Hillcrest Newsletter

It is hard to believe we are nearly complete with the first quarter of the school year. What a wonderful Fall we have had thus far! Our students have been able to enjoy the great weather and lack of rainy days with uninterrupted recess time and some additional time outdoors.

As I visit classrooms throughout the school, I am impressed with the work our students and staff are doing each day. It is not always easy for students to stay on task and push through those challenging times, but it is great to see the encouragement they receive and the successes that each day brings. Now with our routines established our students are much more comfortable moving around the building and getting to and from their daily activities. I am always amazed at how quickly they learn.

Our Hillcrest PTO continues to press on with our playground fundraising project. They have recently hosted a Fall market, Toppers Pizza nights, and a Chippewa Family restaurant night. All of these events have been a huge success. As the PTO continues to make plans for future fundraising opportunities, they really need your support. Please consider coming to the next PTO meeting or letting me know if you would like to help out in any capacity. The playground project is a huge endeavor that MUST happen or our students will not have an adequate playground next year. $200,000 is a lot of money to raise, but we are confident that our Hillcrest family will step up to the challenge and make this happen for our students. I am confident there are donors out there that would love nothing more than to support this project for Hillcrest. We all know this is a caring, giving community!

Lastly, I just want to remind everyone that colder weather is coming. Please make sure your child has appropriate clothing so they are comfortable when outdoors for recess in the morning and afternoon. Parent teacher conferences are right around the corner on Thursday, Nov. 7 and Tuesday, Nov. 12 from 3-7pm Hope to see you all here. Have a wonderful and safe November!

Go Cardinals!

Doug Dieckman

Principal, Hillcrest Elementary

dieckmdd@chipfalls.org

November

• 1st - No school (staff work day)
• 5th - RCU
• 7th - Parent/Teacher conferences (3-7 pm)
• 12th - RCU (Double stamp day)
• 12th - Parent/Teacher conferences (3-7 pm)
• 19th - RCU
• 25th - 29th - No School

December

• 2nd - 6th - Bright Smiles Sealants
• 3rd - RCU
• 10th - RCU
• 13th - 5th grade Volleyball tournament
• 17th - RCU
• 23rd - Jan 1 - No school

Don't forget to set your clocks back 1 hour before you go to bed on Saturday, November 2nd.

OFFICE PROCEDURES:

If your child is going to be absent or tardy for any reason, please call the office by 8:30 a.m. (715) 726-2405) Any student who arrives after 7:45 am is considered tardy.

If you need to change your child's transportation for the end of the day, please send a note to your child's teacher. Phone calls are discouraged but if a change needs to be called in, PLEASE call the office by 1:30 pm to insure that the message gets delivered to the classroom.

If you need to pick your child up early or for an appointment, parents should use our sign out sheet located in the main office. We will then call your child down to the office. Students will not be waiting in the office so make sure to give yourself enough time prior to appointment.

MEDICAL NOTES FROM DOCTORS RECOMMENDED:

If your child(ren) miss school for a medical appointment, please ask for a doctor's note to excuse the absence. This way, it can be marked medical and will not go against attendance policies.

A fax from the doctor's office can be sent to (715)720-3754

BUS TRANSPORTATION CHANGES:

All student rerouting requests will originate at Chippewa Yellow Bus Company. A rerouting request is a form that allows a student to ride a bus to a location other than their home. (daycare, grandparents house, etc) Student rerouting requests require a 24 hour notice and approval by the bus company. This includes one time and/or occasional rerouting requests. Please call 715-726-2454 if you have any questions or concerns. Please click here for more information regarding rerouting requests.

If a student's afternoon transportation plans vary week to week, please provide the teacher and the office with a monthly calendar to insure that your child gets to their intended location.

ADDRESS, PHONE NUMBER OR CONTACT CHANGE:

Has your address, phone number or emergency contacts changed? If so, log into the Infinite Campus Parent Portal and make changes. Having this updated is important should an emergency arise.

The principal reviews school attendance monthly and contacts families if there are issues.

Elementary school families will be contacted in the following ways (phone calls may also occur):

1. If there are 3 unexcused absences in a semester, a Start Time Notification Letter may be sent. An unexcused absence is if the parent has not called in with a reason for the absence within 24 hours, or the reason for the absence does not meet the guidelines for acceptable absences as outlined by the district (see attendance policy).

2. If a student receives 5 unexcused absences, tardies or left early marks in a semester, then a 5 Day Truancy Letter may be sent.

3. If a student is absent more than part or all of 5+ days, a Habitual Truancy Notification Letter may be sent via certified mail. The school team will complete an assessment with the student and/or parent and develop a plan with all parties involved at a meeting. A truancy referral may be initiated by the team.

4. If a student receives 8 excused absences, a Medical Concern Letter may be sent.

5. Principal may meet with students after 5 days of absences (excused and/or unexcused) to better support the student and family with school attendance. .

*THE STATE OF WISCONSIN ALLOWS ONLY 10 DAYS OF EXCUSED ABSENCES.*

For more information about the attendance policy, please refer to the student handbook online or request a hard copy from our office. These procedures may be used differently on a case by case basis (as determined by the principal, school counselor and school social worker).

As it starts to get colder, please send your child with appropriate clothing!

Weather can change quickly in the Chippewa Valley. When inclement weather strikes, there are three options for adjusting our days:

• Cancellation: If the weather is too severe, school and other activities may be canceled altogether.

• Two-hour delay: If the weather is bad but not severe enough to cancel school for the day, classes may be delayed by two hours.

• Early release: If the weather worsens during the school day, school may be dismissed early.

Cancellation -- If we cancel school due to inclement weather, we will make the decision by 6:00 AM. All schools, Head Start, Early Childhood, 4K Cardinal programs, after-school programs, and public use of buildings will be closed.

Two Hour Delay -- If we delay school due to inclement weather, the school day will start two hours later than normal. Buses will also run two hours behind schedule. Breakfast will not be served, but lunch will be served near normal time. 4K Cardinal, Early Childhood, and Head Start will be canceled for the day. After-school programs and public use of buildings may still occur. If the delay is later changed to a cancellation, the decision will be made by 8:00 AM.

Early Release -- If we dismiss school early due to inclement weather, the decision will be made by 10:00 AM. Elementary schools will dismiss at 12:00 PM, and secondary schools will dismiss at 1:00 PM. Lunch will be served at the normal time. High school students with open campus lunch may leave at 12:00 PM. Afternoon 4K Cardinal, Head Start, and Early Childhood are canceled. After-school programming and public use of buildings are canceled.

When there is inclement weather in the Chippewa Valley, we may have to change the school schedule. We will let you know by 6 AM if we are canceling school or starting school two hours late; by 10 AM for letting students out early.

We will tell you via radio, TV, our website, social media, and by email or text message. We want to keep our students safe, so we may have to make last-minute changes. We will try to make the best decision we can based upon the weather and/or other information available to us.

Chippewa Yellow Bus is reminding families about after school bussing on Early Release Days.

The Boys & Girls Club and the YMCA After School at Hillcrest do NOT operate on Early Release Days.

If you want your student to ride a different bus home on those days, a student rerouting request must be on file through the bus company. The bus company will NOT accept changes called in on the day of an Early Release, even if it's an emergency. Please have a plan in place.

Chippewa Yellow Bus: 715-726-2454

The District will be moving to a remote model of learning for students when inclement weather or other emergencies force school closures. This means that students will be able to continue their learning from home on days when school buildings are closed.

We believe that in-person instruction is the best way to deliver education, but we also know that there will be times when school closures are necessary and appropriate. By implementing a remote learning model, we should be able to avoid having to make up days for these school-day closures and the focus will be on continuing learning and connecting with teachers through modern means in these modern times.

ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS

• The elementary schools will develop consistent independent study packets for each grade level to send home when potential school closures occur, except on the two designated inclement weather/emergency closure days. Packets will include reading, math practice, writing prompts, and activities from our specialists.

• Teachers will be remotely available those days to aid students with their assignments during the regular school day hours; however, school electronic devices will not be sent home with the independent study packets.

Parent Teacher Conferences will be held November 7 & 12. Sign ups from teachers have gone out, if you haven't yet, sign up for a conference time.

Our lost and found is bursting at the seams. If your child is missing something, encourage them to look in our lost and found. (we have TONS of sweatshirts)

We will have everything out on tables during parent/teacher conferences.

Whatever is left after conferences will be donated.

The PTO meeting is set for Tuesday November 12 at 6 p.m. in the Hillcrest library.

We’re planning the Hillcrest Holiday Store, spring Readathon, and other special projects. The PTO invites any Hillcrest parent, guardian, or teacher to join us whenever you are able!

On the agenda: Playground Team Recruiting, December Holiday Shop and Spring Readathon Planning.

Here are the October minutes.

The PTO needs Hillcrest parents, guardians, and Hillcrest staff to join us!
We are looking for people to work together to plan a spring gala for the new playground and to help out at family events like the Halloween dance. Currently, we have three board members and around 2-3 visiting parents and Hillcrest staff that attend meetings. We may not reach our playground fundraiser goal nor be able to do as many family events if we do not BOOST our PTO members. Attend the Nov 12th PTO meeting at 6pm or email cfhillcrestpto@gmail.com to attend online.

Hillcrest Elementary needs your help to build a safe, engaging, and inclusive playground for all students and families. We are fundraising $200,000 for a matching grant (that's $400,000!). Donations of any size will make this dream a reality!

Donate online or by check. Click here to donate and for complete details.

New Playground Fundraiser Updates

• Chippewa Family Restaurant donation of 100% proceeds reaching $6,900!
• Toppers Pizza Nights generated $950
• Fall Market brought in $1,000 between vendor booth reservation donations and donation jars
• Big Bubba Giant Pumpkin Fundraiser Guesses earns $613
• Current Overall Playground Fundraiser Balance: #######

The Hillcrest PTO is proudly hosting Volk Photography and Faith Ella Photography to take photos for Hillcrest Families. For a donation of $25 families can reserve an appointment and receive 5 digital photos with either a Christmas Backdrop or outdoor options as long as appointments last. Additional appointments will be added if/when more photographers join us!

• Online Registration Only! Click here to reserve appointments.
• Appointments are confirmed once payment is received.
• Families are asked to reserve one appointment.
• Three payment options: bring cash to the Hillcrest office, mail or drop off a check to the Hillcrest office, or pay online using the playground donation tool here.

The PTO is preparing for the Holiday Store early to make sure we have enough wrapping supplies and gifts for Hillcrest students to give to important people in their lives for FREE this year. Please bring gift bags and tissue paper to Hillcrest and place in the well- marked donation bin in the front entryway.

Meal prices for 2024/2025

Elementary Breakfast: $0.35

Elementary Lunch: $2.25

**If you qualify for free or reduced lunches there is no charge for breakfast or lunch.

The Free and Reduced Meal Application is now available online! To apply for meal benefits for the 2024-2025 school year, log into your Infinite Campus Parent Portal account and click on the More option in the left hand menu and then Meal Benefits.

If you received a letter this school year saying that your children are already approved for free meals, then you do not need to complete an application.

All families are encouraged to complete the online application if possible. Paper applications are available and may be picked up at your child's school or at the Central Board Office at 1130 Miles Street, Chippewa Falls, WI 54729. If none of these options work for you please contact Kirsten Nesja to have one mailed to you at (715) 726-2581 or email nesjakj@chipfalls.org.

If you have questions on completing the application please call Kirsten Nesja (715) 726-2581 or email nesjakj@chipfalls.org.

**You can use the Infinite Campus Parent Portal to put money onto your child's lunch account or you can send cash/check to the School Office.

Tips on preventing and controlling the spread of Head Lice:

• Avoid head-to-head (hair-to-hair) contact during play and other activities at home, school, and elsewhere (sports activities, playground, slumber parties, camp).

• Do not share clothing such as hats, scarves, coats, sports uniforms, hair ribbons, or barrettes.

• Do not share combs, brushes, or towels. Disinfect combs and brushes used by an affected person by soaking them in hot water for 5–10 minutes.

• Do not lie on beds, couches, pillows, carpets, or stuffed animals that have recently been in contact with an affected person.

• Machine wash and dry clothing, bed linens, and other items that an affected person wore or used during the 2 days before treatment using the hot water laundry cycle and the high heat drying cycle. Clothing and items that are not washable can be dry-cleaned OR sealed in a plastic bag and stored for 2 weeks.

• Vacuum the floor and furniture, particularly where the affected person sat or lay. However, spending much time and money on house cleaning activities is not necessary to avoid reinfestation by lice or nits that may have fallen off the head or crawled onto furniture or clothing.

• Check your child's hair at home for head lice and nits regularly. If crawling lice or nits are found on your child, all household members should be examined for crawling lice and nits every 2–3 days.

• You should examine your child’s head, especially behind the ears and at the nape of the neck, for crawling lice and nits if your child exhibits any symptoms of a head lice infestation.

• Persons with live (crawling) lice or nits within ¼ inch or less of the scalp should be treated.

• Your health care provider will likely recommend a medication available without a prescription that kills lice and some of the nits. These medications may not kill recently laid eggs. Therefore, an appropriately timed second treatment is usually necessary to kill nymphs after they hatch but before they become adult lice.

• Some studies suggest that re-treating 7 to 9 days after the first treatment is the ideal time for a second treatment, but other re-treatment schedules exist. Ask your health care provider for written instructions for a recommended treatment schedule.

Head Lice: What Parents Need to Know

Head Lice Treatment: Myth and Realities

WINTER HEALTH TIPS

Exposure to cold can lead to injury or serious illness such as frostbite or hypothermia.

Follow these tips to keep your children safe in cold weather:

Dress your children appropriately before coming to school. The air temperature does not have to be below freezing for your child to experience cold emergencies such as hypothermia or frostbite. Wind speed can create dangerously cold conditions even when the temperature is not that low.

• Dress your child in layers so they can adjust to changing conditions from indoors to outdoors.

• Most of your child’s body heat is lost through their head, so they should wear a hat, preferably one that covers their ears.

• Mittens provide more warmth to a child’s hands than gloves.

• Your child should wear waterproof, insulated boots to help avoid hypothermia or frostbite by keeping their feet warm and dry and to maintain their footing in ice and snow.

CFSD Illness Protocol:

Keep your student home if any of the following apply:

• Temperature over 100.4 degrees in the last 24 hours before medication (Tylenol/Ibuprofen)

• Vomiting or diarrhea in the last 24 hours

• They have been diagnosed with a contagious illness (e.g.; strep throat, pink eye) and have been on medication for less than 24 hours if medication is required

• Have an unexplained rash of unknown origin

November is the month of thanksgiving & gratitude. One of the things we are grateful for is to be able to provide chiropractic care in all of the CFAUSD public schools, four of the Chippewa 4K locations & the Osseo/Fairchild school district. We love to hear the amazing comments that students make about their chiropractic care.

One student shared, “I am always so tired on Mondays but after I see you I am ENERGIZED!”

Studies have shown that gratitude helps people feel more positive emotions, relish good experiences, improve their health, deal with adversity and build strong relationships. Thinking of at least 3 things you are grateful for every day and remembering to say thank you is a great mood-booster. And when thanking others, don’t forget to thank yourself, too, for all of the amazing things you do!

Happy November & Happy Thanksgiving! If you have any questions about chiropractic care for students please contact us at onsitechiroinfo@gmail.com.

If you would like to volunteer to help out in the classroom or go on any field trips, you must fill out the proper online form. Please click HERE to be taken to our Volunteer Information webpage. Please note that once the online form is submitted, it could take up to 2 weeks to fully process so please please allow ample time before you volunteer for the first time. The link is always open so feel free to fill it out at your earliest convenience.

The district adopted a new volunteer management system last spring so many parents are already on file and approved to volunteer for the 2024-25 school year. That approval is good for 1 year so for those parents that are already in the new system, you will get an email 30 days prior to its expiration date, reminding you to reapply. The email will come from RAPTOR TECHNOLOGIES and will go to the email address that they have on file for you.

Here are the parameters around a parent coming to school to have lunch with their child:

• Please let the office staff know that you would like to come for lunch....more than 24 hours in advance

• We have limited space in the cafeteria so a parent and child having lunch together will be provided space in an alternate location.
  
• Since we have a variety of support personnel and students using spaces on different days and weeks, we have a limited amount of space during many lunch times so there is a possibility that there may not be enough space for all requests on a given day... You will be asked to choose a different day if there is not enough space.
  
• If you plan to have school lunch or are bringing lunch with you, please let the office know since our lunch staff will need to plan for that as well.
• For the safety of all students, you'll only be allowed to have lunch with your child
  
• If a grandparent wants to come have lunch, please call us and let us know that it's okay

Spirit of Christmas serves Chippewa County residents who are in need of gifts during the holiday season. The organization's main focus is on the children.

For information on how to submit an application, click here.

Upon request to the building administrator, submitted twenty-four (24) hours in advance, the District shall make reasonable accommodation including the provision of informational material in an alternative format as necessary for a disabled person to be able to participate select activities.

MISSION STATEMENT: Hillcrest Elementary School, in partnership with the community, is committed to excellence in a safe, respectful, and child-centered environment in which all students are empowered and challenged to be life-long learners.

Email: piersonm@chipfalls.org
Website: https://cfsd.chipfalls.k12.wi.us/hillcrest/
Location: 1200 Miles Street, Chippewa Falls, WI, USA
Phone: 715-726-2405