Hillside News Brief

Thanks to all our wonderful Hillside families for an amazing year with our kiddos! Our staff at Hillside relies on the support of parents, guardians, and families to make each school year a successful one full of learning and fun!

So many of the folks in our community make our school a wonderful place to teach and to learn. Thank you for making Hillside the Place to Be!!

Mrs. Bailey, Principal of Hillside

Ms. Lewis, Assistant Principal of Hillside

It's that time of year: we will be saying goodbye to several staff members at Hillside:

It is with the message "Happy Trails" that we bid farewell to teachers who are moving on to other opportunities within our district:

• Mr. Samson, 5th grade, will be headed to Westside Middle School in 2024-25 to teach English Language Arts
• Ms. Schnieber, 5th grade, will be changing her position in 2024-25 to Instructional Coach at Hillside and Paddock Road
• Mrs. McMeekin, our current Instructional Coach, will be taking on the role of Assistant Principal at Paddock Road

We also wish several staff members happiness in new adventures:

• Mrs. Cooprider
• Mr. Freeman
• Ms. Hui

We are so happy for each of these hard-working and amazing staff members who have spent so much time at Hillside We wish them well.

Joining Mrs. Nekuda on the 5th grade team in the 2024-25 school year are two new teachers:

• Ms. Ally Miller
• Ms. Clair Lieber

Incoming 5th graders had a chance to meet both Ms. Miller and Ms. Lieber at Jump Up Day on May 22. We hope you will welcome them to our Hillside family.

Screen time and social media usage has become a very normal, and oftentimes the most preferred activity for our students. As a parent, how do we know how much screen time is TOO much? How do we practice safety in social media usage? Challenging behaviors and other mental health concerns are sometimes directly tied to the negative effects of social media or simply from just too much screen time. The following “Just Kids Health” podcast from Children’s Hospital - Navigating Screens and Social Media - discusses healthy boundaries with screen time, including recommended amounts of screen time as well as the negative effects of too much. The accompanying graphic below is specific to the primary ages. The average amount of screen time for 11 to 14-year olds increases to 9 hours a day! If you are a parent wondering how you can create better balance and boundaries for your child, please reach out to our school counselor, Jenny Victor (victor.jennifer@westside66.net, 402-408-8462) for ideas!

While we update our building to a BRAND NEW building, we thought it was time to update our mascot, as well. We are, and always will be, the Hillside Tigers. Our tiger mascot, choice #1 (see below), is lookin' snappy!

When the Peony Park Neighborhood Association heard that Hillside was in need of some garden space because of our construction schedule, they came to the rescue! Below is a picture of the planter spaces currently in place at the Peony Park Community Garden. Thanks to Mr. Mueller for being the Hillside Community Garden sponsor!

The Institute for the Culinary Arts at Metropolitan Community College visited with Hillside Garden Club students last Tuesday. Students got to watch the chefs prepare recipes and even got to sample things like homemade pickles, pico de gallo, tomato and cucumber salad, créme chantilly, and fresh squeezed lemonade! Students got to take home a recipe booklet at the end of the presentation.

Our winning team for Battle of the Books brought home the trophy for Hillside for the first time in over a decade! The trophy is in the front office for viewing (and celebration).

Our winning team: Fiona M. (not pictured), Sloan T., Sienna G., Rose M., Lily K

Go, Hillside!!!!!

Dear Hillside Students & Families,

I want to share an amazing opportunity that I was awarded at the beginning of the 2023-2024 school year. Last summer, I was accepted into the Fulbright Teachers for Global Classrooms program through the US Department of Education. In the fall, I completed an online global education course. In late winter, I attended a Global Education Symposium in Washington DC with Dr. Kelcy Tapp. And now this summer, I will go to India for my international field experience. I leave at the end of June and return towards the end of July. As part of my final Fulbright TGC requirement, I will host a daily travel blog on Facebook called "Emily Goes Global." I invite you to like and follow along on this amazing journey! I'll see you upon my return!

Ms. Emily Heisterkamp