The Wildcat

• COVID Update
• Arrival and Dismissal
• PTO information
• College Go! Week
• Lunch Information
• Patrol Update
• Girls Basketball
• Girl Scout Information
• Wellness Calendar
• School Clothing Voucher Information
• Red Ribbon Week

Monday, September 20th-Girls' Basketball Try-Outs begin

Sept 20-Sept 24-College Go Week

Tuesday, September 21st-fishing club 2:45-3:45

Friday, October 8th-End of 1st Quarter

Thursday, October 23rd-PTO meeting @ 7pm in the Johnston Library

October 25-28-Red Ribbon Week

REMINDER-students are dismissed at 1:55 on Wednesdays

Winner of PTO membership drive is Zabrecky’s class

PTO Election meeting - Sept 23rd 7p in school JN library

Upcoming book fair is Sept 27 - Oct 1st- sign up genius for volunteers

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0F4EA8AD2EA2F4C16-book

Please note that we have our student patrol team each morning and afternoon to help other students cross our corners safely. For the partols' safety, they will only be allowed to be on the corners with their stop signs and not in the street. If there are any parent volunteers that would like to help with this, we would need someone available from 7:40-8:10am and 2:30-2:50pm each day. If you are interested, please let Mr. Zabrecky know at gzabreck@highland.k12.in.us. Your help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for your help in keeping our students safe.

STOH will require all K-12 students and staff to mask starting Tuesday, September 7th.

Any student who is on a current quarantine must complete the time out as already instructed by administration. Beginning September 7, 2021, the parents of students who are identified as close contacts of a positive Covid case will be notified via a phone call, but the student will be allowed to remain in school. Parents are asked to monitor their child every day for the 10 days following the exposure. If symptoms develop at any point, please report it immediately to your child’s school nurse.

Our schoolwide intervention structure is called FLEX time for ELA and Math. Teachers

analyze data from cycle assessments that follow a three week period of core instruction.

Using what they learn, teachers create student groupings on specific critical skills/standards.

Teachers then develop instruction/content that is differentiated to maximize student

achievement in each group. We have multiple teachers and instructional aides

designated to these blocks of time in order to get students into smaller groups to

specifically address needs.

All grades have designated times each day for FLEX ELA and Math. These

Johnston periods are not where the core curriculum is delivered. This daily 30 minutes of

math and 30 minutes of ELA is in addition to our core instruction. This time is used in

response to data collected through classroom assessment given every three weeks on

specific skills/standards.

Based on the collected data, students are put into the following group types for

three week cycles.

1. Reteaching - Students who need information retaught will get this instruction.

2. Reviewing - Students who have some grasp of the skills/standards but

need extra practice will get that time to further mastery.

3. Enrichment - Students who have proven mastery will get extension

opportunities designed to stretch their thinking and maximize their

learning.

To simplify this system, we are assessing our students on specific

skills/standards and using that in a way to tailor instruction to maximize the growth of all

of our students. Since this is done in three week cycles with different focus

skills/standards each cycle, a student could be in tutorial for one cycle, but then prove

mastery on the next set of skills and be in extension for the next. Regrouping happens

every three weeks and is based on current data we are gathering from classroom

assessment.

Let's work together to collect items for Blessing Bags! What is a Blessing Bag? A Blessing Bag is a small bag or backpack that is filled with items like toiletries, snacks and small clothing items to help people who do not have homes or are unable to purchase these items.

The K-Kids (Elementary Schools), Builders Club (Middle School), Key Club (High School) and the Highland Kiwanis Group (Adult Group) will all be working on this project together! Each club will collect different items. At the end of the collection time, all the items will be gathered and packed into small bags to give away to people who need them. Item collection will begin in September and end no later than Friday October 8th.

Check out the list below to see what your club is collecting and what the other clubs are collecting too!

Southridge K-Kids: Hair Combs/Brushes and Hair Ties

Johnston K-Kids: Toothbrushes (individually packaged) and Toothpaste (all sizes)

Builders Club-Band Aides and Antibiotic Ointment (like Neosporin)

Key Club: Hand Sanitizer and Lip Balm/Chapstick

Highland Kiwanis Club: Socks and Snacks

• Doors open for students at 7:55 a.m. daily. Students who eat breakfast at school will be allowed entry beginning at 7:30 a.m. Anyone arriving after 8:10 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.

• Doors C and B will be utilized for entrance as usual.

• 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 (FIVE minutes before the rest of the grade levels)

• 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. IF PARKING, PLEASE DO NOT BLOCK DRIVEWAYS.

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

This coming week is Week A. We have rotating "Specials" times. Please check your classroom teacher's agenda each day to see what additional class you need to attend.

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

Breakfast and lunch will be free again this year. You can find menus for both here.

The North Township Trustee's Office provides a School Uniform/Clothing Voucher Program to help families in need with the purchase of school clothing.

There are many families within the North Township (Whiting, East Chicago, Hammond, Highland and Munster) who find the start of school a stressful time, trying to balance finances and budgets to include school supplies and clothing.

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