May 18, 2009
Take Note Field Day is Coming And We Need Your Help! Please contact Lynn O’Neal if you are able to help on Field Day, Tuesday, May 26. Thanks! Middle School Exam Schedule Wednesday, May 20 6th grade – Math, Foreign Language 7th grade – Social Studies, Foreign Language 8th grade – English, Foreign Language Thursday, May 21 th
6 grade – English, Science 7th grade – Science, Math 8th grade – Social Studies, Math Friday, May 22 th
6 grade – Social Studies 7th grade – English 8th grade – Science
Dear Parents, On May 7, my grandmother – my Nana – died peacefully at the age of ninety-two. If any of you have ever read Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney, you will have an idea of what my Nana was like. In Cooney’s book, Miss Rumphius decides as a young girl to see the world, live by the sea, and make the world a more beautiful place. She inspires others to do the same. My Nana cooked the best chocolate pies, drove to South America, owned and ran a bookstore, traveled all the way around the world – stopping in Okinawa to visit with my family and my uncle during the Vietnam War, planted and arranged flowers, tatted, crocheted, taught Sunday School, and presided over the PTA. With half of an arm on her right side, she did all of this with a peaceful and determined spirit and inspired others to overcome obstacles and to live their very best lives. When you look at her two grandchildren and her six great-grandchildren, you will see the influence she had – our traveling, reading, and cooking; the way that her two granddaughters chose careers to help children, and our desire to balance family, career, and volunteer opportunities. The difference between Miss Rumphius and my Nana is that I am not sure Nana ever sat down and decided to travel, achieve, inspire, and educate. She just did. Several of you knew earlier about Nana’s death, and I thank you for your kind words of support. Our family is celebrating her life, and we hope that by sharing tidbits about her, she may inspire others to live robust lives full of books, travel, good food, flowers, and family.
Kathryn Woodson Barr
Calendar Highlights Tues. May 19 First Grade Author’s Party 8:00 a.m. Classrooms Kindergarten Classes visit Mtn. Brook Fire/Police 9:00 a.m. Fifth Grade to Planetarium 1:00 p.m. Wed. 20 Recognition Ceremony 8:15 a.m. Spencer Center Middle School Exams (See Schedule under Take Note) Thurs. 21 Middle School Exams (See Schedule under Take Note) Preschool to Oak Mountain Wildlife Rescue 8:30 a.m. Second Grade to Botanical Gardens 11:00 a.m. Fri. 22 Middle School Exams (See Schedule under Take Note) Class Parties at 11:15 a.m. Noon Dismissal All Students - Last Day for Preschool Mon. 25 Memorial Day Holiday No School - Offices Closed Tues. 26 Field Day - Noon Dismissal for Students Wed. 27 Honors/Graduation Ceremony 8:30 a.m. Dismissal after
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Highlands Help Committee is Helping Highlands School GO GREEN! This year’s Field Day festivities will revolve around our exciting new recycling program that we are working to implement next fall. Students are participating in a contest to see who can collect the most pop tops off of aluminum cans. The pop tops will be collected in classrooms and then weighed with the winners announced at Community Meeting May 22nd. All money earned from the collected aluminum will be used to support the recycling program beginning next school year. Students will also answer recycling trivia during field day events to earn points for their team and participate in a fast paced recycling relay where they will be expected to sort on the run. Going green has never been so much fun! So be sure to ask all your friends and family to save their pop tops so your child can be an eco-hero to his or her teammates.
Middle School Drama presents Little Red and the Riding Hoods Who wants the same old “heard-it-all-before” tale of little Red Riding Hood when there’s a much wilder version waiting in the wings? That’s what an ambitious stagehand wants to know. Tired of sitting through yet another boring performance put on by an untalented group of actors and a pompous narrator, the stage hand wants to jazz up the show. In the new version, all the characters are ultra-cool (even Granny). When the traditional and modern stories finally collide a chaotic chase scene ensues and Fairy Godbrothers are called in to straighten out the mess. In the end everyone, well almost everyone, learns a lesson about the importance of valuing others. The middle school drama students gave an outstanding performance and kept us laughing all the way through the show. Fourth Grade Presents Annual Poetry Reading Every year the fourth grade students present poems that they have written. This year the students introduced themselves with “I AM” poems which were presented in a slide with a picture of the student. They read other original works as well. Great job Fourth Graders! Second Grade Present Biographical Sketches Second grade students recently chose a biography to read on a famous person they found interesting. Students researched their life finding out as many facts as possible. Students dressed up as their famous person to present to the class all they learned!
Short Notes Parents don’t forget to please make plans to pick up all your children's medications from the Health Room before the end of the school year. All medications not picked up will be discarded in June. Thank you! Time to Register for a Summer at Highlands! Highlands School’s Higher Degree of Learning does not end when the school year is over. A Summer at Highlands offers sixty-seven unique opportunities tailored to your child’s age group with talented teachers and quality resources you expect from Highlands School. We also offer Morning and Afternoon Care for children who are attending camps. Register now - before the camps fill up! Click here to be directed to the Highlands School 2009 EDP Summer Catalog Brochure. Or contact Gabe McCool, Highlands Summer Camp Director, for more information.
A thank you was received from Grace Food Pantry for the food donations that were made by Highlands School students. The food donation made possible by our students helped to fill the Grace Food Pantry shelves and provide assistance to many deserving people! Thanks to everyone who participated!
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Attention PARENTS: EDP for the last days of school Please keep these things in mind as you make plans for the last few days of school: Students with the Professional Day EDP package may come for noon dismissal automatically. Late Departure/Other packages do not apply LUNCH IS NOT INCLUDED- PLEASE SEND A LUNCH TO SCHOOL WITH YOUR CHILD! Others may drop-in with a 48 hours advance notice in writing ($10 until 3 p.m., $20 until 6 p.m.) Here is the EDP schedule: May 22: PS Last Day, Noon dismissal ALL (EDP 12 noon - 6 p.m.) May 25: MEMORIAL DAY! NO SCHOOL/NO EDP! May 26: Noon dismissal ALL (EDP 12 noon - 6 p.m.) May 27: Honors Day Free EDP available after Honors Day until noon (Please let us know if your child will be coming). The bus will run at noon. EDP will close promptly at noon. From the Admissions Office The Admissions Office is pleased to welcome 55 new students to our community for the 2009-2010 school year. Many thanks to those parents who have worked hard this year to help introduce Highlands School to prospective families and to those families who will serve as summer mentors to our new families. If you are interested in helping with admissions for the coming year, please contact Judy McDonald, jmcdonald@highlandsschool.org. Have a wonderful summer!