services.

Please fill out the Illinois State Board of Education 5Essentials Survey to share your thoughts and impressions on the D70 school/schools your child/children attend. Your voice is important and through this survey, you can be heard. 

If at least 20 percent of the parents of a school respond, the results of this survey will appear on the state School Report Card for that school. This will be the only parent survey for D70 in the 2018-19 school year. We are asking parents to complete the survey by Feb. 15, 2019. 

Only one parent per household may participate in the survey. If you have more than one child at a school, one survey should be completed for all your children at the same school. If you have children enrolled in multiple schools, you may take the survey for each of those schools. We respectfully request that only parents of children in D70 take the survey so that we can gather more accurate data as we dedicate D70 to continuous improvement. Thank you! 

Letter to parents from Supt. Dr. Schumacher. 

Highland School hosted the 2019 Lakeside Conference Speech Festival on Saturday. The Highland students were impressive and prepared for their presentations. Please congratulate our HMS  sixth grader for earning the Judges' Choice Award. Well done!

Save the Date: next Friday, February 22nd will be Highland’s Annual All School Dance from 7:00 - 9:00 ! There will be a DJ, photo booth, food and fun. All grades are invited and the dress code is casual. Entrance to the dance is $5 and your Highland ID. Please bring extra money for the photo booth and the concession stand.

Who doesn't love candy? Today is the first day to buy candy grams at lunch! Make sure to treat your friends or your teachers with candy grams this valentine's day! They will only be for sale this week! They are 50 cents each and will be for sale outside the cafeteria during your lunch period. All sales will benefit Lambs Farm. Additionally, Pure Vida bracelets will be available for purchase for $5 during candy gram sales.

All group pictures for the yearbook will be taken during the school day this Wednesday, the 13th. We will not be doing retakes, so please make sure you listen to the announcements for when your club photos are being taken. You are responsible for any and all missed work while you are out of class. See you next week!

All 7th and 8th grade students interested in being a part of a crew for Aladdin Jr. please come to the Drama Room tomorrow during your half of recess. Crews include set construction, costume, art, publicity, lighting and sound, assistant to the director and stage crew.

There will be a 7th grade Student Council meeting today the first half of lunch in Mrs. Grant's room.

  There will be an NJHS meeting today the first half of lunch for anyone that wants to help with the Escape rooms in Mrs. Grant's room. All group pictures for the yearbook will be taken during the school day on Wednesday, February 13th. We will not be doing retakes, so please make sure you listen to the announcements for when your club photos are being taken. You are responsible for any and all missed work while you are out of class. See you next week!

The Highland Wrestlers were at LHS last night for the Cross-town Classic vs Oak Grove. Highland pulled away with the victory and brought home the trophy. Nice job Team!

The Butterfield Fun Fair is coming up on Saturday, February 23. They are looking for HMS students to volunteer. If you would like to volunteer please pick up a pink flier in Student Services.

Valentine’s Day is on its way! Who doesn’t want to receive candy and a nice message this Valentine’s Day? Candy Gram sales will start on Monday, February 11th, and run through Wednesday, February 13th. These sweet grams are only 50￠each! Come quick before they run out! Not only will your friends be getting a sweet treat, but you will be helping out our charity this year: Lambs Farm! Additionally, Pure Vida bracelets will be available for purchase for $5 during candy gram sales.

All 7th and 8th grade students interested in being a part of a crew for Aladdin Jr., please come to the Drama Room Feb. 12th during your half of recess. Crews include set construction, costume, art, publicity, lighting and sound, assistant to the director and stage crew. Recess is indoors today.

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.  

Today is the student talent show! If you plan on attending, report to the North Gym after school. You will buy your tickets in the North Gym for three dollars. We look forward to seeing you there!

All group pictures for the yearbook will be taken during the school day on Wednesday, February 13th. We will not be doing retakes, so please make sure you listen to the announcements for when your club photos are being taken. You are responsible for any and all missed work while you are out of class. See you next week!

The Butterfield Fun Fair is coming up on Saturday, February 23. They are looking for HMS students to volunteer. If you would like to volunteer please pick up a pink flier in Student Services.

Valentine’s Day is on its way! Who doesn’t want to receive candy and a nice message this Valentine’s Day? Candy Gram sales will start on Monday, February 11th, and run through Wednesday, February 13th. These sweet grams are only 50￠each! Come quick before they run out! Not only will your friends be getting a sweet treat, but you will be helping out our charity this year: Lambs Farm! Additionally, Pure Vida bracelets will be available for purchase for $5 during candy gram sales.

All 7th and 8th grade students interested in being a part of a crew for Aladdin Jr., please come to the Drama Room Feb. 12th during your half of recess. Crews include set construction, costume, art, publicity, lighting and sound, assistant to the director and stage crew.

6th grade student council officers and representatives will be meeting in Mrs. Lutz's room today during lunch / recess.

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.