November 24, 2008
Take Note AbracadAfrica Order Forms are due TODAY! 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. No EDP activities such as Creative Writing, Art, Karate or music lessons.
Have you accepted the Annual Giving 10-Day Challenge? There are only 6 days left to help your students grade achieve 100% parent participation!
Dear Parents, With Thanksgiving right around the corner, my “To-Do-List” is cluttered with cooking, traveling, and other holiday tasks, but my thoughts turn to the people who have made a difference in my life at Highlands School this year. I am thankful for the students – the ones who asked questions, who drew pictures for my door, who weeded and seeded the butterfly garden, who planned middle school dances, who comforted friends whose feelings were hurt, and those who cleaned the cafeteria tables with a smile. I am thankful for students who brought lemonade stand earnings and allowances for victims of the earthquake in China. I am thankful for the parents – the ones who volunteered in the library and for lunches and the auction, who gave money to pay for laptops for faculty, who gave to the Annual Fund, the China Connection and the library, who provided security and an SUV following difficulties with our bus during the summer, the ones who gave me advice and encouragement, who coached soccer and basketball and who cheered for the Highlands teams and their opponents. I am thankful for parents who realize that an investment in education is the safest investment with the highest yield. Letter continued on page 2
Calendar Highlights 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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Short Notes A Letter from Mrs. Barr—Continued from Page 1 I am thankful for faculty and staff – the ones who wrote report cards at 5:00 in the morning sipping coffee and those who proofread them on the weekends in between ballet and soccer, the ones who made pancakes in pink pajamas and the ones who inspired future voters using political cartoons. I am thankful for the faculty and staff who plan and volunteer for big events such as CelebrAsia and AbracadAfrica and the ones who quietly pick up a piece of trash, answer a phone, tutor a student, and hug a grieving child. I will spend a few days in Memphis this week connecting and reconnecting with family and friends, but my heart will be full on Thanksgiving Day with thoughts of all of you and all that you do to make a difference in the lives of children and the world. Thank you. Happy Thanksgiving!
Kathryn Woodson Barr 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 Note from the Business Office: The Board of Trustees for Highlands School is committed to helping families who may not be able to pay tuition on our annual or semi-annual schedules by offering a 3-part Tuition Assistance program. One part of that program is need-based financial aid for students entering kindergarten through eighth grade. If you would like general information about paying for an independent education, please visit www.nais.org/financialaid/sss or email sssfinancialaid@ets.org. Specific information for need based financial aid at Highlands School is available from the Business Office beginning December 1, 2008. Please plan to attend the December 2 Coffee with the Head at 8:00 a.m., in the Conference Room, to hear more about the opportunities available to parents for Tuition Assistance.
Please join Kathryn Barr and Jane Jenkins for a Q & A about Financial Aid on Tuesday, Dec 2nd from 8:00-9:00am in the conference room. Grace Robinson will be dancing the role of Marie (Clara) in the following Nutcracker performances: Saturday, December 13, 2:30 pm Saturday, December 20, 2:30pm Sunday, December 21, 2:30 pm All performances are at Samford University's Wright Center. http://www.alabamaballet.org/ balanchine.html#nutty
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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First Grade Students Receive Special Visit The First Grade Students had some very special visitors on Thursday, November 20. To celebrate the end of their study on animals, Shasha McCracken, from Ruffner Mountain, brought a salamander, a box turtle, a snake and a screech owl to visit. These animals are all native to Alabama and provided a great hands-on experience for the students to conclude their study on animals. The First Grade Students, Mrs. McCloud, Mrs. Horton and Ms. Gregory would like to extend a special thank you to Ruffner Mountain for making this visit possible.
Preschool Celebrates the Letter “P” with Pajama Day The Preschool Students enjoyed their annual pajama day with Ms. P. The students ate pancakes, shared their favorite bedtime buddies with each other, read a lot of “sleepy time” books, and enjoyed playing “Ten in the Bed.” Of course the best part of the day was wearing their pajamas to school!
Alabama Academy of Irish Dance visit Highlands School On Friday, November 21 the Highlands School community enjoyed learning about Irish dance from members of the Alabama Academy of Irish Dance. Molly Hand, Director, Kim Davis and Josie Prado performed traditional Irish dances for the students and took time to teach some Irish Dance steps to some student volunteers. A special thank you to Elizabeth Foster for helping to arrange this special visit.
Seventh Graders Team Up at Camp Cosby On Monday, November 17, the Class of 2010 traveled to Camp Cosby for the First Annual 7th Grade Retreat, a day of team building and group initiatives. As these students mature and prepare to take on a leadership role in the school, it is important for them to practice working together as a unit. The group started with some warm-up games and then moved on to more difficult problem solving. The students had to pile on a large lever and fulcrum (just like a giant see-saw) and make it balance. After that challenge, they practiced trust falls so that they could spot one another during their next activities. Then, they headed to a low-ropes course. The first activity there involved trusting others and overcoming obstacles. Students walked on wires using various supports and relying on their friends to spot them if needed. Everyone completed the task. Then, students had to work together to use two boards to help everyone cross a “sea of hot cocoa” on platforms. During this fun day of activities, the students had an opportunity to build community and create a sense of group identity. They also learned a lot about their strengths as individuals and their role on a team.
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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 Large Adult X-Large Adult XX-Large Adult XXX-Large Total # of T-shirts Total cost of T-shirts
#______ #______ #______ #______ #______ #______ #______ ($18.00 per shirt) #______ ($18.00 per 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