page background

Highlands Highlights

September 4th, 2024

Highlands Highlights September 4th, 2024

Highlands Highlights September 11, 2024

Playground Ribbon Cutting Ceremony

The Highlands Husky Back to School Blast and Playground Ribbon Cutting Ceremony was a huge success! It was fantastic to see so many families of our Highlands community together celebrating all the work done over the past five years. If you missed the event, please take a minute to review the note of recognition acknowledging all who impacted the creation of a playground that has something for everyone. This playground is more than just a place to play. It’s a space where our students will grow, build friendships, and create lifelong memories. We couldn’t be more excited to see the joy and laughter it has already brought to our students and will continue to bring for years to come.

Reading and Math Intervention and Support

Highlands has multiple programs and several staff to provide reading and math intervention and support.

  • Reading and Math Intervention program provides small group reading or math intervention during the school day using district approved curriculum taught by our building Learning Specialists, Naddie Baker, Kristen Brovold and Jessie Lindberg. The intervention provides qualifying students with additional instruction and exposure to help each child in their developmental literacy and/or math goals. Intentional scheduling of this intervention ensures that every child in this intervention will not miss core instruction in their regular classroom.


  • The MN Reading Corps is a state-wide literacy program that Highlands has been a part of for many years. This program provides trained tutors that serve one or two students at a time within the school day to provide research-based, evidence-based interventions to qualifying K-3 students who are just below proficiency or benchmark in reading. This year our tutors will work with each student three to five days a week for 20 minutes to build phonics, phonemic awareness, and fluency skills.


  • The MN Math Corps is a state-wide math program. This program provides trained tutors that serve one or two students at a time for 20 minutes within the school day to provide research-based, evidence-based interventions to qualifying students in grades Kindergarten-5th grade to build math skills focusing on Number and Operations (K-3) and Algebra (4-5) strands required for mathematical readiness.


  • Reading Instructional Assistant provides small group reading intervention three to five days a week for 20 minute sessions during the school day, using district approved curriculum taught by our Instructional Assistants under the supervision of our ADSIS teachers. The interventions provide qualifying students with additional experience and exposure to help each child in their developmental literacy goals.


  • The Success Center, outside of school hours, intervention program held at Highlands provides small group reading and/or math support using our district approved curriculum taught by our Highlands licensed teachers. The Success Center intervention will provide qualifying students with additional instruction, exposure, and practice to help each child with their developmental literacy and/or math goals, after school.


The Intervention Program, Minnesota Reading and Math Corps, Instructional Assistants, and Success Center Program all support our district and statewide initiative to help every Minnesota child become a successful reader and math student, able to reach grade level benchmarks. Each program has its own unique set of qualifying criteria. We are thrilled that the Highlands community is a part of these successful programs again this year. Intentional scheduling of this intervention ensures that every child in this intervention will not miss core instruction in their regular classroom.

We monitor every child’s progress closely and have ongoing conversations about how every child’s needs are changing, and how to best meet these needs. At any point throughout the year, a student could be a part of these intervention programs. We have specific qualifying and exit criteria for each of the programs. We want every family to understand that we are diligently working to meet all students’ needs, and how we collaboratively do this in our building by utilizing all of these intervention programs. Please contact Jessie Lindberg, Kristen Brovold or Naddie Baker with any questions or concerns at Jessica.Lindberg@edinaschools.org, Kristen.Brovold@edinaschools.org and Nadjua.Baker@edinaschools.org

Save the Dates

9/12 Discovery Kitchen - Apple Pie Overnight Oatmeal - Lunch time

9/17 3rd & 5th Grade Vision Screening - school hours

9/18 PTO General Meeting & Town Hall 6 - 7pm, New Parent Social Hour 5 - 6pm

9/24 Photo Retake Day - morning - morning school hours

9/29 Kindness in Chalk 5:30 -7pm

10/8 1st Grade Hearing and Vision Testing - school hours

10/8 PTO Exec Meeting 1:30 - 3:15pm

10/9 Davanni’s Fundraiser 4 - 8pm


For more Highlands dates, please Go to the Highlands website at: https://highlands.edinaschools.org/

From the Health Office: Vision Screening

Lice Information

District health staff have been made aware that there are reported cases of lice. Eliminating the spread of lice takes a concerted community effort. Please read the following message carefully.

The Health Services Team would like to remind parents and caregivers to check children’s heads regularly for lice. Although lice are not dangerous and do not cause disease, they carry emotional, social, and financial burdens for those involved. EPS, in alignment with MDH and Hennepin County Public Health, do not exclude students from attending school and classroom notifications are not sent out. While lice are a nuisance, they do not cause illness or diseases.


We encourage parents to check their child’s hair regularly, consider using tea tree or mint hair products regularly, pull hair back whenever possible, discourage sharing of hats and other items that would go on the head, and treat any lice immediately while completing the entire course of treatment. Some people have found good results with some over the counter products such as the Lice Treatment Kit by Lice Clinics found on Amazon, or over-the-counter treatments found at drugstores such as Nix or Rid. You can also call your child’s health care provider for medicated treatments as well.


For more information about head lice, please reference these fact sheets from the Minnesota Department of Health: English/Somali/Spanish/Hmong/Karen or Head Lice - CDC. If you have additional questions, please contact your child’s healthcare provider and your school nurse.

From the PTO

Spirit Store

Check out the latest Highlands gear where every purchase supports our PTO! Get the fam some cool swag while supporting all of the amazing events we put in every year. Store is open now through Thursday 9/12 so don’t delay and order today!

Highlands Spirit Store

Volunteer Now

We already have volunteer opportunities and we always need volunteers! Use the sign up button below to sign up on Membership Toolkit (MTK).


  • Open PTO positions: There are a few open positions this year as well as a few shadow positions, where the parents who have been leading the events have 5th graders and would like to pass the torch for new year.
  • Art Adventure: This program engages students with artwork from the Minneapolis Institute of Art's collection. Volunteers are trained on pieces from the collection and then bring a copy of that piece into the classroom to share with the class. No teaching experience or experiences with art is required and training is provided. Artworks are introduced once a month starting in November and times are scheduled directly with participating classroom teachers. The format is traditionally a short discussion with the kids followed by a related art project.
  • Discovery Kitchen: Encourage students to try new foods by handing out food samples during the lunch hour. Samples are provided by Chartwells, our food service provider, and will be offered on the regular menu the following day.
  • Hearing & Vision Screening: Assist the health office with 3rd and 5th grade Hearing and Vision Testing on September 17 or October 8.
  • Lunch Volunteers: Help students with PIN numbers, getting food and utensils, open drinks, clean up routine and make sure kids eat and drink, The need is highest the first few weeks of school.


Volunteer Here!

Yearbook Orders and Volunteer Opportunities

Order your 2024/25 Yearbook!

Follow the link below to order your yearbook and receive the back to school special price of $23.00!

Order Yearbooks Here


Fifth Grade Yearbook Club

Calling all fifth graders! The yearbook club is looking for thoughtful, creative, and hardworking team members to help create the yearbook this year! You will have the opportunity to take photos for the yearbook, design and create classroom spreads, edit the final proof for publication, and assist in distribution!

Yearbook club will most likely meet the first and/or third Thursday of every month after school from 2:30-3:30 starting October 3rd, with one meeting a month during recess to learn photography skills and practice taking photos with the cameras. Our meeting location will be sent out with the welcome letter once our applications are processed and the club is formed.

Please feel free to contact Amanda Jeske at amjeske11@gmail.com with any questions! In the meantime, follow the link below to the Google Form to apply:

Apply Here


Yearbook Parent Volunteers


Are you interested in helping to create this year's yearbook? The yearbook team is always looking for dedicated volunteers and has several opportunities big and small to contribute your talents! See the attached document and sign up today! Contact Amanda Jeske (amjeske11@gmail.com). Sign Up Here

Highlands Elementary

Main Office Line: 952-848-4500

Attendance Line: 952-848-4502

Website: https://highlands.edinaschools.org/
Location: 5505 Doncaster Way, Edina, MN 55436
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HLHappenings

Kate Krzyzanowski
Kate is using Smore to create beautiful newsletters