Paw Print
September 13, 2023
Message From Our Principal
Hello, Highcroft families! We are busy getting routines and procedures taught at school each day. Core instruction has begun in full force. We are collecting beginning of year data on all students and are working diligently to plan instruction to meet all students’ academic, behavioral, and social emotional needs. If you have any questions or concerns about your child’s progress, please reach out to your child’s teacher. Interim reports will go home during the week of 9/25 so this is a great time to touch base.
Have a wonderful rest of your week!
Catherine Shearin, Principal
PTA Reflections
The PTA Reflections Project is an art contest for students in grades K-12 who are invited to create theme-based artwork in the areas of dance, film, literature, music, photography, and visual arts. If you would like more information about the contest and how to enter, Ms. Dahm invites you to the art room on Friday, September 15th at 8:15 AM where she will give interested students more information about how to enter the contest and an opportunity to sign up for contest club dates to work on an entry before school. Parents may attend with their children but are not required to attend in order for children to participate. Please check out our PTA website if your student would like to attend but cannot make the informational meeting.
Visitors vs. Volunteers
WCPSS has created a clear definition of both ‘visitors’ and ‘volunteers’ to help schools determine which parents need a background check completed. Read the descriptions below to have a better understanding of the difference between volunteers and visitors. Please note, all parents who attend field trips must have volunteer clearance.
Parents are encouraged to complete the Volunteer Registration now so that clearance for volunteering in your child’s classroom and attending future field trips is already completed. Even if you do not have plans right now to do either, if the opportunity arises, you will already be cleared. The volunteer approval process has been improved so turn around time should be better than previous years. However, it is still a process that takes time.
All volunteer registration can be completed at home at the link below:
Visitors
- Who is a visitor?
- Visitors are parents/guardians, family members and other members of the community who are permitted on school grounds on a limited basis to participate in educational programs or events.
- Can I supervise students?
- No. Visitors are not permitted to supervise students or be alone with students.
- Do I have to be supervised by school personnel?
- Yes. Visitors are subject to the direct supervision of school personnel.
- Do I have to get a background check as a visitor?
- All visitors must sign-in at the school through our Visitor Management system, which includes a sex offender registry check.
- What are some examples of visitor activities?
- Guest speaker/presenter at school events
- Attendee at school events open to the public, such as a play, concert, open house, curriculum night, book fair
- Attendee at classroom events, such as a class party
- Parent/guardian visiting with or having lunch with their student
- Guest reader at school event
Volunteers
- Who is a volunteer?
- Volunteers are visitors who provide assistance to schools for school events, school activities or other school needs. School volunteers often provide assistance to schools on a regular basis, but are not required to do so.
- Can I supervise students?
- Yes. School volunteers may supervise students, work directly with students, and may be alone with students.
- Do I have to be supervised by school personnel?
- No. School volunteers may work with students with or without school personnel.
- Do I have to get a background check as a volunteer?
- Yes. All volunteers must undergo and pass a criminal background check. The requirement of a background check to volunteer is not dependent upon the length of the volunteer activity. We recognize that not all volunteer activities are recurring.
- What are some examples of volunteer activities?
- Tutor (in person or online)
- Field trip chaperone, including overnight activities (Note: Parents accompanying their child on a field trip must undergo volunteer background searches.)
- Helping with the front office
- Activity/club sponsor
- Room parent
- Field day worker
- Testing proctor
- Regular/recurring readers for classrooms
- PTA members assisting in volunteer activities
Picture Day is Tomorrow!
Tomorrow, Thursday, September 14th, is Picture Day for all of our students. All students will have pictures taken and the pictures will be sent home to all students. If you choose to purchase the pictures, you simply pay for them. If you do not want the pictures or need retakes, return the pictures back to school.
Here Comes the Bus
WCPSS Transportation offers families of students who ride a bus to or from school a service called ‘Here Comes the Bus’. This allows families to track buses and see how close the buses are to your stop. HDES no longer utilizes Twitter to announce bus departure times.
You will need the WCPSS school code (67500) and your student’s ID number to create an account. Use the link below for specific instructions on downloading and utilizing the app.
https://herecomesthebus.com/parents/get-started/
Update on Vacant Positions
Highcroft is fortunate to have a full staff of amazing classroom teachers for all of our K-5 classrooms. However, we are still waiting for the assignment of a full time Speech Pathologist. We are also currently looking to fill our 50% English as a Second Language Language teacher. Please know that any service delivery your child misses will be made up once we have both of those positions filled.
Old (but important) News!
Family Needs Survey
The Student Services Team at HDES is requesting families to complete the Family Needs Survey so they can match families with community resources. Please take a few minutes to complete the form.
Stem Donors Choose Project Needs Funding
Donors Choose is currently offering a matching offer from Panda Cares for all projects that include furniture or storage needs. This means that all donations for these projects will be doubled while funding lasts. Our STEM teacher, Ms. Lewis has a project entitled "Construction Zone" which qualifies for this offer. She is requesting various building blocks and a rug for a construction area in her classroom. If you are interested in making a donation to this project, please use this link:
Ms. Lewis' Donors Choose project, "Construction Zone"
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Construction Zone, a project from Ms. Lewis Help me give my students a variety of building blocks and a space that is both comfortable and organized for their construction activities. I am the STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) te... |
New Visitor Management System
All visitors to our campus must sign in at the office with the new Visitor Management System. All parents and visitors must present a photo ID when entering the building or checking out a student. Please come prepared with your drivers license or other photo ID.
-Visit the HDE Website for more details - www.wcpss.net/highcroftdrivees
-Follow us on Twitter @HighcroftDrive @HighcroftBuses
-Text Reminders: text the message YES to 67587
