Tomorrow, Wednesday, November 26th, is an early release day.
⏰ Students will dismiss at 1:00 PM.
Please plan transportation accordingly.
Thank you! 🍁
Our Preschool classroom recently received a CLASS (Classroom Assessment Scoring System) observation, which measures the quality of educator–child interactions in early learning. The evaluator shared this glowing feedback:
✨ “Mrs. Thomas did an amazing job today. It is such a joy to observe a teacher who is such a professional, knows her students so well, and is so well supported by her aide. Look at the state and regional averages to see how well she really did.”
Our region includes Highland, Bath, Rockbridge, Craig, Botetourt, Roanoke, Franklin, Patrick, Henry, and the cities of Covington, Lexington, Roanoke, and Martinsville—so these comparisons truly stand out!
📊 Mrs. Thomas’s CLASS Scores:
Emotional Support: VA avg 5.82 | Region avg 5.88 | Mrs. Thomas: 7 (perfect!)
Classroom Organization: VA avg 5.41 | Region avg 5.44 | Mrs. Thomas: 6.83
Instructional Support: VA avg 2.75 | Region avg 2.70 | Mrs. Thomas: 6.58
She also earned multiple perfect 7s across sub-categories—an extremely rare achievement in CLASS observations.
👏 We are incredibly proud of Mrs. Thomas’s exceptional work, expertise, and dedication to our youngest learners!
They are raffling off a Winchester 36 Long Gun Safe.
Tickets:
• 1 for $10
• 3 for $20
Find any PTO member to purchase your tickets: Jessy Wilfong, Candace Lightner, Billie Botkin, Angie Armstrong, Cappy Jackson, Lindy Summers, or Bryan Obaugh.
Tickets are also available at The Curly Maple.
⏰ Sale ends December 30, 2025.
Support the PTO and get your chance to win a great prize!
Join us for our monthly meetings on the 4th Tuesday of each month at 7:00 PM in the Elementary Library.
🗓 Upcoming Dates:
Nov. 25
Dec. 23
Jan. 27
Your voice matters! Come connect, share ideas, and support our students and schools. 💙💛
The Pre-K students loved every minute, and our fifth graders did an amazing job combining creativity, technology, and Thanksgiving fun! 🍁🤖✨
Full-Time • Benefits Included • Start Date: As Soon As Possible
Highland County Public Schools is seeking a dedicated Agriculture Mechanics Teacher to join our team.
✨ Incentive Available:
Licensed teachers who commit to a three-year employment term are eligible for a $5,000 sign-on bonus.
If you’re passionate about agricultural education and ready to make a difference, we’d love to hear from you!
📩 Apply today or contact us for more information: https://www.highland.k12.va.us/page/employment
🍁 Highland Elementary Thanksgiving Spirit Week is coming!
Join us as we celebrate the days leading up to break with some festive fun!
November 24–26
📅 Monday: Pumpkin & Orange Day
📅 Tuesday: Flannel Day
📅 Wednesday: Pajama Day (Early Release!)
We can’t wait to see everyone’s school spirit! 🧡🍂
📅 DONATIONS ARE DUE TOMORROW
Each grade has been assigned specific items to bring — check the flyer for details!
🏆 Prizes:
🥇 1st Place – Class Pizza Party
🥈 2nd Place – Ice Cream Party
🥉 3rd Place – Candy for the Class
Athletes, don’t forget your uniforms and best smiles! 📣🏀
🎉 Kindergarten is 50 Days Smarter!
Last week, our Kindergarten students celebrated reaching the 50-day milestone with a fun 1950s-themed sock hop! 🧦💃🕺
From dancing to dressing up, it was a wonderful way to mark 50 days of learning, growing, and having fun together!
We are gathering community feedback on where the Public Comment portion should appear on future School Board meeting agendas.
Please take a moment to share your preference—should Public Comment come before action items or after action items?
📝 Take the short survey here: https://forms.gle/wnXoeGGb2dcgP84P8
Your feedback helps us make decisions that best support transparency and community engagement. Thank you for taking the time to participate!
On Saturday, November 15, Highland's new Scout Troop 188, aka "The Highlanders" participated with hundreds of other Scouts in the region in a 1-day "Merit Badge University" to have fun learning new skills with connecting with other Scouts.
The Troop's patrol leader, Ben Higley, led the Scout patrol, including Sam Bird and Samuel Carpenter, to Blue Ridge Community College. All three took the Plumbing merit badge course. Samuel Carpenter earned the "Scouting Heritage" merit badge to support his role as troop historian. Meanwhile, Sam Bird and Ben Higley took the "Citizenship in the Wolrd" merit badge, which ties in with their 7th-grade civics class.
The Scouts were initially skeptical, with Sam Bird saying "Why would I ever need to know anything about plumbing." Ben Higley reflecting philosophically of "why did I sign up for another day of school on the weekend?." - However, at the end, all the Scouts admitted that they had a great time connecting with others, with Sam Bird admitting that the Plumbing merit bades was "a lot more interesting and fun than I thought, and it is something I can really use."
Picture 1: Sam Bird and Ben Higley after bending and welding pipes with their merit badge counselor, Mr. Davey Brown with Troop/Crew 84 from Sutart's Draft, VA
The Virginia Board of Education has approved increasing the cut scores on the Standards of Learning (SOL) reading and math tests — but not this year. The increases will roll out gradually over the next four years. 📚
✅ This gives students and teachers extra time to prepare.
⚠️ Some worry about impacts on graduation rates and equity.
🔗 Read the full story here: https://virginiamercury.com/2025/11/14/higher-sol-cut-scores-coming-but-not-this-year-virginia-board-says/
(Thanks to Virginia Mercury 🇺🇸)
The National Honor Society is once again partnering with the Highland County Department of Social Services to host our annual Thanksgiving Food Drive!
📅 Collection Dates:
High School: November 11–21
Elementary School: November 17–21
Each grade has been assigned specific items to bring — check the flyer for details! This is a friendly competition between classes to see who can donate the most food.
🏆 Prizes:
🥇 1st Place – Class Pizza Party
🥈 2nd Place – Ice Cream Party
🥉 3rd Place – Candy for the Class
Let’s come together to support our community this Thanksgiving season! 🧡
