Stallion Statement

Last month was out of this world! Lower Allen Fire Department visited Highland during fire safety week, bringing fire fighters, fire trucks and the smoke house. PTO hosted their first Fall Fest and held the annual Walk-a-Thon. Both events were a blast! We had fall Picture Day, learned about different cultures during Multicultural night, celebrated Unity Day by wearing orange and had health screenings. Penn State Harrisburg's Nittany Lion joined us to help celebrate Mr. Scharlau, and we had out of this world Fall classroom parties.

As we look to November we have another busy month. As the weather changes please be mindful of temperatures and students having weather-appropriate clothing. If you need assistance with this, please reach out to Miss Myers. Please see below for important dates and updates!

11/2: PTO Meeting at 6:30 P.M. in library

11/4: 1st-4th grade Whole School Reward: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Preview at Cedar Cliff

11/10: Reading is Fundamental (RIF) event

11/13: World Kindness (Wear a Cardigan), PTO Bingo at 6:00-8:00 in the cafeteria and gym

11/16: Community Meetings

11/17: Popcorn Hat Players assembly

11/18: Children's Grief Awareness Observed (Wear blue or super hero outfits)

11/19: Picture Retake Day

11/24: Fall Colors/Turkey Day- students are invited to wear Thanksgiving themed shirts or fall colors (red, yellow, orange, brown)

11/25-11/30: No School- Thanksgiving Break

12/1: School Resumes

Get ready for Highland's annual Bingo Night on Friday, November 13 from 6-8 p.m. Enjoy two hours of fun for the whole family, with 20 games of Bingo, prizes for adults and kids, and free snacks and drinks. Bring money for the 50/50 raffle and a box of tissues to help stock our teachers' classrooms.

Our Behavior Leadership team utilizes a growth-mindset approach within our learning environments in addition to a Positive Behavior Intervention System (PBIS). Our team is made up of teachers, support staff and administration to best serve our students. It is our goal to promote respectful, responsible, and safe behavior throughout the school. We do this through consistent rules and language and by recognizing these positive behaviors with our school-wide rewards. With the Stallion STARbucks, students are able to participate in classroom and cafeteria cash-outs, monthly whole-school rewards, and raffles that occur twice a year.

Highland is a recognized Positive Behavioral Interventions and Support (PBIS) school. Part of our PBIS programming includes a menu of reward options for the students. Students utilize STARbucks they earn throughout the year to cash out for the prizes. Each teacher provides different options for their students. We also, as a school, offer periodic rewards to the whole student body. We call these "whole school rewards." These rewards tend to be on a bit of a grander scale, and often are very popular. To opt-in to a whole school reward, students need to cash out twenty STARbucks and have two or less office referrals throughout a designated time period. NEW THIS YEAR: Students with 0 office referrals between Whole School rewards will get a 50% discount for the Whole School Reward! Our next Whole School Reward is to preview Harry Potter and the Cursed Child at Cedar Cliff in early November!

This month, we are focusing on gratitude, the practice of recognizing and appreciating the people, experiences, and things that enrich our lives. Gratitude helps children develop a positive outlook, strengthen relationships, and build empathy for others. At school, students show gratitude by saying thank you, recognizing the kindness of others, appreciating opportunities to learn, and taking care of the people and resources around them. Families can help nurture gratitude by encouraging children to reflect on what they are thankful for and by modeling appreciation in everyday moments. When children practice gratitude regularly, they learn to focus on the good in their lives and become more thoughtful and caring members of their community.

🗣️ Family Discussion Prompts:

• What are three things you are grateful for today, and why are they important to you?

• Who is someone that has helped or supported you recently? How can you show your appreciation?

• How does expressing gratitude make you feel, and how do you think it makes others feel when they are appreciated?

Together, let’s help our students grow hearts full of gratitude and habits that show it every day!

A special shout out to Ms. Lush and the students at Highland for creating an Out of this World collaborative art project. Each student contributed to this piece of work. It is on display in the middle stairwell, past the bus doors.

We are still looking to fill a few slots for the Stallion Reward Cart. Students earn 'Starbucks' as a reward for being Respectful, Responsible, and Safe at Highland Elementary, and we have a wonderful way for them to "cash out" each month!

We need two volunteers (must have all clearances) a month to sign up on the Signup Genius. These volunteers will be responsible for arriving at 8:45 am and taking the cart at 9:00 am to all of the classrooms, allowing students who have 'Starbucks' to cash out on the cart.

Please use this link to sign up:

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0D4FAFA722A6F4C16-66171186-stallion

The following flyer will be sent home the week of November 4th. We are looking forward to all the names for our new Stallion Mascot. Keep an eye out on our Instagram page for a sneak peak of the new mascot.

3rd & 4th grade students will be taking part in the We Care Elementary Program provided by Domestic Violence Services of Cumberland and Perry Counties (DVSCP) in conjunction with Highland Elementary. We Care Elementary is a developmentally appropriate, trauma-informed prevention program created for elementary school communities across the nation. Specifically, this program promotes healthy relationships at an age-appropriate level for 3rd, and 4th grade students. Each grade level will receive 2 lessons, one in the fall and one in the spring. The content of each lesson will focus on building healthy relationship skills through interactive lessons for each grade level. The topics for each grade are as follows:

3rd Grade: Communicating and Understanding Feelings

4th Grade: Understanding Personal Boundaries

For more information about the We Care Program, please visit www.pcavt.org or you can reach out to Tori Madrak with DVSCP at 1-800-852-2102. If, for any reason, you do not wish for your child to participate, or if you have any additional questions, please reach Highland Elementary: (717) 901-9860, school counselor: Kristin Myers KMyers2@wssd.k12.pa.us or school principal: Kevin Scharlau kscharlau@wssd.k12.pa.us Thank you.

InView Assessment for 2nd Grade Students

During the week of November 9-13, most 2nd graders will take the InView Assessment, which helps us understand how students think, reason, and solve problems. The test is given online at school, and teachers have tools and practice activities ready so students can get familiar with the format and feel confident. Please reach out to your school counselor if you have questions.

Please see the flyer below for the Social Work Department’s upcoming fundraiser at Chipotle on Carlisle Road in Camp Hill. The fundraiser will take place on Tuesday, November 3, from 4:00–8:00 PM. To ensure your purchase counts toward the fundraiser, please present the flyer when ordering.

This year, Chipotle will also credit mobile orders when the fundraiser code TJLER86 is entered at checkout. Proceeds from this fundraiser will be used to purchase sneakers for students in our district. We would greatly appreciate your support—consider taking a night off from cooking and joining us for a meal while helping a great cause.

The sign up sheet for donations for the Giving Tree will be coming soon. Please keep an eye out for Seesaw and Highland Elementary’s Facebook page. All donations go to students from Highland or in the district.

Students are invited to celebrate World Kindness Day on November 13th by wearing a Cardigan (similar to one that Mr. Rogers wore).

Highland will observe Children's Grief Awareness Day on November 18th. Students are invited to wear blue in acknowledgement of this day or dress as a superhero, representing Champions of Hope. The 2026 Children’s Grief Awareness Day theme is “Champions of Hope.” Champions of Hope are everyday heroes who help grieving children by offering understanding, encouragement, a listening ear, and a caring presence. A Champion of Hope can be a friend, teacher, coach, neighbor, family member, or anyone who helps a child feel seen and supported during a difficult time.

Join us for the next PTO meeting the first Monday in November. Come out to learn what's going on at Highland and share your ideas. We hope to see you there!

If you have any questions please feel free to reach out via email to Principal, Mr. Scharlau kscharlau@wssd.k12.pa.us

If your student is going to be absent, don't forget to email hgabsent@wssd.k12.pa.us.

Email: HGES-Office@wssd.k12.pa.us

PTO Facebook: Highland Elementary PTO, Camp Hill, PA