Jul 01, 2021

Hello, families of Highmark!

I am so excited and honored to be the principal for Highmark this coming school year! Next year will mark ten years of Highmark being open. It's incredible to think that we will have some students that have spent their first ten years in school with us! I can assure you that we share in the school's commitment to caring for your children every day while providing them a high-quality learning environment.

We have some new and exciting changes on the way for the following school year. In our lower Elementary grades (K-3rd), we will be introducing a Proficiency-based grading system with four different levels. (1 - Beginning Proficiency - 2 - Approaching Proficiency - 3 - Proficient - 4 - Advanced Proficiency) We believe these scales will help you get a more accurate picture of your student's learning. Rather than averaging together all of a student's work, proficiency-based grading tracks the student's progress toward meeting a specific expectation.

We will be using the Summit Learning Platform in grades 4th-9th in our core subjects (Math, ELA, Science, Social Studies). Summit Learning is a research-based approach to education designed to drive student engagement, meaningful learning, and strong student-teacher relationships and prepares students for life beyond the classroom. The platform is an online tool that supports what teachers and students do in class each day. It is where students will work through projects, submit schoolwork, take tests, and access various materials for their classes. Lastly, it's where they will set personal goals with their mentor and teachers. Farmington Elementary, Jr. High and High-School have been using the platform for the past three years with great success!
https://blog.summitlearning.org/2020/12/how-one-utah-school-perseveres-through-challenges-to-achieve-statewide-success/

We also have a change with our dress standard for the 2021-2022 school year. We will be removing the requirement of a collar—the rest of the dress standard will remain in place. As a replacement, we will be adding "Dress for Success Day" once a month. We will ask all teachers and students to dress their best for that day, as if they were attending a job interview, a networking event, participating in a wedding party, etc.

We have some new staff members that we are excited to share with you.
Brittany Jolley - Assistant Principal, Dan Valletta - Assistant Principal, Aimee Scott - 3rd Grade, Elizabeth Shellman - 4th Grade, Holly Walker - 4th Grade, Audrie Shepherd - 5th Grade, Karin Bourque - 6th Grade, Ryan Archer - Jr. High (CTS), Kenly Potter - Jr. High (Social Studies)

Please know that my door is always open to you. I heartily welcome your conversation and positive input throughout this year. Let us always keep our students the primary focus of our work. I look forward to celebrating our collective successes during the 2021-2022 school year. I am truly honored to be given this opportunity and look forward to immersing myself entirely in our school and community.

Thank you,
Shawn Miehlke