Dear Families,

Greetings! My name is Mrs. Maura Whiston and I have been assigned to be your child's Case Manager for the 2024-2025 school year. I am a sixth grade Learning Behavior Specialist (LBS) that is primarily working with House 2 this year. This will be my 22nd year as a LBS at Highcrest, and my 25th year teaching overall!

I hope that your family was able to find some time for relaxation and rejuvenation this summer. I spent much of the time playing chauffeur to my son, Jack, who, like your children, will also be in 6th grade this year! Although this summer felt as short as ever, the time off helped me regain some energy to be ready for the business of the new school year.

I will play many roles in working with students this year. I will be co-teaching Ms. Gust's morning ELA block, one of Ms. Dubs' afternoon math classes, and one of Mrs. Zorger's (House 1) math classes. I will also be teaching Academic Strategies. If students are taking Academic Strategies, their class will either fall in the morning (3rd period) or afternoon (8th period) this year.

I will be available to students to provide instruction, help them with their organization, and assist them with their day-to-day assignments. Most importantly, I will be the students’ advocate within the school, doing my best to stay on top of their needs and help them work to their potential.

Once the school year starts, I will be following up with you to see if you have any concerns or questions as the year gets underway, and discuss a plan for home-school communication for the year. Something you can do right now is complete this Google Form for me to help facilitate this conversation.

Generally, I am most accessible through email. It is something I can check throughout the day, and I can usually answer you quickly. Voicemail is also an option, though not as easy to access.

I'm looking forward to meeting your children next week! Enjoy the last weekend of the summer break.

Sincerely,

Maura Whiston

You may have filled this form out in the past in order for your child's teachers to communicate with private tutors, therapists, etc. Since we are beginning a new school year, any prior forms are no longer valid! If you are completing this form, please return it to me (hard copy or via email) at your earliest convenience. Each private provider needs their own signed form. Please note that once your child turns 12, they must also sign the form.

August 21: First Day of School (Early Release)

September 2: No School (Labor Day)

September 6: 6th Grade Curriculum Night

September 10: MAP Reading Testing

September 17: MAP Math Testing