Hilhi Happenings

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Dear Hilhi Families,

The school year is flying by and we can't believe that we are nearing the year 2025! Our last day of school before Winter Break is Friday, December 20th and school will be closed until our return on Monday, January 6th. We hope you have a restful and relaxing break with your families and loved ones.

Some upcoming dates to remember:

• Friday, December 20th | Last day of school before Winter Break
• Monday, January 20th, 2025 | No School - Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday
• Thursday, January, 30th, 2025 | Last Day of Semester 1
• Friday January 31st | Teacher Grading Day - No School for students
• Monday, February 3rd | Professional Development for teachers - No School for students
• Tuesday, February 4th | 1st day of Semester 2
• Monday February 17th | President's Day Holiday - School is closed

Go Sparts!

Cary Meier

Principal

HHS 9th Grade Level Team meets weekly to focus primarily on attendance and students’ individual barriers to improve their attendance to school and their classes. We follow the guidelines and research from the Chicago University to support our students to stay On Track for their High School Graduation from the beginning in grade 9. Here is an interesting article on this topic: Why does attendance matter in High School?

If your student will be absent due to illness, a medical appointment, or any other reason, please call Mrs. Nuria Pence our attendance secretary or leave a message in our attendance line 503.844.1990.

Our 9th Grade Level Team is here to serve you and your students. If you have any questions or need support, please feel free to reach out to us!

• MariaEugenia Olivar, 9th grade Administrator | olivarm@hsd.k12.or.us

• Anita Siller, School Counselor | sillera@hsd.k12.or.us

• Alejandra Lopez Sanchez, Graduation Coach | lopezsaa@hsd.k12.or.us

• Nuria Pence, Attendance Secretary | pencen@hsd.k12.or.us

Shelter, Food, Health, Legal, Clothing, Work, Transportation, etc. Hilhi is here to help.

Resources in English

Resources in Spanish

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Hello!

This is just a reminder and a recommendation for you. It is cold and flu season. We are seeing higher cases of staff and student absences.

Please:

Wash your hands for 20 seconds frequently throughout your day

AND Use hand sanitizer between times you wash your hands

Distance yourself from those who may be sick

Clean your work area frequently

Wipe down surfaces and commonly used supplies (pens, keyboards, doorknobs, desks, phones, etc)

Feel free to Wear a mask

DO NOT COME TO WORK or SCHOOL if you are sick or not feeling well

Parents can now report full day absences via ParentVue. We are working on ways to enter partial day absences, but that is not yet available. With full day absence reporting, you can easily let us know when your child is absent for a full day.

Directions for Parents | English

Directions for Parents | Spanish

Fall and Holiday breaks are a great time to complete tasks for your plans for next year. Check out the info on Applications, Scholarships, and Financial Aid

If you are interested in attending a 4 year school next year and have not applied to schools yet remember that most schools (who don’t have rolling admissions) will have a final deadline for application in January or February (check each of the schools you are interested in)

Linked here is a google doc with key information about Xello and your applications (to request transcripts, common app reports, etc

We have started our PCC and Oregon Promise application Workshops this last week and have 150 students complete. We will continue after we return after fall break to connect with another 100 or so on our list.

If you have already applied to some schools (Early Action) you may have already received some admission decisions and possibly some merit based (based on your grades) scholarships. Check your emails from schools that you have been accepted to to find that university’s school based scholarships and start applying. Many of these will have January and February deadlines.

Be sure to continue to check our Google Sheet for scholarships that are open. The OSAC scholarships are now open (can apply to multiple scholarships with one application). December 1 the Ford Family Foundation Scholarships are open. This is for students who intend to go to college in Oregon and have significant barriers to attending (financial or otherwise). This scholarship pays up to $40,000 of unmet need (so essentially a full ride) and also provides a mentor. The foundation awards 130 of these each year and most years more than one Hilhi student will be awarded.

Federal Financial Aid (FAFSA) is now officially open! It came early this school year and students and their families are already starting to complete applications. ORSAA (for students without social security numbers should open in the first few days of December (next week).

Before you start your FAFSA form, here are some ways you can get ready:

• Create a StudentAid.gov account (if you don’t already have one).

• Learn about the documents you may need to fill out the FAFSA form.

• Determine your dependency status and whether your parent(s) or spouse will be required to contribute information on your FAFSA form.

• If you’re a dependent student, use the Who’s My FAFSA Parent? wizard to identify which parent(s) will be a required contributor on your form.

We will offer an evening help session in January and can meet 1 on 1 with families during the school day by appointment. So as I tell the students - “If you get stuck, don’t stay stuck”, please reach out for assistance.

Complete Your Career Related Learning Experience this Year!

You need to complete a CRLE this year for part of your career development credit.

The Washington County Chamber of Commerce has just released its most recent events - use this link or come to the College and Career Center to register

Here are events for December/January:

Professional Photography | Tues. Jan 7 10:00am-12:00pm, Location: Virtual (Zoom Meeting) or Live at Washington County Chamber of Commerce

Game Design Careers | Thurs. Jan 9, 2-3pm, Location: Virtual (Zoom)

Financial Services | Tues. Jan 14, 1-3pm, Location: Virtual (Zoom Meeting) or Live at Washington County Chamber of Commerce

The Grad Night Committee will be starting to plan the Hilhi Spring Bazaar next month. The bazaar will take place in the Hilhi Commons and Cafeteria on April 12. We will again call for volunteers of both students and parents to make this a successful event.

We will continue concession sales at winter sporting events next month. Parents look for a call for volunteers.

Our Bottle & Can Drive is an ongoing fundraiser. Arrangements for pickup can be made by emailing hilhigradnight@gmail.com or calling 503-810-9284. In addition, we will also be collecting items for a Textile Drive. Please bring in your clothing, bedding, linens, towels, pillows, stuffed animals, jewelry, hats, belts and purses.

Follow and share the Instagram account! Parents and seniors are welcome to join.

Senior parents, please join this Facebook page to keep up to date on what the 2025 Grad Party Committee is doing. Please also complete this senior and parent contact information form.

You can contact us at HilhiGradNight@gmail.com.

December

• Tuesday, December 17 | Winter Choir Concert 7pm - Hilhi Auditorium
• Thursday, December 19 | Winter Band Concert 7pm - Hilhi Auditorium
• Thursday, December 19 | Virtual Principal Chat 6:00-6:45 in English, 7:00-8:00 in Spanish
• Monday, December 23-Friday, January 3, 2025 | Winter Break

January

• Monday, January 20 | No School - MLK Holiday
• Thursday, January 23 | Credit Crunch - Hilhi Library 3:45pm-8pm
• Thursday, January 30 | End of Semester 1
• Thursday, January 30 | Virtual Principal Chat 6:00-6:45 in English, 7:00-8:00 in Spanish
• Friday, January 31 | No School - Teacher Grading Day

February

• Monday, February 3 | No School - Teacher Prep Day
• Saturday, February 8 | Winter Formal
• Thursday, February 13 | Mariachi Valentines 7pm - Hilhi Auditorium
• Monday, February 17 | No School - Presidents' Day
• Thursday, February 20 | Virtual Principal Chat 6:00-6:45 in English, 7:00-8:00 in Spanish

Full calendar available on our website.

EVERY TUESDAY & THURSDAY UNTIL 5:00PM

In an effort to support all students with their academic needs, Hillsboro High School supplies after-school tutoring for all students on Tuesdays & Thursdays from 3:45-5:00pm. During this time, they will receive help from a variety of staff and teachers on campus who specialize in many different areas. A snack and activity bus are provided. For activity bus services, please fill out the listed form 2 weeks in advance. [Activity Bus Form]

School Bell Schedules

Volunteer at Hilhi!

Community Event Flyers

Resources for Families

Immunization Rates

Bus Information - Log in to see your bus stop or request a change in transportation.

Back to School Information - Bilingual

ParentVue Instructions

Hilhi Webstore - Purchase a yearbook, buy a parking pass, pay fees.

Hilhi Website

9th grade - Anita Siller - sillera@hsd.k12.or.us

10th grade - Carl Almquist - almquisc@hsd.k12.or.us

11th grade - Ralph Medina - medinar@hsd.k12.or.us

12th grade - Stephanie Anderson - andersos@hsd.k12.or.us

College & Career Specialist - Tim Kasper - kaspert@hsd.k12.or.us

Support & Wellness - Aleja GrahamUbadoPaz - grahamua@hsd.k12.or.us

New Students, CCPs & Volunteering - Marla Lyle - lylem@hsd.k12.or.us

Milk-only and Fruit-only transactions are not a benefit of the Free and Reduced-Price Meal Program. Milk and Fruit are included in the purchase of a complete meal (3 of the 5 food groups).

When purchasing only 1 or 2 food group items, you may purchase a milk or fruit for 75¢. Please add money to student accounts by either:

• Bringing Cash or Check to School (debit/credit are NOT accepted)
• Pay online at Linqconnect.com

Free and Reduced-Price Meal Plan: Students receive one free lunch a day, meal must include 3 of the 5 food groups, to count as a free lunch. One fruit or one veggie required with every meal, every day.

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