The Wildcat

• ILEARN
• 2021-2022 Intent to Return
• Highland Education Foundation Fundraisers
• Fine Arts and Gym
• Honor Parkway Tree Fundraiser
• Lunch Information
• Mindfulness
• Camp Invention

EVERY WEDNESDAY IS EARLY RELEASE @ 1:55 (Mrs. Torres's Class @ 1:20)

April 19-May 14-LEARN and NWEA testing

May 14th-Summer iPad Usage Form Due

Early Release (1:55pm) on Monday, May 24, Tuesday, May 25, and Wednesday, May 26

Just a reminder that School Town of Highland is still enforcing masks to be worn in school and ON SCHOOL PROPERTY for students and adults. Thank you so much for your diligence in this. We have been doing an incredible job helping to keep our students, staff, and community safe and healthy. Keep up the great work!

Our 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders will soon be taking ILEARN (I​ndiana Learning Evaluation Readiness Network). The ILEARN testing window begins April 19th and spans through mid-May.

Johnston’s testing schedule has been designed to spread out the several testing sessions each grade must complete to try to limit the daily testing load of our students and preserve as much instructional time as possible.

Online learners will come into the building and test alongside in-person learners inside their teacher’s classroom. Each classroom will have as much space as possible between students for testing.

Please make every effort to schedule any pre-planned absences (e.g. doctor appointments) around these assessments. Your child's teacher should be reaching out to let you know when your child will be testing during that window. Please feel free to reach out to our staff if you have any questions.

Students in 5th grade throughout the School Town of Highland are about to study an important lesson on the early stages of puberty which many students this age are beginning to experience.

The School Town of Highland Health Services Department partners with Procter and Gamble and uses the Always Changing and Growing Up© program that helps both girls and boys. This program helps students understand the physical and emotional changes they experience during puberty, and acknowledges these changes as a normal part of growth and development. It also helps students learn the physiology of their bodies and correct terminology for parts of the reproductive system. Lastly, for the 5th grade girls, it helps the students learn how to manage periods while continuing normal activities.

If you would like to view the videos that will be shown, they can be found at:

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OR1XJZ0xRSo&list=PLRyQfUYbMgkcDFrBl_HVmTuLS_ut-MykU&index=2&t=90s (Female Lesson)

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G57Suq7JpQE&list=PLRyQfUYbMgkcDFrBl_HVmTuLS_ut-MykU&index=3 (Male Lesson)

NWEA window opens Monday, April 19th and closes May 21st. We will NOT have online learners take it at home. We need them all to be as valid as possible for the end of the year to see where our students truly are.Online learners can come in to take the test with their class during their scheduled time. Be on the lookout for more information regarding dates and times from your teacher.

The School Town of Highland is giving families the option of taking school-issued iPads home this summer. If you would like your child to keep his/her iPad, please fill out this form by May 14, 2021. Your child/children will be expected to complete two hours of school-approved work (such as eSpark and Epic) per week and abide by the Acceptable Use Policy. Anyone that doesn't fill it out, we will assume are declining iPad use at home this summer.

Preschool and 5th graders MUST turn in their iPads.

*If you owe fees/repair costs and/or your child has had "three strikes", your child will be ineligible for summer iPad use.

https://forms.gle/Yp9YK8cift772rWM9

In order to prepare for the upcoming year, the School Town of Highland must assess your student enrollment for the 2021-2022 school year. This information is being requested as part of the Spring Registration Process and to assist in determining those students who may be affected by the transfer procedures as discussed in Highland Elementary School Parent/Student Handbook and School Town of Highland Elementary Transfer Procedures Brochure.

By signing up now, your child’s attendance slot can be secured for fall attendance. Those families not signing up at this time will not secure their child’s current attendance slot for next school year. Transfer decisions are based upon a secured registration. The parental sign-up of their child (children), is considered a secured registration. Students who are currently on free lunch/book rental will continue in this program until September 2021, but still must return their forms.

Please check the appropriate line, fill in your child’s name, and return the form to your child’s school. A fall registration day will be conducted in August 2021, for new students and those families not taking the opportunity to register during this period. The school will begin accepting the spring registration forms April 26, 2021. The spring registration process will end on May 14, 2021. Registration after May 14, 2021 will not be considered as secured for transfer purposes. Contact the office with any questions. Thank you for your assistance.

https://forms.gle/Ycnwj25KoC72ZUe87

This coming week is Week A. We have rotating "Specials" times. Please check your classroom teacher's agenda each day to see what additional class you need to attend.

Below is a link with a calendar that lists the rotations.

As we work to improve the Johnston playground and greenspace, we are excited to involve you in an exciting fundraising opportunity.

Our Johnston outdoor space is used by so many members of our community. Beyond being used as a recess and gym space by the school, the space is used by local residents for exercise, youth sports teams as a practice space, and as by local families for after school fun. Johnston school is embedded in the lives of current residents as well as the memories of former residents.

It is in this spirit that we are creating the Johnston Honor Parkway. Along this parkway, trees have been planted and are maintained by our Johnston students. We envision this parkway being a place where current students can honor and remember members of our community who have made it a wonderful place to live, work, and play.

Each tree on the parkway will be dedicated in honor or memory of a community member or organization. We ask that you consider taking the time to sponsor a tree in honor or memory of someone you love who has made a difference in the community. Your donation will not only support improvements being made to the playground and greenspace, but also purchase a commemorative plaque to honor the recipient. There will also be a celebration in the spring to unveil the new signs and parkway.

See the attached for more information on how to be apart of it!

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1hCA7wW9EHcAEGCaxGBL7o0tzVhEgctAc/view?usp=sharing

All students will receive breakfast and lunch at no cost for curbside pick-up meals!

Thanks to USDA funding, these meals will be available the rest of the school year. Each student can receive one free breakfast and one free lunch daily. This applies to qualified meals (breakfast and lunch), not snacks and beverages.

Important: You MUST still complete a free and reduced meal application to qualify for the program for the remainder of the school year (to receive free or reduced meals AFTER 12/18/2020) AND to qualify for textbook assistance for this school year!

All virtual students will be able to pick up a weeks worth of free breakfasts and lunches Monday between the hours of 4:00 pm to 5:00 pm at the following location:

Johnston Elementary School, 8220 5th Street, (Door D, off of 5th Street), Highland, IN

Go here for more details:

http://www.schoolnutritionandfitness.com/index.php?sid=2809100435083594

Hello Johnston Families,

In an effort to help kids (and parents) lower their stress levels, frustrations and anger, I will be including mindfulness activities in the newsletter for the remainder of the school year. I will also be practicing 1-2 strategies with each class as a part of their weekly guidance lessons. These will be simple, easy to use strategies that I encourage you to practice at home. We are hoping to help students increase empathy for others and build skills to manage everyday emotions.

Thank You! Mrs. Jennings

Join Us for the Best Summer Ever!

Camp Invention® is back with an all-new program: Recharge

! Featuring take-apart microphones, robotic crickets, duck-launching devices and morphing vehicles, this summer is packed full of super fun, confidence-boosting STEM activities!

What could be better? This year, with our Peace of Mind Promise, your local camp is being offered in person and at home so your child can experience the fun of Camp Invention no matter where they are!

Johnston Elementary School
6/7/2021 - 6/11/2021 from 9:00 AM - 3:30 PM

Biggest discount ever! Secure your spot today using ALUMNI40 to SAVE $40.

Go here to sign-up: https://invent-web.ungerboeck.com/programsearch/moreinfo.aspx?event=32031

Here are some things that you need to know about your iPad. If you have any iPad questions, please contact Mrs. Gomez through email: egomez@highland.k12.in.us

• Do NOT sign in to an Apple ID

• Your email address for all Google logins is your first initial, last name, student ID. Student ID can be found on RDS!

• Example:jsmith1234567@stohk12.org

• Your password is your birth date, 2 digit month, 2 digit day, 4 digit year

• Example: 01262008 (January 26, 2008)

• Sign in to your email. Do this by:

• Go to Settings

• Passwords and account

• Add Account

• Google

Please take care of your iPad. Avoid drinking or eating around them. Don’t place them under or in between heavy items. Keep them charged! DO NOT take them out of the cases and don’t decorate the cases, even with stickers!!!

Families can get guidance on how to cope with the coronavirus pandemic through a new partnership between Franciscan Health and Purdue University.

The Community Health Improvement team at Franciscan Health, which has hospitals in Crown Point, Dyer, Hammond, Michigan City and Munster, teamed up with Purdue’s College of Health and Human Sciences and other community partners to create "Families Tackling Tough Times Together," a pop-up program that aims to strengthen families' resilience.

“It’s impressive to see the efforts that Franciscan is making to not only treat patients but also to support family strengths and resilience during the pandemic,” said Dr. Shelley MacDermid Wadsworth, a Purdue professor working to build the initiative.

"Families Tackling Tough Times Together" will offer free, science-based tools and activities every week on how to handle the pandemic.

The nine-week program this fall seeks to help families of all types with tailored recommendations for children, adults, and young adults. They will get messages of support and encouragement and the opportunity to ask experts questions.

https://www.purdue.edu/hhs/families-together/

• For E-Learning questions and other tech related questions
• Follow the link below to sign up to the Remind Class entitled "Tech Resources" https://www.remind.com/join/jntra
• Inquiries will be answered in as timely a manner as possible

Please don't hesitate to contact us in the office for any ideas, thoughts, concerns, or words of encouragement! We are all part of this large extended mix of wonderful people we affectionately refer to as our Johnston Family.

Email: aharring@highland.k12.in.us
Website: https://www.highland.k12.in.us/o/jes
Location: 8220 5th Street, Highland, IN, United States
Phone: 219.923.2428
Facebook: facebook.com/johnstonpto
Twitter: @harrington_jn