1.16 Highlands Headlines

Posted Date: 01/16/26 (04:06 PM)

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Highlands Headlines

January 16, 2026

Huskies LEAD the way! EVERYDAY!

Hello Husky Families,

We have some exciting events coming up that reflect our commitment to student growth and leadership.

First, there will be no school on Monday, January 19, in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

On Tuesday, January 20, our students will enjoy the NED Show, which focuses on perseverance and a positive mindset, helping them begin with the end in mind.

On Thursday, January 22, we invite you to join us for PTA Bingo Night and the PTA General Meeting. This is a great opportunity for us to work together and synergize as a school community.

We will also celebrate the 100th Day of School on Friday, a milestone that reminds us to put first things first and recognize the progress our students have made. Finally, we will conclude with our PM2 Growth Party, where we will celebrate students who have shown growth from PM1 to PM2 state testing. This is a chance to honor their hard work and commitment to sharpening the saw.

Parents, your partnership is essential. When we think win-win and work together, we create an environment where every child thrives. Encourage your child to share what they are learning, set goals together, and celebrate their progress. Together, we can be proactive in building habits that lead to success.

Thank you for your continued support in helping our students grow academically and personally. Let’s keep the momentum going!

Have a Great Day!

Jodi Gonzalez and Robert Adamowicz

Proud Principal and Assistant Principal of Highlands Elementary

Upcoming Events - Save the Dates!

January 16 - 2nd Grade FT - Blue Springs
January 16 - PTA Spirit Night @ Monkey Joes
January 19 - Holiday / NO SCHOOL
January 22 - Fire Drill
January 22 - PTA General Meeting 5PM
January 22 - PTA Bingo Night 5:30PM
January 23 - PM2 Growth Party
January 23 - 100th Day of School
January 24 - Aerospace & Aviation Day
January 25 - Chorus @ Solar Bears
January 26-30 - Literacy Week
January 29 - PTA Spirit Night @ Panda Express
February 4 - Jeremiah's Ice Spirit Night
February 5 - Mega Blast Kickoff
February 9-13 - Leading with Love Week
February 10 - Progress Reports Post to Skyward
February 15 - Holiday/ No School
February 15 - Chipolte Spirit Night
February 19- Family Resource Night at HIGHLANDS! (see below)
February 17-27 - ACCESS for ELL's
February 21 - Elementary Music Festival @ 2:00PM (MMS)
March 6 - Mega Blast Event
March 9 - PTA Skate Night
March 7 - Elem Math Festival @ MMS
March 13 - School Closed - Teacher Work Day
March 16-20 - Spring Break / NO SCHOOL
March 23 - Students Return
March 27 - Report Cards Live in Skyward

PTA Presents the NED Show!

This upcoming Tuesday, our students will have the opportunity to be apart of the NED Show. This is a FREE assembly that PTA is providing to us. NED is a loveable cartoon character whose name is an acronym for Never give up, Encourage others, and Do your best. Teachers love that NED is simple, relatable and kid-focused. The excitement begins with the assembly and continues year round to promote a culture of kindness and excellence at our school. This assembly is a "pay it forward" program, in which a previous school paid for Highlands to have this opportunity. We in term with the partnership of PTA will pay it forward to the next school and that involves the ability for our students to buy Yo-Yos that they see in the assemble after the show. An order form will be going home TODAY, 1/16. PTA will be selling before school on Jan. 21-23 and 26-27.

Family Resource Night

To RSVP to this amazing night event CLICK HERE!

REMINDERS:

SCHOOL HOURS

8:35AM-3:00PM (M/T/TH/F)

8:35AM-2:00PM (Wed)

*Tardy at 8:35AM

DO NOT DROP OFF PRIOR TO 8:05AM - NO SUPERVISION AVAILABLE

BREAKFAST

8:05-8:35AM

CLUBS

Running... Wednesdays & Fridays AM

Art Club... Wednesday AM

Chorus... Tuesdays & Thursdays AM

Frozen Production... Tuesdays & Thursdays PM

This is a friendly reminder that student drop-off begins at 8:05 AM. For the safety of all students, please do not allow your child to exit the vehicle before 8:05 AM.

The arrival bell rings at 8:05 AM to signal that staff supervision is in place. Prior to that time, there is no supervision available, and safety is our top priority.

Additionally, students should remain inside their vehicles until the bell rings. They should not be outside playing or gathering in the front area before 8:05 AM, as this creates a safety risk.

During dismissal, we would like to remind parents to please have car tags visible at all times while in line, until your student has been picked up. In order to keep our car line as efficeint as possible please stay in your lane that you come through, if you jump between lanes it not only changes the order of students being picked up it, but it typically extents your wait in the car line.

Thank you for your cooperation in helping us maintain a safe and organized arrival and dismissal process. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the school office.

Meal Benefits & Title I

WE NEED YOUR HELP!

Currently we will NOT meet the qualifications to be a Title I school next year. WE ARE ASKING ONCE AGAIN --- PLEASE take a moment to fill out the application, even if you do not need any of the benefits (In addition to free & reduced-priced meals, completing a meal benefits application may also qualify your family for discounted internet services, afterschool-programs, and more.)

This year we were gifted the opportunity to be a Title I school again. The extra funding has helped us have three additional employees supporting our students (Math Instructional Coach + Reading Interventionist + 1 Instructional Paraprofessionals), additional supplies for our classrooms, professional development for our teachers, and programs for our students.

It only takes 10 minutes to complete the application. Even if you do not purchase lunch, 10 minutes to possibly qualify for a free or reduced lunch also helps our school qualify for additional funding!!!

We appreciate you taking the time to fill out the 10 minute application -- your support is a HUGE HELP!!!

Apply Here

PTA Updates

Save the Date - Join us for our PTA General Meeting and Bingo Night on January 22nd at 5PM.

Don't forget to support Highlands PTA by coming out to Monkey Joe's TODAY (1/16) and mention Highlands.

TFlatts in Winter Springs closed and thus our Spirit Night was recently changed to Panda Express. Lucky us because they do a Spirit ALL-DAY! Order online and enter the code 3853859 or show the flyer in-store.

We are also starting a membership drive. Join PTA today!

Thank you for supporting PTA!

Join PTA Today!

Upcoming Middle School Night

Clinic Donations Needed!

Our school clinic is currently in need of donations. We are requesting new underwear in all sizes for boys and girls, as well as any donations new or gently used pants and shorts in all sizes for both boys and girls. Your support will help ensure that we can provide for students in need. Thank you for your generosity!

Order your Yearbook Today!

We’re excited to announce that yearbooks for the 2025 school year are now on sale — and it’s the perfect time to buy! Take advantage of our early bird discount and purchase your child’s yearbook for just $20. This special price is available until December 21. After that date, prices will increase, so don’t miss out! Yearbooks are a wonderful way for students to remember their school year, friendships, and special moments. Secure your copy early and save!

Early Bird Deadline: December 21

Discounted Price: $20

Order Now: https://www.buytheyearbook.com/en/ use school code: 387488

Thank you for your continued support, and we look forward to helping your child make lasting memories this school year!

Accelerated Reader Program

Before the school break we enjoyed celebrating meeting our 5,000 point WIG goal which was a Movie Party.

We are excited to set some stretch goals to finish the year strong.

Starting this month, once a month we will host an AR Reward Cart. If students continue to earn points they will also earn prizes each month!

Keep Reading and taking AR tests to continue earning rewards!!!!

Check out Red Apple Dining Menus

Click HERE to see the menu!

Introducing: Mealviewer

Starting in the 2025-2026 school year, Red Apple Dining is improving our guests’ dining experiences with MealViewer, a brand new menu-viewing application available on both Mobile & Desktop.

Other Mealviewer Perks include:

View Breakfast, Lunch, and A La Carte Menus All-in-One
New Tools like the Nutrition Calculator and Interactive Menu Items
Create a Profile to Set your School and / or Track Allergies

Mealviewer - Highlands Menus

Apply for Meal Benefits Here

PBIS Expectations

Highlands is a Positive Behavior Interventions and Support School (PBIS)!

We expect all students to follow our LEAD expectations so we can keep our school a happy and safe place for all students.

We appreciate family support as we utilize the 7 Habits in connection with our PBIS initiatives!

ASK YOUR CHILD ABOUT OUR STAR STUDENT TABLES IN THE CAFETERIA!!

ASK YOUR CHILD ABOUT LEADERSHIP CARDS AND OUR HUSKY HUB!

Husky Gear Now Available!

Excited for the new school year and ready for an out-of-this-world new addition to your school wardrobe! Our Atticus School Store is now OPEN. Don't worry parents it isn't just for students we have t-shirts, short sleeve, long sleeve, hoodies and athletic dry-fit all available! Act now and order before 7/28 to pick up on Meet the Teacher. All other others will be delivered to students homeroom teacher when they are delivered. Click below to get directly to the store!

Atticus School Store

Every Minute Counts!

Did you know that children can suffer academically if they miss 10% of the school year? If a student misses 2 days a month, that is equivalent to 20 days a year (30 hours of math a year and 60 hours of reading/writing a year). Those days can add up before you know it. We know there will be days when your child will miss school, especially when they are sick. Let’s work together to make sure that students are at school on time every day!

Parents and families are essential partners in promoting good attendance because they have the bottom-line responsibility for making sure their children get to school every day. Just as parents should focus on how their children are performing academically, they have a responsibility to set expectations for good attendance and to monitor their children’s absences, so that missed days don’t add up to academic trouble.

Remember students may arrive on campus at 8:05 AM for breakfast and the bell rings at 8:35AM.

Attendance Numbers by Month:

August - 287 absences / 187 tardies

September - 523 absences / 312 tardies

October - 638 absences / 526 tardies

November - 466 absences / 214 tardies

December - 445 absences / 348 tardies

#YouMissSchoolYouMissOut

CALLING ALL DIVIDENDS!!

Are you interested in being a Volunteer for our school? Interested in chaperoning your child's field trip? Want to participate in Teach-in? How about helping out in the classroom? Now is the time to sign-up to be a Dividend!

Click HERE to apply.

Highland's Elementary Amazon Wishlist

We appreciate any support as we continue to provide fun activities for our students this year! We can use extra goodies for our PBIS incentives. We also like to surprise our teachers and stock the fridge/teacher's lounge with sodas and coffees here and there.

We appreciate any and all support!

HLES Amazon Wishlist

Thank You Community Sponsors!

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!

THANK YOU to the following business partners for donating to Highlands Elementary!

Voyage Retirement Solutions - Welcome back Breakfast for our teachers & staff and PBIS prize donations (most recently Bike Donation)
Core Financial Services - Prizes to support our new AR program! Snocone Flavors for our AR Reward!
Action Church - Donated a LOT of food for our Food pantry & Volunteering
Papa Johns Pizza Longwood- Donating Pizza monthly for our Pizza with the Principal event!
Jeremiah's Italian Ice Casselberry- Hosting Monthly Spirit Night the first Wednesday of every month to help support both our school and PTA.

Principal:

Jodi Gonzalez (Farbstein)

Jodi_Farbstein@scps.k12.fl.us

Assistant Principal:

Robert Adamowicz

Robert_Adamowicz@scps.k12.fl.us

Highlands Elementary

1600 Shepard Road

Winter Springs, FL 32708

407-746-6650

Highlands Elementary School Website