Weekend Update!

This week was truly the BEST first week of school I have EVER had! Thank you to our families for all of your support in making this such a successful week. Our students got to meet their teachers, begin to make new friends, learned new things, and had fun! Well done!

We know it was a rocky week with some of our buses, but in speaking with our transportation and facilities departments, it sounds like they are working hard to fix those issues. Please never hesitate to reach out to me to keep me aware of any challenges so that we can be of support to your children.

We hope you and your families have a terrific three-day weekend! Go Hawks!

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.

Next Friday we have a football spirit day to get excited for the start of the new season! Students are encouraged to wear the gear of the favorite team! It may be the only day this season where I can wear a Giants jersey without also wearing a paper bag over my head.

If you have not done so already, please review this letter that was sent out last week regarding our expectations regarding cell phones. Overall, our students did an AMAZING job keeping their devices away to stay connected with their classes and each other!

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.

Click here for the video and slides from the August 20th Parent Infinite Campus workshop. The next workshop will be held on Friday, September 20th at 8:30 AM at this Google Meet Link: https://meet.google.com/kpu-stjc-xiq This workshop will go over tips and tricks for navigating Infinite Campus and Google Classroom.

The 24-25 school year will be special for many reasons, one of which is the pending referendum on Election Day (11/5/24) in regards to the fate of a new Hillcrest Middle School. This project, if approved, will replace the current Hillcrest building that was built in 1966. Among other factors, new schools offer instructional spaces designed for today’s instructional strategies; improved indoor air-quality; enhanced school security measures; ADA compliance; modern technology; safer traffic pattern designs; more efficient utilities (potentially net zero); more natural light; and an environmentally conscious design. While new buildings are expensive, we were thrilled that the legislative session ending on May 8, 2024, specifically identified a 44% (instead of 24.29%) reimbursement rate for our Hillcrest Project. This means that Trumbull taxpayers would be responsible for $81.7 million of the $142 million project. This presentation provides an explanation of how and why Hillcrest was selected as the first project. The Educational Specifications (EdSpecs) of the new Hillcrest can be found here. I would encourage you to stay engaged and educated on the facts and details of this prospective project before casting your vote.

The CHET Dream Big! Competition (the “Competition”) launched on August 15! K-12 students in Connecticut have the opportunity to enter the Competition and be awarded a scholarship of up to $20,000 to help pay for their future education! This competition is brought to you by the Connecticut State Treasurer’s Office as Trustee of the Connecticut Higher Education Trust (CHET).

We need your help to make sure students and their families in your district know about this opportunity to win contributions to their CHET 529 college savings plans!

This year, we will be awarding almost $350,000 in CHET 529 College Savings Plan – Direct Plan (“CHET 529 Direct Plan”) account contributions to students in grades K-12 and technology prizes to schools. For the winning students, we will be awarding:

• Three prizes of $20,000
• 24 prizes of $5,000
• 239 prizes of $500

To enter, students are asked to answer a question by submitting a drawing or painting, essay, or video. Younger students will be asked to answer a question focusing on lessons they’ve learned and their dreams for the future, and older students will be asked about an experience or person that has impacted them and how that will influence their future goals. Submissions must be uploaded by 11:59 p.m. on November 4. There is no cost to enter. For program details, rules and the entry process, visit:

www.chetdreambig.com

Downloadable entry forms and flyers are available on the website as well.

A school in your district could be a winner too! Each school that is represented by at least one student’s entry will be eligible for a random drawing for a technology prize worth $5,000 (a total of 10 schools will win a technology prize). Please see the 2024 Competition Official Rules for more information on prize structure and awards.

If you have any questions, please email asavio@mintz-hoke.com. And thank you for your support!

Please remind your student to bring their charged Chromebook to school each day. If your charger is lost, you can purchase a new one similar to this one at your preferred online or retail store.

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

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.

1.This week, our staff read this article which shares strategies on how to maintain the importance of a middle school Advisory.

2. Mrs. Laird and I read a host of books this summer! Most recently, we read Boredom Busters by Katie Powell, which provides a number of instructional strategies on how to keep students engaged during classroom lessons.

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!

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.

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