An Update from Hough Elementary
Letter from Principal Schumacher
Hello Hough Families,
Spring is just around the corner, bringing longer days, exciting school events, and a well-earned break for our students and staff. Many of our Hough Hawks are looking forward to traveling over Spring Break, while others are excited for relaxing stay-cations and a little extra sleep. However your family chooses to spend the week, I hope it is filled with fun, relaxation, and meaningful time together.
As we head into the break, I also want to highlight our Character Strong theme for the month: Cooperation. Cooperation is all about working together, supporting one another, and contributing to a positive community. We see our students practicing cooperation every day at Hough—whether it’s collaborating in the classroom, helping a classmate, or working together during recess and group activities. Spring Break can be a wonderful opportunity for students to continue building this skill at home by helping with family plans, sharing responsibilities, and making "heavy work" a bit lighter by sharing the load!
In the upcoming weeks, we have lots of student activities that our students are excited about. The Speech Tournament is next Monday- best of luck to our participants! Plans for the Creativity Project, 5th grade Track and Field Club, the Hough musical , and the student art fair are well underway and will showcase all of the talent of our students!
After Spring Break, students in grades 3–5 will begin the Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR). Classroom teachers will share more detailed testing schedules with families soon. You can help your child feel confident and prepared by ensuring they get a good night’s sleep, eat a healthy breakfast, and arrive at school on time. Students will also need wired headphones for the assessment.
Thank you for your continued partnership in supporting our students both at school and at home. We are grateful for the strong community we share at Hough. Have a wonderful Spring Break, and we look forward to welcoming everyone back refreshed and ready for an exciting final stretch of the school year!
Warm Regards,
Heather
Planning for the 2026–2027 School Year
Classroom Teacher
We have already begun planning for the upcoming school year. If you would like to share information about your child’s learning profile or factors that help them learn best, please feel free to email me by April 10th. Shortly after that date, our teacher team will begin the thoughtful process of creating class rosters for next year. This is a detailed process that takes several months, as we work to build balanced classrooms and ensure that every student has a familiar connection in their class. While we are not able to accept specific teacher requests, we truly value parent insight into how your child learns and thrives.
Fifth Grade Families
Our middle schools have finalized dates for transition activities designed to help our fifth graders prepare for middle school. Please watch for information from your child’s future middle school with additional details. Fifth grade teachers will also share dates for the transition experiences that will take place during the school day.
Panorama Survey Pajama Day!
We are SO close to earning that pajama day for the students!! There’s just ONE WEEK to go to complete the Panorama survey sent to all families. The survey only takes 5 minutes max! The district is implementing this as a key listening tool to better understand the experiences of students, staff, and families. Questions were crafted by Barrington 220 stakeholders to best fit our district and provide meaningful feedback.
NOTE: If families have students at multiple schools in the district, they are asked to fill out a brief survey for each school. If you have multiple students at one school, fill it out just one time.
Parent-Teacher Conference Desserts
This is a friendly reminder that Meet the Teacher for Spring Conference Sign up goes live on Sunday, March 1st at 8:00am. Please use this link to schedule a conference with your student's teacher at that time. The Meet the Teacher link will close on March 9th. Conference Dates:
Wednesday, March 18 | 3:30 - 7:30 p.m.
Thursday, March 19 | 1:00 - 7:00 p.m.
On March 18th, during our Parent-Teacher Conferences, the PTO will be providing dinner for our teachers beginning at 5:00 p.m. To help make the evening a little sweeter, we are asking for dessert donations from any families who would like to contribute.
Donations can include cookies, brownies, fruit salad, or even soft drinks if you prefer to bring beverages instead of dessert. Any contribution is truly appreciated.
If you are able to donate, we kindly ask that all items be dropped off by 5:00 p.m. on March 18th. This is the same time dinner will arrive, and having everything delivered then will help avoid interrupting conference schedules and ensure the evening runs smoothly for everyone.
Thank you so much for your support of our teachers—we truly appreciate your generosity!
February Athletes of the Month
Congratulations to the following students on earning Athlete of the Month at Hough Street School!
5th Grade: Izzy B & Graham P. ESC: Sarah P & Luca A. 4th grade: Georgia G & Connor S. 3rd Grade: Charley T & John M. 2nd Grade: Azariah W & Jordan K. 1st Grade: Charlotte S & Liam G. Kinder: Ellie G & Musa A.
