HIGHCREST HEADLINES
December 13, 2024
A Message from the Administrative Team
Dear HMS Families,
What a great first couple of months of school we have had at Highcrest! There are so many fun, creative, and exciting things going on in our building. In short, there are a lot of things to like about Highcrest! Please enjoy the short, celebratory video linked in the picture above as we wrap up calendar year 2024!
Additionally, take some time to check out the scenes from our annual Winter Music Concert. It is such a great time to celebrate our community and enjoy some amazing Highcrest music!
Have a great weekend!
Kelly, Linda, and Susie
Arrival and Dismissal Times
As weather gets colder, we wanted to remind our families that band, choir, and orchestra begin at 8:00 AM, and general outdoor supervision outside begins at 8:25 AM. Students dropped off before 8:25 AM will not be able to wait in the building, so if they are dropped off early, they will be outside unsupervised until 8:25 AM. The bell rings at 8:45 AM to let students in the building for their homeroom class.
Please be mindful when planning morning drop off, and encourage your child to dress appropriately for the cold weather.
Students are dismissed daily at 3:35 PM, and the office closes at 4:15 PM. Please plan to pick up your child by 4:15 PM daily. If they are at an after-school club, they may take the late bus home at 4:45 PM. Please note that the office can not take requests for messages to students after 3:30 PM. After that time we are not able to get in touch with students to let them know of a dismissal plan.
BUNDLE UP!
We all know how winter in Chicago can be balmy one day and frigid the next, so be sure your child is prepared for all weather conditions. Gloves, hats, and coats are a must, especially because we go outside for recess, even on cold days (Real Temp or Feels Like 10 degrees or more). Make sure your child has everything they need to enjoy some fresh air during the school day!
SEL NEWS - DECEMBER
December often finds us in a season of giving and offering gratitude for the things that we are thankful. Practicing gratitude with our children is a wonderful way to help them build empathy, support the development of their relationship skills, support finding creative solutions to conflict, and can help kids make positive choices when they interact with others.
This month as we all reflect on the past year and look forward to a fresh start in 2025, try one of these simple ways to practice gratitude as a family…even the simplest acts can make a big difference in the lifes of others…as well as your own!
As you tuck your child in bed at night or as you converse at the dinner table, ask your child, “What were you thankful for today?” Share your own as well! This will help to reframe even the negative thoughts (i.e. “Ugh…the snow…”) to positive thoughts (i.e. “The snow today made everything look clean and bright outside.”) and by sharing your own thoughts of gratitude, you serve as a model for your child.
Write thank you notes…but not only for gifts! Gratitude can be expressed to others (teachers, grandparents, siblings, etc.) with a simple note of thanks for anything! See if you can get crafty and creative as you send notes to others expressing your thanks.
Create a family gratitude jar. After creating the jar, put it in a special place in the house where you add to it on a regular basis with little slips of paper. You can use questions such as, “Who makes you laugh?” or “What are the things that made you happy this week?” to prompt thinking about gratitude, or just keep it as a spot for family members to add regularly. Open it and look through it every few months, to see how many things in our lives have created a sense of gratitude.
DISTRICT 39 UPDATES
Parent Education Event
Thank you to everyone who joined us Wednesday for our Parent Education event titled “Youth Substance Use Trends Parents Should Know About.” If you were unable to join us live, the recording and presentation materials are now available below.
We are grateful to have partnered with PEER Services and the Knowledge Empowers Youth (KEY) Coalition for this presentation, which provided outstanding guidance on an important topic. Please visit our Parent Education webpage for our full schedule of events as well as archived recordings of past events.
Board of Education – Committee of the Whole Meeting Recap
This past Monday, the Board of Education gathered for its monthly Committee of the Whole meeting. These committee meetings, characterized by dialogue and an exchange of ideas, inform the Board’s monthly business meeting and offer an opportunity to review, discuss, and provide valuable insight on District initiatives. Just like the monthly business meetings, these committee meetings are open to in-person attendance and also streamed live on our YouTube channel, with a recording available for later viewing.
At Monday’s committee meeting, the Board was presented with a five-year projection of capital projects as well as a five-year financial projection report that covers FY26 through FY30. The Board also received a preliminary presentation on transportation fees and heard a report on the work of our D39 Joint Leadership Team, a group that includes faculty, staff and administrator representatives, that was established last year to focus on culture and climate within each of our schools and make recommendations to address needs together. The complete agenda and all accompanying materials for this meeting are available online.
Save the Date – Registration for the 2025-26 Academic Year
With the end of the calendar year rapidly approaching, we wanted to share that registration for the 2025-26 school year will open on Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025. District 39 is excited that it will be offering full-day kindergarten for all families beginning in Fall 2025! Additionally, our school calendar committee is currently finalizing next year’s school calendar. The committee will be presenting a draft of the 2025-26 Academic Year Calendar at next Monday’s Board of Education meeting (Dec. 16) and is expected to receive final approval of the calendar at the January Board meeting.
Please consider donating to the Highcrest PTO
You can donate in a couple different ways:
IGNITE - The Highcrest Ignite fund pays for ALL enrichment activities including visiting authors, field trips, assemblies, outdoor learning environments, athletic equipment and more. Suggested donation amount is $85.
HAWK FUND -. This newly created fund supports students and teachers at HMS in any area needed - in improving facilities, purchasing equipment, and adding activities for the students. The Highcrest PTO works closely with teachers and staff to identify the needs of the school, and budgets to meet those needs. A donation to the Hawk Fund is tax deductible, with 100 percent going to improving the school.
Spiritwear - Available at Humankind!
Spirit wear makes great holiday gifts! Available online at Humankind!
Snacks Needed!
We need continued help stocking the teachers' lounge for our awesome staff! We need a lot more sign-ups for January! Please click here to sign up!
December: Grade 6, House 4 (Bishop, Resis, Everhart, Flanigan)
January: Grade 5, House 1 (Sarich, Essary, Dubnow, Konicek)