Dear Roosevelt and Highland Acres Families,

Earlier this month, both Highland Acres Elementary and Roosevelt Elementary were notified by the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction (ND DPI) that both schools rank in the top 10% of all North Dakota public schools! This recognition is based on state assessment proficiency and growth, climate engagement survey results, and English learner proficiency. We are among five schools in Bismarck and 51 schools statewide that are included in this distinction.

This is a testament to the great culture of learning and excellence at both schools. As I continue in my first year leading these building, I must tell you that this recognition does not surprise me. We have exceptional teachers and exceptional support staff who are united in our mission to Empower Every Learner to Thrive!

Please know how significant of an achievement this is and how well it reflects on the staff, students, and families of Highland Acres and Roosevelt.

Sincerely,

Tony Fladeland

Principal

Highland Acres Elementary

Roosevelt Elementary

February

1st-Kindergarten Registration Begins!

2nd- February 2nd - 6th is Hawks SPIRIT WEEK

2nd-CampEd Registration Begins (more information included in this newsletter)

2nd-Chess Club Gr. 2-5-Library-2:25

2nd- Activity Night-Gym-6:15-7:15

3rd- PTO-Library-7:00

6th- BINGO Night-Gym-5:30-7:00

9th- Chess Club Gr. 2-5-Library-2:25

10th- Parent Teacher Conferences 2:30-6:30

12th- Parent Teacher Conferences 2:30-6:30

16th- No School- President's Day

17th- No School- Staff Development

23rd- Chess Club Gr. 2-5- Library-2:25

23rd- Activity Night-Gym 6:15-7:15

26th- Music Program Gr. 3-5-6:30

27th- HAWKS Happenings Assembly-12:30

March

2nd-Chess Club Gr. 2-5-Library-2:25

3rd- PTO-Library

9th- Chess Club Gr. 2-5-Library-2:25

9th-STEM Night-Gym-6:15

27th-HAWKS Happenings Assembly-12:30

30th- Activity Night-Gym 6:15-7:15

31st-2nd Grade SAW (safety around water)-YMCA-11:30

CAMPED TO BE HELD AT ROOSEVELT THIS SUMMER

CampEd Registration will begin on February 2nd. Like last summer, our plan is to offer CampEd for Highland Acres and Roosevelt families at Roosevelt Elementary. If registration numbers are higher than anticipated, BPS may need to make a programmatic adjustment, which could include holding Camp Ed programming at both sites to ensure a high-quality experience for students.

CampEd will run from June 1st - June 26th. Click here for the registration information. When filling out the registration select Roosevelt Elementary as the school. If you have any questions or need a paper copy contact the school office.

~ with Ms. Jones, School Counselor & Mrs. Misek, School Social Worker

Student Support Report

~ with Ms. Jones, School Counselor & Mrs. Misek, School Social Worker

Counselor Connection:

Kinder-2nd grade: Our lessons focused on practicing and sharpening our listening skills after the long winter break. With our life skill in January being resilience, we talked about the importance of persevering through challenges. It helps us to learn new things, have a growth mindset and make our brains stronger.

3rd: We started the year talking about the importance of knowing our personal qualities in order to build our self-esteem. We can use positive affirmations to help us feel good about ourselves! We also practiced resilience and perseverance with some challenging activities- golf ball stacking and the marble challenge. The kids had fun!

4th: We focused on goal setting- making sure our goals are specific and realistic and that we have a plan to accomplish them. Each student set a personal and academic goal for themselves.

5th: The students took a Strengths Assessment to help them write a SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic/Relevant, Timely) goal. They used their strengths to help them determine the best goal for themselves at this time. We also talked about our life skill of the month, resilience, and practiced using it while competing in an Index Card Tower Challenge.

Schoolwide Team Update:

This month our Hawks were able to earn 1,782 stickers, meeting their 1,500 monthly sticker goal. We will be celebrating by holding an all-school flashlight reading time in the gym on the morning of 2/6/26. Please help your student remember to bring a flashlight and blanket on this day. Our upcoming superpower for February is communicator. Our meaningful work program, Hawks Helpers, began in January as well. Every student who applied was assigned to one of their top two preferred jobs, and those jobs began the week of 1/26/26.

Monthly Expectations Connected to Home:

Being a good communicator is an important skill to have throughout one’s life. Here is an article with 10 ways to help improve your child’s communication skills.

Resource of the Month:

You can find many resources on the North Dakota Family First Services website such as:

· Family Therapy – Helps strengthen family relationships and communication

· Family Check-Up - Helps improve parenting skills and behavioral/emotional challenges in children

· Healthy Families – Home visiting program for expecting and new parents

· Nurse Family Partnership – Trained nurses visit first-time moms meeting certain income requirements

· Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) - For parents and children 2-7 to help improve behavior, strengthen parenting skills, and enhance parent-child relationships

Meeting – Tuesday, February 3rd at 7:00 PM

📍 Next Meeting-School Library - Join us 7:00 pm

February 6th from 5:30-7:00pm PTO sponsored Bingo Night. We will be providing gold dollar coins for prizes along with a classroom pizza party for the blackout winner! Mr. Erling's fifth grade class will be hosting a concession stand during the event, raising funds for their Huff Hills ski trip coming up this month!!

—Your PTO Team

Our online store for school gear is available all year long. Now you can easily browse and purchase a variety of Highland Acres merchandise from the comfort of your home. Whether you’re looking for t-shirts, hoodies, hats, or other school spirit items, our online store has something for everyone. Show your school pride by sporting the latest Hawks gear. Orders can be placed by clicking on the button below.

The Backpack-for Kids program is designed to help children by assisting them with food over the weekend. Bags are filled with nutritional food items and delivered to the school. If your family qualifies for the free or reduced lunch program and you need additional food for the weekend, please contact our school social worker, Marisa Misek at marisa_misek@bismarckschools.org or call the school office.