HIGHCREST HEADLINES
November 15, 2024
A Message from the Administrative Team
Dear HMS Families,
Thank you for the contributions that were sent in for our Veterans Day project for Operation Gratitude. We are looking forward to sending it in and supporting several care packages for our troops.
As you are aware, we have monthly themes that are celebrated in District 39 to highlight the wonderfully unique aspects of our community and to help develop a sense of belonging at our schools. The theme for November is "Our Families Are Important."
Our Highcrest families are all special and unique. This month we celebrate the many different cultures, traditions, beliefs, and structures that we have here at Highcrest, and want to engage all of our families in this celebration. Starting next week and continuing through the month of December, we will be building a Highcrest Family Picture Album bulletin board in our lobby to celebrate the many families that help to make our Highcrest community great.
Please email a family picture to jacksonk@wilmette39.org, or have your child bring one in to the front office (with your child's name on it) so we can celebrate all of our families! We hope we can fill our lobby with the many wonderful faces of our Highcrest community as we celebrate! We look forward to sharing our family album with you all in the coming weeks.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Kelly, Linda, and Susie
Conferences are Next Week!
Speaking of families, we are looking forward to our fall parent/teacher conferences, which will take place Wednesday evening (11/20), Thursday (11/21) and Friday morning (11/22) next week. Teachers are looking forward to meeting with families via the Meet the Teacher platform to share your child's progress so far this year. This is a wonderful time to connect, learn about the school and what your child is studying, and set goals for the rest of the school year.
The sign-up window for families to schedule their parent-teacher conference appointments remains open and will close at 11:59 pm on Monday, Nov. 18. Please visit our D39 webpage for more information.
Spelling Bee
Bzzz, Bzzz! It’s that T-I-M-E of the year again to prepare for our D39 Spelling Bee! Between December 9-19th, HMS Homeroom teachers will conduct classroom bees, the first round of the Spelling Bee. That means 32 HMS students will advance to our district bee on Friday, January 24th at WJHS! Study lists for the classroom bees have been posted in your child’s Schoology Lunch course. Bzzz, Bzzz, have fun S-T-U-D-Y-I-N-G!
*Please note that students have the option to opt-in or opt-out of the classroom bees.
Author Visit
Award-winning author Christina Soontornvat spoke to students this past Thursday, telling them sometimes you may not get closure on something but you can't let it stop you. And you may even be able to write a good story about it!
We still have a few autographed copies of The Squad and The Tryout. If interested, Please return the linked order form with payment (cash or check payable to Highcrest MS) by next Wednesday.
SEL NEWS - NOVEMBER
Thanksgiving, which occurs later this month, is a wonderful time to celebrate our families. The theme that we observe in November across the district is “Our Families are Important.” We encourage our students to share about their families, their family traditions, and what makes their family special to them.
Families and the community are also a crucial part of the social-emotional development of our students. While we have lessons about understanding our emotions, building relationships, understanding others’ perspectives, and making good choices and decisions, these lessons at school alone, are not as effective as they are when supported at home by the families that surround our children. Spend time as a family over this month celebrating one another, and engaging in activities that are fun! The Wilmette Public Library has regular events for families, and check out this list of opportunities to spend time together by catching a show, apple or pumpkin picking, heading to a museum and more!
DISTRICT 39 UPDATES
Gripp Grant
Yesterday, the D39 Educational Foundation awarded two Gripp Grants to District 39! We are grateful to the Educational Foundation for their ongoing support of innovation within our schools as we continue to provide a well-rounded education for our students. Congratulations to the following Gripp Grant award recipients.
Audio-based learning tool at McKenzie - This grant will be used for a Yoto device, a versatile, audio-based learning tool that offers students a screen-free alternative to engage with educational content. The Yoto device offers audio stories and music that can significantly improve students' listening, comprehension, and language skills, just one of the many ways that this tool can support District 39’s vision for diverse learners.
Toniebox audio players and accessories at Romona - These audio players will be available for our EC-4 students to access auditory media. Access to these devices will support auditory comprehension, calming strategies, academic independence, and reduce segregation of students with disabilities. These devices will allow students to auditorily access education curriculum that they previously were not able to access. The Tonies will fit into literacy, math, science, social studies, and our SEL curriculum standards across the EC-4 grade levels.
The awarding of these Gripp Grants for auditory learning tools will encourage collaboration and information sharing between the two schools, as D39 continues to strive for creative and innovative ways to support all learners.
Parent/Teacher Conferences
Fall parent/teacher conferences will take place on Nov. 20-22, immediately preceding Fall Break (Thanksgiving Week). The sign-up window for families to schedule their parent-teacher conference appointments remains open and will close at 11:59 pm on Monday, Nov. 18. Please visit our D39 webpage for more information.
Parent Education Event
Make plans to join us on Wednesday, Dec. 11 at 11 am for our next Parent Education event titled “Substance Use Trends Parents Should Know About.” Families can join us in-person at the Mikaelian Education Center or virtually via Zoom. Registration for this event is open now. Please visit our Parent Education webpage for our full schedule of events as well as archived recordings of past events.
Donate to the Teacher and Staff Holiday Gift Fund Today!
'Tis the giving season! There's nobody more deserving than our incredibly hard-working HMS teachers and staff.
If you haven't already, please consider donating to the Teacher and Staff Holiday Gift Fund. The suggested donation of $25 per student ensures every HMS teacher and staff member is gifted by the student community this holiday season. Donate here.
We need help stocking the teachers' lounge for our awesome staff! We need a lot more sign-ups this month! Please click here to sign up!
- November: Grade 6th, House 3 (Heyde, Flintz, Eakley, Facchini)
- December: 6th Grade House 4 (Bishop, Resis, Everhart, Flanigan)
Spiritwear - Available at Humankind!
HMS has spirit days throughout the year--show your Hawks pride with some swag! Available online at Humankind!