Highland Happenings
Volume 14, Week of November 22, 2021
Principal's Message
Dear Highland Families,
As we approach the Thanksgiving holiday, I pause to consider the things I am grateful for: being back with students, our beautiful new facility, a caring staff, partnership with parents and community, health, family and friends.
I know this has not been an easy year for many of our students. We continue to exist in a pandemic and many are still navigating how to function at school, follow expectations, and be a contributing member of our community. We appreciate your partnership and support when we reach out to communicate with you. There are two things that would greatly assist us. We need students to keep their hands to themselves AND put their phones away!
Social media, gaming, and texting are huge distractions during the day. If you haven't already, we encourage you to get involved with your student's phone and their habits. There are many parenting apps that allow you to control time, block specific apps, etc. Here is a link that offers a number of resources for parents/guardians. I encourage you to take a look and be aware of what your student is doing with their phone.
This is also becoming a problem with our own MS Teams usage. Students are utilizing the chat features on Teams for non-academic purposes, which sometimes becomes a problem with misusage. We are able to monitor this use to a certain degree, but we want to make you aware that this is occurring, often times during class time. Teachers are aware and are working to mitigate this during class, but it can be a challenge. Let's partner together so our kids can have healthy boundaries with technology use.
We care deeply about your children and wish you and your families much health and happiness over the four-day weekend.
In partnership,
Susan Thomas,
Principal
Every Eagle. Every Day. Every Way.
Cada águila. Cada día. En todos los sentidos
Highland Clubs, Activities, & Athletics
Signs of Suicide (SOS) Parent Discussion Session
This important community session will take place on Wednesday, December 8, starting at 6:00pm. Due to space capacity, families will be required to pre-register for the event.
Signs of Suicide (SOS) Parent Discussion Session
Due to overwhelming community request, the Family Engagement office in partnership with BSD Counseling, Mental Health Assistance Teams and community mental-health partners will offer families an additional opportunity to support the well-being of their students. This in-person Community Mental Health Forum will center on a discussion about the Signs of Suicide, or SOS.
SOS is an evidence-based youth suicide prevention program that teaches students how to identify signs of depression and suicide in themselves and others. The goal of the program is to decrease suicide and suicide attempts by increasing knowledge and changing attitudes about depression, suicide, and mental health. In addition, SOS provides materials that support families and communities to recognize at-risk students and take appropriate action.
In compliance with COVID-protocols, in-person attendance will be limited, and registration required. We request families to register early. This session will provide families an opportunity to ask detailed questions about depression, suicide, and mental health directly with district counselors. Please follow the links to register and submit questions.
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Session Date: Wednesday, December 8, 2021
Session Time: 6:00pm-7:30pm Session Registration: Registration Link: https://forms.office.com/r/riFA29dmFt (Please use the pull-down selection menu – located on the upper right corner of the form - to view the registration form in Spanish or Simplified Chinese).
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Funding Our Schools: February 8, 2022 Levies
One of these levies is the Educational Programs and Operations Levy. While the state provides some funding for our district, it is not enough to support our students’ needs. One critical position that is funded by the EP&O Levy is school nurses. The state funds just three full-time nurses for our entire district. Funding from the levy helps us employ 23 nurses districtwide to keep students healthy and safe. This levy also funds counselors and mental health supports and important programs like band, orchestra, and athletics. The EP&O Levy provides funding for critical staff and resources to ensure the wellbeing of our students and help them stay healthy and engaged.
More details about renewing the February 8, 2022 EP&O Levy as well as the Technology and Capital Projects levy are on the BSD School Levies page.
Participate in the Bellevue Thanksgiving Food Drive
Participate in the Bellevue Thanksgiving Food Drive
Each year, Families Helping Families organizes a food drive to support Bellevue School District families by providing them with Thanksgiving meals. Consider participating by making a donation. Every school that donates $600 or more will receive a special gift for their teachers. Please include your school's name with any donations.
Winter 2021 Resources and Updates
Highland Middle School
Email: thomass@bsd405.org
Website: https://bsd405.org/highland/
Location: 15027 NE Bel-Red Rd
Phone: (425) 456-6400