What a great few days we have had! Our students are finding their way to classes, are enjoying lunch at school, and are ready for the year ahead. It has been wonderful seeing everyone back at Highcrest...the halls are certainly alive again!

As you settle into this school year, please remember to reach out to your child's teacher(s) if you have questions about something going on in class. Students are receiving a lot of information in these first days of school, so they may miss a few things which you may need to clarify with the homeroom teacher to make sure they understand everything :) We have included our handbook as well below for your review. Check out some highlights that we have included for quick reference. Be sure to bookmark the handbook at home, so you have it ready in case something arises.

Fifth grade families: Be sure to see the information about Curriculum Night below.

Have a great weekend,

Kelly, Linda, and Susie

Students have been reviewing the HMS Handbook during their classes this week. Please see below for some important highlights:

SMARTWATCHES: We recognize that some parents will provide their children with cell phones and smartwatches for convenience or for safety reasons. Inside school buildings, cell phones are required to be powered off and kept in lockers and smartwatches kept out of sight during the school day. In recent years, wearable technology like smartwatches have become a distraction to learning and problematic in situations such as assessments. Children will be asked to put their smartwatch in their locker if it is seen by a staff member.

LUNCHES:

Students have the opportunity to order a school lunch through their lunch account, which is automatically set up for each student during the registration process. Students will eat in the cafeteria with their House, and will have 20 minutes for lunch and 20 minutes for recess.

Parents can deposit money online by clicking HERE to access the Food Services website of the District 39 website. Students will be able to bring their own lunch to school. Shared food is not allowed, and we prefer nut-free foods from home to keep all students safe.

Pizza parties, birthday parties, and external cakes or communal food is prohibited in the cafeteria. Parents may NOT have a third party deliver food for their child, and a child may only eat the lunch provided by their own parent/guardian. We can not accept communal lunches (i.e. a Jimmy John's lunch tray for the lunch table) in the front office. You must bring your own lunch, and shared food is not allowed.

LOCKS/LOCKERS:

Students will be assigned a locker by their homeroom teacher, and will be provided a lock by the school. Students are responsible for the contents of their locker, and the items that are kept inside their locker. It is highly important that students keep locker combinations private and that they LOCK LOCKERS AT ALL TIMES. The school is not responsible for items that go missing when lockers are unlocked.

It is important that students keep lockers well organized and clean to prevent the door from jamming, and to make it easy to find materials. Uneaten food should be thrown away, and snacks should not be kept in lockers at any time. Students may use locker organization systems, but writing on the locker or putting stickers or tape on the lockers is prohibited.

All lockers are the property of the school, and are intended to help students in storing their books, supplies, iPad, and outerwear. The school has the legal right to search any locker at any time, with or without consent.

ATTENDANCE:

Instruction begins promptly at 8:50 AM daily, and homeroom is an important time for community building and coming together as a class to learn social-emotional skills. It is important to be on time to school every day. Regular attendance and promptness are essential for good performance.

Supervision on the playground begins at 8:25 AM. We encourage students to arrive at that time. All students will report to the playground area in the back of the school before school starts, regardless of how they arrive. Bells to enter the building will ring at 8:45 AM.

The school nurse and the building administration will monitor absences, and families will be contacted in the case of excessive absences or tardies.

Parents are expected to report online or call the attendance line at (847) 512-6550 to report their child’s absence or late arrival. In that message, parents should include the child’s name, grade, homeroom teacher, date of the absence, and reason for the absence. Excused absences include illness, medical appointments, religious observations, and family emergencies. Absences from school for vacation are considered unexcused.

BUS RIDERS:

Students on the bus must follow all rules for bus behavior (See Below):

Please watch this short video that reviews these expectations, and review the D39 Transportation Handbook for behavior expectations.

If safety expectations are not met and unsafe behavior on the bus is reported, administrators will work with students to correct the behavior. After multiple reports, bus privileges may suspended.

Fifth Grade Curriculum Night is Thursday, August 29. The evening starts at 6:00 PM for any families who are interested in learning about the Band, Orchestra, and Choir programs. At 6:20, parents will begin in their child's homeroom and will change classes throughout the evening. HERE is the basic schedule for the night.

Parents will receive a schedule specific to their child in the homeroom class that evening, so all you need to know is your child's HOMEROOM teacher, and we will take care of the rest!

We wanted to welcome you back to HMS and WJHS this fall and let you know about our athletic offerings this fall. Students sign up for a sport through PowerSchool: wilmette39.powerschool.com and must have a current athletic physical form filled out (HERE) to participate.

• 6th grade Girls Volleyball tryouts are MONDAY AND TUESDAY next week! This is a cut sport for 6th grade. Students who wish to tryout must be registered.
• 5th and 6th Grade Cross Country Practice will start on August 26th. This is a no cut sport, but please be aware that we have a cap on registration at 120 students until another coach can be added.

Please visit the HMS Athletics website for information.

Stock the Teacher’s Lounge

Help the PTO stock the teachers' lounge this school year! Each month, a different house will bring items to the teachers' lounge so it stays fully stocked year-round. First up in the month of September: House 1, 6th grade. Click here to sign up!

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!

Get Involved at HMS!

The Highcrest PTO is an 80+ person volunteer organization that links together parents, teachers, and students to further enrich HMS experiences for our kids. We facilitate events like 5th Grade Connections, Freaky Friday and the Beach Bash; Parent Speaker Series, After School Clubs (i.e. Skyline Theater, High-Five Choir/Debate/Chess/Yearbook), Fall Book Fair, Enrichment, Make a Difference Day, Environmental Awareness, and School Store.

But we need your help to get it all done! Please email Laurel at president@highcrestpto.org if you would like to get involved.

Sign-up opportunities are coming for Freaky Friday, School Store, Book Fair, Beach Bash. Watch future Headlines for sign ups!

Volunteer for Lunch Duty!

Highcrest is in need of volunteers for lunch duty. Sign up here.

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

See you next week!