A message from the principal 7/22/2019
It is my pleasure to serve as the Highlands Elementary School Principal for a second year. So much has been accomplished this past year, and I look forward to having the opportunity to continue moving Highlands Elementary forward in a direction that promotes student achievement and safety.
Along with the Highlands Board of Education, Dr. Compton and I are so excited to be unveiling the newest additions to our educational plan to provide our students with high quality opportunities in all content areas. Starting in September 2019, we are proud to announce that we have added to our programming a 5th and 6th grade English Language Arts and Mathematics based challenge program. Students in grades 5 and 6 will have an opportunity to be selected to participate in this program based on stellar academic performance using multiple measures of qualifications. The instructional model will be 45 minutes a day in each content area during the 2nd half of their respective ELA and Math block of instruction. Our students in grades K-4 will receive push in STEAM based enrichment opportunities integrated within their classroom at the duration of 45 minutes during one of their science periods each week.
Furthermore, we are also proud to announce the adoption of our new Science program titled Exploring Science, as well as our new 6th grade Math program, Big Ideas-Modeling Real Life. We are also pleased to announce that we are adding 72 new Chromebooks for our students to utilize in grades 4-6.
In addition to our academic commitment, we are equally invested in the safety of our students and school community. We are very pleased to announce the installation of a new security vestibule to help in screening school visitors, as well as additional security cameras to our campus and our Raptor Visitor Sign-in System.
The faculty and I continue to be so very proud of the hard work of our students, and we look forward to seeing continued growth in their reading and math levels, and even more students who will embrace science, social studies, and the related arts.
We also anticipate another school year of fun family events sponsored by the PTO. I know that the events will surely please all of our families. Your support by joining the PTO goes directly back to your children through activities, events and supplies.
Highlands Elementary School continues to provide a quality education. Pride, Tradition and Excellence are the tenets, which have made Highlands Elementary the best it can be. We are very proud to be a part of its 87-year legacy.
Daniel Layton
Principal