The Wildcat

• Dates to Know
• Staff "Top 3"
• PTO Updates
• Body Lessons
• Spell Bowl
• Learning Lab
• Absences/Sick Days
• Arrival and Dismissal
• Extracurricular Activities
• Wellness Calendar

Wednesday, November 22nd-Friday, November 24th-NO SCHOOL-Thanksgiving Break!

Tuesday, Nov. 21st-Pajama Day

Tuesday, November 21st-Pajama Day

Dec. 4th-8th-Santa's Secret Shop

Santa's Secret Shop will be December 4-8, which will be a week C rotation. I will be creating a sign-up genius for teachers to push out. Forms are coming home this weekend. The eWallet feature will NOT be available for this. Instead, students must bring cash or check (payable to Johnston PTO) in order to shop.

Next Tuesday (Nov. 21st), PTO will be hosting a $1 day. Students will be able to wear pajamas to school if they pay $1.

Next meeting will be Tuesday, December 14th at 2:30 pm in the library.

Our team, led by Mrs. Boyd won their division. Ingrid got an individual ribbon for getting near perfect. Wow! Overall, the Wildcats placed 9th out of 104 teams in the STATE! We're so proud of you!

Our competing team is:

Thomas Szczur

Abdullah Nasser

Cole Villagomez

Dalia Nasser

Violet Larmon

Ingrid Herbst

Isabella Sahagun

Isaac Whitaker

Alternates:

Carolina Konieczny

Sofia Smith

During the November meeting we inducted our 2023-2025 officers, (President: Sarah Pottorf, Vice President: Emma Allison, Secretary: Sofia Schoon),and
made thank you cards and frosted pretzel rods for our Highland Police Officers.

A note from Mrs. Jennings, JN's school counselor:

As part of the guidance lessons presented this year, there will be a lesson on body safety. This topic is now a state mandate (SEA 355/Erin’s Law) and must be covered by ALL students by the end of November. I will be going into classrooms to teach these lessons.

I will be using grade-appropriate videos as the focal point of her lessons. Feel free to preview these videos sponsored by The Barbara Sinatra Center for Abused Children. The videos will be shown to students in 1st-5th grade. The videos are available online if you Google the following titles:

Protect Yourself Rules grades K-3

Protect Yourself Rules grades 4-6

For Kindergarten students, I will read and discuss the book entitled, “My Body Belongs to Me”. The videos and book are meant to convey that: a child’s body is their own; a child has the right to decline touch-no matter how innocent; and that parts of a child’s body covered by a bathing suit are private parts.

*Ideas for how to talk with your kids about this all-important topic are linked below.

For their own safety and the safety of our community, pre-high school students can attend STOH events ONLY if accompanied by a paying parent or adult chaperone. The parent/chaperone will be responsible for the supervision of the student(s) throughout the duration of the event. All students may be required to show proper STOH identification at the ticketing window prior to entering STOH events. STOH reserves the right to deny entry to any individual 18 and under who cannot provide proper identification and demonstrate they are of high school age.

Here is a link to the full policy.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vTkKU2kYoUp_qq5Vb-W4oyCnJVxYHAgfKLmILeiLfmdS5_AQf9LtJwWM9zgmIhIsfSuRv7CaeZGpvHV/pub

The state of Indiana has a resource that is a wealth of information and resources on all types of topics. It is called the Indiana Learning Lab. Please use this resource to help your child make learning easier. Indiana Learning Lab

If your child is going to be absent, please call our office at 219-923-2428 by 8am to let us know. If a student calls off ill with a persistent cough, vomiting, diarrhea, or fever, they must be out and return after being symptom-free for 24 hours. If they call off Monday, they return on Wednesday, etc.

Our COVID procedures are the same this year as they were last year. They are as follows:

• Positive students and staff will be out for 5 days.

• Day 0 is the symptom onset date or positive test date (whichever comes first).

• Days 6-10 the student may be back in the building (if symptom-free) but must wear a mask unless participating in an athletic or P.E. activity.

• Students must eat isolated on days 6-10.

• These students will be tracked on the COVID trackers at each school.

• 
  

Students are considered tardy after 7:50 a.m. Each tardy results in missed educational opportunities for a child and results in a substantial disruption to the classroom environment when the student enters. As a result, for every 10 tardies accrued during an academic calendar year, a child will be charged with one unexcused absence.

Please let us know if you have any questions. We hope to keep everyone safe and healthy as best we can. You can find more detailed information in our student handbook.

We have rotating "Specials" times. Please check your classroom teacher's agenda daily to see what additional class you must attend.

Here is a link to a calendar that lists the rotations.

Breakfast is $1.50

Lunch is $2.00

You can find both menus here: https://www.schoolnutritionandfitness.com/index.php?sid=2809100435083594&page=menus

• Doors open for students at 7:35 a.m. daily. Students who eat breakfast at school will be allowed entry beginning at 7:20 a.m. Anyone arriving after 7:50 a.m. will need to buzz and come into the main office to sign in.

• Cars will enter the parking lot off Duluth Street (right turn only) and follow the curve to drop off students. Please pull up as far as you can and drop all your students off at one time. Have your children ready with their backpacks, lunch money, hugs, and kisses, so that when you stop they may exit the car quickly, and we can keep the drop-off line moving. The line can become backed up onto Duluth Street very quickly which causes safety issues for our parents, as well as other drivers.

• Please drop off curbside only. Avoid dropping children off where they have to cross the street, this is extremely dangerous. It will be your responsibility to cross them if you choose to do this.

• Please be mindful of other drivers and walkers. We know many of you have to get to work, and we want all children to be able to enter the building safely and on time.

• 1st, 2nd, and 5th grade should be dropped off at Door C.

• Kindergarten, 3rd, and 4th grade should be dropped off at Door B.

• 5th graders and Mrs. Torres's class will use Door G.

At the end of the school day, the following doors will be used for dismissal:

• Grade K will exit through door J (at 2:15pm)

• Grade 1 will exit through door C (main doors)

• Grade 2 will exit through door B

• Grade 3 will exit through door J

• Grade 4 will exit through door I

• Grade 5 and Mrs. Torres's class will exit through door G

• Bus riders will exit through door J (a few minutes prior to the remainder of the school being dismissed where the buses will be waiting).

Cars may enter the parking lot off Duluth Street and follow the curve to pick up or park in the parking lot to walk up to get students.

PLEASE DO NOT PARK IN THE BUS LANE ON GRAND STREET.

We would like to thank you in advance for your cooperation as we strive to keep our Johnston families safe.

Please don't hesitate to contact us in the office for any ideas, thoughts, concerns, or words of encouragement! We are all part of this large extended mix of wonderful people we affectionately refer to as our Johnston Family.

Email: aharring@highland.k12.in.us
Website: https://www.highland.k12.in.us/o/jes
Location: 8220 5th Street, Highland, IN, United States
Phone: 219.923.2428
Facebook: facebook.com/johnstonpto
Twitter: @harrington_jn