Hawks' Highlights

At Highland Acres, we believe that families play a critical role in the education of their children. We look forward to seeing you next week at Parent Teacher Conferences. This is a great time to celebrate the growth and look forward to continued learning and support on each student's goals for the remainder of the school year. If you haven't signed up for a conference time yet and would like to work with Mrs. Moch on securing a time, please contact the office.

Sincerely,

Mrs. Beiswenger

February

1st- Kindergarten Registration begins for 2025-2026

3rd- Chess Club Gr-2-5

4th - PTO Meeting

6th - Activity Night

10th-Chess Club Gr-2-5

10th-14th- Giving HAWKS Week

10th - Parent Teacher Conferences

11th - Parent Teacher Conferences

17th - No School-Presidents' Day

20th- Class Pictures

28th - Hawks Highlights Celebration

28th- Movie Night-PTO activity

March

3rd- Chess Club Gr-2-5

4th- PTO Meeting

10th- Chess Club Gr-2-5

14th- No School

17th- No School

20th- STEM Night

28th- Hawks Highlights Celebration

31st- SAW (Safety Around Water) 2nd Gr

Counselor Connection:

Kinder, 1st & 2nd: We started off the new year working on listening expectations. This is something students tend to need more practice on after a long break. Kinder and 1st graders should be very familiar with what parts of our body we use for whole body listening! We discussed in K-2 the importance of listening, such as showing respect and caring about the person speaking, as well as being able to follow directions. We also started talking about how to respect that we are the same and different from others.

3rd: We focused on positive affirmations and discussed the importance of identifying our positive qualities and using positive self-talk instead of negative self-talk. We also started talking about how to respect others even though we are all different from each other.

4th: We learned about the importance of goal setting as well as how to set a goal, ensuring it is specific and realistic.

5th: We focused on goal setting, using SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, timely) and discussed how we can use perseverance when faced with challenges or obstacles along the way.

Schoolwide Team Update:

We continue to have a monthly goal of 1500 stickers, and this month our students met their goal by earning 1511 stickers. Green Team (Strength) led the way by contributing 456 stickers. Our prize for earning the goal this month will be computer time during our next Team meetings on 2/7/25.

The upcoming life skill for the month of February is honesty. Michael and Jing Standaert attended our Hawks Happenings Assembly on 1/31/25 to talk about honesty and the Chinese culture.

Monthly Expectations Connected to Home:

Honesty is incredibly important for kids because it builds trust with others, helps them make strong relationships, and allows them to grow into responsible adults who are respected by others; when kids are honest, they create a foundation for healthy interactions with friends and family, making them reliable and trustworthy in the eyes of those around them. Here is an article that shares three steps parents can take to raise more honest kids.

Resource of the Month:

West Central Human Service Center has many services available for children and adults. One option for behavioral concerns is called “Walk-In Behavioral Health Assessment” or is sometimes referred to as “Open Access”. You can read more about these assessments by clicking this link.

Kindergarten- Rebel, Becky, Korben

First- Oliver M., Maggie

Second- Hank, Owen

Third- Elizabeth

Fourth- Tyson, Adelaide, Hazel

Fifth- Aaron, Alana-missing from pic

This month's recipients will eat lunch with Mrs. Beiswenger in the office on Monday, February 10th!

Our online store for school gear is available all year long. Now you can easily browse and purchase a variety of Highland Acres merchandise from the comfort of your home. Whether you’re looking for t-shirts, hoodies, hats, or other school spirit items, our online store has something for everyone. Show your school pride by sporting the latest Hawks gear. Orders can be placed by clicking on the button below.

The Backpack-for Kids program is designed to help children by assisting them with food over the weekend. Bags are filled with nutritional food items and delivered to the school. If your family qualifies for the free or reduced lunch program and you need additional food for the weekend, please contact our school social worker, Marisa Misek at marisa_misek@bismarckschools.org or call the school office.

MISSION, VISION, AND VALUES

Our Mission: "Empower every learner to thrive."

Our Vision: "Together, our strong relationships build inclusive, collaborative, and innovative environments that create agency and inspire a passion for learning, excellence, and discovery."

Our Values: Excellence, Innovation, Inclusion and Leadership.