Season s Greetings Highland Parents, Guardians, Grandparents and community members;

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1 Highland Newsletter Volume 3 December 2016 Editor: Logan Droegmiller Superintendent s Corner Season s Greetings Highland Parents, Guardians, Grandparents and community members; December is here and the end of 2016 is near. Your school board has made an excellent decision about this December. This year we will take our first semester tests and finish the semester on December 21st, so the holiday break will truly be a holiday break. No assignments to finish and no final exams to study for when your child returns to school on January 3rd. Over the last couple of years our school board and Principal have done a wonderful job of meeting the Idaho requirements to graduate and still allow our students to move forward faster academically or branch off into individual areas of academic interest. We have seven class periods a day and if your child passes six class periods a semester, they would actually meet the requirements to graduate. This leaves one period a semester for our students to choose their own academic destiny. Online education expands our small rural campus exponentially by allowing students access to an abundance or variety of courses. However, there are growing pains with online learning because students need to learn how to learn online. Idaho studies have shown that the average final grade for a middle school student s first online class is 71.57%. The second class grade average is 84.07%, and the third online class average grade is 88.71%. As a parent or guardian please take the time to ensure your child is comfortable with online classes before they reach the 9th grade. From the 9th grade on, your child s grade point average matters if they plan to pursue a post secondary education at a four year college or trade school. Please take the time to plan ahead by visiting with our Counselor, Bill Gehring, or Principal, Dr. Sarah Hatfield. Here are some characteristics of a successful online student. Keep in mind some of these characteristics are learned or acquired during those first few online academic experiences. Proficient Readers Basic Computer Skills Goal-Oriented Independent Learners Proficient Communicator Set a Schedule and Meet Deadlines Not Easily Frustrated Happy Holidays! By Brad Baumberger 1

2 Principal s Corner The holiday season is upon us, which can be a stressful time, so good luck with dinners, family, traveling, and shopping. A couple of reminders regarding break times: Christmas break is from Thursday, December 22-Monday, January 2, so no school on Thursday, December 22 or Monday, January 2. Thanks to all the parents and guardians who attended Parent/Teacher conferences. Not only are conferences a great time to find out how your child is doing socially and academically, it is a nice time to get to know the teacher(s). This year we changed up the secondary conferences a little bit because of some behavior exhibited by a couple of parents last year that made the teachers feel unsafe. We are aware that there are some tweaks that need to be made, and we are addressing those. The spring parent/teacher conferences will be student led, with students presenting their portfolios to their parents. Elementary will occur in their classroom, while secondary will be in the gym. Our first attempt for Muffins for Moms was a success. Thank you to all the moms, grandmas and aunts that attended. Also, big thanks to Bill Heath for helping to set-up/clean-up, and Amanda Beck for ordering the supplies and helping out on the day of the event. The students loved it and talked about it for the rest of the day. For our first time doing it we had a pretty good turnout; I hope next years is even better. We will be having Donuts for Dads in the spring. A big thanks to Marcia Brammer, Audra Dau, Melanie Wynott, Lindsey Woltering, Kenzie Bovey, and Starla Schumacher for traveling to Lewiston for the lottery scratch off. A total of $364 was scratched off for money that we can use for supplies and curriculum. Congratulations to all our students who achieved perfect attendance and were on the honor roll for the 1st quarter. Also, congratulations to our students of the month for September, October, and November. Nathan Case, Emma Johnson, and Chiara Stigum were students of the month for the high school, and Payton Crow, Chani Brammer, and Amanda Nutt were for the junior high. Student of the month is chosen from teacher nominated students based on attributes of the PACK. Winter is coming, which means students, especially our elementary students, need to be dressed appropriately. Hats, gloves, coats and boots are all essential elements to students staying healthy when it s cold. During the winter months we usually have recess outside, unless the weather is hazardous, so elementary students that are not dressed appropriately for winter conditions will not be allowed to go outside for recess. If your child is in need of these items, please do not hesitate to contact the school and we can see what we can do to help you out. Upcoming Events: Elementary Concert, Thursday, December 1 Secondary Concert, Thursday, December 8 Secondary Finals: December End of 1st Semester: December 21 By Dr. Sarah Hatfield 2

3 Christmas Concerts Elementary is December 1st at 7pm Grades 7-12 is December 8th at 7pm Highland Cross Country Congrats to The Cross Country team making it to State! 3

4 Veteran s Day Assembly On November 10th, students, community members, and local veterans gathered in the high school gym to honor Veteran s Day hosted by the senior government class. The assembly started off with the singing of the National Anthem by Sandy Riggers and the introduction of local veterans by Mr. Gehring and Chiara Stigum. Keith Hall then gave a speech about veterans and their sacrifices. Following that, five Quilts of Valor were awarded to area veterans by Emma Johnson. Lori Tautfest, Lynn Johnson, and Emma Johnson, for the past year, have created five quilts to be given to very deserving veterans. Tom Puckett, Joe Zenner, Don Travis, Don Johnston, and Bob Miller all received Quilts of Valor. After the quilts had been awarded, Sandy Riggers gave a presentation on the flag and its meaning. This presentation included moving stories about veterans, their sacrifices, and their great bravery. Once the assembly was over, students thanked veterans for their service to our country and the visiting veterans were invited to stay afterwards for dessert. By: Emma Johnson 4

5 HIGHLAND JOINT SCHOOL DISTRICT #305 PO BOX 130 CRAIGMONT, ID Non-Profit Organization US Postage Paid Permit No. 4 Craigmont, ID ECRWSS Highland School District Patron