What's Happening At The Hive!

• Tuesday, 10/15: 6:00 pm Board of Education Meeting at 41 E. Elmwood Drive, Chicago Heights, IL
  
• Wednesday, 10/16:
• End of 1st Quarter
• Last day to collect optional donations to Project Kennedy and The Cancer Support Center
• Friday, 10/18: Think Pink Day! Wear pink in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness
• Tuesday, 10/22: 6:30 pm Bilingual Parent Advisory Committee (BPAC) Meeting at Parker Jr. High
• Friday, 10/25: 4:00 pm report cards posted
• Monday, 11/4: NO SCHOOL Veterans Day Observed
• Tuesday, 11/5: NO SCHOOL Election Day

We love celebrating student accomplishments at Heather Hill! We'd like to congratulate our second graders on a wonderful concert. Students showed what they have been learning about rhythm by clapping out beats with different meters and sharing joy through singing. We would also like to honor our 4th and 5th graders that showed reading level growth (Lexile levels) through Achieve 3000. These students are on their way to increasing reading achievement by reading nonfiction articles and showing their level of comprehension. Keep up the great work!!!

Digital Citizenship Week is this week: October 14th-18th. We have started weekly Neptune Navigate digital citizenship lessons with students in the Media Center. This link to the SD161 Learning and Instruction website provides podcast resources under the tab "How to Keep Your Child Safe Online: Neptune Navigate Tips for Digital World Safety Videos." Please also see the attached parent newsletters on digital citizenship and cyberbullying for more information on supporting children in building positive digital reputations!

Last week we celebrated Fire Prevention Week. The 2024 campaign is all about smoke detectors. Please view these family resources from the National Fire Protection Association for more details on how to keep everyone safe. We had a very fun assembly with the Flossmoor Fire Department and Marshall the Mascot on fire safety. Thank you to Ms. Clemens class for writing thank you notes to the Flossmoor Fire Fighters for keeping us safe and coming to visit! Ask your child what they learned!

Congratulation to Kaiden on attending the swearing in of Richton Park Deputy Chief of Police, Jerel Jones. Chief Jones took a pic with Kaiden and allowed him to be "chief." He was SO excited!

Do you have a student accomplishment you'd like to celebrate with the Heather Hill community? Please email Principal Carol Humm at chumm@sd161.org and include a description and picture of only your student. We love to celebrate students' accomplishments!

The next meeting for the Bilingual Parent Advisory Committee (BPAC) is on October 22nd from 6:30-7:30 pm at Parker Junior High. Please click on the link in the attached flyer for the registration link!

Prekindergarten [PreK] / Early Childhood [EC] Program Expansion

Board of Education members had an initial discussion about the possible expansion of the District 161 prekindergarten and early childhood programs. The Board of Education report included a preliminary cost for adding classrooms to an existing school, recommendations for the type of programming that the District could offer, the number of students the programs would be able to serve, and an estimate of the annual staffing cost. Additional information regarding the possibility of a program expansion will be brought back to the Board of Education at a future meeting.

Department and School Improvement Plan Updates

This school year, the Board of Education will receive more frequent progress updates on the Department Plans and School Improvement Plans. This month, the department plan updates included Human Resources and Learning and Instruction. In addition, Western Avenue School and Parker Junior High School shared their School Improvement Plan information. Next month, the Board of Education will receive updates from the Special Education Department, Flossmoor Hills School, Heather Hill School, and Serena Hills School.

Security Camera Projects

The current security camera system within District 161 is a mix of digital and analog cameras. An upgrade is needed to address camera coverage issues, simplify the user interface, and provide more effective, realtime information to first responders. Two proposals were presented to the Board of Education for discussion. The first proposal is the recommendation for security camera coverage for all six District 161 buildings. The second proposal includes security camera coverage specifically for the Heather Hill Detention Basin. A recommendation to address cameras at all District 161 buildings will be brought to the Board of Education for approval on October 15, 2024 and the discussion about cameras for the detention basin will continue in conjunction with the Village of Flossmoor.

In order to ensure the safety of all students, families may only bring non-edible birthday treats to school to share with classmates. We cannot accept any food items to distribute to students as many students have serious food allergies. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation!

Are you looking for a fun way to support HH? Our HH PTO room parents support classroom parties and activities! We are still looking for parents to sign-up for several classes. Please take a look at HH Room Parents 2024-2025 Sign-up! The first event is the Fall Fest Celebration on 10/31!

We are looking for a crossing guard for at least the next few months! Crossing guards would need to be available from 7:30-8:15 am and from 2:45-3:15 pm each day. If interested, please visit the Job Opportunities website with the Village of Flossmoor. Thank you!

Just a reminder that Kindergarten and students that transferred into the district this school year need updated physical exams. These records need to be current with updated immunization information. This is mandated by the state of Illinois. If the required medical documentation is not provided by October 15, students will be excluded from school. They will be not be able to return until the documents are submitted. If you need resources for health care facilities in our area, please contact the front office at 708-647-7200.

The Flossmoor Public Library has incredible events and programs coming up for children of all ages! View the calendar and sign up for the library newsletter at https://www.flossmoorlibrary.org.

We are continuing to work towards our goals of increasing student attendance to increase learning goals! Check out our attendance percentages from the Week of 10/7. We are working towards a goal of at least 93% attendance each week. Of course we encourage parents to keep children home if they are sick. Students should stay home for at least 24 hours after a fever subsides. Please consult a medical professional as needed for other symptoms including cough, vomiting, etc.

We are celebrating the classrooms with the highest attendance as our Attendance Champions! Congratulations!!!

K: Ms. Jendra

1: Ms. Ward

2: Mrs. Fry

3: Mrs. Clemens

4: Ms. Triezenberg

5: Ms. Vidals

Please view the SD161 Student Handbook for important information.

Want to show your appreciation for outstanding work from a staff member? Nominate them for #AboveAndBeyond! Use this form to nominate a staff member today!

Please review the SD161 24-25 Calendar for a list of days when school is/is not in session.

Please view the Heather Hill breakfast and lunch menus here!

INTERESTED IN JOINING THE PTO?

If you would like to participate in the PTO or have any questions please email them at heatherhillhornets@gmail.com.

Also, Please click on this link https://www.facebook.com/groups/2466905720251155 to join our Heather Hill Families page.

Email: chumm@sd161.org
Website: https://www.sd161.org/o/heather-hill
Location: 1439 Lawrence Crescent, Flossmoor, IL, USA
Phone: 708-647-7200
Facebook: facebook.com/gohornets161
Twitter: @TheHornetsHive