Dear Students and Parents,
I would like to welcome each of you to the 2009-10 school year at High Lakes Elementary. This is High Lakes 10th year, but perhaps our most exciting! Since the day our doors opened in 2000, High Lakes has been overcrowded due to unexpected growth in the city of Bend. Last spring our enrollment topped out at 930 students in a building designed to hold 585. With the opening of William E. Miller Elementary School in September and half of our families and staff moving to the new school, we expect our enrollment this year to be approximately 520. Athough our hearts are sad to have so many of our friends and colleagues going to the new school, we are looking forward to having room to spread our wings. We will have four empty classrooms to house special programs, a dedicated computer lab and a room for after school programs.
We will be taking advantage during this huge change to also change the configuration of classrooms. We will have dedicated grade level "lakes" or wings so that all classes in a particular grade level will be together. This will allow for more flexibility in grouping students, as well as providing treachers with easier access to collaborate with each other. Half day kindergarten and first grade will be housed in Green Lake; all day kindergarten and second grade in Yellow Lake; 3rd grade will be in Red Lake; 4th and 5th in Blue Lake. Another exciting change is that all students will be eating in the cafeteria instead of their classrooms for the first time.
Historically High Lakes has been very strong academically and it is our intention to become even stronger. All grade levels this year will have protected instructional time in both mathematics and in reading. All grade levels will have a minimum of one hour for math instruction and 90 minutes for reading with no classroom interruptions. (i.e., specialists, recess etc.) With these instructional blocks we will better serve both TAG students and students who need additional support each and every day.
Our school has many unique programs that will be continuing. "Open Gym" (grades 1-5) is a low cost, before and after school drop in program to begin and extend the day by one hour for working families; "Kids, Inc." is a child care program sponsored by Bend Parks and Recreation that is available until 6:00 PM. Band and orchestra will both be available this year as after school programs. Due to our close proximity to Miller Elementary, we will have orchestra at High Lakes and band at High Lakes. More details will be coming soon!
Our awesome PTA President, Lisa Duggan and her wonderful board of directors have been working all summer to plan events, assemblies and activities for the upcoming year. I urge you to volunteer your time and talents at our school and join the PTA to help support make HIgh Lakes and even better experience for our kids.
I want you to know that the staff and I are so very excited about the upcoming school year!
Sincerely,
Susan Heberlein
Principal
