Weekend Update!

It's hard to believe the end of the first trimester is in sight! Regardless of how close we are to a holiday break, things are still moving pretty quickly over here! This past week we had parent-teacher conferences, which were incredibly well attended. Our 8th graders had visits from three different veterans on Veterans Day: Sam Almazan (National Guard), Ray Baldwin (Marine Corps), and Peter Carlson (Coast Guard). Mrs. Rooney and the Interact Club also put together care packages for Homes for the Brave! You can check out pictures below from our Veterans Day visit! We also had a group of students from our S.A.V.E. (students against violence everywhere) Club attend the Youth Leadership Training in New Haven with Mrs. Durand!

I have a couple reminders about some practices we have put in place: please review this letter regarding our front and back parking lot routines, and please review this letter with your children detailing our cell phone expectations. In short, bell to bell no cell.

Finally, I am excited to share that last week Mrs. Laird, Mrs. Durand, and Mr. Sullivan attended the conference for the Association of Middle Level Education. Mrs. Laird and I were fortunate enough to have the opportunity to do an hour long presentation on collaborative leadership.

Enjoy your weekend! Go Hawks!

Today students began to register for Hawk Hoopla Day! As you can see below, students have never been more motivated to get to their period 3 classes on time! We have 749 students signed up for an activity for Hawk Hoopla Day! If your child has not pictured an activity they can fill out the form on their grade level Google Classroom until Monday, November 18th at 1:00 PM. If they do not remember what they signed up for they can search their inbox for an email from Google Forms forms-receipts-noreply@google.com The subject line of the email is, “Hawk Hoopla Fall 2024 Signup Sheet”.

With the basketball season about to begin, we feel as though it would be a good time to remind families about our expectations for student spectators during the games. If your children intend on attend a game this season, please review this letter with them. Thank you!

Picture retakes are on November 20th:

If a package was purchased previously: The package needs to be returned along with the $5 fee. Students may keep the class photo.

If No package was purchased: Please return the old proof card along with the $5 fee and a new proof card will be sent out.

If No original picture was taken: A proof card will be sent to the school or emailed to the parent and no fee applies.

Hillcrest Ski Club is back for another season! Mark your calendars, registration opens next week, November 19th! It’s important to register early as this event sells out fast every year. To keep the process fair, registration is time-stamped, and spots are reserved for the first 150 students who sign up. We encourage parents to discuss in advance with their kids.

REMINDER: **Early bird registration is available to PTA MEMBERS ONLY.**

Not a member yet? Join the PTA to stay informed on PTA happenings, updates and social events. To receive PTA emails, you need to have an active ’24-’25 membership. Sign Up Here: https://hillcrestmspta.membershiptoolkit.com/form/m/294378

What is Ski Club? A PTA-sponsored club for Hillcrest students of all ski and snowboard levels, offering three Friday evening trips to Mohawk Mountain in Cromwell, CT. On Jan 3, Jan 10, and Jan 24 (with backup dates Jan 31 and Feb 21), 150 students and parent chaperones will head out after school on coach buses and return later that evening. All participants MUST attend each trip per mountain policy.

New to skiing? Lessons and equipment rentals are available at the mountain.

See you on the slopes!

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1U3wufLvMURMk9B267xuHICrehsIqtc9Y/view

Please click here for instructions on how Trimester 2 schedules can be accessed in Infinite Campus. Trimester 2 will start on Monday, November 25th with a Day 2. Report Cards will be posted to Infinite Campus Backpack by the end of the school day on Friday, December 6th. Click here for directions on how to access report cards in Infinite Campus.

The video from this week’s episode of News from the Nest can be found here.

Calling all creative minds!!

The National Reflections Arts Program is underway, and we'd love to have some of our HMS students join in the creativity!
The 2024-2025 theme is: "Accepting Imperfection"
Students can submit their completed works in the categories of Literature, Visual Arts, Photography, Film Production, Dance Choreography and Music Composition.

Entries are due December 20th and can be turned into the main office

Entry form (turn into main office): Reflections Paper Entry Form
Digital Entry form: Reflections Digital Entry Form
Reflections Guidelines: Reflections Guidelines 2024

Questions? Contact Lisa Malin at lisabethmalin@gmail.com

Get involved with the PTA! Your involvement helps create a thriving environment for our students and supports programs that make a difference. Membership has its perks! Be the first to receive updates, help support our operating budget, have your voice heard at meetings, and enjoy member exclusive events.

Membership Form

Please ask your students to check the lost and found for any missing items. We will be donating all items in the lost and found to the Bridgeport Rescue Mission after school on November 1st.

For the safety of our students and to avoid any overcrowding issues, students should only ride the bus they are assigned to unless issued an exception by the transportation department. Drivers are instructed not to admit any student to their bus that is not assigned or has not been given an exception from Transportation. Exceptions should be for child care reasons or emergencies and not used for playdates. Using a school bus for anything other than home to school transportation is prohibited.

1. This week, our staff read this article which detailed effective strategies for teacher to student feedback.

2. Mrs. Laird and I are currently reading How to Give Effective Feedback to Your Students by Susan Brookhart.

Join us in earning cash for HMS by using the Box Tops app. It’s an easy way to make a difference. All you have to do is buy Box Tops participating products (like Cheerios!) and scan your grocery receipt. The homeroom that earns the most for each trimester will win a Box Tops Prize Pack!
Get started today at BTFE.com. Use referral code GZ3U8TZ9 when you sign up.

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!

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.

4. Please stay to the right with your vehicles, as to not block the driveway.

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.

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.

This past Monday, we began running late buses to accommodate extra help and after school activities. Please click here to see the routes for our late buses. If your child is staying after school and plans to take a late bus home, please make sure you review that document to determine where they will be dropped off.

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!

In order to better serve our students and families, we have implemented a new bus tracking system that should resolve the issues we have been experiencing with “Bus Tracker”. It is called BusZone ®.

It allows you to view your students current school bus location and information about the route in near real time, including the scheduled and estimated times to your stop. Please refer to the transportation page on the TPS website for instructions on downloading and using the app.

https://www.trumbullps.org/departments/transportation

Activation can take up to 48 hours, so please download and set up your app as soon as possible. Accounts set up today should be active on Monday 11/11/24.

The app contains a very helpful support option. You will find the answers to most questions there and the ability for contact Durham directly if needed.

Please let us know if you have any question.

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