Select a grade level to view information:
Highland City Elementary Compact
Highland City Elementary Parent and Family Engagement Plan ( PFEP)
Welcome to our Kindergarten Round Up Registration Page!
We hope this information helps you in registering and preparing your child for Kindergarten! We look forward to partnering with you next year as your child begins their Elementary School years.
Below, you will find information and links regarding the documents you will need to register your child, as well as resources to help you prepare your student for next school year, and the learning expectations for Kindergartners.
Items Needed for Registration:
- Proof of residency( 2) – this can be a utility bill, rent, lease or mortgage statement, current drivers license, or voter registration card
- Photo ID
- Child’s Birth certificate
- Immunization record – See list below of vaccinations needed
- Proof of Physical exam
Required Immunizations
- MMR (one shot): Measles, mumps and rubella must have been given on or after the child’s first birthday.
- MMR (two shots): The minimum interval between the 2 doses of MMR is 28 days.
- POLIO (3-5 doses): Kindergarten: All kindergarteners need one polio on or after fourth birthday. If fourth dose of polio vaccine was administered on or after the fourth birthday, a fifth dose of polio vaccine is not required for entry into kindergarten. First through twelfth grade: If third dose of polio was given on or after the fourth birthday, a fourth dose is not required. The final dose of the polio series should be administered on or after the fourth birthday regardless of the number of previous doses.
- DTP/DTaP (5 shots): If the fourth dose of DTP/DTaP was given on or after the fourth birthday, a fifth dose is not required. Students between ages 7 and 12 (before 7th grade) may be considered complete with three doses and evaluation by the Department of Health School Nurse.
- Hepatitus B Series ( 3 shots)
- Hib: Number of doses of Hib varies according to age and the type of vaccine received.
- Varicella (one shot or signed proof of disease): Varicella must have been given on or after child’s first birthday. . ¨¨¨ Pre-K students must have started the series, and have a current immunization certificate
Here are links to the District Webpage that may be helpful for enrollment information:
https://polkschoolsfl.com/parents/
When you have all documentation, come to the HCE campus office and our staff will complete the process of registration.
Packets are available now for pick up in our office. We ask that you come within the hours of 8 AM and 2 PM.
During the summer you may register Monday – Thursday from 8 AM – 2 PM.
You will also have the opportunity to buy school uniform shirts for your child ($7.00 each) and get a list of classroom supplies your child will need to start school.
Please take a moment to complete our parent survey for our Virtual Kindergarten Round Up by clicking on the link below . We appreciate your input!
Kindergarten Round Up parent survey
Join us for a school tour of Highland City Elementary by clicking the link below.
Tips and Resources
Please click on the links below for valuable tips and resources to prepare your child for their Kindergarten year.
FLDOE Resources for Parents Polk Schools Kdg Readiness Checklist
Reading Activities for Parents and Children Practice actvities
Tips for Every Kindergarten Parent
Kindergarten is an exciting and critical time in your child’s development and growth. You can play an important role in this wonderful journey. Here’s what kindergarten teachers want parents to know:
- Your job isn’t over when you drop your little one off at school; it has only just begun. Your child’s teacher wants to be your partner. Keep her informed about what goes on at home that might affect your child’s behavior or academic performance. Share how what she does at school affects your child at home and do so in a way that is considerate of her time.
- This is not your grandfather’s kindergarten.Sadly, much of what happens in kindergarten is driven by high standards and preparation for standardized tests. The expectations of what children need to know when they enter kindergarten are closer to what used to be expected in 1st grade. To boost your child’s academic skills:
- Talk with your child about what interests him/her.
- Encourage your child to be curious and ask questions.
- Point out letters and numbers when you see them in books and around town.
- Support your child in solving everyday problems.
- Reading to your child once a day is not enough. Try to read together at least three times a day. Books are the gateway to building vocabulary, learning about print, and developing listening and early literacy skills. When you read, talk about the book. Discuss the characters and setting, make predictions, and create new endings. Point out letters and words in the text, and encourage him/her to recognize rhyming sounds and words and to identify beginning and ending sounds. The BOB Books: Rhyming Words boxed set is one of our favorites for early learners.
- Writing exploration at home is critical. Your child needs to have opportunities to use pencils, crayons and other writing instruments as he/she attempts to express themselves in written form. (You can shop for fun sets of markers and colored pencils in our shop!). Kids begin with scribbles and lines, move on to letters and their name, and then to words and sentences.
- The more self-control your child has, the more successful he will be in school. Children need practice in deciding how and when to express their feelings and needs, and when and if to act on impulses. Help him/her develop and practice these skills at home before he tests them at school, where the consequences are a loss of learning for him and for others.
- It’s okay to make yourself known. Come in. Look around. Peruse the textbooks and materials. Knowledge is power. When you know about the subjects your child is studying, you will be able to help him/her better and have a common understanding for discussion. Volunteering is a wonderful way to learn about what goes on at school and to show your child how much you care about what he/she is doing.
- Your child needs lots of opportunities for play outside of school. Play is the way in which he learns about himself and the people and world around him. But more often than not, play has been squeezed out of the school day. Playing both alone and in small groups helps facilitate learning and allows your child to practice skills and concepts.
- Homework is an opportunity for talking, sharing, and listening. Teachers give homework to extend the learning of the classroom. It is a chance for you to find out what your child is studying and how well he/she is grasping the skills and concepts being taught at school. Talk with your child about his homework. It shows him that you care and value what he does at school.
- Television and video games use up valuable playtime. Limit screen time. The hours spent with these electronic devices could otherwise be spent talking, reading, or actively learning through play.
- First-hand experiences are another teacher for your child. Take him/her to museums, the zoo, the aquarium, the library, parks, arts performances, and geographic locations such as the mountains, beach, forests, and deserts. And do it often. Your child will grasp concepts and skills better if he/she has experiences with the real thing.
HCE’s Week of STEM-tastic Learning!
Parents, please enjoy working with your child using the following activities. Don’t forget to click on the Parent Survey Tab above to give us your feedback. Your child will earn a NUT pass!
Activity #1- Card Math Fun
-Materials- 1 deck of cards
Activities you can play with a deck of cards
- Memory game- set out a deck of cards face down and have your child flip over one card at a time, say the number, then flip another card to see if it is a match! J
- Card Add up- have your child flip two cards and add the two numbers together
- Number order- have your child place the cards in number order
Activity #2- Baggie Number Line
Materials- 1 baggie, note card, piece of paper and a marker
Directions: Use one baggie with a slider on top. Write numbers 1-10 on the top of the baggie. Place a white piece of paper inside the baggie and write addition problems on a notecard. Have your child move the slider on top of the baggie to complete the addition problem.
- You can also use the baggie for skip counting by 2’s, 5’s and 10’s.
We hope you enjoy these activities with your child and have a STEM-tastic time! J
Warmly,
HCE Kindergarten Teachers
HCE’s Week of STEM-tastic Learning!
Please follow the directions that your child’s teacher has given you. Don’t forget to complete the Parent survey for our STEM-tastic event by clicking on the Parent Survey tab above.
Math
The number search activity is a fun way to practice math facts with your child. There are 4 game boards. Choose a number between 6 and 20 and write it in the middle. Then you and your child will look for combinations of numbers that add up to the number in the middle. The combinations you circle can be 2, 3, or more depending on how high the number is that you chose. It’s just like bingo – vertical, horizontal, and diagonal. Put a spin on it and make it a competition, or circle addition combinations in one color and subtraction combinations in another color. Before you use the game boards – make copies so there can be multiple players for each board.
The games boards are located here on the website, but teachers are also sending home a hard copy.
Reading
Our reading activity involves Language Arts components like speaking, listening, reading, and writing. The activity is for you and your child to write a letter to their teacher. Talk about what they want to write about, listen to what they tell you and then help them write out their thoughts on paper. Friendly letters have a greeting, a body, a closing, and a signature. To make the experience even more meaningful, take your child to the post office (field trip) and actually mail the letter to their teacher. The letter will arrive at the school and can be received and read by their teacher.
Please address the letter like this:
HCE
Attn.: teacher’s name
5355 9th Street S.E.
Highland City, Fl 33846
HCE’s Week of STEM-tastic Learning!
Welcome Parents! Thank you for participating in our STEM week activities! Don’t forget to give us feedback by clicking on the Parent Survey tab above. Your student will earn an NUT pass. Thank You!
Second Grade Addition Battle Game
Skill: Addition facts
Materials: a deck of cards (Ace = 1)
- Each player gets ½ of the deck of cards.
- Each player calls out “Ready, Set, Battle!” and then flips over their card.
- The first player to ADD up the total sum of the two cards wins the cards. If there is a tie, 2 more cards are flipped, and the winner takes all 4 cards.
- The person with the most cards wins.
We are currently learning about Severe Weather, so the link below is to a website that will reinforce some of the safety tips we’re talking about.
HCE’s Week of STEM-tastic Learning!
Welcome Parents! Please remember to complete our feedback survey by clicking on the Parent Survey tab above. Your child will earn a NUT pass. We appreciate your input!
HCE’s Week of STEM-tastic Learning!
Welcome Parents! Please remember to give us your feedback by completing the survey. Please click the Parent Survey tab above. Your student will earn a NUT pass! Thank you!
Welcome to 4th grade Virtual Math night
Let’s play some games with dice and a deck of playing cards.
In class we use dice and cards to help us with several review games. Below are some of the games we play in class that you can also play at home with a simple deck of playing cards and some dice.
Dice:
- Place Value – Students can roll dice to create numbers they can place on the place value chart. By utilizing this chart students can determine the number created, how much each digit is worth,
- Decide how many digits you will use to multiply. If using basic 1X1 multiplication, multiply the two dice together. For numbers up to 12, roll twice; For the first digit roll both dice, for the second digit only roll one die, then multiply.
- To extend this activity roll both dice twice to get the 2-digit numbers to multiply. Students will use area model to solve these types of multiplication problems.
- For division students will decide how many digits to divide by. Then roll the dice to create your number to divide. You can divide up to 4 digits X 1 or 2 digits. Students will use guiding numbers or repeated subtraction to solve these.
- When working with fractions the dice can represent the numerator, denominator, and the whole number within a mixed number. You can roll one to work with single digit fractions or two dice for double digit fraction numerators or denominators. Students can use this to help make equal fractions, compare fractions, and convert to decimals.
Cards: The playing cards can also be used with the same activities listed above. Minor adjustments will be needed when using face cards and jokers.
- In class we use the cards in the same way as the dice. We use the face cards to represent different numbers each time we play to add to the fun. We always use the Ace as 1. For J, Q, and K we mix it up (for example the J would represent 11, the Q could represent 12, and the K could be 20). Jokers can be set out or used as a challenge.
- Multiplication War – Both flip their top card. Whoever says the answer first get the set. Continue until there is a winner who has collected all cards. This is a great way to practice math facts.
MAKE YOUR OWN GAME: If students would like to create a game that aligns to material, we have learned in 4th grade please make sure they know how to play, have the directions written or typed up and share what skill it works on. If these games will assist us in our FSA review, we will add it as a center in our FSA Prep Groups.
4th grade standard skills learned so far this year. Measurement/Data and Geometry will come next.
Module 1 – Place Value (using up to 7 cards/rolls to represent millions) what is the digits place, value? Rounding from hundreds to millions, write number in expanded form, write the number using words. Addition and subtraction using 3- and 4-digit numbers, subtracting with 0’s.
Module 2 – Multiplication: 1X2 digit (using equal groups, multiples (skip counting), 2X2 digit (using the area model strategy NOT TRADITIONAL MULTIPLICATION, factors, factor pairs, true/false equations, comparing multiplication equations.
Module 3 – Division: 2 digits divided by 1 or 2 digits (72 divided by 9, 144 divided by 12, students will use repeated subtraction to solve these. Up to 4 digits divided by no more than 2-digit number (3592 divided by 5), students will use guiding numbers to solve these.
Module 4 – Fractions: number patterns, equivalent fractions, compare fractions, add/subtract fractions, multiply fractions by a whole, fractions on a number line, comparing fractions on a number line using the benchmark fraction.
Module 5 – Fractions and Decimals: decimal place value (ones . tenths hundredths), Identifying fractions and decimals on a number line. Converting fraction to decimal and decimal to fraction, converting from 10ths to 100ths, adding and subtracting decimals.
Additional websites to share how to learn and play with dice and cards.
**These are not designed specifically for 4th grade but have a wide variety of the skills we learn. They can be used for review and practice of skills.
https://homeschoolcompass.com/16-math-games-you-can-play-with-cards-or-dice/
https://www.weareteachers.com/math-card-games/
(This site has visual examples)
Below are more examples of games that can be played! Have fun learning😊
Hello Parents,
Fourth Grade is beginning a unit on Force and Motion. The stem activities I am sending will go along with this unit. Try to do at least one of the activities with your child/children during STEM week. I’ve included some extra websites that you can go to for more great science ideas. You can send pictures or videos on Class dojo so I’ll know who participated. I will share the pictures and videos with other families unless you tell me not to There is a survey to fill out as well. Thanks for participating.
How to Make a Bottle Rocket
Materials:
Plastic bottle such as a 2-liter soda bottle or similar
Cork to fit in the top of the bottle (available at any hardware store or a used wine cork)
Basketball needle (sporting goods section of Wal-mart)
Bicycle pump or air compressor
Pieces of craft foam or lightweight cardboard (for decoration – not necessary)
Cardboard box or round oatmeal container to hold the bottle
Instructions:
Push the needle adaptor of the pump through the cork, it needs to go all the way through so you might have to trim the cork a little bit.
Decorate the bottle with cones and fins. This step is optional but a lot of fun. See the picture below for ideas.
Fill the bottle one quarter full of water and push the cork in tightly.
Take the bottle outside and connect the pump to the needle adaptor. Ours wouldn’t stand up on the fins so we rested it on a box, but if you make some strong fins it should stand up by itself.
Pump air into the bottle, making sure all spectators stand back, the bottle will lift off with force after a few seconds.
As you pump air into the bottle pressure builds up inside. If you keep pumping, the force of the air pushing on the water eventually becomes strong enough to force the cork out of the bottle allowing water to rush out in one direction while the the bottle pushes back in the other direction. This forces the rocket upwards.
Space rockets work in a similar way to the bottle, but instead of squirting water they burn fuel to make a powerful jet of hot gas. The force of the gas downwards pushes the rocket upwards. This is a great demonstration of Newton’s Third Law.
Things to try and discuss:
Will the distance change if we change the amount of water?
How will it change?
What will happen if we launch the rocket sideways instead of up?
What happens if we push in the cork further into the bottle? What if we leave it a little bit loose?
The Fun Part and Challenge of the Lego Balloon Cars
Legos (if you do not have Legos, toy cars may be used instead. You will just have to use tape or find some other way to attach the balloon to the car)
Wheels for the Legos
balloons
Once you have the materials, it is time to build the cars. Engineering and science come together during the construction phase. Kids must use engineering skills to build the car and run tests like a scientist to see if their design works.
Build Lego Balloon Cars
When testing the balloons, you need to blow up a balloon and attach it to the car. Make sure the balloon opens on the back of the car, not the front.
What happened?
If the car worked, great job. If it didn’t, here are some things to consider:
Height of the car
Length of the car
The type of wheels
Placement of the wheels
Each of these components will affect the car. It may go in circles, not go at all, or not go very far. So have your kids experiment with the different areas mentioned above to determine how to make it work.
LEGO Balloon car
STEM project for kids
STEM Lego activity
Students may need to rebuild their cars a few times. This is all part of STEM. Students need to learn to problem solve, rework the problem, and keep trying until they figure out an answer.
You can check out these Lego Balloon cars in action HERE.
Further Science Learning
Once your kids have a design, here is a great opportunity to include even more science.
Now, you can play around and learn about friction. There are a couple of ways to do this:
Different surfaces
Different wheels
Different Surfaces:
Look for different surfaces around your house. It can be flooring, tables, countertops, or something you place on a surface like sandpaper or bubble wrap. See what you can find.
Next, have the kids form a hypothesis on how they think their cars will do. Test them out, and discuss why the cars performed the way they did. Tie in how friction is different for each of the surfaces.
Different Wheels:
The wheels play a part in friction. Experiment with different wheels. Try wheels that have smooth treads and a set that is deeper. You can take the rubber treads completely off and drive the car on the plastic rim. My kids did this, and they worked.
For this experiment, you may want to stick to one surface you know the cars worked well on. Kids can then make their hypothesis on how they think the wheels impact the balloon car.
All of this will lead to great discussions about friction and using the scientific process.
Lego Balloon Cars and Math
If you are like me, maybe you have some competitive kids. Here is where math can come in. When kids release their cars, measure how far they go.
With older kids, you have more math options:
Create tables to record data or distance traveled with different designs, surfaces, and wheels.
Graph the distance the cars traveled in regular trials, different surfaces, or with different wheels.
Find the average distance the car traveled after several trials.
Look at the ratio of the car length to the distance traveled among everyone’s cars to see if there is a pattern.
So get out your Legos and balloons and let your kids build. Making Lego balloon cars is educational and will lead to good STEM discussions.
Zooming With Force and Motion
This activity can be done with the Lego cars or with small toy cars.
Materials:
Small cars
About 5 books (more if using thin picture books)
Long piece of cardboard or thin wood
Measuring tape
Timer
Pennies
Instructions:
Build a low ramp with the books and cardboard. Place the car at the top of the ramp and let it go. Do not push, simply let it go. See how far the car will roll. Record the distance. Add another book to the ramp and repeat the steps. Do this several times.
You can go back and add weight to the cars, compare different cars, put different surfaces on the ramp etc. Have fun with it.
Other websites with STEM ideas
https://stemactivitiesforkids.com/
https://www.sciencebuddies.org/
HCE’s Week of STEM-tastic Learning!
Welcome Parents! Please remember to complete the parent survey. Your child will earn a NUT pas. We appreciate your feedback!
Watch the following videos of skip counting and create skip count charts for the following numbers. Be sure to sing along!
6s- ___,___,___,___,___,___,___,___,___,___
7s- ___,___,___,___,___,___,___,___,___,___
8s- ___,___,___,___,___,___,___,___,___,___
9s- ___,___,___,___,___,___,___,___,___,___
11s- ___,___,___,___,___,___,___,___,___,___
12s- ___,___,___,___,___,___,___,___,___,___
Polygon Tree
Task:
Sort the following cards into piles of terms that you think may go together based on what you know about shapes. If you are stuck, you can watch a few videos below to help you sort.
TERMS:
Videos:
http://Quadrilaterals Song | Types of Quadrilaterals | Classifying Quadrilaterals – YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rh93AfCyOik
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zI3rUMrRLF8
Test prep question:
Answer key Polygon Tree: This will be the tree your student creates in class so you can study at home!
HCE’s Week of STEM-tastic Learning!
Parents please click the link below to give us feedback on our Winter Bazaar Making Readers Bright Family Night Event.
Thank you! We appreciate your input!
Making Readers Bright Feedback
Parents please click the link below to give us feedback on both the school Compact and the Parent and Family Engagement Plan ( PFEP). Thank you! We appreciate your input!