From the desk of Principal Deborah Finn

November 9, 2023

THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW: 



1. There is no school tomorrow, Friday, November 10 (Veteran’s Day).
2. Sleepaway STUNTS 2023 is here!  Read all about it under Activities.
3. Seniors planning to bring a special guest to our GrandGiants Day need to complete the registration no later than Thursday, Nov. 16.  More information below in Activities.

November is the beginning of the holiday season and a great time to take stock in all the blessings in our lives.  There is no shortage of challenges locally and globally.  However, each day I hope we can all find something to be thankful for in our lives.  For me, I continue to be thankful for my HPHS family and the many joys this wonderful school community provides me each day.  

Monday, November 13 -Giant Schedule Day

Tuesday, November 14 - Giant Schedule Day

Wednesday, November 15 - Blue Schedule Day

Thursday, November 16 - White Schedule Day



Friday, November 17 - Giant Schedule Day

The Honor Giant program seeks to recognize our students annually for academic achievements, attendance, behavior and activity involvement at school. These criteria are the standard HPHS would like all students to strive to achieve during high school. This growth mindset model enables every student the opportunity to be recognized as an Honor Giant after each school year. Emails are being sent to students and families who earned this honor for last year during next week. Additionally, students will be recognized during Homeroom on November 16, 2023. Congratulations to all those who met the criteria. Use this link to visit the Honor Giant website to see how any student can achieve this recognition after their freshman, sophomore, or junior year! 

Junior students who took the PSAT/NMSQT on Saturday, October 14 should now have access to their scores via their College Board account.  Students who took the exam on Tuesday, October 17 will have access to their scores starting on November 16.  Visit the College Board website for more resources related to PSAT/NMSQT scores.  If you have any questions, please contact Assistant Principal Matt Wallace (mwallace@dist113.org).

Senior students who took the Illinois Science Assessment as juniors (in the spring of 2023) can now access their test results in the D113 Briefcase tab in Infinite Campus.  This letter was recently sent to all parents/guardians of current seniors to explain a little more about the assessment and how to access the results in Infinite Campus.  

Here is important information about the upcoming 1st Semester Summative Assessment Week and winter break:

• First Semester Summative assessments will be held Monday, December 18 - Wednesday, December 20, 2023.  
• In the event of school cancellation this week, assessments from the canceled day will shift to Thursday, December 21.
• Classes resume from Winter Break on Tuesday, January 9, 2024. 
• First semester grades in Infinite Campus will be considered final on Tuesday, January 17, 2024.
• More details about this week will be shared soon.       

ACTIVITIES

On November 4th the Park District of Highland Park celebrated El Día de los Muertos. Representatives of the Highland Park High School Latino parent group,

De Padre a Estudiante, contributed by creating the ofrenda for this community event. Thanks to the Park District for the invitation and the parents for their contribution. The altar looked fantastic!  Special thank you to our D113 Community Liaison, Luisa Espinosa-Lara and our Giant parents Claudia Suarez, Robeto Barranco, Laura Aguirre, Lucy Baes, Martha Sánchez, Nancy Alvarez y Marcela López. 

Tickets now on sale for Sleepaway STUNTS 2023! Come see the show Friday, Nov. 17 or Saturday, Nov. 18 at 7:00 PM. Tickets are $10 or free with a Student Activity pass (you can pick up your ticket in the bookstore, but it must be retrieved no later than the end of school on Friday 11/17). Click here for tickets! *For Students and Staff ONLY! You can attend the final dress rehearsal for free on Thursday November 16, 2023 @ 4PM Auditorium.

This is the last call for our GrandGIANTs day! Registration for attendees must be completed by Thursday, November16 in order to attend. This event will be held on Tuesday, November 21 for the class of 2024. Confirmation emails with all details about the day will be emailed on Friday, November 17. The registration link is connected to the student’s account - the student must be the one to complete the registration. Use this link for details and registration. Please work with your senior ASAP to complete registration.

ATHLETICS

Congratulations to our Boys Cross Country team on their 10th place finish at the IHSA State Finals in Peoria on Saturday. Senior Nate Wehner led the Giants earning All-State honors. Nate is the first runner in Highland Park history to be a four time state qualifier. 

Our Football Team fought until the end but was defeated by Cary Grove on Saturday at Wolters Field in the 2nd round of the IHSA Playoffs.  Congratulations to the Program on an outstanding season. A big thank you to all the staff members who were in attendance. Despite the outcome, so many people stepped up to make it a special day for our community.

Our Football Team fought until the end but was defeated by Cary Grove on Saturday at Wolters Field in the 2nd round of the IHSA Playoffs. Congratulations to the Program on an outstanding season. A big thank you to all the staff members who were in attendance. Despite the outcome, so many people stepped up to make it a special day for our community.

HP Girls Swimming and Diving had an exciting day at the GBN Sectional Meet. Below are some of the highlights:

• Brooke Eliacin had a 4th place finish in the 50 Free. Brooke also set a school record and qualified for state in the 100 Breaststroke. 
• Marisa Miller qualified for state with a 58.09 in the 100 Fly.  
• Our 200 Free Relay tied for 5th and is headed to state with a time of 1:38.58. Congrats to Brooke Eliacin, Marisa Miller, Megan Kim and Emily Fraser.  Brooke also set a school record in her leg of the 50 Free.

Giants Club is looking for parents to volunteer as team liaisons. The requirements are minimal and the benefits are huge to the program you represent. To find out more information, come to the next Giants Club Meeting on Wednesday, November 29 from 7:00-8:00pm in the Giant Conference at HPHS.  

Looking for HP spirit wear? Check out the Giants Club website and purchase merchandise for you and your family. 

DEANS

Starting on November 18, the District will be emailing an attendance summary each week to parent(s)/guardian(s). Included in the email will be a breakdown of the total absences and tardiness per course per semester. If you have questions about attendance practices or procedures, please contact your student’s dean. Dean contact info can be found here.

We encourage parent(s)/guardian(s) to authorize student absences through the new Absence Request Feature on Campus Parent. 

Looking for a parent resource on anxiety? Check out this How Parents Can Recognize and Help a Child with Anxiety post to help parents address many of your common questions on anxiety, including:

• How do you know if your child has anxiety?
• What are the common anxiety disorders in children?
• Is your child’s anxiety your “fault” as a parent?
• What can you do to help your child?
• When and how should you seek professional help for your child?

Join CATCH (Community Action Together for Children’s Health) and learn what’s truly impacting our children, how to respond when their big feelings take control:

Social Conflict - Technology Takes It To a New Level 

Dr. Sonya Sondhu - Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist at Plena Mind Center      

Tuesday, 11-14-23 at noon, open to everyone.    

Register here for zoom link, FB event and see the IG post here.

District 113 is interested in receiving your input about the qualities important for the new superintendent to possess. We would appreciate you taking a few minutes to fill out an online survey that is available now through November 13. Survey results will be incorporated into the Community Engagement Report and New Superintendent Profile that will be presented to the Board on November 28. Thank you for your assistance and support with this very important task.  Here is the English language survey and here is the Spanish language survey.