I hope that everyone had a wonderful Halloween. There were some amazing costumes at school on Thursday!

Happy first day of November! November comes with darker mornings, colder weather, and more challenging driving conditions. Please make sure that students are coming to school with weather appropriate gear. You never know when a fire drill or emergency will take us outside. Additionally, please give yourself some extra time during drop off and pick up. The parking lot can become very slick, and safety of our Highland community is our number one priority.

Highland will be participating in the Food Bank of Alaska's Thanksgiving Blessing community service project. Student Leadership has organized a canned food drive and Advisory competition. Please bring in cans of green beans, cranberry sauce, and corn to donate to the food bank. All cans should be given to your child's advisor to count toward their Advisory total. Right now, Mrs. Priebs' Advisory is in the lead! The competition ends on November 17th, and the Advisory that collects the most cans will receive a prize.

Mark your calendars for another exciting fall event - Highland's Multicultural Celebration and Sauce-Off on Friday, November 15th from 5:30-7:00. This is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the diverse cultures in our community and enjoy some amazing food. We are still looking for additional families to host a table. Please email Mr. Klauschie (klauschie_jack@asdk12.org) if you are interested or would like additional information.

Reminder - Tuesday, November 5th is a Remote Learning Day. Students are expected to sign into Empower and complete the assigned work for their classes. Teachers will continue to offer two, open office hour Zoom sessions from 10:00-11:00 and 1:00-2:00 to help answer any questions. All Zoom links can be found on our website or in Empower.

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

-Ms. Crosby, Principal

crosby_nicole@asdk12.org

https://www.asdk12.org/highlandacademy

Educating for Leadership, Educating for Life

Please mark your calendars for the following dates/events at Highland:

• Tuesday, November 5th - Remote Learning Day
• Monday, November 11th - Professional Development Day (No School for students)
• Thursday, November 14th PTSO Meeting @ 5:30
• Friday, November 15th - Multicultural Celebration and Sauce-Off @ 5:30
• Saturday, November 23rd - Barnes and Noble Book Fair
• Thursday, November 28th and Friday, November 29th - Thanksgiving Holiday

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 you see a number with a bright red box around it, that means there are new comments and grades for you to review. If an assignment addresses multiple standards, each individual standard score will appear in the comments box. Individual assignment scores will appear as "New Scores" and overall standards scores will appear as "New Overall Scores" - the score on the left is the score earned by your child, the score on the right is the expected level of mastery.

When viewing your student's homepage, if a class at a blue "Resources" button next to the teacher name, you can access a list of commonly used resources.

Parents and guardians can send messages directly to teachers via Empower. Once you have logged in and selected your learner, click on the paper airplane next to the teacher's name. This will send a direct message to your child's teacher.

A standard is defined as something a student needs to know and/or be able to do. Students are required to master standards in core content areas (Math, Language Arts, Science, and Social Environments), as well as Personal, Social, Service (PSS) and College and Career Preparedness (CCP) to meet graduation requirements.

Scoring Guide

• Missing (M) Assignment due date has passed and no work was submitted, student should still submit missing work
• No Basis (0) Student was given the opportunity to demonstrating understanding but no work was completed
• 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 of mastery, equivalent to a "B"
• Advanced (*) Skills exceed expectations, equivalent to an "A"

All missing assignments show up on a student's Empower homepage and are included in a weekly email sent to parents and guardians. Click on the plus sign on the far right and current assignments, as well as missing assignments will appear. Students can click directly on the assignment to access any online materials or instructions provided by the teacher. The assignment will remain missing until it has been submitted and the work has been assessed by the teacher. If a student says they have no homework, this is a great starting point.

Dear Parent(s)/Guardians,

Highland Academy Charter School will be teaching the Alaska Safe Children’s Act/ Personal Safety lessons throughout the 2025 school year during our Advisory period. Our teachers will present an age-appropriate lesson about personal body safety in a non-threatening way, along with the skills needed for self-protection. The focus of these lessons are to empower students with the information and skills to protect themselves and seek help from the physical, psychological and emotional harm that can occur from abusive situations and is part of the Anchorage School District’s plan to enact the Alaska Safe Children’s Act and will be handled in a sensitive, respectful manner.

ASD Prevention Tools

• Climate – Creating a safe and respectful learning environment, which is well managed, supportive, and engaging with active participation.
• Direct instruction – Using a variety of evidence based curricula and programs to deliberately teach about risk factors and healthy relationship skills.
• Infusion – Integrating social and emotional learning skills throughout the day and in all curriculum areas through modeling of instructional practices that promote SEL skill practice and maximize learning.
• At home and community supports – Developing awareness about available supports and resources outside of the school day.

The Alaska Department of Education and Early Development (DEED) developed curriculum is comprised of three separate age and developmentally appropriate bands for grades 7/8, 9/10 and 11/12. Each grade band contains five modules and is designed to help prevent childhood sexual abuse and teen dating abuse.

The five modules for each grade are organized around the following topics:

• Module 1: Defining Healthy Relationships
• Module 2: Building Healthy Relationships
• Module 3: Defining Unhealthy Relationships
• Module 4: Warning Signs
• Module 5: Help and Support

For 6th Grade students, they continue utilizing The Great Body Shop (which was also utilized in grades K-5) for their lessons.

If you have any questions about the content of the program or if you wish to inquire about opting out, please contact your child’s Advisory teacher or the school office (907-742-1700).

Thank you for partnering with us as we continue to provide learning opportunities to improve the safety and well being of our students.

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.

Some of our 6th grade students had the opportunity to go to UAA to enjoy Shrek the Musical with Mr. Johnson and Ms. Monica. They had a great time at the show!