Dear Highcrest Families,

First of all, we want to extend a thank you to all of the parents who were able to attend last week's Fifth Grade Curriculum Night, and this week's Sixth Grade Curriculum Night. We are so grateful to be in a community where our families are involved and engaged in their child's daily school experiences. We hope you enjoyed learning about your child's school day.

Sadly, after hearing about the senseless tragedy in Georgia this week, we were once again reminded of the importance of safety drills and having a strong partnership with our local organizations like the Wilmette PD. Please read below about safety drills that we practice regularly at Highcrest, and to find some resources for reporting that are helpful for both you and your child. Additionally, we just hosted our annual Parent Education Event: Feeling Safe in D39 Schools. It is a great video to watch to learn about many of the measures that we take in District 39 to help keep our community safe.

Take care, and have a good weekend,

Kelly, Linda, & Susie

As is our regular practice, we will be having safety drills throughout the year. We work with the Wilmette Police Department to conduct our Law Enforcement Drills and with our Fire Department to conduct our Fire Drills. We also regularly practice Shelter-In-Place Drills for severe weather, and have Bus Evacuation drills for all students. This fall we will practice all of these, and will again practice fire drills in the spring.

This October, in accordance with the Wilmette Police Department, Highcrest will be conducting our Law Enforcement (Lockdown) exercises with students and staff. Staff will review the procedures with students on the day of the drill, and students will be aware that this is a drill. A reminder that Wilmette Public Schools District 39 will always notify families before any Law Enforcement exercises.

The Wilmette Police Department will be present only to observe and evaluate the effectiveness of our procedures. Below are a couple of notes about our lockdown activities:

• We will communicate with our students in an age-appropriate manner on what to do in the event of a lockdown situation.

• All building occupants participate in these activities – students, staff, and any visitors who may be in the building at that time.

• School administrators and school personnel may, at their discretion, exempt a student(s) from participating in a lockdown activities.

• There WILL NOT be any simulations, gunfire or otherwise, in these exercises.

As a note, the Illinois School Safety Drill Act, Public Act 102-0395 includes:

• A student may be exempt from participating in lockdown exercises through written notification from a parent or guardian at least 24 hours prior to the start of the exercises.

• Schools are required to provide education and instruction related to lockdown procedures to non-participating students.

• Students are allowed to ask questions during the exercises.

As always, the safety of our students and staff is our top priority and clear communication with our families is paramount. Wilmette Public Schools District 39 continues to have a strong working relationship with both the Wilmette Police Department and Wilmette Fire Department.

RESOURCES FOR SAFETY

There are many reasons that a student may need to report something that is concerning to an adult or caregiver, and we want to highlight some of those for you that students will now see posted around the building. The image below is from the "Safety Starts With Me" poster that all D39 students will be able to refer to if they need to reach out to someone about a concern for themselves or for someone else.

Starting at the bottom, the green row highlights a tool that we have had in place for reporting of bullying and teasing or social conflict in a confidential way to the Highcrest administrative team. This is called the HAWKS REPORTING FORM. This form is monitored during school hours and on school days by the administrative team, and we follow up on each report submitted.

The yellow row highlights a tool that can be used to share information to help prevent harm, school violence and other threats to safety. This is called SAFE2HELP.

The orange row is the newly introduced suicide and crisis helpline: 988. Students may call, text or chat if they are experiencing thoughts of suicide or emotional distress.

Finally, at the top of the graphic is the red bar which highlights 911. This is the direct line to the Wilmette/Glenview Police and Fire Departments, and should be used when there is a serious and immediate or life-threatening emergency.

Please review this with your child, and let them know it is also available to review in the HMS handbook and on posters at school.

If you have questions about safety across the district, please take a look at last week's Parent Education Event: Feeling Safe in D39 Schools. It answers many of the questions D39 families have, and you can watch it as a family to help your child feel safe at school.

EMERGENCY ASTHMA MEDICATION PROGRAM:

This serves as notification that Highcrest Middle School is participating in the State of Illinois Undesignated Emergency Asthma Medications Program.

This program authorizes our school nurse to administer asthma medication (Albuterol) to anyone experiencing respiratory distress while at school. This program is available to all students, even those who do not have a formal asthma diagnosis. Albuterol is very safe and effective, it opens up the airways allowing air to move in and out of the lungs making it easier to breathe. It will be administered according to the guidelines established by the Illinois State Board of Education and any parent/guardian of a student receiving the medication will be notified immediately.

If you need additional information or you do not want your child to receive Albuterol during a respiratory emergency at school, please notify our school nurse, Mary McLone, BSN, RN at mclonem@wilmette39.org.

6th GRADE PHYSICAL REMINDERS

All 6th grade students are required to submit proof of a physical exam to the school nurse, Mary McLone AS SOON AS POSSIBLE (the due date was today). Please email Nurse McLone at mclonem@wilmette39.org if you have any questions.

**PLEASE NOTE PARENTS MUST FILL OUT THE PARENT SECTION BEFORE TURNING THE FORM INTO THE OFFICE***

HERE is a link to find the required forms.

NWEA MAP testing will take place for READING on 9/10 and MATH on 9/17. Results from the MAP will be mailed home on 9/26, so families can expect to receive results shortly thereafter.

High Five Junior Choir registration is open! You can register your student in grades 5-8 using this link. Please note that this choir is different from the grade level choirs at HMS and WJHS. If you want to better understand what High Five Junior Choir is, please watch this video or contact Mrs. Martin at martinj@wilmette39.org

WJHS Field Hockey Middle School Day on Thursday 9/12 between 4-5 pm

at the WJHS Field Hockey grass field (behind Wilmette Junior high in between the baseball fields). Any girls in 5th and 6th grade who may be interested in playing field hockey at WJHS are invited to join our clinic led by our 7th and 8th graders. Please fill in this form before Wednesday 9/11 (noon) if interested. Wear athletic wear, cleats or turf shoes, long soccer socks with shin guards, mouth guards (we have $2 basic mouth guards for sale, bring cash), a field hockey stick (we have loaners), hair tied back and a water bottle. We'll have snacks available in case you're hungry. Pick up promptly at 5 pm behind WJHS!

Homework Club is offered Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday for any HMS student needing a quiet space to get their homework completed. Any interested student may drop into the LC at 3:45 PM, and HC runs until 4:45 PM. Students may get picked up, walk/bike home, or take the late bus (information below).

As in years past, Highcrest and Wilmette Junior High have a late bus that takes students home from after-school activities at no cost to the families.

The bus picks up at Wilmette Junior High at about 4:40 and comes to HMS at 4:45 PM to bring students home. The students choose the bus that drops off at their elementary school. There are three buses: Central Bus, McKenzie/Harper Bus, Romona/Rec Center Bus. Please discuss with your child which bus they should take if they plan to take the late bus.

During our Curriculum Nights across the district, we have enjoyed sharing with you the focus of our SEL curricula in our classrooms, as well as the objectives targeted at each grade level. Information about social-emotional learning in D39 can be found HERE. Be sure to check it out for information about what your child is learning, how to support social-emotional learning at home, and gain information about resources available to families.

Additionally, at Curriculum Night, we shared the District 39 commitment to providing a safe and equitable learning environment that fosters a mindset of empathy, respect, and belonging for all district students and staff. To help foster this inclusive mindset, we are focusing on monthly themes throughout the year. As classrooms explore these themes, students will be able to learn about their identities, understand the unique qualities and perspectives of their classmates and community, and gain insight into celebrations and traditions from around the world.

Themes:

SEPTEMBER: Our Names are Important

OCTOBER: Our Identities are important

NOVEMBER: Our Families are Important

DECEMBER: Our Traditions are Important

JANUARY: Our Actions are Important

FEBRUARY: Our Features are Important

MARCH: Our Foods are Important

APRIL: Our Abilities are Important

MAY: Our Histories are Important

With September focusing on the importance of our names, we encourage you at home to have a discussion with your child about their name, how their name came to be, and if there is any significance to their name story. It could prompt a fun dinner conversation for the whole family!

Pre-Order Yearbooks on Membership Toolkit!

Take advantage of early bird pricing for the 2024-25 yearbook. The price will increase on October 31. To purchase your yearbook, log on to the PTO website and then visit the Back-to-School 1 Stop Shop tab. If you're unsure if you've already ordered your yearbook, check Previous Orders under My Account.

Help the PTO Recycle Plastic Bags

Did you know you cannot put plastic bags in your regular recycling? Never fear, you can drop them off at HMS! We have bins set up in the front entrance and in our teachers' lounge so families and staff can recycle.

But we need your help to keep this program going. Twice a month, a parent volunteer picks up the bags and takes them to the Jewel on Greenbay Rd. Be a part of our plastics project and sign up here!

Spiritwear!

Missed last week’s swag sale? Not a problem. You can show your Hawks pride with a variety of spiritwear options available online at Humankind!

Questions? Reach out to PTO President Laurel Nelson: president@highcrestpto.org

See you next week!