September 15, 2008
Take Note From the Admissions Office The 2009 - 2010 admission season for new students has already begun, and we want to make sure that our sibling applicants are given first consideration. Parents who are interested in submitting sibling applications should contact Judy McDonald for more information.
The Secondary Placement Fair needs YOU and a few good card tables! The Secondary Placement Fair will be on Wednesday, October 8th. If you are able to volunteer your time to help please contact Mandy Vinyard at avinyard@bellsouth.net. Also, each school will need a card table for its display. If you have a standard card table and would be willing to lend it to us for a few days, please contact Mandy Vinyard at avinyard@bellsouth.net.
Dear Parents, I hope you are enjoying the new website that launched on September 1. The part that you see right now at http://www.highlandsschool.org is open to the community, to the world. We are working on the password protected side and expect that it will be launched the middle of October; until then, I hope you enjoy receiving emails from the teachers to update you on homework and classroom news. Another part of our dive into communicating with 21st Century skills is a new blog entitled “The High Points” found at http://barrhighpoints.blogspot.com. So, what is “The High Points”? “The High Points”… serves as a way for me to share my own writings but more often to share others’ writings that I have found interesting, thought provoking, and useful; includes the themes of education, psychology, technology, Asia, health and wellness and more; is sometimes directly related, but more often, indirectly related to Highlands School; is an addition to the website and other communications, not a replacement; will evolve with time and with your suggestions and questions. Please join me at http://barrhighpoints.blogspot.com. I encourage you to comment on the entries and help me make this a useful and interesting resource for you. Have a fabulous week,
Kathryn Woodson Barr Calendar Highlights Tues. Sept. 16 Wed.-Fri. 17-19 Tues. 23 Wed. Thurs.
24 25
Fri. Wed. Fri. Mon. Thurs.
26 Oct. 8 10 13 16
Fri.
17
A Day in the Life (K, 2nd, 3rd, MS) Spencer Center 5th Grade to Camp McDowell A Day in the Life (PS, 1st, 4th, 5th) Spencer Center Highlands School Book Fair Learning Center Third Grade Play Parents Performance 6:30 p.m. Spencer Center Third Grade Play Students Performance 10:00 a.m. Secondary Placement Fair Spencer Center Weather Make-up Day Columbus Day Holiday No School/Offices Closed Fourth Grade Play Parents Performance 6:30 p.m. Spencer Center Fourth Grade Play Students Performance 10:00 a.m.
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The Results are in… Thank you to everyone who participated in the Sally Foster Catalog sale. The results of this student fundraiser have surpassed the results of previous years. The students sold a total of $23,480 worth of Sally Foster items and magazines. This number is still approximate because Highlands will continue to receive 50% of all sales made through the Sally Foster website (www.sallyfoster.com) through January 15, 2009. Congratulations to the top five sales-students: Connor Walker (#1), Barton Perkins (#2 overall and #1 in the Middle School), Ashley Hunsicker (#3), Henry Giattina (#4), and George Maluff (#5). This year the school divided the grades into three different categories for the pizza party competition. The winners of the pizza parties are as follows: Ms. Wesson’s Homeroom (Preschool - Second Grade), Mrs. Steinbeck’s Homeroom (Third - Fifth Grade), and Ms. McKee’s Advisory (Middle School). Congratulations to everyone who worked so hard to make this student fundraiser such a huge success! And on behalf of the Middle School students thank you for helping to defray the cost of the annual Middle School Trip. This year the students will visit Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Duke TIP Each year the Duke University Talent Identification Program (Duke TIP) identifies academically talented students and provides model programs and services to support the development of their optimal educational potential. Duke TIP has programs for fourth, fifth, and seventh grade students. To qualify, students must score above the 95th national percentile on at least one of selected sections on the CTP-IV standardized test that Highlands School administers each spring.
Short Notes Attention Middle School Parents If your Middle School student needs a flash drive please purchase it on your own. The school will not be ordering any Highlands School flash drives this year. The only requirement is that the flash drive has at least 1G of memory. If you have questions please contact Carole Mazer at 995-0864.
Please Note While many of us love our pets and love to see yours, please help us keep our campus clean and safe, our students comfortable, and your dogs safe by only allowing your dogs to say hello at carpool from the safety of your car.
Seventh graders who qualify are invited to complete either the SAT Reasoning Test or the ACT Assessment college entrance examination. Duke TIP then provides the participants with comparative information concerning their academic abilities and resources for unique educational opportunities. Information on the program for fourth and fifth graders comes later in the year. Highlands is proud to recognize the following seventh-grade qualifiers: Henry Bernard, Chris Brookshaw, Elizabeth Anne Brown, Will Crain, Andrew Denard, Leila Haikala, Mary Shelton Hornsby, Catherine Luke, Alexander Major, Cori Mazer, Sarah Noone, Jack O’Malley, Neeralee Pandit, Emily Polhill, Patrick Scalise, Maddie Seidel, and Wells Wagner.
Also, if you must let your dog out of your car, please keep it on a leash and make sure the only thing your pet leaves behind on our campus is its paw-print. Thank you for your cooperation.
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Eighth-Grade Leadership Retreat On September 4 and 5, the eighth grade participated in its annual Leadership Retreat. Before leaving for Camp Sumatanga, the students heard from Ty Dodge, CEO of Realty South. Mr. Dodge highlighted five areas of leadership for the students: integrity, “failing forward,” perseverance, servant leadership, and personal responsibility. He illustrated his points with stories from his career and especially from his service in Vietnam. He inspired the students and gave them great information to carry into the rest of the year. While at Camp Sumatanga, the students participated in a variety of fun team building and group initiative activities. They played games to get to know each other a bit better and to build trust. Then, the real work began with problem solving. The students had to learn to lead and voice ideas, to listen, to work together, to take turns, and to persevere in the face of difficulty. The activities also included a campfire, s’mores, and fireside games. At the end of the retreat, each student wrote down a goal and an obstacle to that goal. Then, they worked together to see how they could overcome those obstacles to achieve their goals. Mr. McDonald and Mrs. Hammer accompanied the students on the retreat. They were very proud of how the students worked together and how much they learned.
Ms. Mendel Shares her Olympic Experience This past Friday, Ms. Mendel shared some photos from her Olympics trip with students during the Community Meeting. She talked about her travel experience, the Olympic Events and Venues, and the sites of Beijing. Ms. Mendel showed her tickets from the events she attended- gymnastics, women’s basketball, and track and field. Following her presentation, students had a chance to ask some questions, including “Is there really a Starbucks in the Forbidden City?” (The answer was no) and “What was your favorite event?” (Ms. Mendel liked the gymnastics event.) Ms. Mendel had a great time on the trip and was glad to share her enthusiasm with students, parents, and teachers.
Outside the Bird’s Nest The Forbidden City Sculpture outside the Basketball Venue
Left: Gymnastics Award Ceremony Right: A hostess at the Welcome Dinner hosted by the Trip Sponsor
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H IGHLANDS S CHOOL B OOK F AIR WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24TH, 2008 Happy Birthday Highlands! On Wednesday, September 24th, 2008, the Highlands School Book Fair will commemorate the 50th anniversary of the school’s original first-month-of-school in 1958. Our students love to contribute to the school through the HS Book Fair and celebrating the school’s 50th birthday promises to make this year’s fair very special. The Highlands School Book Fair is a wonderful way for the students to give their school a birthday present. During this event students choose the books they want to donate to the Learning Center from a special collection of age-appropriate, recently published titles. A personalized 50th Anniversary bookplate honoring your child’s donation is placed in the front of each donated book. For years to come, your child and all those who borrow the book will be reminded of who donated the book to our Learning Center collection. Each book is $20.00, all of which is tax-deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law. If you wish to participate please use the attached form to indicate the number of books he or she may donate and your total donation. Return this form and a check made out to Highlands School for the full amount of your donation to your child’s home room teacher. Please return a separate form for each participating child. Every book plate will read Presented by (your child’s name) 2008-2009. If you would like to donate books in honor or in memory of someone special to your child, you may do so by filling in the appropriate fields on the permission form. Thanks so much for honoring Highlands School and the library in this special way. Please return the attached form to your child’s homeroom teacher with a check for your total donation on or before Wednesday, September 17th. Participating students will check out the books they choose to donate complete with personalized book plates, on the day of the fair, provided the attached form is returned by September 17th. With gratitude,
Tynley Baker School Librarian
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H IGHLANDS S CHOOL B OOK F AIR PLEASE RETURN THIS FORM BY SEPTEMBER 17TH, 2008 Please fill out a separate form for each of your children. Each book is $20.00. Individual Student: ________________ Number of books: Check #:
@ $20.00
Homeroom: Total donation:
Thank you for your donation to the Highlands School Library.
Return form and your check (made out to Highlands) to your child’s homeroom teacher by Wednesday, September 17th, 2008. Books will be chosen on Sept. 24th. Presented by (your child’s name) 2008-2009 will appear on every 50th Anniversary dedication label. Additional Dedication: You may choose to donate books in honor or in memory of someone special to your child. If so two additional lines will be added to the book plate. Please photocopy this form if more dedications are required.
Book 1 please circle one:
In honor of
In loving memory of
(one name per book—27 character limit including spaces) Book 2 please circle one:
In honor of
In loving memory of
(one name per book—27 character limit including spaces) Book 3 please circle one:
In honor of
In loving memory of
(one name per book—27 character limit including spaces) Book 4 please circle one:
In honor of
(one name per book—27 character limit including spaces)
In loving memory of