Highcroft Hotline

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

August

• 28: Late Start, School begins at 11:05 am
  
• 29: Curriculum Night, 6:30-8:00 pm

September

• 2: No School, Labor Day
• 11: Board of Education Meeting, 7:00 pm, 471 N. Woods Mill Road
• 12: All Read, 3:25 pm - 3:45 pm
• 19: PSO Meeting, 7:00 pm
• 20: Highcroft Movie Night, 6:30 pm - 9:30 pm
• 23: Picture Day
• 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

Greetings,

What a wonderful week we had at Highcroft. Our kindergarteners met their permanent classmates and teacher on Friday. The kindergarten teachers hosted Kindergarten Open House Friday evening, and the students had an opportunity to play together, tie-dye their class t-shirt, and have popsicles. The Beautification Committee came up to school Saturday morning and mulched the front grounds. Our exterior is looking great, and the committee has plans to make it look even better! Tons of fun was had Saturday evening at Hot Dogs with Highcroft in Forest Park. We had fantastic weather to gather as a community, eat, laugh, and have fun together!

We are still in need of some dismissal plans for some of our students. We ask that this form be completed to ensure all students are dismissed to go home safely. This plan informs the staff of students' regular dismissal plan as well as how they should be dismissed in the event of an emergency. If you have not completed a dismissal form for your child(ren) yet, please complete it as soon as possible and return it to your child's teacher. If you have multiple students at Highcroft, a form needs to be completed for each child. Click here for the dismissal form. Also, please make sure you read and are familiar with the Highcroft Handbook and have updated your family profile on Infinite Campus.

Ms. Sommerfeld and I look forward to seeing all of our parents and caregivers during Curriculum Night this Thursday, August 29th. We will begin in the gym at 6:30 pm and teachers will have classroom presentations starting at 7:05 pm and a repeat presentation of the same information at 7:35 pm.

In partnership,

Cartelia Lucas

Principal

In the interest of student and staff safety, Parkway implemented a visitor check-in system in all schools last fall. All visitors need to show a photo ID when they come to school and will receive a printed visitor badge to wear with their name on it. Please remember to bring a photo ID when you visit so we can check you in. Thank you in advance for helping us ensure the safety of all students and staff! Watch a video here to see how the check-in system works.

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.

The first 2-hour late start day in Parkway is Wednesday, August 28th. The school day will start 2 hours later than usual and buses will pick up 2 hours later.

Late start days are designed to allow teachers to collaborate in Professional Learning Communities and commit to helping every child be more successful in school. Late start days allow teachers time to:

- Study data on student performance

- Identify students who need extra help or more challenging work

- Review best practices to help all students

- Take action to help each child improve

- Monitor results during the year

We look forward to seeing all of our families during Curriculum Night, August 29th, from 6:30-8:00 pm. Curriculum Night is an opportunity to hear from your child's teacher and learn more about what your child will learn this year. This evening is an adult-only event. Devices will be available in each grade level's project area for you to complete the volunteer background check. This application must be completed annually for all volunteers who might work with or around children without a staff member present and attend field trips. Sign up forms for volunteer opportunities will also be available in the project areas. We appreciate you attending Curriculum Night in support of the collaborative work ahead of us.

Did your student(s) participate in a reading program this summer? Some students may have completed a log from the St. Louis County Library, St. Louis Public, or even Barnes and Noble! Any summer reading program is accepted and encouraged by Highcroft Ridge!

Students who bring a completed reading log, completion certificate, or even a note from a parent/guardian to Mrs. Stilts the first weeks of school in August will be invited to a special summer reading celebration hosted by Ms. Yelton and Mrs. Stilts. The celebration will take place on Monday, August 26th at 2:30 PM.

Please bring your proof of participation (labeled with first and last name) to the library and place it in the blue bin on top of the Chromebook cart. Please feel free to contact Mrs. Stilts with any questions! dstilts@parkwayschools.net

Pam Yelton, Reading Intervention Specialist

I am thrilled for the beginning of another school year at Highcroft and the continued opportunity to read with friends—old and new! Congratulations to the summer readers who are starting the first few weeks of school feeling confident and prepared for the work ahead. Mrs. Stilts and I will be hosting a Summer Reading party tomorrow, Monday, August 26th, at 2:30 p.m. in the library. We will be celebrating the students who have completed a summer reading program (through any library, Barnes and Noble, etc.)

When reading with your kids, ask them to break words by clapping the parts, or showing how they would break the word with two blank index cards. This is an excellent strategy for all ages when decoding tricky words. Here are some examples:

cowboy = cow boy

spacecraft = space craft

complaining = com plain ing

denominator = de nom in a tor

You can also break words apart to make new words by changing the first sound. This is fun to do with individual letters, magnetic letters, or letter cards you make with your child:

I can take a word I know - look

break it at the beginning – l ook

add a new letter or blend to the beginning – b or sh

to make a new word – book or shook

by Mrs. Stilts

It will be another wonderful year at Highcroft Ridge! Library is typically a 45 minute block each week where students visit to engage in a myriad of experiences. This could include (but not limited to) design thinking, personalized learning opportunities, authentic problem-solving, digital-age literacy, digital creation, digital citizenship, research skills, and literature appreciation. Of course, students will also have the opportunity to check out books! The following is a list of the number of books, by grade level, that each student is typically allowed to have checked out at a time. Thank you for your support in helping to maintain our collection for all to enjoy!

Kdg - one book

1st - two books

2nd - three books*

3rd - four books*

4th - four books*

5th - four books *students may have an additional book for research

The summer reading program party will take place Monday, August 26th at 2:30 PM. Students that participated in any summer reading program should bring his or her completed reading log, completion certificate, or even a note from a parent/guardian to Mrs. Stilts or Ms. Yelton by Monday.

Happy reading!