Hillside News Brief

It is hard to know what to say to the wonderful, resilient, patient, and hardworking Hillside community as we confront a prolonged period of time away from our school. The sense of community we enjoy at Hillside is a result of the efforts parents and guardians, students, and staff put into connecting with each other. We will still be able to connect in the days to come, but it is much more of a challenge in these days of quarantine and social distancing.

Parents and guardians, we are grateful for your efforts to keep your student(s) on track with the distance learning teachers are providing. These lessons are designed to keep brains active and to keep students learning as we spend time away from our school building. As always, we must work as a team so that our Hillside tigers learn and grow.

Please let us know if you are experiencing challenges with connectivity or content; we want to help. We will do our best to make this a time of connection and learning for our Hillside students. Please make sure to connect with your child's teacher if you are having issues with internet or with content!

Thank you for everything you are doing and for your patience and understanding as we refine distance learning to the best of our ability.

Stay well.

Cynthia Bailey, Principal

Hillside orders for Art to Remember are still being processed, and made and should be shipped, on schedule, at the end of March. Community Club hopes to have them organized and ready to distribute the week of March 30th. More details to come soon on how to pick your order once we know they have been shipped.

Though it may be a challenge, we will get them distributed when they arrive. If anyone has questions or concerns, please email the Community Club at d66hillside@gmail.com.

ALSO, online orders are still open until April 9th for anyone that who would still like to place an order. Any orders placed now will only have the option to ship home. Below is a link if you'd like to look up your order by child's name to find your personalized merchandise.

Art to Remember Shopping Link: https://arttoremember.com/school/4xrfn9

Food Bank for the Heartland is partnering with Westside Nutritional Services, The Salvation Army of Omaha, Saving Grace Perishable Food Rescue and local school districts to launch the Mobile BackPack program. The program will distribute 26,000 meals each week!

We will deliver free meal bags to 13 sites (see below) starting Friday, March 20. Each meal bag contains five breakfasts and five lunches including milk and fresh produce for a total of 10 meals. A meal bag will be offered for each child in a household.
https://foodbankheartland--

Many of our students, in all grades, have questions about why we are closed, what COVID-19 is, and if they should be worried. Our experts in Student Services and members of our counseling and psychology teams offer these great resources to share with your family.

CLICK HERE: Talking To Your Kids About The Coronavirus

CLICK HERE: Just For Kids, A Comic Exploring Coronavirus

CLICK HERE: Coronavirus Video For Kids

Most Westside Community Schools students were sent home with personal technology, allowing teaching and learning to continue despite closures.

• Teachers will use each Monday as their planning days for the rest of the week. All students will receive their academic assignments for the week on Tuesdays.
• Each teacher is expected to be available and responsive to our students and families from 8:30 to 3:30 each day, mirroring a typical school day.
• Below you will see documents available to download. These documents cover what will be expected of our teachers, how you can structure learning for your child at home, responsibilities for your student and for you as a parent, etc. We will also post these plans on our website.

• Need help? Please consider checking out this wonderful resource with ideas for helping your children learn at home. CLICK HERE to read Tips For Families As They Transition To Home Learning.

• If you do not have access to internet at home, please click the Cox Communications flyer below. They are offering 30-DAYS FREE WIFI for families who qualify.

Westside Community Schools is extending our Summer Meals program to ensure all students have food at home during these closures.

NEXT PICK-UP DATES & TIMES:

Monday, March 23 from 8:30am-12:30pm

• Westbrook Elementary School (1312 Robertson Dr.)

• Westside Middle School (8601 Arbor St.)

• NEW: Prairie Lane Elementary School/Swing School campus (3534 S. 108th St.)

Monday, March 23 from 4:00pm-7:00pm

• Westside Middle School (8601 Arbor St.)

Every child who shows up (ages 1-18) at one of our drive up sites will receive 5-days worth of meals (breakfast and lunch) to take home. There is no charge, and no ID is required.

A reminder: Westside Community Schools accepts applications year-round to see if your children qualify for free or reduced meals at school once closures are over. CLICK HERE to see if you qualify (this process is confidential).

We are grateful for the countless parents, staff members, students, and community leaders who have reached out to us asking how they can help Westside families in these uncertain times. We are compiling a list of families who may be struggling financially during closures. We are also compiling a list of families who have reached out to us or school leaders asking for assistance. We will connect these families with donations and resources made possible thanks to our community. Please reach out to us, regardless of your situation, to see if we can help.

Thank you for proving time and time again that #WeAreWestside.

TO REQUEST ASSISTANCE:

Please email Director of Student Services Robert Aranda at aranda.robert@westside66.net.

TO VOLUNTEER YOUR TIME:

Please email Director of Student Services Robert Aranda at aranda.robert@westside66.net.

TO MAKE A CASH DONATION:

Please CLICK HERE to donate through the Westside Foundation.

TO DONATE A GIFT CARD:

Please email Director of Student Services Robert Aranda at aranda.robert@westside66.net or mail your gift card to the ABC Administration Building, 909 S. 76th St., Omaha, NE 68114.