Heights Happenings

Heights Mission: Heights Elementary IB World School is dedicated to developing balanced, lifelong learners through educational excellence, a global perspective, reflection and action.

Heights Vision: To Be A World Class School.

Heights PBIS Statement:

We strive to be a school that models positive behaviors which develop the whole child and social skills. We have a common culture and language which supports student growth and high expectations to empower our students to become well-rounded global citizens through teaching and recognizing positive behavior.

School Hours: 7:55 am—2:10 pm

Doors open: 7:30 am

Breakfast: 7:30-7:45 am

Heights Contact Information:

Address: 15200 Alexandria Ct. Ft. Myers, FL 33908

Telephone: 239.481.1761 Fax:239.481.3154

Website: het.leeschools.net Twitter: @HeightsIB

Facebook: Heights Elementary

After School Program: Lisa McElyea

504 Accommodations: Bryanna Van Helden

Contact information Changes: Michele Curry

Transportation: Anika Carter

Gifted testing: Lisa Alexander

Clinic: Cheri Mack

Principal: Doug Palow

Assistant Principal: Anika Carter

Assistant Principal: Lindsey Thorstad

Oct. 2nd-13th: Kids Heart Challenge

Oct. 2nd: House Color Day - Wear your House Color to School

Oct. 6th: Volunteer Breakfast (8:15 am Heights Cafe)

Oct. 10th: Picture Day

Oct. 13th: End of the 1st quarter

Oct. 13th: College Day at Heights (Wear your favorite college shirt or jersey to school)

Oct. 14th: SPROUTS Garden Build (8:00 am-2:00 pm)

Oct. 16th: Professional Duty Day (Schools closed for students)

Oct. 19th: 1st quarter report card available in FOCUS

Oct. 25th: Full Day - Hurricane Make up day not an early dismissal day.

Oct. 27th: 2nd Grade Trunk or Treat Night

Oct.25th-Oct. 31st: Red Ribbon Week

The past couple of weeks we averaged close to a 93.5% attendance rate! Attendance rates are a very clear representation and reflection of the success of school. It speaks very clearly on how parents are active in their child’s education, how excited students are to come to school, how effective teachers are in providing an exciting learning environment, and how the school and parent organization are in providing a stimulating, positive school community. Way to go, Heights families!

Volunteers Needed: We rely heavily on volunteers to help make our events a success. We need 25 volunteers to support our Mother Son Palooza on Friday, October 20 from 6-8 pm. All volunteers must be school approved & NOT attending the event with their son. Click here to sign up: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70A084AA5AD2CABFD0-44336413-mother?useFullSite=true#/

Spirit Wear: All Spiritwear orders have been delivered to your child's homeroom teacher. If you have any issues with your Sallee order, please contact them directly at support@salleepromotions.com.

Hollie’s Shopping Event: Please join us at Hollie's Boutique for a night of shopping & fun on Friday, October 13th from 5-7 pm. 20% of proceeds from the event will be donated to the PTA to support Heights. RSVP by 10/09 to info@holliesboutique.com.

Mother Son Palooza: We are so excited to be hosting a Mother Son event this year on Friday, October 20 at 6 pm on the Heights campus. Tickets will be PRESALE ONLY & available starting on Wednesday, September 27 for $15 per person. Each mother (or mother figure) AND son need a ticket. Tickets available here: https://heightselempta.memberhub.com/store?limit=21&live=true

Parent Survey Link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/Lee_County_Cohort_6_HRS_Level_1_Parent_Survey

Here are the Hurricane Make Up days for students and school staff from Hurricane Idalia

-October 25th (was an early dismissal day - will be now a full day)
-Dec. 21st (was an early dismissal day - will now be a full day)
-Dec. 22nd (now an early dismissal day - 12:10)

Sometimes it’s hard to find a parking space. We’ve all been there. Parking far away means having to walk in the sweltering sun or rain. It’s easier to park in a handicap space for a few minutes, run in, and get out. But imagine having to make that walk across the parking lot with a disability, walk a child with a disability or not finding a parking space that has the width to accommodate a handicap vehicle.

Please respect the marked handicap parking spaces and walk a little further than we intended, we can help make these individuals’ lives a little easier. Make sure you only park in handicap spaces if you have a placard, permit, or plates indicating a disability. Not only is it courteous to reserve these spots, it’s also illegal to park there. You could face a ticket and fine. Thank you Heights families for being courteous to others when visiting our campus.

IB Learner Profile For The Month of November: Thinker

The IB Learner profile aims to develop students who are thinkers. Students who are thinkers exercise initiative in applying thinking skills critically and creatively to recognize and approach complex problems, and make reasoned, ethical decisions.

1. Encourage your child to engage in pretend play, children are naturally curious and imaginative.
2. Pause and wait...give your child time to think for him/herself, be patient.
3. Don't intervene immediately, it's okay to let your child explore on their own.
4. Ask open-ended questions.
5. Help children develop hypotheses.
6. Encourage critical thinking in new and different ways.
7. Encourage your child to retell stories, put on plays with story props.
8. Leave time for unstructured play.
9. Encourage your child to play and explore outside..
10. Let your child experience failure, and then let him/her figure out how to turn their failure into a positive learning experience.
11. Provide opportunities to visit Children's Museums and Libraries.

The month of September was filled with all kinds of fun learning in our IB Units of Inquiry. We were able to celebrate our Inquiring Students from each class as part of our Hurricane of the Month celebration to kick-off the month.

• In Kindergarten, students learned a song in sign language about sharing peace around the world, and were able to share it with the community and school on the International Day of Peace.
• In First Grade, our students were able to hear from the Honorable Judge Gill as well as Deputy K about their role in keeping our community orderly and safe. They wrapped up their unit by completing their first action project, Cookies & Coffee for Cops. Students collected donations of cookies and coffee gift cards to give to local law enforcement officers. On September 22, we welcomed several members of law enforcement to our campus to receive these donations and also learn a little bit more about what they do. Students were able to not only meet these community heroes, but also see the vehicles they use, too!
• In Second Grade, our students led the school in celebrating the International Day of Peace. Students participated in rotations involving Yoga and Mindfulness, Pinwheels for Peace, Peaceful Reading and Songs about Peace. All of these experiences led to further inquiry into how people around the world strive to live together peacefully.
• In Third Grade, our students have been working hard to research different cultures around the world. This research culminated in their Culture Fair Presentations on Peace Day. They were able to present and share their knowledge to first grade, who will be learning about culture soon.
• In Fourth Grade, our students were using their map skills to inquire deeper into learning. Students were also able to hear a presentation from a District Master Gardener about all the plants that symbolize peace.
• Our Fifth Graders are kicking off their year-long Exhibition Project. Students were introduced to the Global Goals during their Kick-Off event and will be selecting which goal they will research, act upon and present about at our Exhibition Night in April.

Our goal is to have all students register online and complete Finn’s Mission. They’ll even earn a free wristband for registering!

Click Here to Register.

Quarter 1:

• October 19th - Report Cards

Quarter 2:

• November 15th – Interims
• January 11th – Report Cards

Quarter 3:

• February 7th – Interims
• March 20th – Report Cards

Quarter 4:

• April 24th – Interims
• June 3rd – Report Cards

Paper copy interims and report cards are no longer sent home. Parents may review their student's grades at anytime on Focus. Your student's grades will be up to date on the assigned interim and report card days listed above. If you have any questions or concerns please contact the school.

Heights Families: Do you have a Focus Account? If not, it's important that you sign up. There are many forms that are required to be signed before getting your child's schedule or in order to ensure your child can receive care at the school clinics. Plus, get access to grades, attendance, and much more. Sign up today: https://www.leeschools.net/our_schools/focus

Heights Families!

We are thrilled to share some exciting news with our school community!

We are teaming up with Sprouts Farmer's Market to bring an incredible addition to our campus—a school vegetable garden! Building on the success of our amazing butterfly garden, this additional garden will provide an enriching experience for students, staff, and our school community alike. Our new garden will incorporate solar-powered hydroponic garden towers, a native plant area, herb gardens, fruit trees, and a shaded picnic table area. There will also be six distinct vegetable gardens corresponding to each grade level. We are excited for this opportunity! With the support of our amazing community and school, this garden will not only beautify our campus even more, but also serve as an interactive learning space where students can get their hands dirty, all while cultivating a deeper understanding of nature and nutrition. Our build day is October 14th! If you are interested in helping with building the garden on Oct. 14th, please contact Lacey Davis at the school (239) 481-1761 or email her at laceykd@leeschools.net. Arrival time between 8:00-8:30 am and we should wrap up by 2:00 pm.

Ice cream cups are on sale every Friday during lunch time. Each student will be limited to one ice cream cup during their lunch. The cost is $1 per cup. Money collected from ice cream sales goes to the Principal's Discretionary Fund. This fund is used to celebrate a variety of events and activities for our students and staff throughout the school year.

Student birthdays are very important to recognize. We encourage parents to celebrate student birthdays at home. If treats are brought in to school, they will be distributed during the assigned class snack time in the classroom. Treat ideas: Healthy food items, pencils, stickers, etc. may be shared. Celebrations involving favors, toys, balloons, flowers, etc. are unacceptable items during school hours, including lunch time. Please contact your child’s teacher before sending in any item(s) for a celebration. Parents must contact the teacher if they wish to bring a treat. Treats must be store bought with the ingredients label visible. Invitations to private student birthday parties may not be handed out during the school day unless the entire class is invited, or all girls/all boys are invited.

*You may send in any of the following items only:

Mini cupcakes

Stickers, pencils, notepads

Animal crackers, cookies, pretzels, crackers, popcorn, cereal (store bought items only)

Pudding, Jell-O cups, cheese sticks, yogurt

*Make sure you have enough for the entire class. You should confirm this number with the teacher.

Please refrain from sending in the following items:

· Cakes or large cup cakes

· Donuts

· Pizza

· Anything requiring cutting

· Presents

· Candles, matches, lighters

· Flowers/Balloons

· Home-made items

Although we appreciate your child’s excitement for their birthday, the school setting is not the appropriate place for a birthday celebration. Keep the treat simple and easy for staff to distribute and clean up.

Thank you for supporting Heights Elementary.

• ESE Social Communications Teacher
• School Counselor
• Speech and Language Therapist

If you or someone you know is interested in one of the positions listed above, please contact Mrs. Thorstad. LindseyCT@LeeSchools.net

Florida State Statute 1012.42 recognizes that teachers at times must be assigned duties in a class outside the field in which the teacher is certified. The following teachers at Heights Elementary are certified, but may be assigned one or more classes outside their areas of certification and are required to take appropriate steps to comply with the statutory regulation:

In addition, the following teachers are engaged in training to add the endorsement, English to Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL), to their certificates: Nicole Driscoll, Courtney Sleeper, Lesa Winters, Monica Fastenau, Jennifer Kee, Gina Celej, Julie Ramsay

Board Members:

District 1 - Samuel Fisher, Board Vice Chair

District 2 - Melisa W. Giovannelli

District 3 - Chris N. Patricca

District 4 - Debbie Jordan

District 5 - Armor Persons, Board Chair

District 6 - Jada Langford-Fleming

District 7 - Cathleen O'Daniel Morgan

Superintendent:

Christopher S. Bernier, Ed.D.

School Board Attorney:

Kathy Dupuy-Bruno, Esq.