Highland Weekly

Welcome back! It was a short week for students with the school closure on Tuesday, but it has been wonderful having them back in the building.

As we welcome students back, please be extra cautious driving through the parking lot. Be sure to follow the speed limit and all posted traffic signs. Give yourself plenty of time during drop off and pick up each day, as it is still dark and our parking lot is very slick. Between our staff and students, and the Anchorage School District employees, there are a number of people walking through the parking lot at any given time. Encourage your child to use sidewalks and crosswalks whenever possible, as well as wearing appropriate foot and outerwear. We still have reflective tape available for our students. Thank you for helping ensure the safety of our community!

Quarter 2 Progress Reports will be mailed out today and Monday. These reports reflect your child's academic progress in all of their classes. The report will include their work completion, estimated level of proficiency, pace for level completion, and individual teacher comments. Please see below for additional information about progress reports. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact your child's teacher or advisor.

February is “Visit Our Schools” month, and word of mouth is our best advertising tool. We would appreciate your support by spreading the word about Highland and sharing your experiences with potential new families. We have scheduled a number of different events to help potential new families learn more about our unique program. If you know of families that are exploring their educational options for the upcoming school year, please share the attached flyers and encourage them to schedule a tour with us during the month of February.

Have a great weekend!

-Ms. Crosby, Principal

crosby_nicole@asdk12.org

https://www.asdk12.org/highlandacademy

Educating for Leadership, Educating for Life

January

• Thursday, January 16th - APC Meeting via Zoom @ 5:30
• Monday, January 20th - Martin Luther King Jr. Day (NO SCHOOL)
• Saturday, January 25th - Alaska School Choice EXPO @ the Alaska Native Heritage Center from 11:00-2:00

February

• Saturday, February 8th - Alternative Schools and Program EXPO @ Begich Middle School from 12:00-4:00
• Saturday, February 8th - Barnes and Noble Book Fair from 10:00-4:00
• Tuesday, February 11th - Ice Cream Social @ Highland from 5:30-6:30
• Monday, February 17th - Presidents' Day (NO SCHOOL)
• Friday, February 21st - Valentine's Day Lock-in from 6:00-9:00

• Thursday, February 27th - Spring Conferences (Half-day for students) between 12:00-7:00
• Friday, February 28th - Professional Development Day (NO SCHOOL for students)

March

• Saturday, March 1st - Raising Canes Fundraiser
• Thursday, March 6th - End of Quarter 3
• Friday, March 7th - Grading Day (NO SCHOOL for students)
• Friday, March 10th - Friday, March 14th - Spring Break
• Friday, March 21st - Chili Cook-off

Dear Parents and Guardians,

I’m excited to share that Highland Academy will implement a new visitor management software system in our school beginning December 5th.

The Raptor Technologies safety software will add an extra layer of campus security. Upon entry, visitors, volunteers, and ASD staff whose primary location is outside of our campus must sign in using the self-serve kiosk.

The software has been piloted at ASD schools and is now being rolled out District-wide. The District is implementing the visitor management system to aid in the standardization of visitor check-in procedures in all schools, which complies with Board Policy 3515.5

Starting December 5th, all adult visitors to Highland Academy will be required to present and scan a current government-issued photo ID upon entering the school. This adjustment to our visitor management policy is a significant step forward in strengthening our school’s safety protocols.

As part of our ongoing commitment to ensuring the safety and security of our students, staff, and school community, we are excited for this important enhancement to our ASD visitor management policy.

This new requirement will enable us to:

• Quickly and accurately verify the identity of all visitors.

• Enhance our ability to maintain a secure environment for our students and staff.

• Ensure that we have accurate records of who is in our buildings at all times, further enhancing our ability to respond in the event of an emergency.

What is Raptor?

The visitor management system records the visitor’s name, date of birth, and last four digits of the ID, and checks against a national database of registered sex offenders. Schools will follow School Board policy regarding registered sex offenders in the building (see: Restrictions on Sex Offenders on Campus BP 3515.5). The registered sex offender database is the only official database checked by the system. No other data from the ID is gathered or recorded and the information is not shared with any outside agency.

We understand that changes in protocol may require adjustments from our community, and we appreciate your cooperation and support in making our school a safer place for everyone. Please rest assured that all information collected will be treated with the utmost respect for privacy and confidentiality, used solely for the purpose of enhancing the security of our school premises.

Thank you for your understanding and your continued partnership in keeping our school community safe.

Nicole Crosby, Principal

Be on the lookout for progress reports arriving in the mail after Winter Break. These reports will reflect your child's academic progress in all of their classes. The report will include their work completion, estimated level of proficiency, pace for level completion, and individual comments.

Level of Proficiency: Overall quality of work demonstrated during the school year

Emerging (-) Basic skills are demonstrated; needs improvement or revision

Developing (~) Skills are developing and getting stronger; equivalent to a “C”

Proficient (+) Skills meet the expected level; equivalent to a “B”

Advanced (*) Skills exceed expectation; equivalent to an “A”

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.