This Week at Highland View: September 16

Kindergarten students work on their locomotor skills.

Dear Highland View Parents/Guardians:

What a difference a few days make with regard to weather. As the temperature changes, it might be a good idea to send a sweatshirt or sweater to school in case there is a drop during the day. We want all students to be comfortable as they head out for recess. Thank you to all who attended our first PTO meeting on September 12. I was thrilled to see so many parents who came to see what the PTO is all about. Thank you to Mrs. Weber for being the staff representative.

Highland View Physical Education
By Mary Muschinski

The beginning of the school year started off with warm weather. We have been able to get outside with the second through fifth grade levels. The first few lessons have been introducing and reviewing expectations and the importance of physical activity. Students have gym class three times per week for 25 minutes. They should have some type of athletic or tennis shoe on gym days. Sandals, flip flops and dress shoes are not allowed due to safety concerns.

Kindergarten and first grade lessons have been introducing and reviewing personal space and general space. The emphasis has been on moving safely and reviewing locomotor skills such as the gallop, skip, jump, hop, leap, and slide step. Students are also exploring ways of moving at different levels and directions. They will be working on manipulative skills such as throwing, catching and kicking in the near future. We will also introduce and review dodging skills as well as how to move safely in tag games.

Second Grade practiced a variety of locomotor skills as well as dodging skills in tag games at the beginning of the year. They are now working on throwing and catching skills. The first lesson focused on individual challenges with a bean bag or ball. They will be working with a partner in the next lessons. Kicking skills will be practiced this fall as well.

The third grade through fifth grade began the year with reviewing tag games. We also reviewed four square rules and skills so that they may play the game at recess. They began their flag football unit this week. Students are working on proper grip of the football, throwing and catching skills. Lead-up games will be used to practice the various skills used in flag football. We will be outside as much as we can as long as the weather is cooperative.

There will be a variety of units and activities for skill development as well as physical fitness development this year. Lessons will also teach students ways to keep their bodies healthy. We will also incorporate other subjects into our lessons that reinforce what they are learning in the classroom.

Highland View News...

Early Release Days
In the past, Greendale School District has had a number of days on the school calendar designated as Late Starts that always fell on Mondays. This year we have switched these days to Early Releases on Fridays in an effort to create a more family-friendly calendar. The students will be dismissed at 11:30 a.m. on these days, which means there will be no school lunch. Our first Early Release day is Friday, September 23rd.

District Annual Meeting - September 19
The Board of Education will hold the Greendale School District Annual Meeting on Monday, September 19, 2011 in the Greendale High School Auditorium. The Budget Hearing will begin at 7:00 p.m. followed by the Annual Meeting at 7:30 p.m. We hope you will join us to hear an update on the Greendale School District's achievements and plans for the future.

Annual Report Now Available
Greendale Schools released the 2010-11 Annual Report that highlights student achievement and financial information. For the report, please visit www.greendale.k12.wi.us/annualreport.

Step Up to Better Health Fun Run and Walk
Greendale's Step Up to Better Health Committee, in collaboration with the Greendale Schools, will hold the annual Fun Run & Walk on Sunday, October 16 at 10:30 a.m. Join us for this healthy community event that benefits Greendale Schools! T-shirts guaranteed for those that register by September 23. For more information and to register, please click here.

Read 20
We are introducing the Read 20 program to the children on Tuesday. We plan a brief assembly, followed by an all school read. Guest readers will help us kick-off the year. Students will receive their Read 20 t-shirts as well. This program is meant to foster a love of reading and promote reading a minimum of 20 minutes per day. Classroom teachers will be tallying the number of minutes students read monthly and we will add those numbers to our total as we work our way to our million minute goal. Last year we reached our goal and look forward to doing so again this year! Thank you to Partners for Community Action as well as the Highland View PTO for sponsoring this program for our school community.

High School Football Games
This is a reminder to families that elementary students attending the football games at the high school should remain with an adult during the game.

Nurse’s Room Volunteers
We are in need of volunteers to help staff our Nurse’s room daily. Volunteers do not need to have a nursing background. Volunteers are especially needed over the lunch hours to assist students with bumps and scrapes from recess. Please contact Adela Smith at 423-1489. We appreciate her efforts with scheduling volunteers.

Market Day
The PTO is looking for a parent or two who would be willing to manage our Market Day program. Essentially it involves being in the building on delivery day to coordinate the distribution of orders. This is a great fundraiser for our school, but cannot be sustained without volunteers. If you are interested in assisting with this once a month activity, please contact Amanda Kachikis at 423-6710.

Upcoming Events

Picture Retake Day
Students will have the opportunity to have their picture taken on Thursday, September 22nd. There are additional forms in the office for families who need one.

Early Release Day
Our first early release day of the school year is scheduled for Friday, September 23rd. Students will be released at 11:30 a.m. There will not be class for afternoon K4 classes. that day.

All District PTO Meeting
Our first all-district PTO meeting will be held at 6:30 p.m. on October 12th at the Middle School. More information will follow as to the topic of the meeting. These important joint PTO meetings are held quarterly in an effort to bring families together from all different levels in the district.

Mad Science Assembly
Next Friday, September 23rd, Mad Science will be bringing their Jr. Scientist program to Highland View. We appreciate their generosity in presenting this assembly to our school free of charge. We were able to have this group come in last year as well and students loved it.