Dear Highland Families,

The end of 1st semester is this Friday, January 31st. This week is a time for students to make up any missing assignments or assessments. We have tutorial four days a week (M/T/Th/F) from 2:35-3:05 for students to be able to work with their teachers on these things. I encourage them to take advantage of this time to end the semester on a good note!

Highland is happy to host 5th grade students this week on Tuesday! Students from Ardmore, Bennett, and Sherwood Forest will coming to Highland to tour the building, experience a concert with our music groups, and learn all about being a 6th grade student at Highland. Thank you to Ms. Hazen and her leadership classes, as well as others, for hosting this event. It is always a pleasure to showcase Highland and the programs we have here!

WIDA Testing has begun. All students who are categorized as Multilingual Learners will participate in the WIDA testing in English for Reading, Writing, Speaking, and Listening. This impacts about 250 Highland students and we encourage them all to do their very best. Students showed significant growth last year and we expect them to do as well this year!

As always, I am very proud of our students, staff, and this wonderful community.

Warmly,

Susan Thomas

PLEASE DO NOT DOUBLE PARK IN THE DRIVE THRU (RED) LANE AT DISMISSAL

If you are picking up your student, please park in a parking space or join the line next to the curb. This will help the flow of traffic and keep students safe.

Please pay attention to the traffic guidelines in our drop off and pick up zones for the safety of all!

Our long-time lead custodian, Doug Gladsjo (aka Mr. Doug), is retiring after 23 years at Highland Middle School. January 31st is his last official day, although he assures us that he will be back to volunteer in the lunch room regularly.

Please join me in thanking Mr. Doug for his years of service to our community!

Missing a coat or sweatshirt? Check the Lost & Found in the cafeteria. All items left at the end of the day on February 7th will be donated to a charity after they are cleaned.

We want to congratulate those student who are making the healthy and responsible decision to use their Yondr pouches or simply keeping their phones on Do Not Disturb and put away in their backpacks during class time and in the hallways!

For those who choose not to use their pouch or follow the expectations of keeping phones put away in backpacks, please know that phone violations will now include the phone being held in the office until a parent/guardian picks it up from school. It will also include a weeklong phone restriction, meaning the phone violator will need to keep their phone in the office all day for the following week. If the phone violator does not give up the phone right away when asked by a staff member, the phone restriction will increase to two weeks with a parent conference by phone or in person.

We want to support our students in making good choices!

Please become a Highland Middle School PTSA Member. Your membership helps promote Highland Middle School at the national PTSA level, allowing us to qualify for grants that can help our kids and staff throughout the year. The more members we have the greater the impact we can make.

https://www.zeffy.com/ticketing/7372cdeb-630f-459e-9e00-8ae00c063283

Visit the PTSA website for more information: https://www.highlandptsa.org/

Community partners Bellevue LifeSpring and Hopelink will hold upcoming family workshops on the topic of money management basics. The sessions will provide tips and tools to help families manage their budget, understand banking essentials, and improve financial credit. Childcare and snacks provided and virtual sessions available. Learn more at Bellevue Family Hub locations at Stevenson Elementary School or Highland Middle School or visit the Bellevue LifeSpring website for additional event details.

Session in Spanish

Wednesday, January 29, 2025

5:30 – 7:30 p.m.

Session in English

Thursday, January 30, 2025

5:30 – 7:30 p.m.

The location for both sessions is Stevenson Elementary School (14220 NE 8th Street, Bellevue, WA 98007).

Email: thomass@bsd405.org
Website: https://highland.bsd405.org/
Location: 15027 NE Bel-Red Rd
Phone: (425) 456-6400