Highland Highlights

I can't believe it's already time for the October edition of the Highland Highlights!

There is so much for us to be #HighlandProud about. Let's take a look back at September to celebrate the great moments and prepare for an awesome October.

Leading off this edition, you'll hear from our Assistant Superintendent, Dr. Ryan Erdelac! We visited Johnston to record this video, which is where he spent six years as principal. Go Wildcats!

Homecoming Festivities

We had one of our most successful Homecoming weeks EVER this year! Here are the details:

The Homecoming Parade returned, and for the first time went through Downtown Highland! Our student council put in a ton of work to make this happen - thank you!
537 dance tickets were bought, and the limit on tickets actually had to be lifted. Over half of HHS attended the dance!
School Spirit was through the roof - check out images from the Pep Rally and Hallway Decorating!

Foodie Friday

Kindergarten and 5th Grade at Warren have teamed up to start Foodie Friday! Each month, 5th graders work with our youngest students to help them write, count, draw, and more with food-related activities. Afterwards, they enjoy the tasty snacks they were working with. This is awesome on so many levels - Kindergarteners get to meet the big kids, 5th graders develop their leadership skills, and they get a sweet treat.

Party on the Playground

Southridge hosted their annual Party on the Playground on Friday, Sept. 19. This is a super fun event where parents, grandparents, and family friends could visit their student for lunch and play some games. Even with multiple sessions, the number of people that visited was through the roof! It was awesome to see so much support for our students and schools.

Elementary Girls Basketball Returns

It's that time of the year again - the Elementary Girls Basketball season has begun. The gyms are always packed to the brim with teachers, parents, and students supporting the girls. It's a great opportunity for the students develop their basketball skills, work as part of a team, and build school spirit. This season is bound to be a good one, and we will make sure to let you know who the champion is in the next newsletter!

October 7, 6:30 p.m. - HHS/HMS Band Concert (at Monbeck Auditorium, HHS)
October 8, 6:30 p.m. - HHS/HMS Orchestra Concert (at Monbeck Auditorium, HHS)
October 10, 5:15 p.m. - Highland Education Foundation Fun Run
October 14, 6:30 p.m. - HHS/HMS Choir Concert (at Monbeck Auditorium, HHS)
October 17-20 - Fall Break!
October 21, 6:00 p.m. - School Board Meeting (at the Administration Building)

Here are some important reminders -

Health Department:

Hearing and Vision screenings will start at every school in October. School hearing screenings are required for students in grades 1, 4, 7, and 10. Vision screenings are required for students in grades 1, 3, 5, and 8. New students to STOH must take both the hearing and vision screenings.

Food Services:

National School Lunch Week is October 13-17! This year's theme is "Taste the World, Your School Lunch Passport." Some of our wonderful cafeteria staff will be serving specialized dishes to celebrate. There will be fun games and prizes throughout the week, so make sure to check social media to see some pictures!

In this "Did you know?" section, you'll get to learn a little bit more about our Health Department.

In September, there were 4,023 visits to the School Nurse across the district. Our schools each average 400-800 visits per month.
Five of our seven nurses/medical assistants attended STOH schools!
Each of our nurses and medical assistants have between 12 and 30 years of experience in their field.
Across our nursing staff, here are the many areas they have worked in: Intermediate Care, Labor and Delivery, Emergency Room, PACU, Oncology, Orthopedics, Surgery, Asthma/Allergy Specialists, One on One care for students in schools, doctors offices, and Renal/Nephrology.

Thank you to all of our nurses and medical assistants for all that you do!

Our students do such great work that we have to show it off! The new "Student Showcase" section will give you a glimpse into some of the projects, such as art, music, photography, or anything else, that are completed in school.

This month, you'll get to see some amazing artwork done by students at Highland Middle School in Mrs. Haug's art classes!

Make sure you click on the images to enlarge them! If you are viewing this in your email, you may have to click "View in browser" at the top of the page.

Avalynn M.

Aminah B.

Isaac W.

Beya R. and Taylor K.

Julius C., Roy S., and Jacob O.

Analiyah G.

Here's a roundup of some of our favorite social media posts from the last month, just in case you missed it!

Picture Day Shenanigans

Johnston teachers went all out reminding students and parents about Picture Day! Check out their Facebook page to see more.

🐍🐍🐍

Students in Mrs. Konopasek's first grade at Warren spent a day using microscopes, and one of the items they studied was a real snake skin!

Financial Planning

Mr. McCullough's Personal Finance class at HMS has been learning about financial planning. I wish I could have taken a class like this!

Apple Orchard Field Trip

First graders at Johnston went on a field trip to the Apple Orchard! A Honeycrisp apple would have been appreciated... maybe next time.

Fat Bear Week

Did you know that Fat Bear Week was a thing? Neither did I! Mrs. Bizon's 2nd-3rd Grade Autism Class at Southridge celebrated the entire week. Check out this image to see their awesome bear crafts!

Future Broadcast Journalists?

Merkley students have been recording daily announcements for the past few years, and this year they upgraded to a full teleprompter system! Who knows, maybe we will see one of them hosting a news broadcast in the future.

Teddy Triage

Ms. Malagon's Principles of Fashion and Textiles class at HHS recently learned hand stitching. Their lessons culminated in the opening of the Teddy Triage, where they fixed some torn stuffed animals.

Welcome to the Highland Highlights! Welcome to the Highland Highlights!