Highland Happenings
For the Week of October 12, 2020
From the Principal's Desk
Dear Highland Families,
It was wonderful to see so many of you last Saturday at the Ice Cream Drive-Thru! We had a very nice event with quite a few families stopping by (or driving thru, as the case was). Many thanks to our PTSA families for making this happen. It reminded me how very much I miss our students.
We've heard a lot of information regarding the "Pivot-to-Hybrid." Please be sure to keep up with the most updated information by viewing the BSD website https://bsd405.org/full-remote-to-full-in-person-learning/. If I've learned anything through this pandemic, it's that none of us have all the answers, and it is impossible to please all the people all the time. It seems cliche to say it after 7 months, but we have never been through this before and we must all remember to give each other grace and understanding.
I'm excited to announce that we had our ASB (Associated Student Body or as we call it at Highland - All Students Belong) Kickoff meeting this past Wednesday during asynchronous time. It was fantastic seeing students come together, sharing their reasons for joining. Stay tuned for more information about student clubs and activities!
I am so happy to be a part of this community. Thank you for all you continue to do for your students and for each other. At a time when it would be easy to focus on our differences, I hope that we can take time to celebrate all of the things we have in common.
With gratitude,
Susan Thomas
Principal
Book Pick Up
8th Grade Students/Families - You need to have the novel The Outsiders for your Language Arts class!
We have books set aside for ALL 7th and 8th grade students and should be picked up at the "new" Highland. Ms. Tigre will be distributing them this Wednesday afternoon from 12:30-2:30 for those of you who have not yet picked them up.
How do I check my student's assignments?
1. You should be getting a weekly email from Teams on Sunday morning. This email
- Lists all the work that has been assigned to your student
- Your student (not the teacher) has control over the “Turn In” button.
2. If you go into Teams, under the assignment section, you can see:
- All assignments that are currently assigned and not turned in.
- You can expand the “completed” section to see assignments that were marked “turned in” by your student.
- A check mark means the teacher has looked at the assignment and returned it to your student. This is a good place to check for feedback from the teacher.
How do I check my student's grades?
1. Log into ParentVUE https://wa-bsd405-psv.edupoint.com/PXP2_Login_Parent.aspx?regenerateSessionId=True
- If you have not logged in before you will need to click on “activate account”
- If you don’t have your activation key, please email stockdalem@bsd405.org
2. Click on Grade Book on the left side of the page.
3. To look at your student’s assignments, click on the class name. There are three different views at the top, all of which are valuable in various ways.
- Assignment View is the best view to start with. This provides a list of assignments, the grades on those assignments and comments from the teacher.
- Standards View will provide a look at what standards are being worked on in class as well as a rubric for the standards-based grading scale.
- Course Content View will provide an overview but is a bit hard to read. This is a good place to find a syllabus or grading scales specific to each class. Percentages in this view are not accurate if teachers are using standards-based grading.
If you have questions about your student’s assignments or grades, please email their teacher for clarification.
#WeAreHighland/#SomosHighland
community forums on mental health survey
In order to inform, support and empower families, the Bellevue School District is developing a series of forums on mental health to address the needs of our students and families. These virtual events are a collaboration between the district’s counseling program, SEL (social-emotional learning) curriculum developers, the family engagement team and our community partners. To make these forums relevant to our students and families, we are asking Bellevue School District families to help identify topics and concerns you would like to see addressed.
Please fill out this brief survey to share your thoughts with us by Wednesday, October 13, 2020. Responses will be used only to shape the presentations offered.
health & safety town hall
In the coming weeks, we will host a virtual Health & Safety Town Hall meeting for our learning community. This meeting will provide more detailed information on the health and safety protocols we will be putting in place to protect health in our learning communities once students return to in-person learning.
Save the Date:
- Health & Safety Town Hall, Thursday, October 15, 4 p.m. – 5 p.m., Microsoft Teams
Our Family Connections Centers are OPEN to all BSD students and families! Our Centers have FREE food, hygiene items and cleaning supplies on hand. Our locations and hours are:
Stevenson Elementary: 10AM – 4PM, M-F
Lake Hills Elementary: 9AM – 3PM, M-F
Sammamish High School, Hours TBD
Application for Free and Reduced-Priced Meals (F/R Meals):
Please be sure to sign up for F/R Meals ASAP if you haven’t already done so. F/R Meal status may qualify you for assistance programs that become available this year. To receive help with this process from someone in Nutrition Services or to check to see if your form has been completed, please call: 425-456-4507 between 7AM-3:30PM.
Free and Reduced-Priced Meal Application (the Fee Waiver is in part 5 and is important to complete as well): https://bsd405.org/services/nutrition-services/free-reduced/
This year we are asking all families to complete the Family Connections Welcome form here: https://familyconnections.bsd405.org Completing this form will help ensure that we are able to connect students to the programs they need. Please keep in mind these programs are not guaranteed and are subject to change.
Please reach out to Liliana Benavides, Family Engagement Specialist, if you have any questions. benavidesl@bsd405.org
additional flu clinic dates added
Additional dates for drive-thru flu vaccinations have been added for October.
More information is available on our website.
All dates and times below are at Odle Middle School:
- Tuesday, October 13, 2020, 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
- Wednesday, October 14, 2020, 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
- Thursday, October 15, 2020, 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
BSF Fall Campaign
Students are struggling to balance strong academics and personal well-being with the isolation of COVID and distance learning. Bellevue Schools Foundation is helping support students with academic and mental health counseling and screening for all 7th and 10th grade students. The goal of the Signs of Suicide (SOS) program is to decrease suicide attempts and change attitude about depression, mental health, and suicide. This program is part of a BSF 5-year / $450,000 Mental Health initiative. With YOUR support we can make it happen. Donate NOW.
Highland Middle School
Email: thomass@bsd405.org
Website: https://bsd405.org/highland/
Location: 15027 NE Bel-Red Rd
Phone: (425) 456-6400