Message from the Superintendent

It should come as no surprise that the economic outlook for Florida is gloomy.  So how does that affect our public schools?  In two words: decreased funding.  Polk County School District receives the majority of our operating funds from state revenues.  When revenues are down, so is the funding source to educate our students.

The 2008-09 operating budget for Polk County Schools reflects more than a $42 million decrease in funding from the start of last year.  Some of the financial loss has been offset by increases in local property taxes as determined by state legislators.  How did we compensate for shortfalls in our budget?  Here are a few examples:  1) not filling 190 open non-instructional, non-teaching positions;  2) eliminating a contingency fund;  3) reducing departmental operating  budgets;  4) eliminating capital equipment budgets; and, 5) curtailing travel, including no longer subsidizing school field trips.  These are short term solutions that will work for a brief time, but we cannot sustain these gaps without unfavorably affecting the support system that serves our students. That being said, forecasts project that the State could further reduce our budget by another $13 million over the course of this school year.

I am  proud that we are consistently ranked among the best school districts in Florida for channeling dollars directly to the classroom and for having one of the lowest administrative cost plus, non-classroom, overhead expenses.  Our district is also ranked among the best in the state for having the lowest energy costs and most efficient transportation system. Further cuts will cause us to be even more frugal.  I ask for the community’s understanding and support in the wake of these difficult economic times.  Florida ranks 50^th in the nation for providing funds to public education.  We must work together to push our State leaders to identify a consistent source of adequate funding for school districts.  Our children deserve our best efforts in delivering a quality education.

Gail F. McKinzie, Ph.D.

Superintendent

Kindergarten News

Kindergarten is an exciting place to be this time of the year!  We are busy learning to read, learning to recognize numbers, learning about processes that shaped the Earth and preparing to celebrate Thanksgiving as we learn about the pilgrims and native Americans!

First Grade News

First grade is continuing to read and learn addition and subtraction facts in math. Please make sure that students are completing homework assignments independently.  These assignments correlate directly to what is being taught in class daily.   We have had a very successful first marking period and are looking to continue with great success!

Second Grade News

Second graders have been working very hard and are excited to have completed our first 9-weeks already!  The first DIBELS and Kaplan assessments have come and gone!  Now we are looking forward to visiting Theatre Winter Haven Academy to see the play, “The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe,” on November 5^th! 

In Reading, we are learning more about the various genres of books and specifically looking at fictional works.  We have finished up Place Value in Math, and have begun studying Patterns.  In Science, we are answering questions, such as, “What is Energy?” and “How can we use energy?”  As our country is getting ready for the Presidential Election, in Social Studies we are learning about our rights and responsibilities as citizens and the roles our leaders play.

This year at the Winter Bazaar Second Grade will be selling boiled peanuts at “The Nut House!”  We also encourage you to bid on the baskets in the silent auction.  The monies, this PTA function and others raise, help us purchase supplies and pay for field trips!   

As always, don’t forget to check Agendas and read every night!  Thanks for all your support we truly value our parents!

Third Grade News

The third grade classrooms all have our Smartboards up and running. We are having a great time learning to use them. We have started learning our multiplication facts. Please practice with your children. It is very important that they learn these facts. You can go to the website multiplication.com for many fun interactive multiplication games. Continue to have your children read for at least 15 minutes each evening. They are expected to earn at least 4 AR points with 80% or better comprehension each month. The reading homework that the children get on Monday should be done together. The point of this homework is for you to help them one on one practice some of the strategies that they will need when they take the FCAT in March. Please be sure to check your child’s HCE folder each Monday for their graded papers and notes about things going on at school. Thanks for all you do.

Fourth Grade News

Fourth graders are busy learning to be skilled readers and writers.  In science we are doing a unit on Energy.  Classes are busy making solar ovens, circuits and more.  We are taking a field trip on Wednesday, November 5^th to Winter Haven to see the play “The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe”.  Students are busy learning about the different genres in Literature.  In December we will be taking a field trip to finish out our Fantasy unit.  We are still actively doing our part to help the environment.  Watch for fourth graders to be wearing custom shirts on Thursdays when they pick up the recycling. 

Fifth Grade News

Our 5^th graders are beginning exciting new units this month. In language arts, we have been reading nonfiction stories and also working on narrative essays in writing. Our new science chapter is about “Energy” and we are learning about different forms such as kinetic and potential energy. In Social Studies, we are beginning a unit on colonization and the American Revolution. Math is all about division, patterns, and problem solving. It really helps if all 5^th graders not only learn their time tables well, but also basic division facts! All students should be reading nightly for AR too. We hope to see many parents for our first awards assembly on Thurs. 11/6 at 11:40 am!

Art News!

Thank you to everyone who participated in the Kids Tag Art fundraiser!  Your orders will be in before Winter break. 

Also, 5^th graders will need to bring in a recent photo of their face for our next art lesson.  A good quality copy will be fine, too.

Media News

BOOKFAIR NEWS:

THANK YOU! THANK YOU! Everyone who purchased from the HCE Book Fair, thank you. We are now able to purchase the new RED AR shirts! Red is the new color the 2008-09 AR shirts. Also, new books are on the way. Our thanks to Sheila Thomas for getting our volunteer moms to help with all of the student purchases. Volunteers are also busy checking every book in the library for AR stickers. These stickers are important because they tell students the new AR book levels and quiz numbers.

MEDIA NEWS: using the PCSB websites

This month: ABC-CLIO

Go to www.polk-fl.net, media specialists, online subscriptions, to ABC-CLIO These are the steps that all eleven 4^th and 5^th grade classes have used to navigate to this website in September media classes. We used this site to find latitude and longitude on maps. This is a great website for reports on countries or states!

In October we are using the same steps to get to the online subscription of WORLD BOOK KIDS. We found the PBS Democracy project. We are learning about our government, voting, and duties of the president using these PCSB websites.

Our K, 1, and 2 students will read books about elections in October too.

All students will actually vote for president on the morning of November 4^th at HCE as part of a county wide student voting project. Our votes will be turned into the District before noon. They tell us that for many presidential school votes in Polk County the student results correlate with the adult voting, we shall see! This project teaches democracy in action.

Accelerated Reading (AR)NEWS!!

Accelerated Reader awards will be presented at the November 6^th awards assemblies. The first nine week pizza lunch will take place on November 13^th. Those who qualify will be those students who earn the following points with an 80% average.

Kindergarten (20 points)    First Grade (40 points)                        Second Grade (60 points)

Third grade (80 points)                       Fourth grade (100 points)  Fifth grade (120 points)

Not only do students enjoy the pizza but they also get their new RED AR shirt!

All students are making a great effort  to adjust to the new version of AR! It began a month later than last year. Mrs. Snapp is confident that our AR awards will be enjoyed by all as the year progresses. To help with the AR effort, we are open for the new checkouts and AR tests most mornings from 7:45-8:15am. Come visit us!

OPEN LIBRARY NIGHT!!!

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 13^th, please come with your student!

We look forward to our first open library night. It will be from 6:00-8:00 pm in the HCE media center. Parents who are curious about AR(Accelerated Reader) and students will be involved with Accelerated Reader books and book tests, checking out new books, and learning about the PCSB online subscriptions. Please come! There will be prizes every 15 minutes.

Adopt-a-Classroom

Did you ever wonder how you might be able to help support learning within the classroom?  Maybe you’d like to donate, but you just don’t know where to begin.  Perhaps you work for a company that is interested in being involved with public education through tax-deductible classroom donations. We are reaching out to the Highland City Community to help us inspire our students to reach their highest potential. Adopt-A-Classroom (www.adoptaclassroom.org) is a non-profit organization that offers an easy and accountable way for you to donate funds to classrooms and help make a real difference for teachers and students.

All donations are tax-deductible. 100% of the donation goes to the classroom. Adopt-A-Classroom takes $0 out for administration. Teachers use online catalogs to purchase classroom materials and you receive an itemized list of exactly how your donation was spent.  Many of our teachers have already registered with Adopt-a-Classroom.  We encourage you to check out the website and become involved.  If you have any questions, please feel free to speak with Mrs. Keyes regarding how you can help make a difference! 

HCE’s Hornets Nest

New this year!

The computer lab will be open from 7:45 am until 8:15 am.  Third, fourth, and fifth grade students are welcome to work on  Odyssey or get help with their homework.  It is on a first come first serve basis.  We have room for 30 students.  For a head start to your day, come join us at the Hornet’s Nest!  Volunteers welcome!

 PRIDE Team

PRIDE Team has a case of disco fever!  The song You Should Be Dancin’ has influenced our theme for this year, ‘You should be dancin’…not doing drugs.’  Every Tuesday we have been shakin’ our groove thing to learn our dance.   We have all been working extremely hard and have the sore legs to prove it.  PRIDE decorated the school for Red Ribbon Week which was October 27^th through October 31^st.  Hopefully you caught a glimpse of us on the news show performing a sneak peak of You Should Be Dancin’.  On Saturday October 18^th the PRIDE Team had their first ever GCF Afternoon.  GCF stands for good clean fun!  While we do dance and play we also are learning about the negative affects of drugs and alcohol and ways to avoid them.  We thought we should show them how to have some good clean fun.  Team members invited their families out for an afternoon at Mary Holland Park.  Mrs. Little and Mrs. Samples brought their families and joined in on the event.  We had a blast hanging out with everyone!  Thanks to all the parents/faculty members that have been so supportive and a BIG thanks to our fourth and fifth grade members.  Remember, together we can make the future brighter!    

Please help fourth grade with our SPCA Wish List Drive. We are collecting the following items: dog and cat treats, dog and cat food, kitty toys, stainless steel dog and cat bowls, gallon Ziploc freezer bags, towels, blankets, pet crates/carriers (new or gently used), bleach, paper towels, Simple Green, rubber gloves, latex gloves, glass cleaner, liquid soap, postage stamps, white copy paper, Avery labels (5160 & 5163), extra fine blue Sharpies, and 1” to 3” binders.

Clinic

The clinic still needs lots of shorts.

PTA Corner

I hope everyone had an enjoyable evening at the Open House and General PTA meeting.  It is always nice to see what our child/children have been doing at school.  The students are always proud to show off their accomplishments.  We want to thank the Teachers for their hard work and dedication to our school and students.

Our volunteers have been hard at work.  I want to thank all those volunteers who helped with the Book Fair, those who have been helping Mrs. Snapp with the AR labeling, those who help teachers by making copies for their classrooms, those who help in the classroom each week, and those who help in other volunteer roles.  We need and appreciate your help. If you have not had a chance to fill out and turn in your Volunteer form please take a few moments to do so.

If you are unfamiliar with what PTA does, it is an advocate for your child.  Each year representatives attend the state legislation in Tallahassee to present important platforms that concern the well being of our children.  If you would like to be one of these representatives please let me know. I would like to take this opportunity to invite you to join PTA if you have not already done so.  The cost is only $4.00.

If you are a member of PTA we are offering our Spring Fundraiser Players Edge cards for $5.00 (one per membership).  If you are not a member they will cost $10.00.  This card has over $250.00 worth of discounts to restaurants and AMF bowling.  We will also be offering discounts to PTA members for the purchase of Carnival tickets.  So join PTA today and take advantage of these wonderful discounts. 

Please put December 9^th on your calendar.  This is the day of our Winter Bazaar.  Beginning at 5:00, we will have a BBQ dinner and family fun for all.  Don’t forget to come by the office beginning Dec 1^st and check out the wonderful baskets we will be auctioning.

Don’t forget our theme this year, “EMPOWER OUR KIDS.” 

Karen Lentz

PTA President

Volunteers Needed!!!

Now, more than ever before, a school volunteer has a tremendous impact on a student’s success in school. Any time invested is sure to yield high returns. We encourage each of you to check your schedules and see what day and time you would be able to render your services. There are many ways in which you could help. We need help with art projects, clerical work, science projects, the yearbook, mentoring, reading with students,  field trips, the P.E. Showcase, the Art & Music Showcase, our Spring Carnival, fundraisers and much more. You must be approved by the School Board before volunteering. Forms are in the front office if you have not gone through the approval process yet. Thank you in advance for all of your help!

FCAT Explorer

FCAT Explorer is now available online to all third, fourth and fifth grade students. The web address is http://www.fcatexplorer.com. This program allows your child to practice reading if he/she is in 3rd or 4th grade and math if he/she is in 5th grade.  Both are in the FCAT test format. See your child's teacher for login, username and password information.

WebGrades

If your child is in grades 1-5, you can access their current grade averages online. To take advantage of this opportunity, you will need to complete a form for each child whose grades you wish to access. This form will need to be notarized and returned by the student, or the parent must return the form to the school personally and produce picture identification. Once the parent information has been entered into the system, a password will be automatically generated and emailed to the email address provided by the parent along with a link to the web site where the grades will be made available.

The school will not maintain a password list. To use the web site, the parent will enter the child’s student ID and the password.  If you have questions, please e-mail our network manager/technology specialist, Mary Pearce at mary.pearce@polk-fl.net.

Recycle Ink Jet Cartridges & Cell Phones

Please do not throw away your empty ink jet cartridges or cell phones; bring them to the office. Our school will recycle the cartridges and phones and earn extra money to go into our Highland City Elementary Scholarship Fund.

NOTICE TO BUILDING OCCUPANTS AND PARENTS

NOTIFICATION OF INSPECTION FOR ASBESTOS CONTAINING MATERIALS IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has issued a final rule, 40 CFR Part 763, Asbestos Containing Material in schools, commonly referred to as AHERA.  This rule requires all Local Education Agencies (LEA’s) to identify asbestos containing materials (ACM) in their school buildings and to take appropriate actions to control release of asbestos fibers.

All inspections for Highland City Elementary have been completed and a Management Plan describing the results of the inspection and the action plan to control any asbestos found during the inspection, where applicable, has been submitted to the Governor for approval.  A copy of this plan is located in the administrative office of this school and at the District School Board of Polk County Environmental and Safety Department and is available for review upon request.

Office Depot, Staples, Target

Every time you shop at Office Depot, our school receives credit equal to 5% of the qualifying purchase to use for free supplies. All you need to do is tell Office Depot to credit school # 70021614 and our school will be given credit for your purchase.

When shopping at Staples, give our Rewards # 0123861120, and our school will receive 5% back, up to $120.00 per school year, to be spent at Staples.

Target also rewards our school.  If you have a Target card or a Target Visa, please indicate to Target that you want your purchases to be credited toward Highland City Elementary.  Once you do this, it will automatically credit our school with every purchase.

Odyssey

Odyssey, the learning program used in our computer lab, is available to students online from home. The web address is http://odyssey.polk-fl.net   Once there, the student will log in with his/her student ID#, birth month and  birth day. The student ID is only the last six digits and will be used for the user name. The birthday requires two digits for month and two digits for day of month so June 6^th would be 0606 while December 6^th would be 1206.