Dear Highland Park Parents,
On behalf of the staff at Highland Park, we are happy to welcome you to the 2020-2021 school year! We are looking forward to a productive partnership with you to ensure our children can achieve their highest potential. We recognize this partnership is more crucial than ever with the addition of remote learning. We also understand the burden remote learning places on our families, and we will do all we can to work as a team to support our students to be successful in school. We know a strong partnership with you will make a great difference in your child’s education. As partners, we share the responsibility for our children’s success and want you to know that we will do our very best to carry out our responsibilities. We ask that you guide and support your child’s learning by ensuring that he/she:
· Logs into Canvas daily to review schedules and receive assignments for the day/week
· Participates in daily instructional Zoom sessions
· Reads daily to develop a love for reading and to improve literacy skills
· Informs you and the teacher if he/she needs additional support in any area or subject
· Knows that you expect him/her to engage in learning remotely as if in the classroom
Class Assignments
We are finishing up class rosters and will be sending an email to your child through your email account which will identify their classroom teacher by the end of this week. Please read it to your child as this is also a welcome letter to them from their principals. Please also be aware we will not be making changes to class placements.
Meet, Greet, and Assess (August 25th-September 4th)
You will be receiving an email with a sign-up Genius link to sign up for a time to come in between August 25th and September 4th to meet your child’s teacher, learn how to access Canvas, and receive a bag of supplies and technology devices. Your child will also receive the Acadience reading assessment while in attendance. We are scheduling one-hour appointments with each student and their parent. We can only have up to 6 people in the room at one time. We will adhere to social distancing and face covering guidelines. If you are unable to physically come in, put a note in the Sign-up Genius that you would prefer a Zoom appointment. We will have some Highland Park shirts available for sale on these days. Your child will receive an Otter Pop from the principals as they depart from the building.
First Week of School
School will begin officially on September 8th. Official start and end times of instruction will be communicated soon. All students are expected to log in at the start of each day. Attendance will be taken daily. All classes will begin with a morning classroom meeting. This is a great time for them to see their peers and connect as a class. On each Wednesday, you will receive your child’s schedule for the following week. Please reach out to the teacher and administration if you are not receiving the schedule.
Communication
Highland Park administrators will send out a weekly Friday Flash with important events, classroom highlights, and other updates along with a monthly newsletter. Please watch for this communication. There are times when we need to text out information quickly, so please ensure your information is correct in Power School and opt in for the district messages. Directions to opt in are on the district website. Please know you can always email your child’s teacher or a member of the administration at any time. Your child’s teacher will also be collecting your communication preference at your appointment time. Communication will be key to navigating these uncharted waters. Please be proactive and reach out if you have a concern or need assistance.
School Spirit
We are encouraging our students to wear their Highland Park shirts or school colors on Fridays to support ONE HP which stands for “Open to All; Not Alone; and Encourage Others”.
New Teachers to HP
We would like to introduce our new teachers to Highland Park. We have Michelle Cook joining our 2nd grade team, Kasee Zaugg joining our 4th grade team, and Kassie Torres joining our 5th grade team.
PTA
Please consider joining our school PTA and take advantage of opportunities to volunteer as our students can greatly benefit from your involvement and contributions to the school’s programs and its operations. The PTA website is http://highlandparkpta.com/
The wonderful Highland Park staff and the admin team feel privileged to be a part of this school family. We thank you for your support and look forward to meeting you.
Sincerely,
Debora Cluff Shannon Higgins
Highland Park Principal Assistant Principal
801-481-4833 Ext. 108 801-481-4833 Ext. 107
