Principal's Corner
Welcome to the 2026-2027 School Year!
Dear Highland Family,
On behalf of the staff at Highland Elementary School, we are excited to welcome you to the 2026-2027 school year. We look forward to a successful partnership with you to ensure our children can achieve their highest potential. We recognize that in order to be successful in school, our children need support from both the home and school. We know a collaborative partnership with you will make a substantial difference in your child’s education. We look forward to welcoming you at Highland’s Orientation on August 27th (details below).
Our first day of school is Monday, August 31, 2026 for all students in grades PreK 4 – grade 5. Highland students attend school from 7:55 a.m. – 2:20 p.m. The first bell rings at 7:45 a.m., signaling students to go into their classrooms. The morning tardy bell rings at 7:55 a.m.; please make every effort to arrive on time to school. All students arriving at school after 7:55 a.m. will be marked as tardy to school, and they miss valuable morning information and instruction.
Parent Drop Off or Walkers - If your child is dropped off at school or walks to school, please have him/her arrive between 7:25 a.m. and 7:50 a.m. This is very important because we do not have adult supervision before 7:25 a.m. Students will not be allowed to wait inside the entryway before 7:25 a.m., as unsupervised behavior can become dangerous. Thank you for respecting the 7:25 a.m. student arrival time. When dropping off or picking up students at our school, please slowly and safely enter through the designated west entrance and depart through the east exit. Students must quickly exit the vehicle and come into the building. If you need to come into the building, please use the visitor parking slots directly in front of our building. Visitors should only use these designated slots; if none are available, please use the north parking lot across 49th Avenue NW. Parking along the curb is not allowed.
Early parent/guardian pick up - If a student needs to leave during the school day, the parent/guardian is requested to send a note to school stating the reason and time to be released. The parent/guardian must sign the student out at the school office. The office will call the classroom, and the child will meet you in the entryway. Students are only released to the people who are listed in our student information system. Please be prepared to show your driver’s license/picture ID at the time of check out. Calling school after 12:00 p.m. for an early release or dismissal change is very difficult to accommodate. Please make every effort to call the main office (763-528-4400) by 12:00 p.m. with any change to after-school pick-up, busing, walking, or Adventure Club. For safety reasons, students will not be taken off a school bus if you “show up” unannounced to pick up a student(s) at dismissal. Classes and teachers will not be interrupted after 1:30 p.m. for any reason.
Transportation - Monarch Bus Service continues to be our contracted bus company. Monarch can be reached at 612-843-0118. Information regarding bus stop locations, morning pick-up times and afternoon drop-off times will be mailed directly to families on a postcard. To request a bus stop change or to address concerns about bus safety, contact Columbia Heights Transportation at 763-528-4424.
Orientation- two orientation sessions will be held on August 28th. Session one is from 2:00-4:00 p.m. for students with last names beginning with the letters A-M. Session two is from 4:00-6:00 p.m. for students with last names beginning with the letters N-Z. This year we created a Scavenger Hunt which includes finding your classroom, meeting your teacher(s), filling out the lunch form, creating a bus tag, getting your meal PIN number, signing up for ParentVue and much more. Please bring your child’s backpack to orientation so their bus & PIN number tag can be attached!
PreK-4 Orientation for the morning or afternoon class with Mrs. Anderson- We will have PreK orientation times on Thursday, Aug. 20th. Orientation times are scheduled for 45 minutes. Please call Mrs. Anderson at 763-528-4393 if this time does not work for you. Here is the schedule:
Morning Class PreK families Afternoon Class PreK families
12:00-12:45 p.m. - Students with last names A-H 3:00-3:45 p.m. - Students with last names A-H
1:00-1:45 p.m. - Students with last names I-Q 4:00-4:45 p.m. - Students with last names I-Q
2:00-2:45 p.m. - Students with last names R-Z 5:00-5:45 p.m. - Students with last names R-Z
School Supplies- The school supply list was emailed to all families and is also available on the district website. The Highland PTO is excited to offer School Supply Boxes to help make back-to-school shopping easy and stress-free. For a $25 contribution, the PTO will shop for your child’s required school supplies and deliver them directly to their classroom before the first day of school.
Order your School Supply Box or sponsor a student here:
⭐️English LINK HERE
⭐️Spanish: LINK HERE
Community Education/Adventure Club - Registration for Adventure Club is first come-first serve currently with openings. You may register a student for one to five days a week. The hours are 2-6 on regular school days and from 6:30 a.m.- 6:00 p.m. on non-school days (weekdays). This is a fee-based program. To register and pay, please use this link: Register and Pay. Please call Jodi Gadient at 763-528-4512 if you have questions about the Adventure Club program. Morning Adventure Club is not available during the school year. Registration is also open for Early Childhood Family Education and PreK 3-year-old classes. Call 763-528-4517.
Food Service – All families are asked to complete the educational benefits application (Free/Reduced Price Lunch Application) before the first day of school. Even if you applied last year, you will need to reapply this year. The form is available on the district website, in the Highland Office, or will be available at Orientation in the Highland Cafeteria. Breakfast and lunch will be available at no charge to all students this year.
Benefits Application: https://www.myschoolapps.com/Application
Breakfast will be available in the cafeteria for all students beginning at 7:25 a.m. Students will go directly to breakfast as they arrive at school. Breakfast will be served until the tardy bell rings at 7:55 a.m. Lunch begins at 10:40 a.m. daily with each classroom having a scheduled time in the cafeteria and at recess. Students may bring a lunch from home; however, please do not send pop/soda to school. Students will scan a barcode at breakfast and lunch.
CELL PHONE POLICY (Off and Out of Sight) - Many families wish to have contact with their students before and after school via cell phone. If a student has a cell phone at school, it must not become a distraction or disruption to the learning process; therefore, students’ cell phones must be powered off and kept in their backpacks during the school day. Phones will be confiscated by a staff member if a student has the phone (on their person, is used, or in the classroom) during the school day. Parents/guardians must come to school to receive the phone if it is confiscated. Phones that are confiscated more than one time may not be returned until the end of the quarter or the end of the year. Highland Elementary will not be responsible for lost or stolen items.
Our building secretary is Carolina Huerta. Please contact Ms. Huerta regarding transportation questions, address/phone/email changes, daycare changes, or any changes in our student information system. Ms. Huerta can be reached at 763-528-4401 or via email at huertac@colheights.k12.mn.us in English or Spanish.
Our first Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) meeting is on September 16th at 6:00 p.m. This meeting will be held in the Highland Media Center. All parents/guardians are encouraged to participate to hear about plans for the school year and to share your ideas for new events or projects. The PTO is also hosting a Meet & Greet on September 10th from 5:00-7:00 p.m. on the Highland Playground.
All of us at Highland Elementary School are committed to providing your child with the best possible educational experience. We look forward to your involvement and participation in our school this year. Please email me at jankem@colheights.k12.mn.us or give me a phone call at 763-528-4405 if you have any questions or concerns.
Sincerely,
Michele Janke, Highland Principal