Kaneland Harter Middle School Newsletter

Wednesday, April 30, 2025

May 2025

From the Desk of the Principal

This will be the last newsletter of the 2024-2025 school year. I want to take a moment to thank you for your support and partnership this year. It has been a year filled with growth, learning, and countless moments of pride as our students have experienced success academically, socially, and emotionally.

As I tell the parents of incoming 6th grade students every year, middle school is an exciting ride and this year was no exception. Classroom accomplishments, extracurricular achievements, and memorable events allowed our students to shine. I'm proud of the Harter Learning Community!

To our 8th grade students and families, thank you for allowing us to be a part of your child's journey. We wish them all the best as they step confidently into high school. For our returning students, we're already looking forward to welcoming you back in the fall for another great year.

I wish all of you a safe, restful, joy-filled summer. Thank you for being such an important part of our school community.

Proud to be a Knight!

Brian Faulkner, Principal

Teacher Appreciation Week - May 5-9

May 5-9 is Teacher Appreciation Week. Please take a minute to send a positive note to your child's teachers. We are lucky to have an awesome staff at Harter and they make our building an amazing place to learn and grow. #ThankaTeacher #TeacherAppreciationWeek2025

KORT Hours

For students completing KORT hours, if you are using a paper form, please submit the hours by May 10th. If you are using the app, we will use the hours that have been submitted.

Lunch Accounts

Please check your child's lunch account as the school year wraps up to ensure they are not in the negative. If the account is in the negative, please bring the account back to a zero balance. Unused funds will transfer and can be used next year in Kaneland schools.

KHS Relay For Life Information

The Kaneland High School Student Council is hosting this year's Relay for Life on May 9th. For more information, you can access their flyer by clicking here. Student Council also put together a slideshow with more specific information (click here for the slideshow).

Please direct questions to Mr. Cimino: 65869@kaneland.org or Mr. Fuller: 15857@kaneland.org

Last Day of School & 4th Term Report Cards

The last day of school is Thursday, May 22nd. Please note that Wednesday, May 21st and Thursday, May 22nd are early release days. School ends an hour earlier on these days (1:40 p.m.).

4th Term Report Cards will be available for viewing on Thursday, May 22nd around 3:00 p.m.

Awesomeness Around Harter

March Mammal Contest Winners

ILMEA District 9 Junior Jazz Festival

Laying of the Wreath Washington D.C.

Washington D.C. Trip

5th Grade Tours

Spring Musical

Important May Dates

May 1 - 7th & 8th Grade Band Concert @ KHS Auditorium 7:00 p.m.

May 5 - May 9 - Teacher Appreciation Week

May 6 - 6th-7th-8th Grade Choir Concerts @ KHS Auditorium 6:30 p.m.

May 7 - PTO Meeting (virtual link) 7:00 p.m.

May 13 - 6th Grade Band Concert (KHMS Cafeteria) 6:30 p.m.

May 15 - Spring Jazz Concert (KHMS Cafeteria) 6:30 p.m.

May 21 - Early Release Day (students dismissed at 1:40 p.m.)

May 21 - 8th Grade Promotion (Gymnasium) 6:30 p.m.

May 21 - 8th Grade Dance (KHMS Cafeteria) 7:30-9:00 p.m.

May 22 - End of 4th Term & Last Day of School

May 22 - Early Release Day (students dismissed at 1:40 p.m.)

Proud to be a Knight!!!

Thursday, April 10, 2025

April 2025

PTO Happenings

The next PTO meeting is Wednesday, April 16 at 7:00 p.m. It is a virtual meeting and you can join by using this link.

The Harter PTO needs your help to make our upcoming Teacher Appreciation Week (May 5-9) a success. We are searching for sponsors and donations to help us spoil our staff.

To make a monetary donation, please use this link.

Promotion & 8th Grade Dance Information

8th Grade Promotion and the 8th Grade Dance will be held on May 21st. Promotion will begin at 6:30 p.m. in the gymnasium. The 8th Grade Dance will follow the ceremony and be held in the cafeteria from 7:30-9:00 p.m. More information will be shared with 8th grade families through email.

The PTO is in need of donations to cover pizza costs and decorations for the 8th Grade Dance. To donate or volunteer, please click here.

To make a monetary donation, please click here.

i-Ready Testing

All students will take the i-Ready math and reading assessments the week of April 28th. We have a special schedule that we will follow, but our students will still attend all of their classes each day. Please take note of the important information below.

Testing will take place from 8:06-9:06 a.m. each day April 28-May 2.
Students should make sure their chromebook is charged the night before each day of testing.
Students should eat a good breakfast before coming to school.
Students need earbuds for the assessments.
These assessments, along with other criteria, help us place students into appropriate classes (i.e., Accelerated Math, Challenge ELA, etc.). These tests should be taken seriously.

Student Appreciation Week 2025

We had an amazing Student Appreciation Week! The students participated in themed spirit days along with a basketball dribble knockout competition. We held an all-school assembly on the last day of SAW where the basketball dribble knockout championships were held, along with homeroom banner walks, and a basketball musical chairs game. Thank you to all that purchased a Student Appreciation Week t-shirt!!!

Important April Dates

April 9-10 - IAR Testing

April 11-13 - 8th Grade Washington D.C. Trip

April 15 - IAR Testing

April 16 - PTO Meeting (virtual link) 7:00 p.m.

April 25 - Spring Musical (KHMS Cafeteria) 7:00 p.m.

April 26 - Spring Musical (KHMS Cafeteria) 7:00 p.m.

April 27 - Spring Musical (KHMS Cafeteria) 2:00 p.m.

April 28- May 2 - i-Ready Testing

Proud to be a Knight!!!

Wednesday, February 26, 2025

March 2025

Student Showcase

Our Student Showcase is set for Wednesday, March 5th from 5:00-7:30 p.m. Our students and staff are ready to show off all of the amazing learning that has taken place this school year. You will be able to enjoy the following:

Core Team Activities
PE/Exploratory Activities
The Student Art Show

We have recommended times to accommodate parking and overcrowding. Please come whenever you can, but if you can make it during the recommended time, that would be appreciated.

5:00-5:45 p.m. - Last Names A-G

5:45-6:30 p.m. - Last Names H-Q

6:30-7:15 p.m. - Last Names R-Z

We hope to see you on March 5th!

Track Registration

The registration deadline for Track is March 4th. For more information and to register your child, please click here.

PTO

The annual St. Patrick's Day PTO Gameday will be held on Friday, March 14th after school from 2:45-4:15 p.m. It is $5 to enter or $3 if a student is wearing green. Snacks and concessions will be available for purchase.

The PTO is looking for parent volunteers. If you are able to help, you can sign-up using this link.

End of 3rd Term and Report Cards

The last day of 3rd Term is March 7. Report cards will be ready and available to review in Infinite Campus after 4:00 p.m. on March 14. Directions on how to view your child's report card will be sent via email on March 14.

5Essentials Survey

All students and staff will take the 5Essentials Survey during the month of March. Parents can also take the survey (see link below). The 5 Essentials Survey asks students about their typical experiences in school, providing us with helpful information for school improvement plans. Students will take the survey during homeroom.

Parents are also encouraged to take the 5Essnetials Survey. Click here to learn more about the 5Essentials Survey.

Link to parent survey: http://survey.5-essentials.org/illinois/survey/parent/

Student Appreciation Week

Our annual Student Appreciation Week is scheduled for the week of March 17th. We have fun activities planned each day to help celebrate and highlight our awesome students. Be on the lookout in the April Newsletter for pictures from the week.

March Important Dates

March 1 - 8th Grade Girls Basketball Tournament

March 1 - Jazz Band @ Jazz in the Meadows Festival

March 4 - 6th-7th-8th Grade Choir Concert @ KHS Auditorium

March 5 - Student Showcase 5:00-7:30 p.m.

March 7 - End of 3rd Term

March 12 - PTO Meeting (virtual link)

March 14 - Report Cards Available in Infinite Campus

March 14 - PTO St. Patrick's Day Gameday 2:45-4:15 p.m.

March 17-21 - Student Appreciation Week

March 31 - April 4 - No School Spring Break

Proud to be a Knight!!!

Friday, January 31, 2025

February 2025

Yearbook

The deadline to order a yearbook is MONDAY, FEBRUARY 3RD. Don't delay in ordering! We typically have upset students at the end of the year when we tell them there aren't extra yearbooks available for purchase. Below is the link to order a yearbook.

yearbookordercenter.com

Harter's school code: 14512

PTO Happenings

No Cook Knight

The next No Cook Knight is on Monday, February 3rd at the Sugar Grove Culver's from 5:00-8:00 p.m. Whether you dine in or carry out, a portion of the proceeds will be donated to our fabulous PTO.

Next PTO Meeting

The next PTO meeting will be Wednesday, February 12th at 7:00 p.m. The meeting is virtual and you can join the meeting by using this link.

Scheduling for the 2025-2026 School Year

Students and parents will be emailed information about registering for exploratory classes for the 2025-2026 school year the week of February 3rd. All current 6th and 7th grade students will register for classes the week of February 10th during the school day. Please review the information carefully after it is sent. Students will need to fill out the class registration form and bring it with them when it's their day to schedule their classes.

IAR Testing

IAR testing will take place on April 9, 10, and 15.

We are starting to work with our students on how to navigate the assessments, along with reviewing some of the practice items provided to us. We want our students to do their best on the IAR assessments and preparing them ahead of time will help. Please encourage your child to do their best! Once we get closer to our testing dates, more information will be shared.

Awesomeness Around Harter

8th Grade & KHS Choirs Combined

2nd Term Pop Tab Winning Homeroom

8th Grade KHS Exploration Day

2nd Term Incentive

Snowflake Club Activity

Science in Action

Cool Math Activity

Math Competition in Team Room

Important February Dates

February 3 - No Cook Knight at Culver's in Sugar Grove 5:00-8:00 p.m.

February 11 - 6th Grade Band Winter Concert (Harter Cafeteria) 6:30 p.m.

February 12 - PTO Meeting (virtual link) 7:00 p.m.

February 13 - Current 6th Graders Scheduling Day (during school hours)

February 14 - Current 7th Graders Scheduling Day (during school hours)

February 17 - No School Presidents' Day

February 25 - 7th & 8th Grade Band Concert (KHS Auditorium) 7:00 p.m.

February 28 - No School Teacher Institute Day

Proud to be a Knight!!!

Wednesday, January 8, 2025

January 2025

Yearbook

Yearbook orders are being accepted for this school year. Below is the link to order a yearbook.

yearbookordercenter.com

Harter's school code: 14512

Please don't hesitate to purchase a yearbook if your child would like one. Our purchasing deadline will be in February. We typically have upset students at the end of the year when we tell them there aren't extra yearbooks available for purchase.

e-Learning Information

Now that the winter season is upon us, we wanted to share our plan in case an e-learning day is called in lieu of a non-attendance day. Linked here are the guidelines for an e-learning day.

i-Ready Testing

All students will take the i-Ready math and reading assessments the week of January 27th. We have a special schedule that we will follow, but our students will still attend all of their classes each day. Please take note of the important information below.

Testing will take place from 8:06-9:06 a.m. each day Jan 27-31.
Students should make sure their chromebook is charged the night before each day of testing.
Students should eat a good breakfast before coming to school.
Students need earbuds for the assessments.
These assessments, along with other criteria, help us place students into appropriate classes (i.e., Accelerated Math, Challenge ELA, etc.). These tests should be taken seriously.

8th Grade Promotion & Dance Information

As a follow-up to an email sent in December, as of right now, the 8th Grade Promotion Ceremony and the 8th Grade Dance are scheduled for Wednesday, May 21st, 2025. This date may change if emergency days (snow or cold days) are used. Typically, the ceremony and dance are held the night before the last day of school. More specific information will be shared in April.

Scheduling for the 2025-2026 School Year

Starting in February, students and parents will be emailed information about registering for classes for the 2025-2026 school year. All current 6th and 7th grade students will register for classes the week of February 10th during the school day. Please review the information carefully after it is sent. Students will need to fill out the class registration form and bring it with them when it's their day to schedule their classes.

Awesomeness Around Harter