Highland Weekly

Thank you to all of the families that were able to attend conferences last night. We had an awesome turnout! If you weren't able to attend a conference and would like to schedule a meeting, please reach out directly to your child's advisor.

We also really appreciate everyone that completed the School Climate and Connectedness Survey. We are up to a 41% completion rate. It would be wonderful to have feedback from at least 50% of our families. If you haven't done so, please take some time to complete this survey, as it provides critical insight on how different stakeholder groups view the school climate at Highland, including connections with the community, social emotional learning, and observed risk behaviors. As a staff, we utilize the results to help plan and prepare for the upcoming school year.

Next week is the final week of Quarter 3! Friday (March 7th) is a teacher grading day, and there is NO SCHOOL for students. Teachers will be working on updating student snapshots in Empower, as well as completing Progress Reports. Progress Reports will be mailed to families when we return from Spring Break. If you have any follow up questions regarding progress reports, please reach out directly to the classroom teacher.

On Tuesday, March 4th, the Anchorage School Board will be making the final decision on repurposing the Nunaka Valley Elementary school building. All interested stakeholders are encouraged to attend the meeting in support of Highland's relocation. If you would like to provide public comment to the school board to advocate for Highland, please use this link. Public comment can be submitted through written testimony or speaking at the upcoming board meeting. I hope to see you on Tuesday, March 4th at 6:00.

On Thursday, March 6th both the Highland Academic Policy Committee (APC) and Parent Teacher Student Organization (PTSO) will be holding their monthly meetings. You can join the APC meeting via Zoom at 5:30. The PTSO meeting will be held in person at Highland, starting at 5:30.

Feel free to reach out with any questions. Have a great 3-day weekend!

-Ms. Crosby, Principal

crosby_nicole@asdk12.org

https://www.asdk12.org/highlandacademy

Educating for Leadership, Educating for Life

March

• Tuesday, March 4th - ASD Board Meeting @ 6:00
• Thursday, March 6th - End of Quarter 3
• Thursday, March 6th - APC Meeting via Zoom @ 5:30
• Thursday, March 6th - PTSO Meeting at Highland @ 5:30
• Friday, March 7th - Grading Day (NO SCHOOL for students)
• Monday March 10th - Friday, March 14th - Spring Break
• Friday, March 21st - Chili Cook-off

Google -

https://www.google.com/search?q=highland+academy&rlz=1C5GCEM_en&oq=highland+academy&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUqCggAEAAY4wIYgAQyCggAEAAY4wIYgAQyEAgBEC4YrwEYxwEYgAQYjgUyBwgCEAAYgAQyBwgDEAAYgAQyBwgEEAAYgAQyBggFEEUYPDIGCAYQRRg8MgYIBxBFGDzSAQg1MzIzajBqN6gCALACAA&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#lrd=0x56c896e89c7f1a5b:0x9b77a3ecd9597b21,3,,,,

Facebook -

https://www.facebook.com/HighlandAcademyCharter/reviews

All students are enrolled in an Advisory class focused on community building, social-emotional learning, character development, accountability, parent-teacher-student connections, leadership, and academic progress. Advisors work closely with students as they monitor progress, support goal setting, advocate for students, and support the growth of skills critical for success after high school. Advisors serve as parent's "go to" person, setting up meetings, answering questions, and providing a direct line of communication between home and school.

Highland has established a positive and respectful school culture and CORE (Culture of Respect for Everyone) plays an integral role in Highland's philosophy. All stakeholders work together to ensure a productive and safe environment for all learners and guests.

College and Career Preparedness (CCP) standards also play a significant role in setting students up for success after high school. These standards address critical life skills including digital citizenship and technology use, collaboration, effective communication, professional etiquette, career exploration, financial literacy, and much more. Similar to PSS standards, CCP standards can be earned in a variety of ways including Advisory, core classes, elective classes, workshops, and outside of school experiences. Students are required to complete three levels of CCP to meet Highland graduation requirements.

Please see the attached "Earning PSS and CCP Standards - Student Guide" for additional information on how students can earn these important standards.

Personal, Social, Service (PSS) standards play a significant role in developing skills necessary for success after school. These standards are critical to Highland's philosophy and supporting growth of the whole child. Embedded in these standards is skill development of communication, critical thinking, collaboration, and creativity. Each level has a series of standards broken into 5 different categories: (1) Health, (2) Personal, (3) Social, (4) Personal Expression, and (5) Service. Students have many opportunities to demonstrate their knowledge and learning in school through Advisory, core classes, electives, Intensives, etc. They can also bring in their experiences outside of school to show their knowledge and learning of PSS standards (i.e. sports, musical instruments, first aid cards, volunteer work, etc.). This evidence should be brought to the Advisor to discuss how they connect to PSS. After completion of all standards, students complete a presentation of their learning to a panel of their choice. Students are required to complete three levels of PSS to meet graduation requirements at Highland.

Please see the attached "Earning PSS and CCP Standards - Student Guide" for additional information on how students can earn these important standards.

If students receive feedback from teachers asking them to revise their assignments, projects, papers, etc., please encourage them to do so. Once they use the feedback to improve and revise their work, it should be resubmitted to the teacher for an updated assessment. I would recommend letting the teacher know whenever a revised assignment has been resubmitted. In a competency based program, feedback and revision are crucial steps in the learning the process.

Check out the video below to learn more about a student's homepage in Empower. It explains the homepage features, as well as demonstrating how to access activities and assignments and view student scores and teacher feedback. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to your child's Advisor. If you would like to schedule a one-on-one Zoom tutorial, please email Ms. Crosby with your request.

When your child is absent or tardy, please contact the school as soon as possible. The best way to report an absence is through Q/ParentConnect. You can also call the front office (907) 742-1700.

As a reminder, Highland implemented a revised cell phone or headphone/earbud policy last semester. Students are expected to have their earbuds/headphones put away and cell phones turned off and out of sight during class and passing time. They are permitted to use their device before school, during lunch, and after school. If a student has their cell phone or earbuds/headphones out in class or during passing time, regardless of the reason, teachers will confiscate the device to be stored at the front office for the rest of the school day.

We request that all families pay a $150 supply and activity for the school year through Q/ParentConnection. These funds help pay for intensives, student-led activities, class sets, and more. If this is a hardship, or you would rather donate your time, we would be happy to work with you.