Weekend Update!

Congratulations on making it through the first full week of the 24-25 school year! It was another busy and productive week here at Hillcrest!

Next week we have lots of fun activities going on for our students, and are also excited to welcome you for our annual Back to School Night! Please read carefully below, which includes important information on the proposed construction of a new Hillcrest Middle School!

Enjoy your weekend- go Hawks!

On September 25th at 7PM, the town of Trumbull will partner with the district to provide a presentation regarding the proposed new Hillcrest Middle School. The presentation will take place in the Hillcrest cafetorium, and community members will also have an opportunity to tour our building. As you begin to think about how you will vote on Election Day, please consider the following:

• Hillcrest Middle School currently does not have a sprinkler system, and is the only building in the school district without any fire suppression system;

• Hillcrest Middle School is currently approximately 80 students over capacity, with at least another 25 students projected to enroll in the upcoming school years;

• Special legislation was passed by the state legislature that increases the reimbursement rate from 24% to 44% for only this upcoming election. This decreases the overall cost of the project from $142,375,000 to $79,730,000.

• This project is the first step in a plan to address all buildings in the district

Please spread the word to have as many people as possible attend this critical event.

Next week is Start with Hello week! This is an age-appropriate Social-Emotional Learning and violence prevention program that welcomes students back into the classroom. The program teaches students to: minimize social isolation, empathize with others, and create a more inclusive and connected school culture. Want to learn more about Sandy Hook Promise’s Start with Hello week mission? Click here to view the parent guide.

Click here to see the activities that students will participate in throughout the week. Wednesday’s “Wear Green Wednesday” will help launch our middle school Advisory program for the year.

Please stop by the S.A.V.E Club bake sale in the cafeteria on Back to School Night to hear more about our club and to purchase baked goods for a $1. All proceeds will support our club programs for the year.

We are so excited to welcome our families for our annual Back to School Night, which will be this coming Thursday beginning at 6:30PM! Here are a few reminders that should help:

• You will be following your child's schedule throughout the night. We will be following a Day 1 schedule. Please make sure you can access your child’s schedule in the Infinite Campus Parent Portal. You can view the schedule on your phone using the Campus Parent app.
• The schedules will not be printed, so please talk to your child or check Infinite Campus for room locations. If you wish to print your child’s schedule prior to Back to School night you can find a printable version under the “Documents” tab. If you are having trouble getting into the Infinite Campus portal please contact the main office.
• All unified classes will be located in the cafeteria.
• This is an event for parents/guardians only. As much as we love our students, we ask that you please leave your kids at home.

• The schedule for Back to School Night can be found here.
• The purpose of the evening is for you to learn a bit more about your child's classes and teachers. Parent-Teacher Conferences will take place in October and November.

We look forward to seeing you there!

On Tuesday we will have our first Advisory session. Our Advisory program aims to help students build relationships with trusted adults in the building beyond the typical classroom setting. Your child's Advisory teacher will stay with them all three years of middle school. The name of your child’s advisor can be found listed on the bottom of their schedule next to the period name “ADV”. Students and parents can log into the Infinite Campus portal to see advisor names and room locations. A map of all Advisory locations will be posted in grade level Google Classrooms.

Join Trumbull’s Technology Integration Specialists for a Parent Portal Power Up! This virtual workshop will take place at this Google Meet Link: meet.google.com/kpu-stjc-xiq on Friday, September 20th at 8:30 AM. Any parent/guardian is welcome to join and there is no need to register. Come hear about the differences in Infinite Campus and Google Classroom. We will discuss Infinite Campus Gradebook, Google Classroom Guardian Summaries, and tips on how you can help your child navigate these digital platforms.

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 each trimester will win a Box Tops Prize Pack!
Get started today at BTFE.com. Use referral code GZ3U8TZ9 when you sign up.

For the safety of our students and to avoid any overcrowding issues, students should only ride the bus they are assigned to unless issued an exception by the transportation department. Drivers are instructed not to admit any student to their bus that is not assigned or has not been given an exception from Transportation. Exceptions should be for child care reasons or emergencies and not used for playdates. Using a school bus for anything other than home to school transportation is prohibited.

Limited time offer! Pre-order your yearbook now for $35, and get free icons when you personalize your yearbook. The price will increase on October 12th, so click here to order today!

1.This week, our staff read this article which shares strategies on culturally responsive engagement with families.

2.We are currently reading Unreasonable Hospitality by Will Guidara, which is about the leadership and organizational strategies a restaurateur used to create one of the most successful restaurants in the world.

Chromebook insurance is offered annually and can be purchased for $25 through Infinite Campus. This program covers all accidental damage to the Chromebook, or theft of the device, subject to the following: $0 deductible for the first two occurrences per year and $50 deductible per occurrence thereafter. This coverage is effective for the duration of the school year. Sign into Infinite Campus and go to "School Store" >> "Technology" >>"1 to 1 Device Insurance Grades 5-8, 2024-2025." If a family does not elect to purchase the insurance, the family will be responsible for the full cost of replacement parts plus labor, or full replacement cost of the Chromebook. Chromebook insurance does not cover intentional damage or lost devices, chargers or cases. For a full list of costs please click here.

For additional information on the program please refer to the Board of Education 5143.2 Student One-to-One Device Insurance Program. Families experiencing economic hardship may request a fee waiver by contacting the appropriate school administrator and following the process outlined in Board of Education 5138/Pay to Participate Policy

I know this was shared in our Welcome Back letter, but I would like to reiterate the importance of following our procedure. For the beginning and end of the school day, students may ONLY be dropped off or picked up in the back of the building at Door 13. As you are waiting to drop your children off, please do not park in a staff, yellow parking space. Each space will be used in the back of the building and if a family member is parked in a yellow space, staff will not be able to get into the building on time. Thank you for your patience and cooperation!

The traffic in the back parking lot has steadily increased throughout the week, which I am guessing is a result of the delays we have seen with buses. If you are dropping your children off, I would ask that you please remember the following:

1. Please be patient and drive at a slow speed to be mindful of pedestrians in the parking lot,

2. Please keep the traffic flowing by dropping your kids off and pulling through the rest of the line,

3. Please maintain one line of traffic, not two, as to not inadvertently block teachers from parking in their assigned spaces.

4. Please stay to the right with your vehicles, as to not block the driveway.

As a reminder, Agriscience cannot be used a place to drop off or pick up students. Students who are walking home from school are not permitted to cut through the Agriscience campus.

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.

Beginning this school year, parents in PK-12 will now have the ability to report full day absences, late arrivals and early dismissals via their Infinite Campus Parent Portal using the mobile app or website in place of calling the school attendance line. Any parent absence requests should be submitted by 9:00 a.m. on the day of the absence. Known absences may be submitted in advance. The absence request feature is ONLY available to parents via the Parent Portal. For specific directions on how to report an absence via the Infinite Campus Portal click here.

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!

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!

If you are interested in using the Durham Bus tracker app, directions can be found here.

Please see this flyer on helpful tips to navigate the Parent Portal of Infinite Campus.

Principal

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