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Weekend Update!
Friday March 8th, 2024
Good Afternoon!
Welcome to the third trimester of the 23-24 school year! The first two-thirds have been busy and rewarding, but this last stretch will be the best one yet!
For those who are celebrating, Ramadan Mubarak! The Hillcrest staff was treated to a wonderful (and plentiful) breakfast this morning from some of our families as a token of their generosity as they begin to celebrate Ramadan. It was such a great way to start our day, and the staff was incredibly appreciative!
Enjoy your weekend- go hawks!
Please See The Following For Next Week And Beyond!
Doggy Downtime!
Students in Mrs. Arsenault’s homeroom earned Downtime with Dogs for their contributions to the Souper Bowl Food Drive! Therapy Dog International brought in some adorable dogs this afternoon to spend some quality time with our 6th graders. Thank you to Mrs. Arsenault, Miss Schuessler, and Mrs. Doran for making this happen!
Reflections State Winners!
We are so excited to share that Hillcrest has some winners from the state Reflections Arts contest! They are:
Zoe Cavuoto - 1st place for Music Composition
Ryan Ouimette - 1st place for Visual Arts
Tejas Pasumary - 4th place for Literature
Zoe and Ryan will go on to compete at the NATIONAL level!!! Good luck, and congratulations!!!
Hawk Hoopla Day!
The sign ups for our first ever Hawk Hoopla Day were a success yesterday, with over 700 students registering for a fun activity on 3/22! We still have about 10% of our students who need to sign up. Please check in with your children to see what they signed up for! If they have not yet signed up, please direct them to their grade-level Google Classroom to do so.
Student Led Conferences
Please see this letter regarding our upcoming Student Led Conferences. We look forward to seeing you there! They will take place on 3/12 from 1-3PM and 6-8PM.
Student Fees
Now that we are in the third trimester of the school year, the district has asked schools to make a pointed effort to collect outstanding fees. These fees could be from missing library books, missing sports uniforms, and/or damaged Chromebooks. We will work with families to reconcile these balances so that students do not miss out on any spring/end of the year activities. Thank you for your support with this!
Boxtops
Join us in earning cash for HMS by using the Box Tops app. It’s an easy way to make a difference. All you have to do is buy Box Tops participating products (like Cheerios!) and scan your grocery receipt. The homeroom that earns the most for the second trimester gets EXTRA SOARR BUCKS! (ends Feb 23) Get started today at BTFE.com. Use referral code B0K59TK6 when you sign up.
TPAUD Survey
TPAUD, Trumbull’s Prevention Partnership, is seeking input from Trumbull parents and caregivers about issues facing our youth. Please complete this brief, online survey, that is available in both English & Spanish (links below). Your feedback will guide TPAUD’s work to build a safe and healthy Trumbull!
English: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/2023TPAUDCommunitySurvey
Spanish: https://es.surveymonkey.com/r/EncuestaTPAUDdelaComunidad2023
Dismissing Students Early From School
Just a quick reminder, if your student needs to be dismissed early from school, we ask that a note signed by a parent/guardian be brought to the main office, in the morning, on the day of the early dismissal. The notification should include the date and time of dismissal as well as the name of the adult picking the child up from school. The student will receive a pass from the office for their dismissal. In order to ensure the safe dismissal of all students, you must come into the building (Door 1) to sign the student out. Thank you!
PTA Meeting
Due to the Town Educational Budget meeting on 3/14, the PTA meeting has been rescheduled to 3/21. Join us for our third PTA meeting of the year on March 21st at 6:30 PM (Door 3 at HMS). Get ready to ignite the conversation and spice things up! This exclusive event is for our PTA paid members only. Haven't joined the party yet? Visit https://hillcrestmspta.membershiptoolkit.com/packet/9394
Hillcrest Gear
Visit membership toolkit to purchase all of your HMS SWAG- from stickers and locker ladders, to magnets and spiritwear. Order now!
What Are We Reading at Hillcrest?
1.This week, our staff read this article which provides strategies for teachers on how to help struggling writers generate ideas.
2.Mrs. Laird and I are currently reading Help US Begin by Jen Cort. This book aims to help educators navigate conversations with students and families regarding challenging topics. Jen will also be the keynote speaker at the New England League of Middle Schools annual conference.
Stay Connected with the PTA!
Want to be the first to know when fun student activities are happening? Or where to buy Spiritwear? All PTA information can be found on Membership Toolkit. Sign up today at https://hillcrestmspta.membershiptoolkit.com
Drop Off/Pick Up Procedure
As a reminder, please be cautious of the students who are walking to school as you are driving through our parking lot and campus. Also, students should not be dropped off or picked up in the Agriscience parking lot. Thank you!
Safety
We strive on a daily basis to provide a safe environment for all students, and to promote safe practices with them as well. We will continue to educate students about what safe behavior looks like and what our expectations are for safe behaviors. We see this as a partnership with our families. I ask that you please remind your children to be kind to each other, to keep their hands to themselves, and that there is never an acceptable time or moment to use slurs of any kind. This article from the American Psychological Association gives families tips on how to potentially address way to have these discussions.
Hillcrest on Social Media!
Did you know that Hillcrest has its own Instagram page and Twitter feed? Follow us on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/hillcrestmshawks/. Follow us on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/HMSTrumbull/ . This is a great resource for families to get a glimpse of day to day life at Hillcrest!
Volunteer Forms
If you think you may be interested in volunteering at some point this year for a Hillcrest event, please fill out this form and return it to the main office. Thank you!
Bus Tracker
If you are interested in using the Durham Bus tracker app, directions can be found here.
Infinite Campus
Please see this flyer on helpful tips to navigate the Parent Portal of Infinite Campus.
Mr. Bryan Rickert
Email: brickert@trumbullps.org
Website: https://hms.trumbullps.org/
Location: Hillcrest Middle School, Daniels Farm Road, Trumbull, CT, USA
Phone: 203-452-4466
Twitter: @HMSTrumbull