• From the Executive Director
• From the Development Office

● Calendar of Events

We are pleased to announce the selection of our new High School Academic Coordinator, Mr. Kyle Roberts, who starts January 7, 2008.  Mr. Roberts is a state certified principal with a Masters in Educational Administration and Curriculum Supervision from the University of Oklahoma.  He was recently the principal at W. W. Samuel High School in Dallas.

We are also pleased to announce the arrival of Miss Tiffany Waits as our new assistant for development and alumni affairs.  Ms. Waits is a 2001 graduate of THS and a 2005 graduate of the University of Dallas.

Congratulations to the girls on their talent show last Friday night.

Well done to our Regnum Christi and everyone who participated in our Angel for a Day event last Saturday. There were 300 children and 160 volunteers.   Thank you to all who helped to make the day a huge success!

Congratulations to our Girls Soccer team for their first victory of the season over John Paul II.

Our boys and girls basketball teams continue to roll with their success. Boys’ record is 6 wins and 2 losses.  Girls’ record is 3 wins and 5 losses.  The boys won last night by a 2 point buzzer beater.  The girls lost by 2 in a heartbreaker.

We are extremely grateful to the parents who are hosting the Annual Fund parties and the school camaraderie that is a by-product of these events.

We want to thank all of the parents and students from St. Ann’s Parish in Coppell for their outstanding support of our admissions fair last Sunday after all the masses.

After School Policy: We are facing an increased number of students remaining after school who are not assigned to an authorized academic or extracurricular activity. The Student/Parent handbook specifies that all students must leave campus by 4:15 p.m. on school days. Students who remain after school and are not participating in an authorized school activity will be directed to After-Care (Grades K-6) or the computer lab (Grades 7-12).  Charges for after care at the published rates will assessed.

Athletic/Spirit Wear Uniform Policy: Authorized spirit shirts or seasonal Athletic spirit wear will only be allowed on Mondays only commencing December 10^th through the rest of the year.  The complete school uniform only will be worn on all other days. No exceptions.

THS Featured in The Texas Catholic: To view this superb article, please click on the link:

http://www.thehighlandsschool.org/ths/newsevents/Page%2011.pdf

Gifts-in-kind: The following items would be very helpful if anyone has any personal or corporate connections to donate to THS:

Six (6) - computers – capable of 1.6GHz Pentium Dual Core Processor or 2.2GHz AMD Athlon 64 Processor,512MB RAM (Memory), 80GB or better Hard Drive, DVD-ROM, Video Card, Sound Card, Network Adapter, No Operating System Required.  Contact Mr. Mulvaney at ext. 252.

DVD/TV – contact Catherine Hinkson, ext. 222.

One (1) defibrillator – child or adult – contact Nurse Karin Brown, ext. 212.

One (1) new or used vehicle in good operating condition such as a mini-van.  Contact Brad McKinney at ext. 257.

In-kind gifts are tax deductible and will be recognized by Cris Hannis in our Development Office, ext. 261.

Click and Pledge for the Annual Fund:

The Annual Fund Campaign is vital to the success of operating The Highlands School.  All of the funds raised go directly to support the annual operating budget.  Specifically, contributions fund financial aid and scholarships, academic programs, faculty enrichment and athletics.  As tuition does not cover the full cost of educating our students, we must rely on the support of our families and friends to close the gap.  Our expectation is that each family contributes at least $1,000 and we achieve 100% participation. Our community is the foundation of our existence.  Be part of it and participate.

 Contribute today and together we will attain our goal of $275,000!

Just click below and you can complete your contribution: http://www.thehighlandsschool.org/ths/forms/fundraising/annualfunddrive.asp

Friday, December 7

First Friday Mass – 8:20 Girls School; 10:10 Boys School

Saturday, December 8

●  FREE Basketball Clinic for 7^th – 8^th Graders in the NEW Gym.  Registration for girls is from 8 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. and boys from 11:00 a.m. to Noon.  The Girls’ clinic is from 9:00 a.m. till 11:00 a.m. and the boys’ clinic is from Noon till 2:00 p.m.  If you have friends from other schools who would like to attend, please invite them.

●  Boys Soccer against Dallas Lutheran – JV at noon  and Varsity at 1:00 p.m.

●  Winter Formal at the Marriott Las Colinas.  The time is 8:00 p.m. and tickets are $35.00 at the door.

Next Week

Sunday, December 9

●  Christmas Program: 3:00 p.m. in the Assembly Room. This is an all-school event and attendance is mandatory for middle & high school students who are involved.  There will be performances by the 6^th Grade Band, The THS Choirs, the 7^th Grade Girls’, 4^th & 5^th Grades and the PreK thru 3^rd grades.  Appetizers and beverages will be served following the Christmas Program in the gym, compliments of The Parents Club.

●  Eighth Grade Girls and Parents: The annual Eighth Grade Girls’ Christmas Brunch, 12:00 p.m. at the Las Colinas Country Club.

Monday, December 10

●  Deadline for gift submission for the Christmas Purse Program:

Christmas is just around the corner!  In lieu of giving personal gifts, please consider remembering our faculty and staff by giving to the third annual Christmas Purse Program. What a great way to recognize our teachers and administration who dedicate themselves so much to the education of our children throughout the year.  The funds collected will be donated equally among all THS employees and distributed at the staff Christmas Party on December 12^th.  Please pick up a form in the main office.

●  Varsity Girls Soccer vs. Argyle Liberty Christian

Tuesday, December 11

Inside the SAT for current 11^th and 12^th grade Parents & Students held in the Assembly Room from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Middle School Performances

During the month of December, students in grades 4-8 will present some of the poems, speeches and drama they have been working on during the first semester.  All performances will take place in the Black Box Theater, and parents are invited to attend.

Tuesday, December 11, 2:30 p.m.:

6^th, 7^th and 8^th Grade Girls Poetry Recital

Wednesday, December 12, 1:45 p.m.:

6^th, 7^th and 8^th Grade Boys Poetry Recital

Friday, December 14, 2:30 p.m.:

7^th Grade Girls Music Theater Production “Brought to You By…”

Wednesday, December 12

●  The 2^nd Annual ‘Our Lady of Guadalupe’ celebration will be from 6 p.m.-10 p.m., here at The Highlands School.  The celebration will include a procession of the Blessed Rosary, dinner catered by La Joya and Mariachis.  Mass will be celebrated following the Rosary and procession.  All are invited to celebrate this special feast day.  This event is being organized by the Women of Regnum Christi.  The cost for adults is $20.00; children 12 and under is $7.00.  We hope to see everyone there!

●  HIGH SCHOOL MATH CONTEST:  The third monthly Texas State Mathematics League Contest for High School students will take place after school at 2:40 p.m. in Room 132.  Students should bring a calculator and a pencil.  The students who tied for the highest score last month were Henry Kwon, James Meier, Mary Elise Miller and Wilson Kim.  Congratulations!

●  Faculty/Staff Christmas Party at 2:45 in the Assembly Room.  Thank you parent volunteers!

Thursday, December 13

●  Spirit Day – please refer to p. 34 of the Parent/Student Handbook for what to wear on Spirit Day.

●  Varsity Boys Basketball at Cistercian at 6:30 p.m.  We need lots of fans to attend and WEAR RED!

Friday, December 14

2^nd Grade Field Trip to Sunset Hill Farm.  Departure is at 8:30 a.m.

Future Events

Monday, December 17 – Thursday, December 20 – Final Exam Week

ALL STUDENTS ARE EXPECTED TO BE PRESENT FOR EXAMS.  Please do not schedule any trips or medical appointments during these days.   Failure to take a semester exam will result in a 0 for that exam. (Student/Parent Handbook, p. 15). The dismissal time for all High School students will be 12:50 p.m.  Middle School will have homeroom at 12:50 p.m. and dismiss at 1:00 p.m.  High school exams account for 33% of the semester grade.  Middle school exams are 25% of the semester grade.  Start preparation soon.  Middle and High School schedules are posted on the web-site.

FALL SEMESTER EXAM SCHEDULE For

9^th – 12^th Grades ONLY

Click here…

Friday, December 21

No school. This special day off is a gift from Fr. Alvaro Corcuera, LC, who visited our school in September.

Monday, January 7

Classes resume, start of second semester.

Tuesday, January 8

TAPPS Transfer deadline.  This allows transfer students to compete in Basketball and Soccer.

Wednesday, January 9

SAVE THE DATE!  We are having a Spaghetti Dinner Fundraiser to support the purchase and installation of a second scoreboard for our gymnasium.  The time is 4:30 p.m. till 7:30 p.m. and the cost is $9.00 for adults and $6.00 for children.

Friday, January 11

THS Spelling Bees open to students in Grades 3-8.  The Highlands Spelling Champ will represent our school in the Diocesan Spelling Bee.

Monday, January 21

NO SCHOOL – Martin Luther King Day

Sunday, January 27

Open House for PreK thru 12^th graders - 2:00 p.m. in the Assembly Room

January 28 – February 1

Catholic Schools Week.

Friday, February 1

Deadline for Terrae Altae Scholarship for incoming 9^th grade students.

Saturday, February 16

Academic Decathlon Hosted by THS: PSIA. More details to follow.