FRESH NEWS

October 11, 2023

FRESH NEWS October 9, 2024

From the Desk of Mr. Henderson

Dear Families,

At Highland we are blessed with a beautiful, modern facility, even as we hit our 25th year as a school this past year. We’re fortunate to have designated spaces for breakfast/lunch and PE to happen simultaneously. We have enhanced security and at this time have an abundance of space, both in classrooms and in our gorgeous grounds. We have what we need to do right by our core mission of teaching and learning.

Across the district, this is not the case. I’ve spent a lot of time teaching and leading in schools where facilities limit what we can do with kids and negatively impact learning, safety, comfort and distraction. And a certain Mrs. Henderson who taught for many years at Glenwood made me acutely aware of the need for modernization for schools like Glenwood and its twin sister school Skyline. There, the need is much larger than simply revamping to add classroom doors. There are design flaws and a significant lack of overall square footage for their bursting populations.

I share all this because it’s tempting to be less engaged as a voter when you feel like your own school won’t be as impacted by a bond. We will be sharing with you during conference week the specific impacts here at Highland (and there are many) but I wanted you to know that as a community it helps all of us when all buildings have more equitable facilities. In the end, we want all students who call Lake Stevens home to have what they need to thrive and the bricks-and-mortar are a key part of that. I encourage you to be as engaged as possible in the bond and to make an informed choice. This is a local decision; the state does not fund construction but DOES match a portion of our bond if our local community chooses to invest in our facilities.

Make your voice heard! For more info check out: www.lkstevens.wednet.edu/bond

All my best,

Mr. H

P.S. It was a joy for Mr. Barci and I to share with our school board about the strong start we have had this fall here at Highland. Here’s our report if you are interested in checking it out:

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/10aXspHhPA1uYtgQmT1Yhq1ancG55A5MO-L_C9SCXo2g/edit?usp=sharing

Lost and Found

With cool mornings and warm afternoons the lost and found is filling up quickly. Please remind your student to check out the lost and found this week!

Drop Off Loop

Please remember to use the designated drop-off loop when bringing your children to school. For everyone's safety, do not drop students off on the main road. Thank you for helping us keep our school zone safe!

Thank you PTA for helping to bring author John Schu to our school this past week. Mr Schu was a memorable guest getting students excited about reading and books. Many students were gifted with books from him as well.

What's Buzzing Around Highland

3rd Grade

In math, we have been spending a lot of focused time on place value to help us with the algorithms of addition and subtraction. We are reading “The Wind in the Willows” and focusing on the themes that emerge. Silly Mr. Toad is the picture of irresponsibility… Can you tell by his disguises?

ML

Providing proactive support to our Multilingual Learners is an important goal of our school. Last week a district specialist gathered our team including Mrs. Flanders, Miss Amanda, Mrs. Fortney, Ms. D and each teacher who leads a Multilingual Community in their classroom. We discussed next steps for each learner using “can do” language. Our students who are becoming solid in English bring so much to our school community!

Resource Room

Did you know? This year we are engaging in a co-teaching model in third grade. This team of professionals is innovating to flexibly meet students' needs within third grade classrooms, instead of our more traditional pull-out services.

Ryan Barci, Dean of Students

Attendance Matters

DID YOU KNOW?

• Starting in preschool and kindergarten, too many absences can cause children to fall behind in school.

• Missing 10%, or about 2 days each month over the course of a school year, can make it harder to learn to read.

• Students can still fall behind if they miss just one or two days every few weeks.

• Being late to school may lead to poor attendance.

• Absences and tardiness can affect the whole classroom if the teacher has to slow down learning to help children catch up.

Attending school regularly helps children feel better about school—and themselves. Start building this habit in preschool so they learn right away that going to school on time, every day is important. Eventually good attendance will be a skill that will help them succeed in high school and college.

WHAT YOU CAN DO

• Set a regular bedtime and morning routine.

• Lay out clothes and pack backpacks the night before.

• Keep your child healthy and make sure your child has the required shots.

• Introduce your children to their teachers and classmates before school starts.

• Develop backup plans for getting to school if something comes up. Call on a family member, a neighbor, or another parent.

• Try to schedule non-urgent related medical appointments and extended trips when school isn’t in session.

• If your child seems anxious about going to school, talk to teachers, school counselors and other parents for advice on how to make your child feel comfortable and excited about learning.

• If you are concerned that your child may have a contagious illness, call your school or health care provider for advice.

• If your child must stay home due to illness, ask the teacher for resources and ideas to continue learning at home

Check out our Highland Way tickets and how we use them to promote positive student behavior!

Highland PTA

Please use this link to Join PTA - https://highlandhornetspta.givebacks.com/store?limit=21&live=true

Running Club

Highland Running Club

Pumpkin Run

Friday, October 25 8:30am

Please sign-up students ONCE per year.

HLD Running Club STUDENT sign-up

We need YOU to help make this happen.

Please sign-up to Volunteer

HLD Running Club VOLUNTEER Sign-up

Lake Stevens School District Bond

Did you know the Nov. 5 bond will fund athletic improvements across our district? These updates will benefit both our students and the entire Lake Stevens community!

Improved athletic fields for school and community use: Three schools in our district will receive improvements to their athletic fields. These improvements will provide extended PE and opportunities for our students. They will also meet the growing needs of our community, as the fields will be accessible throughout the year.

New gyms for school and community use: Our district is adding gymnasiums to five schools, enhancing both school and community spaces. Glenwood and Skyline Elementary Schools, along with Lake Stevens Middle School, will receive modernized and expanded gyms. Meanwhile, Hillcrest and Mt. Pilchuck Elementary Schools, where students currently share a space for PE and lunch, will benefit from brand new gym facilities. This will provide much-needed flexibility in scheduling lunch and PE activities. The new elementary school will also feature a gym, which, like the others, will be available for community use.

Learn more about the bond at www.lkstevens.wednet.edu/bond