I would like to take this opportunity to introduce myself to the Huntley High School Community. My name is Marcus Belin, and I am honored to have been selected as the new principal of Huntley High School. I recently relocated from Peoria, Illinois, where I received my bachelor’s and master’s from Bradley Uni-versity. I was fortunate to be a founding member of Quest Charter Academy, later to be Dean of Students and Assistant Principal. I then moved on to Dunlap High School to be the assistant principal for the past 2 years. I am currently working on my doctorate at National Louis University in Chicago. I am support-ed by my amazing wife, Monique, and our 3 kids, Maliyah (4), Makenzie (2), and Mekhi (3 months). We have a very busy and active life, but they are excited to

be RED RAIDERS as well.

Over the past three months, I have been spending a lot of time meeting members of the community, getting to know the building, and talking with some of the staff, as well as preparing for an amazing school year. A common theme I continue to hear is that Huntley High is a place where parent support and community in-volvement is very strong, as well as a place where all the staff members are committed to helping our young people succeed as they prepare for the world beyond high school. I look forward to leading HHS on its con-tinued path to excellence.

In my time as an educator, I have found that our young people appreciate a person who genuinely invests in them by listening, by learning beside them, and being fair and consistent. They will receive nothing less from me as their principal. I believe in building great, strong relationships with students. Doing so is what keeps me empowered as I grow as an educator. HHS staff and students will commonly see me in hallways, class-rooms, athletic fields, or eating lunch in the commons. I believe in being present and available, which is es-sential to building and maintaining relationships.

Open communication is also very important to me. We are expanding our presence on social media so you can follow the great things that are going on here at HHS. In addition to social media, please do not hesitate to reach out to your student’s teachers and our administrative staff if you have a question or concern about anything.

As excited as I am to offer this newsletter as a way to help you learn what is going on, it is the face-to-face interactions that I value most. Please know that I have an open-door policy, and I welcome any opportunity to meet with you. We are going to have a GREAT year!

Follow us on

Twitter: @huntleyhs

Instagram: @HuntleyRaiders

Facebook: Huntley High School

Principal’s Message

HHS Summer Newsletter Summer 2018

Accomplishments from the Class of 2018

Material Pickup

Material pickup is designed as your one stop shop to pick up your schedule,

stock your locker, get your books, update your google and haiku accounts,

and pick up your parking pass.

Wednesday August 8th - 7:30AM-1:30PM

Thursday August 9th - 1:30PM - 7:30PM

Tuesday August 14th—8:00AM-12:00PM (Transfer students and Make up)

1:1 Device Distribution (New students and 9th and 11th Grade device replacement)

Devices will be checked out to students at Material Pickup. Freshmen and Juniors MUST bring their

current chrome books and chargers with them to turn in and be issued a new device. Students will

have step by step procedures to follow (with the help of staff members) to properly log in and connect

to wifi. This process is very important and will require the student to be present to have the device

checked out to him/her with student ID card and Google credentials. Any student unable to attend

may check out their device from the Technology Help Desk in room C1122 on the first day of school.

Physicals & Senior Vaccinations

As an important reminder, all incoming freshmen are required to have a physical on file prior to picking

up your schedule. The physical may be turned into the nurse during registration or you may drop it off

or mail it to Huntley High School prior to Material Pickup days. Incoming Seniors must have a docu-

mented meningitis vaccination on file prior to Material Pickup This paperwork may be turned into the

nurse during registration or dropped off at the high school anytime prior. Without proper documenta-

tion on file students will not be able to access their schedule and materials and will not be able to start

school.

Registration

Please ensure your registration is completed through the Web Store prior to material pick up days. As

a reminder, no student will be able to attend classes until they have been registered and fees paid.

School Pictures

During material pick up days, students will be photographed for the yearbook. Any student unable to

have his/her picture taken during material pick up will have an opportunity for make-ups in October.

Schedule Changes

If you wish to request a change to an elective class selection, this request must be made in-person dur-

ing one of the two material Pick up days in August. Students will only be allowed to make elective

changes within the same class period. No elective schedule changes will be made after the first day of

school. Below are reasons to see your counselor on material pick up days:

No class scheduled for a particular period Missing lunch Scheduled to take a class you have already passed

Senior missing a graduation requirement Elective course change if possible in existing schedule

Important Dates

Late Start Dates

During the school year, we typically have 3 assemblies. One in the fall for

homecoming, one in late January or early February, and one in March for St.

Baldrick’s. These assemblies are vital to infusing positivity and fun into the

school year to ensure our school culture is strong. We are asking that you not

call your student out for these assemblies, but rather encourage them to par-

ticipate in the event. We are working hard to improve the quality of the as-

semblies to make them more interactive and involve more students. We view

this as a part of the school day and would appreciate your support on this is-

sue. I firmly believe these events can go a long way to further connect our

students to the school and make HHS an even better place to be!

School Assemblies

August 22 November 14 February 27

September 5 November 28 March 13

September 19 December 12

April 3

October 3

January 16 April 17

October 17

January 30

May 1

October 31

February 13

May 15

Freshman Academy

Office located in W1312 in the

Freshman Wing

Dean - Ms. Ohlinger

Counselor (A-Le)-

Mrs. Miller

Counselor (Li-Z) -

Ms. Skubak

Social Worker -

TBD

Pod Secretary -

Mrs. Pfaff

H-O Pod

Located on the 1st floor by the

main stairwell in W1002

Dean - Mr. Kempf

Counselor (H-Li) -

Mrs. Zacharias

Counselor (Ll-O) -

Mrs. Martens

Social Worker -

Mrs. Ryan

Pod Secretary -

Mrs. Manning

P-Z Pod

Located by the new main

entrance in C1105

Dean - Mr. Stotz

Counselor (P-Sh) -

Mrs. Klein

Counselor (Si-Z) -

Mrs. Frasor

Social Worker -

Mrs. Broskow

Pod Secretary -

Mrs. Gustafson

A-G Pod

Office located on the 2nd floor

in C2109

Dean - Mr. Farlik

Counselor (A-Cl) -

Mrs. Daurer

Counselor (Co-G) -

Mrs. Atchley

Social Worker -

Mrs. Kowalski

Pod Secretary -

TBD

The ability to communicate is vital to success in life. While we want to maintain open lines of communica-

tion we also want all of our students to be a partner in this communication process. Please encourage your

student to advocate for themselves and communicate their needs with their teachers and our student ser-

vices department. Please pay attention to our school website, as we regularly post important information

about upcoming events and general happenings at the high school. Look for information on our Parent

Power Team and join the team to offer feedback about what is going well and what areas we can improve.

Encourage your student to visit Power School regularly to ensure everything is accurate and there aren’t

any surprises. Finally, be an active parent and positively support our students and school.

IMPORTANT NOTE:

Please encourage your student to check his/her school email regularly as this will be the primary communi-

cation tool used between Administration and the student body.

HHS Student Services Organization

Communication

What’s NEW to Huntley High School?

Vanguard Vision - Competency Based Education Program

Huntley High School was accepted into a pilot program with the Illinois State Board of Education to build a

competency based learning system. Competency based education is an approach which allows students to

advance based on their ability to master a skill or competency at their own

pace. This approach is tailored to meet different learning abilities and can

lead to more efficient student outcomes. Competency based learning takes a

different approach to credit, breaking down the walls of the traditional class-

room. Students will work with the same curriculum, however, their path to

achieving credit will look different and will be more personalized. We are

building a personalized educational system in Huntley and we believe this to

be the future of education and are very excited that HHS gets to again be on

the forefront of educational change. We have a group of 110 freshmen who

will be in Vanguard Vision for the 2018-19 school year. We look forward to

sharing their progress with you throughout the year.

HHS Academies

Huntley High School is proud to offer 4 academies this year. The goal of the academies is to offer students the opportunity to pair tailored course work with career experiences outside of the classroom. By combining rigorous coursework with real world experiences, our academy students leave Huntley High School with an understanding of careers in various fields and a hands-on experience few high school students have.

Students may apply into all academies during their sophomore year. For more information on the details of each academy, please see the respective websites located on the Huntley High School website.

Semester Grading System

Beginning in 2018-19 Huntley High School will no longer use quarters in our grading system. Grades will only be stored at the end of each semester. This change will be positive for both students and teachers. The main motivation to change grading systems is to provide students and teachers the opportunity to show learning as a continuous process. Removing the quarter grading system will allow teachers to implement an improved cycle of teaching and learning which focuses on instruction, assessment, and adjustment, without having an arbitrary ending quarter date.

Semester grades will now be calculated as 80% semester work and 20% final exam grade. We will continue to send communication home reminding you to check your student’s progress throughout the year.

Free Activity Bus After School

Effective for the 2018-19 school year, the District will no longer be charging students a fee to ride home on the activity bus. In order to ride the activity bus home, students will be required to sign up in the Hub by noon. The activity bus leaves from Door #27 at 4:00 pm.

Special Services

We look forward to the 18-19 school year and supporting your child as outlined in your child’s IEP paperwork. Below are a few beginning of the year pieces of information that will help ease the transition into the new school year.

Your child’s case manager will reach out to you and your child by August 24, to introduce themselves and to provide contact information.

All accommodations will be sent to all of your child’s teachers by the end of the first full week of school.

Student schedules were adjusted at the end of the 17-18 school year to reflect your child’s current IEP. If you plan to make changes, please make sure to contact your child’s case man-ager. The case manager will work with your child’s team to ensure their IEP reflects the change.

As the date approaches, you and your child will be notified when their annual or re-evaluation is scheduled.

If you have any questions or concerns prior to the start of the school year please contact Kari

Breese, Department Chair for Special Services, kbreese@district158.org

Welcome Class of 2022

Huntley High School invites the class of

2022 to the annual Raider Rally

Friday August 10th 8:00AM-12:00PM

East Gym

Join your classmates and Link Crew Lead-

ers for a fun morning designed as an ori-

entation tailored to your needs as an in-

coming freshman. The rally is guaranteed

to be fun and light hearted and will give

you an opportunity to meet new people

and get excited about starting high school.

Our group of Link Crew leaders will guide

you through your freshman year and can

be a great resource for you on a daily ba-

sis to help navigate your way through

your transition into high school.

Deans’ Office

We hope you had a great summer and are excited to begin another school year. We wanted to take this opportunity to remind you of the expectations of students in certain key areas.

IDs: Students are required to wear their school issued IDs on a lanyard around the neck at all times in the building. This is for the safety and security of everyone that comes into the building. The ID must be a valid 2018-2019 ID and the picture is visible and unaltered. This year the ID colors have changed. The new colors for this year are Freshman– White, Sophomore– Orange, Junior– Lavender, and Senior– Green.

Double Lunch: All students who have earned enough credits to be 10th through 12th graders will have a dou-ble lunch privilege. This means that if you are a sophomore through senior you have 47 minutes for lunch. This does not mean you may leave campus. This will continue to be a privilege reserved for the seniors who have earned 17 credits and have turned in a parent authorization form.

Exits: During the day the only authorized entrance or exit will be through the main entry door by the security desk at Door 1. This means that anyone coming or leaving the building from 7:30 AM to 2:30 PM must use this entry. Exiting or gaining entry via another location is a violation of the handbook and consequences or loss of privileges may be administered.

Parking: All students parking on site must have a valid, school issued, parking tag displayed from the rear view mirror of their car. Students are expected to enter campus from the Harmony Road entrance only. No student should enter campus whether they are walking or driving from any other entrance.

Medical Verification for Absences: Any time a student misses school for a doctor’s appointment, be sure to get a doctor’s note and turn it in to the Attendance Office immediately upon return to medically excuse the ab-sence.

Thank you for your support of these important procedures and policies at Huntley High School. We wish you the best

of luck for the 2018-2019 school year.

Book Check Out

All books checked out to students at Material Pick Up must be returned to the school and properly scanned back into

the system to give the student credit for returning the book. We will provide an opportunity to return books at the

end of each semester for all students. If a schedule change occurs for any other reason a student no longer needs a

book, it is the responsibility of the student to contact either Ms. Schwerzler or Mrs. Gustafson in the P-Z office to

have their book scanned into the system. Failure to properly return the book may result in the student being charged

to replace the book, if it cannot be recovered. Failure to return books or other checked out materials or pay the cost

to replace the books or materials in full may result in diploma and transcripts being held until they are returned. Stu-

dents should never turn in text books to a teacher. They must be returned to either the book room at the proper re-

turn time or to the P-Z office if a mid-year exit occurs.

Please report any student absence within 24 hours or the student will be marked unexcused.

Absences should be reported using the Attendance Line: 847-659-6611.

Each student is allowed 10 Excused by Parent absences per semester. On the 11th absence a

medical note is required to excuse the absence.

Any student that receives 5 Unexcused absences in any class risks receiving a Withdraw/Fail in

the course that the unexcused absence takes place.

Pre-arranged absences should be approved prior to the absence by an administrator. Forms

may be picked up in your Student Service Pod.

A student will be given one day for every day missed following an excused absence plus an addi-

tional day in order to make up the work that was missed.

We believe that a direct correlation exists between academic performance and regular attendance

in school. We encourage you to keep us informed about your absences and make every effort to be

in school each day.

Attendance Procedures

Similar to any workplace, some clothing is inappropriate to our educational workplace. Please refer to the

18-19 Student Handbook for our dress code expectations. If a student is referred to the Deans’ office for

inappropriate clothing, he or she may be asked to make an adjustment to their attire. The Deans’ office

may have t-shirts available for those who do not have something in a locker to wear. Failure to comply

with our school dress code could result in disciplinary measures if not adhered to.

Dress Code

Off Campus for Seniors

All seniors may complete the form found here to apply for off campus. No student may leave the build-

ing without first completing this form and being issued a new student ID identifying them as having off

campus privileges. If you have not already completed the off campus lunch authorization form and sub-

mitted it to Mrs. Gustafson in the P-Z Student Services Pod, please do so as soon as possible along with

$5 to reprint your ID. If you turned in the off campus form last spring, your ID will be ready for pick up

on Material Pickup days.

Parent call-outs:

To ensure student safety, students leaving during the day must be called out by a parent/guardian prior to leaving. If there are extenuating circumstances and a call is not received, a parent/guardian must come in the building to sign their student out.

School Supplies

At HHS we do not have a specific supply list for each class. We recommend you begin the year with basic

supplies (folder, paper, pen, pencil). During the first days of class, our teachers will let you

know if there are any specific supplies for their classes. If teachers do not give specific sup-

plies, you are free to stay organized as you wish. We are always here to help with organization

if you need it!

Graphing Calculators

All students are required to have a graphing calculator. The recommended calculator is

the TI-84 Graphing Calculator. Teachers will be using the TI-84 graphing calculator during

classroom demonstrations throughout the course. Students will be able to use this calcu-

lator for all their high school math courses and also in college.

The calculator is available at most retailers. If purchasing a new calculator for your child,

we ask that your child bring the reward points (located on the back of the calculator pack-

age) to their math teacher. HHS can use the rewards points that are collected to help re-

ceive free Texas Instrument Products for our classrooms.

PE Uniforms and Locks

PE uniforms can be picked-up at the August material pick-up day. If you did not pre-order a

uniform or you would like a replacement uniform you can purchase one at the material pick-up

as well. Uniforms sets are $20 or you may just purchase t-shirt or shorts individually for $10.

All incoming freshman will have purchased a PE lock (school issued) that they will keep for all

four years at HHS. This will be given to them the first week of school. In addition, 10th & 11th

graders will need to purchase a lock from their PE teacher in the fall for $5 if they did not do so last year.

Raider Aid

Raider Aid is an after-school tutoring program that is available to all students who need extra help in their

classes. Raider Aid is open Monday through Thursday after school from 2:40-3:40 pm in C2125. There are

2 certified math teachers in Raider Aid every day that can help answer questions! If your student is strug-

gling, please encourage them to attend Raider Aid to receive extra help. A free activity bus is also available

(sign-up is required; sign up in the Hub).

What if I struggle in a class?

The biggest support for your academic success is your teacher. If you feel you are

beginning to struggle in a class, talk with your teacher right away! Advocating for

yourself goes a long way to show your teachers you care about your success in

their class. Your counselor is also there for your support. Feel free to make an

appointment with them to see other supports available at HHS. Don’t forget we

have Raider Aid open every period of the day as well as after school for help as

well.

Academic Information to Help Start Your Year

The HHS English Department is very excited to share information about the District 158 Summer Reading Pro-

gram, a district-wide effort to encourage ongoing learning and student growth beyond the confines of the

school year. All students are required to read one book over the summer. The novels were selected by each

grade level with the main purposes of student engagement and preparation for the coming year. Families will

find the specific titles for all grade levels, including Advanced Placement and Dual Credit courses, on the web-

site as well as listed below. Copies of these titles have been reserved at the Huntley Public Library and are

readily available for purchase in stores and online.

Required Summer Reading for English

English I (all levels):

One book of choice from the

2018 Abraham Lincoln Award/Illinois’

High School Readers’ Choice Award list

Vanguard Vision:

Summer reading letter

English II (all levels):

One book of choice from the

2018 Abraham Lincoln Award/Illinois’ High School

Readers’ Choice Award list

English III (all levels):

One book of choice from the

2018 Abraham Lincoln Award/Illinois’

High School Readers’ Choice Award list

English IV (Alienation, Responsibility, Medical Issues, and Engineering):

One book of choice from the

2018 Abraham Lincoln Award/Illinois’ High School

AP Seminar:

Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell

Dual Credit English IV:

Tuesdays with Morrie, Mitch Albom

AP Literature and Composition:

Crime and Punishment, Fyodor Dostoev-sky

AP Language and Composition:

Thank You for Arguing, Jay Heinrichs (2013 edition)

Summer reading letter

Fall Sports concussion baseline testing: July 31st, August 1st, 6th, and 7th

10:00am-12:00pm Testing at HHS, 2nd floor – Room C2120

August 6th - Football and B/G Golf begin

August 8th - Remaining fall sports begin

August 13th – Fall sports parent meeting at 6:30pm in the East Gym

All fall sports teams, coaches, players, parents are to be present

August 14th – Fall sports picture day

ATHLETICS

As we prepare for our fall sports teams to return in August and open the 2018-2019 year, I would like to

take a moment to look back at the outstanding accomplishments of our teams, student-athletes, coaches,

and staff from this past school year. For the third consecutive year, HHS won the FVC All Sports Award. This

award is presented to the school with the best performances in all sports over the school year. During the

year, Huntley teams won FVC conference titles in Boys XC, Wrestling, Boys Track, Girls Track, Boys Tennis,

Baseball, and Softball. HHS won 6 Regional titles, 4 sectional titles and 1 Super sectional title. Additionally,

a number of teams sent one or more individuals to compete at various IHSA state competitions and our

Baseball team finished 2nd overall in State, the Wrestling team finished 4th in State, Cheer finished 5th in

State & Poms team finished 8th overall in the State competition. Besides our athletic accomplishments, 19

of our varsity teams achieved a 3.0 GPA during their respective season, qualifying them for the IHSA Team

Academic Achievement Award.

Above are a list of key dates to start the school year. The Athletic Department will continue to use

8to18 http://il.8to18.com/huntley/ for registration, scheduling, and other athletic information. For current

scores and updates, follow the Athletic Department on Twitter and on Instagram.

FOLLOW US

Twitter at @HHS_Athletics1

Instagram- huntleyathletics

Parents:

We would like you to be involved in your child’s high school experience in any way that you would like to

be. Below are a few options that might be of interest to you. The links below can connect you to the in-

dividual websites. You may have to hold down the control (Ctrl) button on your keyboard to click the link.

All of the information below can be found through our school’s web page if you have difficulties.

Parent Power Team (click the title for more information)

The HHS Parent Power Team will be entering its 5th year at Huntley High School. This parent group

meets three times per year at HHS with two meeting times (a morning option and an evening option) to

fit your demanding schedule. While the meeting dates have yet to be set for the 2017/2018 school year,

information can be found on the school web page and at our Open House event. This is your opportunity

to be caught up on what is going on at HHS, suggest agenda items to learn about specific things, and

offer feedback about your impressions of HHS to help us continually improve.

HHS Athletic Boosters (click the title for more information)

The HHS Athletic Boosters are a parent organization that supports all of our athletic programs. Parents

volunteer to work concessions, design and sell spirit wear, fundraise for capital improvements (new East

gym competition court, baseball and softball scoreboards, and much more). There are many opportuni-

ties to be involved with this group if

your son or daughter is involved in ath-

letics or you just have an interest and

want to be involved.

HHS Fine Arts Boosters (click the title for more information)

The HHS Fine Arts Boosters are a parent organization that supports the arts at HHS. Parent volunteers

work with the fine arts department to fundraise, work events, help build sets, and much more. This ac-

tive group is perfect if your son or daughter is involved in HHS theatre, our music programs, our art pro-

gram, or you just have a passion for the arts.

We encourage all of our students to find something to be involved in that interests them outside of their

academic day to connect them to our building. We firmly believe that in-

volvement in extra curricular activities enhances the high school experience

and will not only make these 4 years more fun, but those that are involved

tend to perform better in school. Join us in some way and be involved in HHS

as a parent volunteer. There is something for everyone, and we want you to

enjoy your child’s high school experience as much as we want them to!

Want to get involved?

The link below will take you to the District 158 website and connect you to Physical and Immunization forms,

Free/Reduced Lunch Application forms, among other important items that may be on your back to school plan-

ning list. If you have trouble clicking the link, you can try to hold down control (Ctrl) and click or visit the District

158 website to access the information.

Resources to help you prepare for the 2018-2019 school year.

The links below will take you to the District calendar among other things for the 2018-2019 school year. All are

linked to the district website.

District Calendar

HHS Athletic site

Huntley High School Webpage

Transportation Information

Common forms needed throughout the year

Registration information

District web store

Student Handbook

Helpful Resources to prepare for the 2018- 2019 School Year

Important District Information

Applications and Free and Reduced-Price Meals and Fee Waivers

The District previously emailed all families information on applying for free and reduced-price meals through a new secure, private, online form. The online application is available at https://www.schoollunchapp.com/District.aspx. If you do not have access to a computer or are not able to apply online, paper applications are avail-able at the District Office.

Applications for fee waivers must be downloaded from the District website (under Parents » Forms) and sub-mitted to the Food Service Department for consideration.

Volunteer Information

Did you know that more than 2,000 individuals volunteered with District 158 schools last year? We love welcom-

ing many parent volunteers to our schools each year. Remember, all parents seeking to volunteer must fill out

and return a Volunteer Registration Form each year, even if you filled one out last year. The form is available at

www.district158.org/volunteer-information. Thank you for your commitment to serving all students always!