Hawks' Highlights

December

1st- Chess Club Gr. 2-5-Library-2:25

8th- Chess Club Gr. 2-5-Library-2:25

11th- 1st and 2nd Gr. Music Program-6:30

15th- Chess Club Gr. 2-5 Library-2:25

19th- HAWKS Happenings Assembly-12:15

22nd- NO-Chess Club Gr. 2-5 Library-2:25

24th- Jan 6th-Christmas Break

January

6th- HAPPY NEW YEAR!

12th- Chess Club Gr. 2-5-Library-2:25

19th- NO School

26th- Chess Club Gr. 2-5-Library-2:25

30th- HAWKS Happenings Assembly-12:15

CONGRATULATIONS to Teachers, Students and Parents!! Well over $10,000 was raised. The money will be very helpful to our school!!

Most sold: Harvey – 4th grade – 10 books sold-1000 tickets

Top Class: Pizza party and movie-4th grade with 26 books sold

Top selling students:

1st Top seller- Principal for the day-Harvey -10 books-4th grade

2nd Teacher for a day-Maude -8 books-1st grade

3rd Extra recess-Jacob-7 books-5th grade

Staff: Mrs. Nash- 5 booklets-$75 gift card, day off and principal takes her day

Winners:

Grand Prize-$300- Jessica Fairbanks

1. $50- Cil VanBeek

2. $50- Cassie Murphy

3. $50- Diane Roller

4. $50-Zac Smith

THANK YOU!!!

Counselor Connection:

Kinder: The students learned all about empathy- a new word for some of them! We discussed how we can show empathy for others by recognizing how they are feeling. We also did a kindness lesson to recognize World Kindness Day. We ended the month with a lesson on gratitude!

1st: We learned about the importance of empathy and kindness- how to recognize how others are feeling and doing kind acts to show that we care. We also talked about gratitude and they shared what they are thankful for.

2nd: We focused on 3 main topics for this month: kindness, empathy, and gratitude. We discussed ways to show each of these things and how it can also make us feel when we practice them.

3rd: Since it was World Kindness Day in November, we talked about why it is important to do kind things for others. This goes hand in hand with empathy. We discussed scenarios and the students came up with ways to show empathy for each one. We ended the month with a lesson on gratitude.

4th: We talked about how our words have power and how we need to THINK before we say or do something. See if your child can tell you what THINK stands for- here's a hint “Is it _____?” We also related this to showing empathy for others. We ended the month by making a Gratitude Tree.

5th: We learned that there is a science behind kindness- what happens inside our bodies when we do something kind for someone or vice versa. We also read scenarios with a partner and decided if empathy was being shown and if not, how could they show empathy. We did a lesson on gratitude and discussed how we can still be grateful even if things don’t always go our way.

Schoolwide Teams Update:

We completed our focus on being creative, our superpower of the month, with our November HAWKS Happenings assembly on 11/21/25. Even though it was a short month, our HAWKS worked hard and exceeded our goal of 1,500 stickers. Due to this, they have earned a turkey trot with several turkey themed stations in the afternoon of 11/26/25.

Next month our Superpower of the Month will be compassion. If we meet our monthly goal of 1,500 stickers, students will earn a pajama day with hot cocoa at the end of the month.

Monthly Expectations Connected to Home:

Here is an article with some ideas on how you can help build your child’s compassion at home.

Resource of the Month:

The Dream Center will be hosting a Thanksgiving dinner from 4-7 pm on Thursday, November 27th. All are welcome! If you want more information or have any questions, contact them at: hello@dreamcenterbismarck.com.

Kindergarten- River, Annie

First-June, Vaughn

Second- Bellamy, Adelyn

Third- Max, Brek

Fourth- Kendall, Libby, Roland

Fifth- Oliver, Tori

This month's recipients had lunch with Mr. Fladeland on Friday, December 5th.

Congratulations students!

We have raised over $9000 for our fall raffle Thank you to parents and staff, your support. It is a tremendous asset to our school!

We will be discussing the raffle.

—Your PTO Team

The Highland Acres Giving Tree is up. Thank you for making the ornaments for giving all disappear so quickly!! Our goal is to have the gifts returned no later than Friday, December 12th.

⛄REMIND your child to wear the appropriate clothing to school.

If your student is missing any items they may be in the Highland Acres Elementary Lost and Found. We have a large selection of various items. December 5th - we will be purging the lost and found.

Merry Christmas from the staff of Highland Acres Elementary!!

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.

MISSION, VISION, AND VALUES

Our Mission: "Empower every learner to thrive."

Our Vision: "Together, our strong relationships build inclusive, collaborative, and innovative environments that create agency and inspire a passion for learning, excellence, and discovery."

Our Values: Excellence, Innovation, Inclusion and Leadership.