November 17, 2008
Take Note Parents' Auxiliary bills were sent out last month via e-mail. The bills will be resent tomorrow to those who have not yet paid. A separate e-mail is sent for each of your children with an outstanding balance. If you have questions or have not received an e-mail, please contact Jenny Walker at jennywalker8727@yahoo.com . Thank you! The Faculty and Staff would like to extend our thanks to the Sixth Grade Parents for the Teacher Appreciation Luncheon they provided on Wednesday, November 12! It was very delicious!
Save the Date AbracadAfrica Thursday, January 8, 2009 4:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. Information and Dinner/Tee-Shirt order form on pages 4 and 5
Have you made your gift to the 2008 - 2009 Annual Giving Campaign? If not, then please accept our 10-Day Challenge! The goal for this year’s campaign is $150,000. As of November 14 we have raised $68,059.31 in gifts and pledges. Out of the 194 families enrolled at Highlands 61 have made their commitments to give. If you are one of the 133 families who have not yet participated this challenge is for you! How the 10-day challenge will work: Parents are asked to make a pledge (payable by June 30, 2009) or gift to the Annual Giving Campaign by Friday, December 5. The grade levels that achieve 100% parent participation by this date will get to participate in a special “crazy-dress-up” day on Friday, December 12. Make your pledge or gift now and ensure that your child’s grade level achieves 100% parent participation!
Calendar Highlights Tues. November 18 Classroom Spelling Bee’s 4th-8th Grades Only Fri. 21 Preschool Pajama Day All School Community Meeting-Irish Dancing 8:30 a.m. Spencer Center Middle School Dance 6:00-9:00 p.m. GYM Tues. 25 Employee Recognition Community Meeting Noon Dismissal - ALL Wed. - Fri. 26 - 28 Thanksgiving Holidays School/Offices Closed Mon. December 1 Financial Aid Packets Available from Business Office Tues. 2 Financial Aid Discussion 8:00 am. Conference Room Wed. 3 - 5 Scholastic Book Fair Fri. 12 Second Grade Play 8:15 a.m Parents Spencer Center Second Grade Play 10:15 a.m. Students Thurs. 18 School Wide Spelling Bee 8:05 a.m. Spencer Center Friday December 19 Noon Dismissal - ALL Dec. 22, 2008 - Jan. 2, 2009 No School/Offices Closed for Winter Break Mon. January 5, 2009 Students Return for Classes
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First Grade Presents What’s Under the Bed? Anyone who has heard a strange bump or moan in the night should have seen the First Grade performance of What’s Under the Bed? Thanks to this very informative play we now know what’s making those noises. A group of children were awakened by dirty socks having a sock hop, bedbugs doing a barn dance, a forgotten bear, a half-eaten sandwich, a broken Raggedy Ann, an overdue library book doing a soft shoe, and a brigade of dust bunnies marching all around their room. There will be no more sleepless nights in First Grade now that they know what’ is really under the bed!
Just a reminder that registration for the Kids Mercedes Marathon closes November 30th. So far we have 19 runners signed up. All paper registrations MUST be turned in to the Mercedes Marathon office by November 15th. Please do not return forms to Highlands. Registration will continue until November 30th, but ONLINE only. The price will go up beginning November 16th (from $20 to $30). Please visit www.mercedesmarathon.com to register your child online. Second Grade Students Conduct Community Service Project The second graders colored placemats for the guests visiting the Jimmie Hale Mission for their thanksgiving meal. They really enjoyed coloring them and hope it will brighten someone’s day! Pictured are some of the students with their placemats. Great Job Second Grade!
Did you know…that the number of applications for admission to Highlands School has increased by 84% over the last four years? This means that all of us have been hard at work spreading the word about Highlands! We are thrilled to have so many wonderful families interested in being part of our community! Thank you all for your help with this!
Short Notes EDP Information EDP will have care available on Tuesday, November 25th from 12pm until 6pm before the holiday break. Please note the following: Students enrolled in Professional Day packages may come during noon dismissal at no additional charge. (Other packages are not included) Other students, however, may “drop-in” for the half day for a charge of $10 until 3:00pm and $20 until 6:00pm with a 48-hour written notice. All students must bring their own lunches! If a sandwich is provided, your account will be charged accordingly.
It will be here before you know it! GIRL SCOUT COOKIE TIME! Highlands 1st grade troop # 32 will be selling girl scout cookies starting as early as January or February. Be thinking of all those different type of cookies you would like to buy for loved ones, teachers, and of course yourself! If you or a group have an upcoming event after the first of the year that you would like for the troop to come and sell cookies, please contact: Mandy Vinyard (avinyard@bellsouth.net), Tanya Nix (tanya06@bellsouth.net) or Kellye Allen (kelleallen@bellsouth.net).
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Highlands School Participates in “Mix It Up at Lunch” Day On Thursday, November 13, Highlands School participated in “Mix It Up at Lunch”, an annual event of the Southern Poverty Law Center’s Teaching Tolerance project. Students and teachers are assigned tables based on stickers they receive. These random seating assignments help kids spend time with people they might otherwise miss. This description is from www.tolerance.org: Students often choose to hang out only with people who they believe share experiences, interests or backgrounds. Such divisions can make it hard for different student groups to understand each other and can lead to challenges and difficulties in school communities. Mix It Up seeks to break down the barriers between students, improve intergroup relations and help schools create inclusive communities where there are fewer misunderstandings that can lead to conflicts, bullying or violence. Be sure to ask what new friends your kids made last week!
Do you know an Alumna or Alumnus of Highlands School? If so, help us spread the word about the Highlands Alumni Holiday Open House Sunday, December 21, 2008 2:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m. Catherine S. Styslinger Learning Center Contact Peggy Darby for more information A Look Back at the China Trip (Photographs compliments of Kathryn Barr and Michelle McClintock)
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SAVE THE DATE Highlands School
AbracadAfrica Thursday, January 8, 2009
Rhythm in Motion: Sunu African Dancers
Same show twice: 4:00-5:00 & 5:00-6:00 Spencer Center
Dinner, Games, & Map (5:00-7:00)
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Highlands School AbracadAfrica Order Form January 8, 2009 4:00-7:00pm DEADLINE: T-shirt & Dinner Orders due Monday, November 24th Student’s Name: __________________________ Homeroom Teacher’s Name & Grade: _______________________ T-SHIRTS ($16.00 per t-shirt) – Please add $2.00 for a 2XL or 3XL Youth Small Youth Medium Youth Large Adult Small Adult Medium Adult Large
#______ #______ #______ #______ #____ _ #______
Long Sleeve Front
Back
Highland School
Adult X-Large #______ Adult XX-Large #______ ($18.00 per shirt) Adult XXX-Large #______ ($18.00 per shirt) Total # of T-shirts ___________ Total cost of T-shirts $_________
AbrakadAfrica
2009
Hello
Bonjour
Salaam
Jambo
(4 African Animals across bottom of shirt)
T-shirts will be distributed in the students’ class no later than Wednesday, January 7 th.
DINNER ($10.00 per person – Ages 3 & under are free) Total # that will eat dinner ______ Total cost of dinner $__________ Tentative Menu: Moroccan Style Roasted Chicken; Cous Cous with orange zest; Roasted Pepper, Cucumber, & Tomato salad; Garbanzo Beans with potatoes in a curry sauce; and Naan Bread
Rhythm in Motion: Sunu ($0) 4:00 Show – Total # Attending _____ 5:00 Show – Total # Attending _____ Please return this form along with a check made payable to Highlands School. If you have any questions, please contact Cindy Talbird at ctalbird@highlandsschool.org or 956-9731 ext #101.
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Dear Highlands Families: Get out your khaki! The Book Fair Safari is coming up. To begin to build excitement about our book fair we began collecting donations for ONE for BOOKS this week, and will continue collecting them until the book fair opens. This year, one of our Scholastic Book Fair goals is to put more books in our classroom libraries. You can help us meet our goal by participating in One for Books. All of the money collected through One for Books goes directly to purchasing books for your child’s classroom. Students will sign an acacia leaf book slip for every dollar they donate to add to their class tree. Scholastic will match the monetary donations raised with a donation of up to one million books to three non-profit organizations dedicated to helping kids and families in need. Their partner organizations are: Kids in Distressed Situations, Inc., National Center for Family Literacy, and the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation. Please send your donation to school with your child. Checks should be made out to Highlands School, and will not be deposited until after the book fair in early December. On behalf of our students and teachers, thank you! We hope you can visit our Family Fun Night- the Book Fair Safari kick off in the Learning Center from 2:30 until 7:30 on Wednesday, December 3, 2008. Plan to visit Family Fun Night between 5:30 and 7:30 for our P.J. Story time, we will have guest readers, fun snacks, and make binoculars for our safari! Sincerely, Ms. Baker and the Scholastic Book Fair Parents Auxiliary Committee