Highlands School

A Visit Is Worth a Thousand Pictures

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 14:57:00 GMT

Still accepting applications for the 2012 - 2013 school year.
Visit our Admissions page to learn more.

Summer at Highlands

Thu, 21 Apr 2011 18:37:00 GMT

Our Summer at Highlands Catalog is here! Summer camp begins May 31st and ends August 5th. That’s 10 full weeks of camp. Register today!

Please note there are two four day weeks this summer: Week One, due to Memorial Day and Week Six, due to Independence Day.

We have a variety of new enrichment camps this year like Printmaking, Cupcake Kids, ImagiTech, This Camp is Dangerous, Love Your MoMA, Felicity of Games to name a few; as well as returning favorites like Chess, Karate, Soccer, Science and lots of Art. Most of these speciality camps are offered in the morning, but a few, like Camp Halfblood, are afternoon enrichment camps. Look for Gaming 101 -our one Full Day Camp. Gaming 101, has been known as Alice, and focuses on computer programing as it applies to video game design.

All camps are age specific, so be sure to pay attention to ages as you sign up. Each camp’s cost/time differs depending on materials needed, staff, etc.

We have Summer at Highlands camp t-shirts! Add your order to the bottom of the contract. Orders due by May 12th!

Traditional Day Camps, offered in the afternoon from 12pm-4pm, include a hot lunch, trips to the pool and much more. Lunch is included automatically for those enrolled in our Traditional Day Camps, but can be purchased on a weekly basis by campers enrolled in enrichment camps all day.

Summer at Highlands provides a morning snack for all morning sessions. Your child will be responsible for bringing his/her own afternoon snack. If you are a parent in need of care from 7 a.m. until 6 p.m., Extended Day care can be matched with a morning enrichment camp and the afternoon traditional day camp for all day coverage.

You may choose from two payment options:

Pay the total price for the camps you indicate on your contract when it is submitted
Pay 75% of the total and be billed the remaining 25% to be payed by May 31st

In order to enroll in Summer at Highlands, you must return a registration contract with payment to Highlands School. Once the contract and payment have been received, a confirmation email and copy of the contract along with some summer camp procedures and other necessary forms will be emailed to the email address you provide. Please provide a current and complete email address on your contract.

Space in our enrichment camps is limited by the instructor and varies from camp to camp. Camps are filled on a first come first serve basis. Register early to reserve your spot. You may cancel your registration by the week if summer plans change.

Cancellation must be received two full weeks before that camp begins to receive a refund or credit for fees. For example, to cancel a camp that begins on July 25th, a written request must be submitted to Gabe McCool no later than July 11th. No fees will be transferred or refunded if less than two full weeks cancellation notice is given.

Have questions? Contact Gabe McCool, Summer Camp and Extended Day Director at Highlands School.

Summer at Highlands Downloads:

2011 Summer at Highlands Camp Catalog

2011 Summer at Highlands Camp Registration Form

A School United

Thu, 14 Apr 2011 17:02:00 GMT

When the Faculty and Staff HR Committee met in February 2011 to discuss the search process and job descriptions of the division heads, a lively conversation ensued. The members of the committee began to ask if there is a way to take the word “divided” out of our vocabulary. Is there a way to get all the tasks completed but with a unified, whole-school outlook? How can we structure our administrative team so that students and their families build relationships with administrators that continue through Highlands School from preschool through eighth grade?

The HR Committee recommended that if the right people were found, we approach the positions, not as “division heads” but as whole-school administrators. The committee envisioned two administrators, Director of Student Services and Director of Curriculum and Instruction, working closely together to support our families and our faculty across all our grade levels. The committee searched for two individuals whose skills and personalities complement each other and Mrs. Barr.

The HR Committee searched through over a hundred resumes, met with over twenty-five candidates for initial interviews and brought three candidates to the campus for a rigorous interview schedule that included meetings with all of the faculty and staff and representatives from the students, parents, trustees, and alumni. Thanks to the hard work of many people, we are excited to tell you that we have found the right people for these positions.

Beginning July 1, 2011, Elise Blackerby will be our Director of Curriculum and Instruction. Mrs. Blackerby has a long career in education teaching a variety of grades, serving on curriculum committees, sharing presentations, and mentoring teachers. She has taught third, fourth, and fifth grades at Highlands School following over twenty years in the Mountain Brook Schools. Elise and her husband, Vince, have a daughter in college and a son in law school. Not only is she uniquely talented for this position, she is eager to dedicate her newly found empty nester time to Highlands School.

Robert McGehee will be our Director of Student Services starting July 1, 2011. Mr. McGehee is currently the assistant headmaster at St. Bernard in Nashville. He served St. Paul’s Academy in Mobile for over fifteen years in various positions including Upper School Dean of Students, and teacher of fourth through seventh grade students. Robert earned his undergraduate degree in English Literature at University of the South, Sewanee and his Master’s degree in elementary education at Lesley College in Cambridge, Massachusetts. His interests include outdoor education, sailing, and rock climbing.

Open Faculty positions are also being filled at this time.

Stacey Hueghan Wolf has accepted the second grade teaching position. Stacey attended U.A.B., where she cheered for football and men’s basketball and received her Bachelor's degree in Early Childhood and Elementary Education. She has worked with Harris McCloud for the past two years in pre-school and kindergarten. Many of the parents and students had an opportunity to meet her as she worked in the office during the afternoons last year. Stacey is married to Bryan Wolf, and in her free time, she enjoys running, reading, and working on crafty projects.

Michelle Crawford is officially joining the Highlands School Community. Many of you are already familiar with Michelle and her amazing teaching talents, as she has worked at Highlands during maternity leaves as a long-term substitute teacher in second, third, and fifth grades. Before coming to Highlands School last year, she taught second grade. Mrs. Crawford graduated summa cum laude, from the University of Montevallo’s College of Education, is K-6 certified and is Highly Qualified. She is married and has two children. Her favorite pastimes include reading, journaling, working jigsaw puzzles, and traveling with her husband.

Charlotte Gill Leffel has accepted the position of music teacher. Charlotte has dedicated her life to studying, performing, and teaching music. She earned her B.A. in Music Technology from U.A.B. She has performed in a variety of musical genres, singing and playing with rock bands and jazz combos as well as some of the leading church choirs in Birmingham. Charlotte began her teaching career 20 years ago when she started teaching private piano lessons while still in high school. She continued teaching and studying music through college and after, eventually leading her to open The Pink House in 1999. As the owner and lead teacher of The Pink House, Charlotte has taught thousands of children in the Birmingham area over the last 12 years. She currently teaches Kindermusik and piano in The Pink House studio and travels to several Birmingham area schools to provide music education to their students. In addition, she teaches elementary music at N. E. Miles Jewish Day School, where she leads performances several times a year. Charlotte brings her energy and creative spirit to communicate a love and appreciation for music to children. Charlotte strongly believes that “the gift of music is something a child will have throughout a lifetime.”

State of the School Meeting

Mon, 31 Jan 2011 22:37:00 GMT

Please plan to attend a special meeting this coming Tuesday, February 1st at 6:30 in the Spencer Center. This meeting will have a “State of the School” feel to it – not only our current state but also the future state.

We will be sharing four main topics:

Report on the findings of the SACS-SAIS reaccreditation visit.
Report of the recommendations made by the Middle School Vision Committee including the enhancements to the middle school taking place next year.
Sneak Peek into middle school including curricular information
Report of the hiring process and plans for the Head of Lower School and Head of Middle School

All parents and students in fourth through eighth grade are highly encouraged to attend. Pizza will be available at 6:15 to help make the evening a little easier on you. Whether your child is already in the middle school or not, we have some exciting news regarding the enhancements being made to the entire middle school experience for 2011-2012.

Our wonderful teachers and the members of the Vision committee will be there so please make every effort to attend the meeting Tuesday night.

Taking the Highlands Middle School to New Heights

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 20:49:00 GMT

Highlands Middle School students are definitely striving for new heights, both literally and metaphorically. In September our eighth graders went on their annual Leadership Retreat. In addition to spending time with elders at a nursing home near campus, the students and two teachers spent time challenging themselves at Camp Cosby.

The group spent the first afternoon kayaking on the Locust Fork of the Black Warrior River. They enjoyed beautiful weather as they overcame the challenges of navigating white water, getting stuck on rocks, and taking the occasional swim.

The next morning’s activities involved challenge by choice. The first activity was climbing the Alpine Tower. Each participant had the opportunity to choose a route to the top or to stop at whichever point seemed right. We celebrated our success with a ride on an amazing swing. To finish our time at Camp Cosby, we tackled the high-ropes course. Completing high ropes involves overcoming a series of obstacles high in the trees.

We are also challenging ourselves intellectually. Highlands School has begun the process of becoming an IB World School. We are officially an “interested school”, having registered our pursuit of this certification with the International Baccalaureate Organization. While many people are more familiar with the Diploma Programme, IB also offers a Middle Years Programme (MYP).

The MYP is compatible with the Highlands mission and strategic plan and focuses on life-long learning and international mindedness. Through this rigorous academic program, Highlands students will develop an appreciation for their own culture and that of others while acquiring the knowledge, skills, and characteristics to lead successful and productive lives in our quickly changing world.

We also take time to explore new ideas and activities through our elective program. Students opt to participate in yearbook, newspaper, Scholars’ Bowl, drama, Alice programming, and a variety of other offerings. Check out the first issue of this year’s newspaper, The High Life 2.0.

Please visit our web page often to find more information about what our students and teachers are doing as we continue striving for “a higher degree of learning.”

Top Ten New Things to Notice at Highlands School:

Tue, 29 Sep 2009 08:55:00 GMT

1. After following increased demand for several years, we have opened an additional Preschool Class located in the Spencer Center giving us 40 fabulous preschoolers! Miss Elizabeth has decorated the new room beautifully, and we are excited about welcoming more children on campus!

2. Twitter and Facebook are two ways of sharing information, connecting, and interacting with our families and fans. Become a “fan” or “follower” today!

3. We have reworked our website and have opened the classroom pages. Look in backpack mail for login information.

4. New teachers have come our way with impressive education, teaching experience, and hobbies. We welcome these new faces to Highlands!

5. You will notice Stacey Heughan in preschool in the mornings and in the office in the afternoon. She will be answering the phone, applying Band-Aids, and helping with various tasks in the office. She is a woman of many talents, and we are excited that she is sharing many of them with us!

6. We also welcome many faculty and staff children on campus – both in the Family Center and in the School.

7. All teachers are now using multi-platform laptops just two years after setting this goal.

8. Please see the new Discipline Policy. We give special thanks to Shelby Hammer and Amy Mendel, a faculty committee and a parent focus group who worked on the policy last spring.

9. Highlands School is getting greener! Take note of the raised garden beside the greenhouse. This outdoor learning area will be used by a variety of students of all ages. We send a big green thank you to Randy McDonald for designing and overseeing the construction of the garden.

10. Let’s all give Amy Han a big “Ni Hao” as she begins her year at Highlands School. Amy will be teaching Chinese to all of our students and is with us through the China Connection program sponsored by NAIS and Hanban.

Welcome to a great new year!

Mon, 03 Aug 2009 06:18:00 GMT

I am excited to welcome each of you back to school after a wonderful summer full of the three R's: rest, relaxation and recreation!

Has your summer been action packed or slow and easy? Are you the type of person who can't wait for school to start again, or do you wish every day was a carefree summer day? Be sure to tell me your answers and all about your summer Thursday, August 13, our first day of school.

Here are a few things to keep in mind as you and your parents prepare for a great start to a great year.

Students are to arrive between 7:45 and 7:55 and be in their seats by 8:00 a.m.
Parents are to accompany their child/children to the office when arriving after 7:59 a. m. to sign in and to get a tardy slip.
If parents come on campus for any reason, they must check in at the office and get a visitor pass or volunteer pass.
Parents please send a dated note to the teacher with your child if your child is going home with someone other than the regular carpool driver; preschool children may need to have notes pinned to their clothing or book bags.
Cell phones are not to be used during carpool. This rule is enforced for the safety of all during car pool.
The bus driver coordinates the bus clock with WMJJ - Magic 96 radio time and stops at each pickup for five minutes.
If you are late in the morning, please drive your children to school. If you are late in the afternoon, you may pick up at Highlands School by 4:15 p.m.
If you send another adult to pick up your children for carpool or the bus stop, notify the school office by noon each day.
All children, if they wish, may bring a healthy snack such as fruit or vegetables.
Children who attend school after 12 noon should bring a lunch or enroll in our hot lunch program.
Children staying after 3:00 p.m. may wish to bring an afternoon snack.
All medication, with the exception of inhalers and epinephrine, must be dispensed from the school's office.
Parents must complete a Medication Form and provide the medicine. The containers are to be labeled with the child's name and directions for administering the medication.
All children are asked to bring all supplies to school on the first day of school. If you purchased school supplies through the Highlands School Parent's Auxiliary they will be in our room the first day of school.

The purpose of a dress code is to allow students to participate fully and safely in every aspect of the school day. Highlights of the school's Dress Code are listed below for reference.

Students should wear something else if they have any doubts about the appropriateness of an item.

Students are to wear shoes that are appropriate and safe for outdoor play.
Students in PS–5th grade may not wear flip flops.
Students in MS may wear sandals and flip flops provided that they have athletic shoes for P.E. Flip flops should be appropriate for school wear and should not be beach or pool shoes.
Students must wear adequate and appropriate undergarments for all outfits; tights may be worn accompanied by a skirt or dress that extends to mid-thigh.
Students are not permitted to wear the following:

Classroom Content

Wed, 29 Jul 2009 11:29:00 GMT

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Letters About Literature National Award

Fri, 07 Aug 2009 01:58:00 GMT

7th grade student wins National Award
After winning the national writing competition Letters About Literature, Cori Mazer, Highlands School seventh grader, has chosen our library to receive a $10,000 reading promotion grant from Target.

Letters About Literature is a national reading promotion program of the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress. Students write to authors who have written a book that has changed the way the student looks at the world. Cori's letter to Lois Lowry about The Giver won first place in Alabama, and was then chosen as a national winner.

On the state level, the program is sponsored by the Alabama Center for the Book and the Alabama Humanities Foundation. State and national judges include published authors, editors, publishers, librarians and teachers.

Two Highlands School Middle School students were awarded first place on the state level for their letters. Dakotah Murphree , sixth grader won in the 4th - 6th grade level and Cori Mazer won in the 7th - 8th grade level. Representatives from the Alabama Center for the Book reported that this is the first time one school has had two first place winners!

First place letters are sent to the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress to be judged against winning letters from across the country. Approximately 55,000 young readers from across the country participated in this year’s competition. Highlands School is thrilled to announce that Cori's letter is one of two National Winners in Level 2 (Grades 7-8.)

Cori is the first student from Alabama to receive a National Award from Letters About Literature. The National winners each receive a $500 Target Gift Card, and they also designate a favorite library to receive a $10,000 reading promotion grant from Target. Cori designated the Highlands School Library, her school library since beginning preschool in 2000, to receive the $10,000 grant from Target.

Target sponsors Letters About Literature as part of its commitment to supporting education and early childhood reading. Target recognizes the integral role that reading plays in shaping a child’s future, because reading is the foundation for lifelong learning and success. Since opening its doors, Target has given 5 percent of its income to organizations that support education, social services and the arts.

Prospective Parent Open House

Sun, 16 Aug 2009 11:54:00 GMT

Prospective Parent Open House: Thursday, April 30, 2009 9:00 a.m.

HIGHLANDS SCHOOL is pleased to announce an additional Preschool Class. Come visit us and learn all about it! Please R.S.V.P. to Judy McDonald, Director of Admissions (205) 956-9731. 4901 Old Leeds Road, Birmingham, Alabama 35213.

Valentine Rhymes

Sun, 16 Aug 2009 11:59:00 GMT

Valentine Rhymes

Mrs. Suzan’s and Miss Angela’s Kindergarteners have been working on identifying the beginning and ending consonant sounds and the medial vowel sounds in new words. To continue their practice they have been identifying words with the same medial vowel sound and the same ending consonant sound – you know, rhyming words. In celebration of St. Valentine’s Day the kindergarteners used their new skills to write Valentine Rhymes with some hilarious results.
Read their poems by viewing the interactive online book

Grandparents & Special Friends Day: Friday, April 3, 2009

Sun, 16 Aug 2009 11:51:00 GMT

Grandparents & Special Friends Day: Friday - April 3

9:00 - 11:00 a.m.

Welcome to all our special guests. We are looking forward to showing you our wonderful school! Please do not park along the driveways. We need to keep these areas free of parked cars so that the bus shuttles can enter and exit campus freely. Also, in case of emergency the driveways will need to be clear for emergency vehicles. Please park at the old Mountain Brook Swim & Tennis Club and use the bus shuttles that will be running.

Time to Register for a Summer at Highlands

Sun, 16 Aug 2009 11:40:00 GMT

Time to register for a Summer at Highlands!

Highlands School’s Higher Degree of Learning does not end when the school year is over. A Summer at Highlands offers sixty-seven unique opportunities tailored to your child’s age group with talented teachers and quality resources you expect from Highlands School. We also offer Morning and Afternoon Care for children who are attending camps. Register now – before the camps fill up!

2009 EDP Summer Camp Brochure (View Online Version)
2009 EDP Summer Camp Contract
Summer at Highlands T-shirt order form

Creativity Convention: 2009

Sun, 16 Aug 2009 12:07:00 GMT

Creativity Convention 2009

Highlands welcomed authors Roger Reid and Deborah Wiles, illustrator Susan Eaddy and musician Charles Tortorici to Creativity Convention 2009.

Our annual Creativity Convention is a wonderful opportunity for the students to meet and interact with authors, illustrators, musicians and other creative adults that have chosen to spend their lives hard at work reading and writing, hard work that our students practice every day.

Highlands School welcomes author Robert Reid

Roger Reid is a writer, director, and producer for the award-winning Discovering Alabama television series, a program of The University of Alabama's Alabama Museum of Natural History in cooperation with Alabama Public Television. His debut novel, Longleaf, is a young adult adventure thriller featuring teenage sleuth Jason Caldwell. Set in the Conecuh National Forest, Longleaf has a strong message of environmental preservation. Space, his second Jason Caldwell novel, incorporates factual information about astronomy and America's space program into its intriguing tale of suspicion and pursuit.

Highlands School welcomes author Deborah Wiles

When she was young, Deborah Wiles spent her summers in Mississippi listening to stories on wrap-around porches and wandering the cemetery in search of long-gone kin. Her fiction reflects these formative years and features young protagonists faced with life-changing decisions that they arrive at through tragedy and hilarity. Her work Each Little Bird That Sings was a National Book Award finalist and a winner of the E.B. White Read Aloud Award. Another of Wiles’ books, Love, Ruby Lavender, is an American Library Association and National Council of Teachers of English Notable Book. Her most recent publication, Aurora County All-Stars, follows a twelve year-old baseball player's journey through loss of family, friends and ability.

Highlands School welcomes Illustrator Susan Eaddy

When her Mom framed the rooster she drew in kindergarten, Susan Eaddy decided that she wanted to be an artist. When she grew up, she worked as an Art Director in educational book publishing for 8 years. She illustrated over 70 educational books and covers in many different media, and won awards for her paper sculpture. Since then she has been building on those basic skills learned at age 5 and never lost her love for “ClayThings”. Her ClayThings are 3-D relief sculptures created entirely out of modeling clay. They appear in magazines, books, catalogs, advertising, greeting cards, wallpaper, kitchen textiles & other licensed products. Ms. Eaddy is also offering prints of her charming clay things illustrations for personalization.

View our interactive book of Susan Eaddy's available prints.

Highlands School welcomes musician and poet Charles Tortorici

Charles Tortorici is a teacher, poet, songwriter, and arts educator from Birmingham. He performs his songs and poems in classrooms, libraries, and at festivals using nature, personal experience, and musical rhythms to teach the joy of self-expression through literary arts. His programs are interactive and involve poetry, story, and song. In September Mr. Tortorici performed as a part of the Alys Stephen’s Center’s “Rhythms of the Earth” Festival. Mr. Tortorici recently received a Fellowship from the Alabama State Council on the Arts. This prestigious award recognizes artistic excellence in crafts, dance, design, media/photography, music, literature, theatre, and visual arts.

Mr. Ashley Kizer Named “Teacher of the Future”

Fri, 07 Aug 2009 02:20:00 GMT

Mr. Kizer, a teacher of fourth and fifth grade science at Highlands School was selected by the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) as part of the inaugural Teachers of the Future Program. The NAIS Teachers of the Future were selected from a large pool of nominees who inspire academic excellence in students and who serve as opinion leaders among their colleagues and peers. The Teachers of the Future were also chosen for their expertise in particular areas— environmentalism, globalism, technology, and equity and justice—which NAIS believes are hallmarks of a high-quality education for the 21st Century. As one of only 25 teachers nationwide chosen for the program, Mr. Kizer will lead an online discussion forum designed to share innovative ideas and teaching techniques and he will create a demonstration video to inspire others.

Mr. Kizer employs a variety of teaching methods to inspire his students in the field of science. His enjoyment of music and technology has been the driving force behind a weekly video podcast designed as a study aid for his fourth and fifth grade students. Hands-on activities and research projects become intermeshed with web 2.0 utilities such as wikis to characterize what has been described as his “hybrid classroom.” Over the years, Highlands School fourth and fifth graders have benefitted from a robust science program, boasting six “Stellar Teams” in the Space Day Design Challenges competition sponsored by Lockheed Martin. Kizer holds a B.S. degree from Freed-Hardeman University and a M.Ed. from the University of Alabama Birmingham.

Highlands School, a NAIS independent school located in the Mountain Brook area, serves families with students from preschool through grade eight. With a commitment to academic excellence, creative expression, and leadership development, Highlands School prepares children to thrive and make a positive difference in a changing world.

The National Association of Independent Schools, based in Washington, DC, is a voluntary membership organization for nearly 1,400 independent schools and associations in the United States and abroad. Independent schools are distinct from other private schools in that they are independently governed by boards of trustees and they are funded primarily through tuition, charitable contribution, and endowment income. To be eligible for membership in NAIS, schools must be accredited, nondiscriminatory, 501(c)(3) non-profit organizations. The Teachers of the Future program is funded in part through a grant from the Edward E. Ford Foundation.