Highcroft Hotline

At Highcroft, we help learners grow in a safe, caring community where ALL are valued and supported to become leaders.

September

• 23: Picture Day
• 24: Flu shots, 9:00 am - 11:00 am
• 24: Free & Reduced Meal Applications Due
• 25: Late Start, School begins at 11:05 am
• 25: Hats for Hikers Fundraiser
• 25: Board of Education Meeting, 7:00 pm, 471 N. Woods Mill Road
• 26: Jog Jam
• September 30 - October 4, Parent-Teacher Conferences
• September 30 - October 4, Arctic Adventure Book Fair

October

• 3: Parent-Teacher Conference Night, 4:15 pm - 8:15 pm
• 3 Arctic Adventure Book Fair - evening hours during conferences
• 10: 4th Grade Field Trip to Cahokia Mounds
• 10: All Read, 3:25 pm - 3:45 pm
• 10: PSO Meeting, 7:00 pm
• 18: No School, Professional Development
• 21: No School
• 21 - 25: Red Ribbon Week
• 23: Halloween Safety Presentation
• 23: Board of Education Meeting, 7:00 pm, 471 N. Woods Mill Road
• 24: Pumpkin Run
• 25: Visit your Elementary School
• 30: Late Start, School begins at 11:05 am
• 31: Halloween Parade, 2:15 pm
• 31: Halloween Parties, 2:45 pm

Good evening,

We are "wiggin' out" at Highcroft, and we could not be prouder. As we continue on our journey of being authentic leaders, both students and staff, we have embraced goal-setting and monitoring the progress of our goals building-wide. You may hear this referenced as our WIGs or Wildly Important Goals. During August, our staff set personal goals in areas where we want to grow and modeled writing and monitoring our goals. This month, each class wrote a collective class goal in an area they decided they would like to grow. Every Wednesday, during class meetings, they review their goal. They discuss what they have done so far to achieve their goal, how they are doing with their actions steps, and what they still need to accomplish. Specialist and support staff join our classroom teachers to support this work. This modeling will transfer to students setting and progress monitoring their individual goals. Be sure to ask your child about their class goal and how they are progressing toward meeting their goal.

In partnership,

Cartelia Lucas

Principal

Highcroft's Fall Conference Night is October 3rd, from 4:15-8:15 pm. We utilize an online system to schedule conference meetings. This system, called MyConferenceTime, will allow you to schedule your conference with your student’s teacher without having to send in paper forms.

You will be able to schedule your conference beginning on September 19th at 8:00 am. There are a few easy steps to register for your conference. If you have one child at Highcroft Ridge:

1. Go to www.myconferencetime.com/highcroftridge
2. Click your child’s teacher from the list of teachers.
3. Choose your preferred conference time from the list of available conferences and click “Sign Up” under your preferred time.
4. Fill in all required information and any necessary optional information and click “Sign Up for Your Conference.” Please be assured that all information is submitted securely and will only be used by the school for confirmation purposes. It will not be available to outside sources.
5. You will receive a confirmation email confirming your conference time.

If you have multiple students at Highcroft please click “Register for Multiple Conferences,” then follow the steps to enter the information for each child. You will then be presented the schedules for multiple teachers to compare.

Again, the website will open at 8:00 a.m. on Thursday, September 19th. Please be aware that this system is set up in a way that everyone will have the same priority in scheduling. If you have a need for a specific time, it will be important that you schedule as soon as possible once the window opens to ensure availability of conference times.

If you do not have access to a computer or have difficulty scheduling, please contact Sherry Heyse at sheyse@parkwayschools.net or call at 314-415-6406.

Dear Parents and Guardians,

Highcroft Ridge Elementary School will be offering a flu shot clinic at on Tuesday, September 24, 2019. VNA (Visiting Nurses Association) will be at Highcroft providing flu shots to students and families from 9 AM - 11 AM. We will be providing shots for students ages kindergarten and up as well as for parents and family members.

Please go to https://www.parkwayschools.net/Page/680 for all of the forms and information you will need. If you want your child vaccinated, please complete the form and return to the school nurse by Monday, September 16th, 2019. Parents do not need to be present for their child’s vaccination, however, if you want to attend, please note this on the consent form.

Most insurances are accepted - please provide insurance information. A regular flu shot is $19.00 cash or check payable to VNA if there is no insurance used. VNA accepts these Insurance Plans: Aetna, Anthem - Blue Cross and Blue Shield, Cigna, Coventry, Essence, HealthLink, Humana, Medicare Part B, and UHC. If you do not have insurance, you can still receive a flu shot by paying $19.00.

If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to ask.

Thank you,

Cathy Hubert, BSN, RN,

School Nurse, Highcroft Ridge

314-415-6410

The Parkway School District is pleased to offer free or reduced breakfast and lunch to students who qualify. There is an annual application that must be completed each year to receive free or reduced meals. For those renewing, the 30 day grace period for reapplying will be at the end of the business day on September 24, 2019. On September 25, 2019, all students who have not reapplied will be placed on Full Paid status.

To apply for free or reduced meals click here.

Mrs. Maxvill & Mr. Meinershagen

Kindergarten has been busy learning physical education rules and procedures. Students have been working on locomotor skills (hopping, skipping, and galloping). The students have been working on learning how to use hula hoops and jump ropes. The students were introduced to scooters and a variety of scooter games. Tag games involving agility and spatial awareness have also been introduced.

1st & 2nd Grade: Students have been working with hula hoops and jump ropes to help them with coordination skills. Scooter games have been introduced to help with spatial awareness. We will soon be introducing striking skills (foot-eye) and will continue with a soccer skills unit near the end of September. The kids have been jogging the track during their physical education time to help strengthen their cardiovascular endurance. They are preparing for the Jog Jam and ½ mile run which will be held later this month.

3rd, 4th, & 5th Grade: Students have been busy working on cardiovascular endurance and muscular endurance in preparation for their Jog Jam and Fall Mile Run. Each week, the distance on the track has increased by a small/big lap. Students have also been practicing soccer skills and improving their foot striking skills with a variety of kicking activities and games.

Reminder: Please make sure your child is prepared to be outside for Physical Education class until Thanksgiving break. Students need to wear tennis shoes and socks for class which meets every other day. Jog Jam is scheduled for September 26 during normal PE class time. Mile Run and ½ Mile Run are scheduled for October 2 during normal PE class time.

Cathy Hubert, BSN, RN

We are so excited to begin welcoming some cooler Fall weather. With the change in weather we are also seeing some Fall allergies - ragweed is particularly high right now. As the seasons change and the leaves begin to turn color, there will be an increase in mold and other Fall allergy issues. Please check with your doctor for the best treatment for your child.

September 24th, Highcroft will be hosting a Flu Shot Clinic. Everyone should have received a notice in your child’s backpack with a permission form for you to fill out if you want your child to receive a flu shot at school. Parents and grandparents are welcome to receive your annual flu shot at this time as well. I need to know who will want a flu shot so we will have enough supply on hand. Here is a link where you can find all the information and find a permission form that you will need to send to school: https://www.parkwayschools.net/Page/680

Please return your forms by Monday, September 16th if at all possible. We would love to have as many students and families as possible protected this year. Last year was a particularly bad flu season and we had many students and family members affected.

In November, we will begin vision and hearing screenings for students in K, 3rd and 5th grades. If you feel you child might have a vision or hearing concern, please let me know and I can test them at any time in my office.

Remember that all children should be getting 9-10 hours of sleep at night and should have a hearty breakfast before school each day. If your child doesn't have a chance to eat at home, Highcroft always has breakfast available for purchase here at school. Young, developing minds need protein, carbohydrates and fats for good brain function and to sustain their energy until lunch time.

If you have any questions or concerns about your child’s health please always feel free to let me know how I can help. Looking forward to cooler weather ahead.

Mrs. Banks & Mrs. Beeler

For the month of September we are learning about Habit 1 - Be Proactive * You’re in Charge. When we are being proactive, we take responsibility for ourselves. Our morning meetings throughout all the grade levels have used the visual of a soda bottle versus a water bottle. We want to control our emotions and stay calm like a water bottle instead of exploding our feelings like a soda bottle. A proactive learner is in charge.

Our New Student lunch groups, Rosie’s Welcome Group, are underway for all new students in grades 1-5 . This is a great experience for new students to get to know each other and discuss what we are looking for in friendships here at Highcroft. We will offer additional small group experiences with a variety of topics ranging from but not limited to: friendship, self-esteem, coping strategies, and task focus. These groups typically are during grade level lunches to protect academic time.

In addition to classroom guidance, we are here to support academic concerns, small groups, parent education, and one-to-one check-ins for social and emotional support.

Mrs. Beeler, Grades K, 1, 2, 4

Mrs. Banks, Grades 3 & 5