Highlander Charter School
District Newsletter - February 2022
Important Dates:
February 1st-4th: MAPS testing grades 2,4 & 6
February 3rd-4th: ACCESS Listening test Warren
February 1st: Basketball Game Home vs N. Smithfield
February 3rd: Basketball Game Away vs Times2
February 4th: Distance Learning Day
February 4th: Basketball Game Away vs Juanita Sanchez
February 5th: Basketball Game Away vs BVP
February 7th-11th: Warren - ACCESS testing Reading & Speaking
February 7th: Basketball Game Away vs Ponagansett
February 9th: Basketball Game Away vs Exeter/EG
February 11th: 8th Grade Town Hall
February 11th: Basketball Game Home vs Moses Brown
February 14th-17th: Warren ACCESS Writing test & Makeups
February 15th: Basketball Game Home vs Hope HS (Senior Night)
February 17th: SIT Meeting 5:00pm- Via Zoom
February 21st-25th: Winter Recess
Dear Highlander Families,
I understand it can be frustrating to have the RI Department of Health guidelines differ from our school guidelines around COVID 19, however, RIDOH’s guidelines are the minimum standard we must meet. We are able to have stricter guidelines if we feel it is in the best interest of our community. Over the past 2 years, we have managed to obtain the spread of Covid in our school. The CDC has decreased quarantine times at the same time the Omicron Variant has hit. We know this variant spreads more easily and more quickly. We also know it is affecting children more than the original virus or the Delta Variant. For these reasons we have decided to maintain our current COVID protocols at least until February Break.
Highlander is gearing up for renewal and we will be reaching out to families to participate in a focus group with RIDE. The meeting will be via ZOOM, not in person. RIDE will be meeting with the Board, the administration, members of the staff and students, as well. All of these meetings will take place February 17th and 18th. After the meetings, RIDE will schedule site visits to visit the schools and see our programs in action. I will keep you posted on our progress as we move through the renewal process.
Stay Safe!
Mrs. Grant
Elementary School
Middle School
High School
Family Engagement
Our children are going to have challenges throughout their lives no matter how old they are. These past many months of the global pandemic have been challenging in so many ways, but there will be other challenges that children will encounter in all areas of their lives, whether in school, at home, or at work in their future careers. Recently, the Child Mind Institute presented a list of 12 tips to help raise confident kids who are willing to take a risk, accept failure, and to persevere when faced with difficult things. You can read the full article here, and see a summary of their 12 tips below.
- Model confidence in yourself
- Encourage them to try new things
- Praise perseverance
- Set goals
- Expect them to pitch in
- Set them up for success
- Don’t get upset about mistakes
- Allow kids to fail
- Help kids find their passion
- Celebrate effort
- Embrace imperfection
- Show your love
Attendance Matters!
Help your teen stay engaged
• Find out if your children feel engaged by their classes, and feel safe from bullies and other threats.
• Make sure your children are not missing class because of challenges with behavioral issues or school discipline policies. If any of these are problems, contact the school and work with them to find a solution.
• Monitor you child’s academic progress and seek help from teachers or tutors when necessary. Make sure teachers know how to contact you.
• Stay on top of your child’s social contacts. Peer pressure can lead to skipping school, while students without many friends can feel isolated.
• Encourage your child to join meaningful after-school activities, including sports and clubs.
• Notice and support your children if they are showing signs of anxiety.
Playground News!
Last year we raised enough money to build a playground for our youngest learners! Now,
thanks to the generosity of our staff, families and community members we will be rebuilding the playground in Providence during summer break!
We can’t wait to see the smiling faces of students when they return to school next Fall!
Career Pathway Coming Soon!
We have gathered a Design Team that includes, teachers, administrators, parents, community partners and most importantly, students, to create a Career and Technical Education (CTE) Pathway for Teachers! Our goal is to create a sustainable program that will serve as the foundation for future programs. More to come as the team moves forward!
401 Gives Coming on April 1st!
Watch for next month’s newsletter where we will tell you how to get involved! This year we are raising funds to rebuild the sports fields in Warren for Soccer and Softball! Everyone can help make a difference. Hope we can count on you!
Don’t forget to like us on Facebook, join our Facebook Family Engagement page and subscribe to our Youtube Channel!
Did you know that when you are shopping for everyday items you can help our students? The link Amazon Smile will take you directly to Amazon Smile for Highlander! AmazonSmile is a simple way for you to support Highlander every time you shop, at no cost to you. AmazonSmile is available at smile.amazon.com on your web browser and can be activated in the Amazon Shopping app for iOS and Android phones. When you shop at AmazonSmile, you’ll find the exact same low prices, vast selection and convenient shopping experience as Amazon.com, with the added benefit that AmazonSmile will donate 0.5% of your eligible purchases to Highlander Charter School if you designate us!
Shoutouts!
BIG shoutout to our testing team. Thank you for all you do to keep us safe. *Note: not everyone was able to be in the picture.
To 2nd & 4th grade team- Student active engagement and over 100% participation in Imagine Learning.
To Mrs. Hoxsie from Mrs. Piekarski: Your guidance, support, and resources! Thanks for being a great partner in a crazy year!
From a student in Highlander to Mrs. Gonsalves: She is a very good teacher and gives great personal advice.
From Madison to Lori-Ann for helping me with an ixl.
From Ms. Laguerre to Period 4 Exploring Lit class for: Sharing your talents! Special Shout out to Jace for droppin bars and singing! Someone get this kid a record deal!
To Ms. Jeanne, Mrs. Grant, Mr. Stringer and Jove from Pat for: spending time over the past two days observing the Debate Team debate each other in class. We are all extremely grateful for your presence, praise, and feedback.
Connect with us
Providence: 401-277-2600
Warren: 401-247-3585
Class Dojo : https://www.classdojo.com/
Mrs. Grant: rgrant@hc.school
Mrs. Roseberry (ES): jpicciotti@hc.school
Mr. Pabst (MS): wpabst@hc.school
Mr. Willard (HS): mwillard@hc.school
Email: info@hc.school
Website: highlandercharter.org
Phone: 401-277-2600
Twitter: @highlanderChart