Snowman

The snowman has arrived!!                              

It is the season to “adopt “a local Ephrata family.  For the past couple of years, Highland PTO has been asking families from our school to help support a local family.  We have placed a wooden snowman in the front lobby and hanging from the snowman are gift tags (gingerbread men & snowmen). Items needed are written on the tags. If you would like to help make this holiday season a little brighter, an adult may select one tag and purchase that item. Please tape your gift tag on your present and return it unwrapped, to the front office at Highland. All gifts need to be at Highland no later than December 19^th, 2011. Thank you for your generosity!!

District Reminders.....

The state is requiring school employees to complete an Act 24/PDE 6004 form by January 1, 2012. To enhance the safety of students, the District will also be requiring all chaperones and volunteers to complete this form as part of the required clearance packet. If you chaperone field trips or volunteer in the classroom, please complete a form and return it to the office before the holiday break.

The form is available on the District website (www.easdpa.org) in the Parents/Guardians tab under the Community Relations dropdown menu, or a copy may be picked up in the school office.

Parents/Guardians Web Page Added

Do you need copies of Attendance Excuse Cards, dental or health forms, travel forms, or forms for approval for your high school student to make a college or military visit? A new page has been added to the District website where parents/guardians can access and print frequently requested forms.

Click on the Parents/Guardians tab under the Community Resources dropdown menu on the District homepage or go directly to www.easdpa.org/CommunityRelations/ParentsGuardians.html.

Winter Weather Reminder

Information about weather-related closings, delays, or event cancellations will be available on the District website (www.easdpa.org) and at the following locations:

·         ABC 27 (cable channel 12)

·         Blue Ridge Cable-11

·         FM 97 (FM 96.9)

·         FOX 43 (cable channel 2)

·         WDAC (FM 94.5)

·         WGAL 8 (cable channel 13)

·         WINK (FM 103.3)

·         WIOV (FM 105.1)

·         WROZ (FM 101.3)

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FREE Monthly E-Newsletter Available

The District publishes a monthly e-newsletter, Mountaineer Minute. The goal is to provide quick glimpses of the many great things going on within the District. We promise to keep it brief and fresh so it will only take you a minute or two to catch up on District highlights.

Please click on the Mountaineer Minute tab under the Community Resources dropdown menu on the District homepage or go directly to www.easdpa.org/ENewsletter/ENewsletter.html to subscribe to this FREE publication.

Trunk or Treat

Friday night will mark Highland's 2nd annual Trunk or Treat, hosted by the Highland PTO.  Here are a few items I wanted to share about the event:

• Nothing scary or gorey - we want EVERYONE to enjoy the event!
• Dinner items will be available for purchase - Papa John's pizza, popcorn and drinks and the fire company auxiliary will have a stand with food items
• There will be coloring, crafts, tattoos and dancing
• If you are setting up a display with your car, table or lawn chair, please enter from W. Chestnut Street
• You are responsible for supplying your own candy - we had a large turnout last year!!
• Every student must be accompanied by an adult.

Remember - this is a SAFE event where everyone is welcome to come and enjoy a good time at Highland Elementary School.

Red Ribbon Week

Monday, 10/24/11

Theme: “RED DAY”

Wear something red to start the celebration of Red Ribbon Week.

Tuesday, 10/25/11

Theme: “SOCK IT TO DRUGS DAY”

Everyone is encouraged to wear your craziest socks to school today.

Wednesday, 10/26/11

Theme:  “ELECT TO BE DRUG FREE AND VOTE FOR A DRUG FREE  LIFE” Everyone is encouraged to wear red, white, and blue today.

Thursday, 10/27/11

Theme:   “HEROES RACE FOR A DRUG FREE LIFE”

Wear your Highland Hero T-Shirt and get ready for our Race for Education.

 

Friday, 10/28/11

Theme:  “TEAM UP AGAINST DRUGS”

Wear your favorite sports team apparel to school today.

Hurricane Hole

Race for Education's "Hurricane Hole" opened for business last week.  Students that brought in 5 or more labels towards the PTO sponsored Race for Education fundraiser were eligible to earn 'race bucks'.   Last week, some of the students redeemed their race bucks at the "Hurricane Hole" store - they could purchase treasure box items, pencils, erasers, squinkies, lunchboxes, stickers, glow sticks, Cafe passes, and extra recess passes.  More students will be brought up to shop later this week.  Volunteers are pulling small groups of students at a time to shop the store.  The kids even have to do some math practice and decision making to calculate just how far their money will go!

High School Celebrates 50 Years!

Help Celebrate the 50^th Birthday of Ephrata High School

Friday, October 21, 2011
3:00 – 6:00 PM

Self-guided Tours

Please use the Main Entrance on Oak Boulevard or the Auditorium Entrance.

Highland Cafe

Have your children mentioned the Highland Cafe?  Are you wondering what they are talking about?  Two years ago, an idea was brought to me about creating a cafe on the stage for students to eat at during lunch.  Here is a picture of some students enjoying lunch at the cafe....

Each day, classroom teachers are given two cafe tickets to hand out to their class.  Each teacher uses the tickets in a different way, but mostly it is based on good behavior.  Are you interested in joining your child in the Cafe?  Just call 24 hours in advance and we will ensure that you have a reservation at the Highland Cafe.

Open House

Thank you to everyone who attended the Open House at Highland on Thursday night.  I enjoy seeing all of the parents with their children.  I also enjoy seeing the creativity and personality of the Highland staff.  I hope you enjoyed the evening and stay tuned for upcoming events including Grandparent Donut Days and Picture Day!

Don't forget that school will be closed on Thursday, September 22.  Enjoy the parade.

Mr. Deemer

Drill Time

For the school, the beginning of the year also means our first lockdown, severe weather and fire drills.  We will be running through each of these drills one time this week, (Sept 6 - 9) weather permitting.  Please do not be alarmed, they are only drills. 

Stay tuned for information about Back to School Night on September 15th.

1st Day of School

The new clothes, new hairdos, a clean school and lots of smiles - that can only mean one thing - The First Day of School!

The start of the 2011 - 2012 school year began in the cafeteria and gym.  We all gathered in grade levels and then waved goodbye to moms, dads, guardians and other relatives as we started our day.  Here are some pictures of this great event.

Thank you to all who helped today.

Online Calendar

District Switches to Online Calendar

Beginning with the 2011-2012 school year, an online calendar will replace the hard-copy calendar previously published by the District. The online calendar will include District, building, athletic, and community events happening in District buildings.

To view the calendar, click on the Events Calendar tab on the left side of the District homepage at www.easdpa.org. View all events or select a building from the drop down menu at the top of the page.

The online calendar will include more events than were included in the hard-copy calendar and will be updated regularly to include new events and changes made to previously scheduled events. Community members who do not have access to the internet can stop into the District Office to pick up a hard copy of the online calendar. The District Office is open weekdays from 7:30 AM until 4:30 PM.

Welcome To A New Year

Hello everyone!

We are only a few short weeks from the start of the 2011-2012 school year.  I am excited to see the building full of children and life again!  I am looking forward to sharing more information and news with you, in a timely manner, through this blog.  Here are the first few items....

On August 26th we will have the kindergarten orientation.  We will have one session from 8:30 - 9:30 and 9:45 and 10:45.

On August 26th we will have an open-house at Highland.  This is a chance for your children to learn where their classrooms are and to take a look around the building.  The teachers will not be present and the classrooms will be locked.   The open-house will run from 5PM to 7 PM.

The first day of school is August 29th.  As the students arrive, they will be directed to the gym and cafeteria where they will meet their teacher.  You are welcome to join your children in the gym before they start their day.


See you soon!

Mr. Deemer