Hillside News Brief

We are excited to welcome our students back to Hillside starting August 18th, whether in person or remotely. This is going to be an unusual year, and we are determined to make it as positive an experience as possible. As we head into our hybrid model of teaching and learning, we know we have many challenges ahead of us that we have never faced. You will soon receive information about classroom teacher assignments, and teachers will be reaching out to you in the coming days. Please be sure to connect with your student's classroom teacher. Teachers also want to hear from you as we proceed with our school year about anything with which we can help you! Do not hesitate to reach out to Hillside with questions and concerns. We are here to help. We want things to go well. We care about our Hillside Tigers.

I want to thank each and every parent or guardian who has reached out to me to offer support, give feedback, or just to give a message of positivity. My heart is full as I head into this very challenging school year. There is no community like the Hillside community, and that's a fact.

We will get through this experience together with our community intact and stronger than ever before, of that I am confident. Stay safe as we head into fall, and know that we are here for you.

Cynthia Bailey, Principal

We have 2 technology pick-up days: August 17, from 8:00-3:00 p.m. and August 19, from 1:00-5:00 p.m. Please drive into our carpool lane and let the person on duty know you are there for technology pickup. If you'd like to donate some school supplies, you can do that, too! See you soon.

We will have two health rooms for this Year of the Pandemic: our regular health room for cuts, scrapes, bruises and medication distribution and Health Room 2 for separating students who are running a fever or displaying symptoms of COVID-19. If a student is displaying symptoms of illness, we will call home and let you know. We have a partnership with Children's Physicians, and we do have the capability of accessing a remote appointment if a student's symptoms are deemed by the nurse as warranting this service. Parents/guardians will, of course, be notified of this service for consent to what is offered.

If your child seems ill, we will call you and ask you to please pick them up. We will err on the side of caution regarding illness. We apologize for any inconvenience; keeping our staff and students safe here at Hillside is a top priority.

School begins on Tuesday, August 18th.

Students in Group A with last name A-K will attend school on August 18/19. Students in Group B with last names L-Z will attend school on August 20/21. Group A students will receive materials and iPads on August 18th and Group B will receive them on August 20th.

Group B will not be responsible for logging into virtual classroom instruction on August 18th-19th. Likewise, Group A will not be responsible for logging into virtual classroom instruction on August 20th-21st.

While we are in "Yellow" mode, normally, students will not be on campus on Wednesdays. However, we have an exception this Wednesday, August 19: students will begin their school year on a Tuesday. This means students in Group A during the YELLOW plan will come to school on August 18 (Tuesday) and August 19 (Wednesday). OUR WEDNESDAY DISMISSAL TIME WILL BE 3:30 pm ON AUGUST 19th!

On-campus attendance could happen again for students the week of Labor Day. Labor Day is on Monday, September 7, so, if we are still in YELLOW mode, students in Group A will attend school Tuesday, September 8, and Wednesday, September 9. SCHOOL WILL DISMISS ON WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, AT 3:30 p.m.

• Sneak-A-Peek Nights at all Westside elementary schools will be VIRTUAL for the 2020/2021 school year.
• On August 14th, your family will receive an email with a link to a "FlipGrid" collection of videos from our teachers, introducing themselves to you, showing the classroom, and helping your child to become familiar with what expectations will be on their first day of school.

Dear Hillside Parents and Guardians:

Welcome back! My name is Zach Maloley, and I am the new school counselor at Hillside. This is going to be a different year from most, as you all are aware, and I want to make it clear that I am here for not only your students, but for you as well. I will do everything I can to use my resources and knowledge to help alleviate whatever difficulties you may be having. Please see below for important resources and responsibilities that I will be providing as a school counselor. Before that, I would like to give some background on who I am:

I was raised in Kearney, Nebraska before going to Northwest Missouri State University where I played football and studied crisis management. I met my beautiful (expecting) wife at Northwest, and we have two border collies. Prior to Hillside, I worked at Boys Town in their residential treatment facility. In my free time I enjoy watching sports (touchy subject right now), testing the limits of my wife’s patience, and reading.

Responsibilities as the School Counselor:

• Classroom counseling - all students participate in classroom group guidance lessons. Topics covered may include self-awareness, other awareness, group cooperation, decision making/problem solving, self-control, and career.
• Small groups are available for students who have a similar concern. Examples of small group topics include friendship, grief, managing emotions, and handling stress.
• Individual counseling involves working one on one with a student about the child’s concerns. Students may be referred by parents, teachers, or self-referrals.
• Consultation - meeting with parents, teachers or community resources to problem solve issues related to a child
• Children’s Behavioral Health is a resource for families whose child attends a Westside School. Children’s recognizes the benefits of treating not just the child and adolescent, but their families as well.
• Westside Clothing Closet is a resource to help families (adult and children) with clothing needs year-round
• Operation School Bell is a resource in the community that offers clothing and other items to children as needed. The clothing is new, and the service is confidential and free to families that meet qualifications. There is a cap on the number of students that can be referred from each school. Please call or email me as soon as possible if you are interested in this program
• Westside Coat Closet is another resource that can provide a professionally cleaned, gently used jacket or coat to children. Some coats are also available for adults. The Coat Closet is open year-round.
• The Omaha Food Bank offers The Backpack Program to students at our school. The Backpack Program provides healthy meals for children for the weekend. The food is delivered to the school for children to bring home in a bag on Fridays.
• District Food Pantry is a resource for families in need of food during the school year and summer
• Holiday Assistance During the winter holiday season there will be more opportunities for assistance. We have several churches and organizations that help our Hillside families with gifts during the Holiday season.

Please feel free to reach out to me with any questions or concerns.

Zach Maloley l maloley.zachary@westside66.net I 402-408-8462