November 10, 2008

Take

Note

Calendar Highlights

Tues. November 11 Veteran‟s Day School/Offices Closed No EDP Care or Activities Family Center Closed Wed. 12 Deadline to submit the EDP Spring Contract Addendum Wed. - Fri. 12 - 14 Middle School Exams Schedule on page 2 under Short Notes Fri. 14 First Grade Play for Parents 8:15 a.m. Spencer Center First Grade Play for Students 10:00 a.m. First Trimester Ends Fri. 21 Preschool Pajama Day All School Community Meeting-Irish Dancing Middle School Dance 6:00-9:00 p.m. GYM Tues. 25 Employee Recognition Community Meeting Noon Dismissal - ALL Wed. - Fri. 26 - 28 Thanksgiving Holidays School/Offices Closed Mon. December 1 Financial Aid Packets Available from Business Office

Attention EDP Parents:

There will be no EDP activities or care offered

on Veteran‟s Day, November 11

th.

Also, please see page 4 for the Spring 2009 Contract Addendum

Highlands School

4th Grade Students’ Artwork

on Display

The fourth grade fall landscape paintings are now

on display at Zoe‟s in Crestline Village. Please drop by the restaurant to view our students work. Also, if you discover a

painting you cannot live without you may purchase the artwork for $20 each.

All proceeds from the sale of the artwork will benefit

Highlands School.

Great job 4th graders!

Dear Parents,

Amy Mendel and I arrived back in the United States last night after spending two weeks in China. The first week we led a group of 56 students, parents, and faculty through Shanghai, Suzhou, and Nanjing. The second week, we attended the International Principals‟ Forum in Yangzhou and Beijing. We joined heads of school, principals, and superintendents from the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, the United States, India, Italy, and China.

Ms. Mendel and I experienced everything from sleeping on a crowded night train and eating seaweed, jellyfish, and tripe to meeting the governor of Jiangsu Province and connecting with principals for potential school trips in the future. On the last night of the Principals‟ Forum, we ate Peking Duck, duck hearts, and other assorted dishes with officials from Beijing. Then we gathered on the bus for one last trek to the hotel. Rob from Australia stood up and asked if we would be willing to sing our individual National Anthems. Country by country, we stood up and expressed our love for our individual countries. The Australians belted, and the British sang softly; the Americans struggled with high notes, and the Indian Minister of Education sang proudly. Tears touched most of our cheeks by the end, and with a need for levity, the Australians sang “Waltzing Matilda,” and Ms. Mendel and I led the group in “Oh, Susannah.”

We had spent a week exploring ways to prepare our students for the changing world, discussing ways to be better leaders for our schools, and figuring out how much we all have in common. In the end, though, we were all excited to go back to the countries and schools we love.

As I walked onto the Highlands School campus this morning, I said thank you for enthusiastic children, amazing teachers, green grass, blue skies, yellow leaves, clean air, democracy, and a job I love. There‟s no place like home.

Kathryn Woodson Barr

Page 2

HIGHNOTES

Short

Notes

Middle School Exam Schedule

1st

Trimester 2008

Wednesday, November 12

6th Grade – English and Foreign

Language 7

th Grade – Math and Foreign

Language 8

th Grade – Math and Foreign

Language

Thursday, November 13

6th Grade – Social Studies

7th Grade – Science

8th Grade – English

Friday, November 14

6th Grade – Math and Science

7th Grade – English and Social

Studies 8

th Grade – Social Studies and

Science

ATTENTION PARENTS, TEACHERS and STUDENTS!

It will be here

before you know it! GIRL SCOUT

COOKIE TIME!

Highlands 1st

grade troop # 32 will be selling girl scout cookies starting as early as January or February. Be thinking of all those different type of cookies you would like to buy for loved ones, teachers, and of course yourself! If you or a group have an upcoming event after the first of the year that you would like for the troop to come and sell cookies, please contact:

Mandy Vinyard (avinyard@bellsouth.net),

Tanya Nix (tanya06@bellsouth.net) or

Kellye Allen (kelleallen@bellsouth.net).

Highlands‟ students and families are encouraged to participate in

this year. The Middle School has placed giant block letters spelling out “HUNGER” in the back of the Spencer Center. Our goal this year is to „block out‟ the letters with food donations for the less fortunate this holiday season. All food donations will be donated to Magic City Harvest. Students are encouraged to bring in items on Wednesdays and Fridays so that they can place their items on the letters before and after Community Meeting each week. Please bring non-perishable items such as boxed and canned food. (Also, be sure to check the expiration dates on the donations.) BLOCK OUT HUNGER will begin on Monday, November 10

th and

continue until Monday, November 24th. Let‟s all make a difference

together!

On October 31 of each school year a time-honored tradition takes place on Highlands School campus. There are many traditions throughout the school year such as Teddy Bear Day, Fall Festival, and even the 100th Day of School Hat Day. However, the First Grade Halloween Costume Parade is the time in which our first grade students are able to shine. The students come to school dressed in their Halloween finest (and sometimes scariest) and parade around the Quad to show off their costumes to their fellow students. With special music provided by our very own Mr. Mac this year‟s First Grade class proudly carried on this tradition. From parents to even the students in the Family Center, everyone en-joyed seeing the costumes as the students walked around the Quad. Thank you First Grade for helping to carry on the traditions of Highlands School!

HIGHNOTES Page 3

Dear Highlands Families: Get out your khaki! The Book Fair Safari is coming up. To begin to build excitement about our book fair we began collecting donations for ONE for BOOKS this week, and will continue collecting them until the book fair opens. This year, one of our Scholastic Book Fair goals is to put more books in our classroom libraries. You can help us meet our goal by participating in One for Books. All of the money collected through One for Books goes directly to purchasing books for your child‟s classroom. Students will sign an acacia leaf book slip for every dollar they donate to add to their class tree. Scholastic will match the monetary donations raised with a donation of up to one mil-lion books to three non-profit organizations dedicated to helping kids and families in need. Their partner organizations are: Kids in Distressed Situations, Inc., National Center for Family Literacy, and the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation. Please send your donation to school with your child. Checks should be made out to Highlands School, and will not be deposited until after the book fair in early December. On behalf of our students and teachers, thank you! We hope you can visit our Family Fun Night- the Book Fair Safari kick off in the Learn-ing Center from 2:30 until 7:30 on Wednesday, December 3, 2008. Plan to visit Family Fun Night between 5:30 and 7:30 for our P.J. Story time, we will have guest readers, fun snacks, and make binoculars for our safari! Sincerely, Ms. Baker and the Scholastic Book Fair Parents Auxiliary Committee

HIGHNOTES Page 4

Highlands School Extended Day Program

Spring 2009 Contract Addendum

Dear Highlands’ Parents:

As we approach the Spring Semester, please choose the appropriate EDP care and activity options for your

child(ren). The deadline is November 12th, 2008!

You may choose to keep the same contract choices as the Fall Semester (no need to do anything*).

You may choose to add an activity or EDP package to your contract.

You may choose to discontinue an activity or EDP package from your contract.

If you do nothing, all your choices will remain the same and you will be billed!

Simply fill out this form to make these changes. If your child did not participate in EDP in the Fall, either for

EDP care or activities, you will need to fill out a 2008-2009 Extended Program or After School Activities

Contract. I can email it to you directly or you may pick one up at school. Look over the contract to see what

Highlands School Extended Day Program has to offer! We have lots of cool activities. If you are unsure if an

activity is open, feel free to contact me with any questions. Gabe McCool at 956-9731 ext. 105 or

gmccool@highlandsschool.org

*If you would like things to remain the same,

you do not have to do anything and you will be billed accordingly.

_____ Please add our child ___________________ to _______ __ for the cost of $__ ___.

Activity

_____ Please add our child ________________________ to ______________________

EDP Package

Check the days.

___ Monday ___ Tuesday ___ Wednesday ___ Thursday ___ Friday

_____ Please drop our child _____________________ from ______________________.

Activity

_____ Please drop our child _____________________ from ______________________.

EDP Package

Check the days.

Please select from above, fill out and sign the contract. Return the contract to the business office no later than

November 12th.. If you wish to keep the same contract choices, there is no need to turn in this form. If form

is not received by deadline, you will automatically be billed for continued participation.

Witness our hands this day of , 2008. THE HIGHLANDS DAY SCHOOL FOUNDATION By Father’s Signature or Legal Guardian’s Signature Extended Day Program Director

Effective Date: Mother’s Signature or Legal Guardian’s Signature Please print names as signed above

___ Monday ___ Tuesday ___ Wednesday ___ Thursday ___ Friday