Welcome to the first newsletter of the 2023-2024 school year! We are a little over two weeks away from the first day of school! A new school year presents opportunities for our students to meet new friends, build relationships with new teachers, and participate in exceptional educational experiences. Teachers will be returning soon, and they will be diligently working to create stimulating learning environments for our Huskies and developing lessons from our district curricula that ensure high levels of learning for all students. It is an exciting time, and we look forward to welcoming all students back to school on Tuesday, August 15th!

Note: Starting Monday, August 7th, PowerSchool will be updated so you can access your child's teacher for the upcoming year! If you need help accessing this information, please feel free to contact the office!

For the upcoming school year, EPS will utilize an online registration system that allow parents of K-12 students to log in and update information and complete all Back-to-School documents. As a reminder, to use this feature, parents/guardians will need to have a parent-access account in PowerSchool.

If you do not already have a parent-access account, please follow this link for directions on how to create an account. An email will be sent to the primary PowerSchool account email address when online registration is available. You should see the email come through in the next few days, and at that time, you will be able to begin the registration process.

If you have an account created but need to add additional students, please follow this link for directions on doing so: https://bit.ly/2wDNJuT.

An Open House will be held on Thursday, August 10th from 5:30-6:30 p.m. This is an opportunity for students and families to visit classrooms and meet teachers before the first day of school. In addition, students are welcome to bring school supplies and leave them in classrooms. If your child ordered school supplies through Hillrise, those supply packs will be on your child's desk at Open House.

• We are dividing the Open House into two time slots. If your last name starts with A-M, your designated time for Open House is 5:30-5:55. If your last name starts with N-Z, your Open House time will be 6:05-6:30. There will be a 10-minute transition time between the two sessions.
• You will receive your family's car tags at Open House. Please hang these tags from your rearview mirror or another location so it is easy for staff to identify your number and call your child(ren) to the front of the building for dismissal. These numbers change each year as we welcome new families to Hillrise. Please be sure to grab your car tags at Open House so you have them starting the first day of school. If you are not able to attend Open House, we will send car tags home with your child on August 15th.
• Curriculum information will be communicated by your child's teacher prior to Open House through email. Please watch for this information!
• PTO will have a table at the front of the building. Be sure to stop by and see them to get your passport. This will help your child(ren) earn a treat at the end of your Open House session!

• The first day of school for students is Tuesday, August 15th.
• Students in grades 1-5 will begin school at 8:10 a.m.
• Our incoming kindergarteners will have a 9:00 a.m. start on August 15th ONLY. Parents are welcome to walk kindergartners to the entrance of the building and help them find their teacher. Starting August 16th, kindergarteners will arrive for our normal start time of 8:10 a.m. and head to the west playground to locate their teacher.
• At arrival on August 15th, students entering grades 3-5 will head to the east playground. Teachers will be wearing Hillrise t-shirts and holding name signs so you can easily identify your child's teacher. First and second graders will go to the west playground to locate their teachers.
• Students can arrive beginning at 7:55 a.m., as there will not be supervision prior to that time.
• Breakfast will be served beginning at 7:35 a.m. If your child chooses to arrive for breakfast, they will be directed to the cafeteria.
• At 8:10 a.m., teachers will escort students inside the building to begin a memorable first day of school!
• These same protocols/directions will be followed for the second day of school, August 16th. Starting August 17th, we will begin Walking Club. Instead of students being directed to classrooms at 7:55, they will move to the east playground for Walking Club.

The school day begins at 8:10 a.m. for students in grades K-5. The tardy bell rings at 8:15. Please plan to have your child(ren) arrive at school on time. This ensures they have consistency with beginning of the day routines and procedures. The day ends at 3:06. Please makes plans for your child(ren) to be picked up on time.

Attendance is a key component to the success of students. Elkhorn Public Schools complies with the Nebraska Compulsory Education Law (SEC. 79-201 of the Nebraska School Laws). Regular, daily attendance at school is the responsibility of each student and his/her parents or guardians. Students who maintain regular attendance develop responsibility, remain current with their class work and class discussions, and receive the most benefit from the school day. The district attendance policy states that “excessive absenteeism” shall be defined as absences (excused or unexcused) exceeding five (5) days per quarter or twenty (20) days per school year. Attendance letters will be sent to parents once a student has been absent 5 days within one quarter, 10 days total and again at 15 days as a reminder of the importance for the child to be in attendance at school every day. A letter will be sent to parents and possibly the County Attorney if a child accumulates 20 days of absences during the school year with the request to schedule a conference with the building principal.

If your child is going to be absent from school, please call the office at 289-2602 prior to 9:00 a.m. on the day of the absence. Students will be considered 1/2 day absent whenever he/she arrives after 9:15 a.m. or if he/she leaves before 2:00 p.m. A student will be recorded absent for a full day if he/she leaves before 10:00 a.m. and is absent for the remainder of the day. A parent/guardian is expected to call each day the student is absent from school unless other arrangements have been made. If no call has been received from the parent, the school will attempt to call the parent to verify the absence. If the school is not contacted regarding the student’s absence, the student will receive an unexcused absence. Anytime a student arrives late to school or leaves prior to the regular dismissal time, he/she must be signed in or out at the office by a parent/guardian or by school personnel.

• Children must exit the vehicle curbside. Do not allow them to get out on the driver's side of the vehicle. Please view the video below for more details to ensure we keep all students safe during drop-off and pick-up!
• If you must get out to open your child's door, please pull into a parking space first and walk with your child across the parking lot.
• At no time will any child be allowed to cross the parking lot alone.
• Respect members of our safety patrol and encourage their leadership opportunities by following their directions. As a pedestrian, please cross with the guards and as a driver, abide by their traffic control.
• Please be sure your child does not arrive before 7:55 a.m. (unless it is for breakfast which begins at 7:35 a.m.) and that you pick them up immediately following dismissal at 3:06 p.m. There is no supervision outside of these hours.
• Families will be receiving a car tag to hang from your rearview mirror during pick-up. The number assigned to you on your car tag will ensure Hillrise staff members contact your child's teacher for dismissal from the classroom. This procedure will allow us to follow safety protocols and dismiss students as quickly as possible.
• Please watch the video below for more details regarding drop-off and pick-up.

Prices for elementary breakfast and lunch have changed from last school year. The new prices are listed below. We ask that you keep your students account funded to prevent any issues with their purchases. Applications for free/reduced meals for the current school year must be submitted annually to receive free/reduced meal prices and the additional benefits that can be provided to families who qualify. Instructions for completing an online or hard copy application can be found at https://www.elkhornweb.org/parents/lunch/.

Breakfast and lunch prices for the 2022-2023 school year are as follows:

Elementary Breakfast: $1.75

Elementary Lunch: $2.95

One milk is included with a purchased meal. Extra or single milk (without a purchased meal) is $0.55 each. Extra entrée and ala carte items have an additional charge. You will receive an email when your students account is below $5.00 daily as a reminder. The easiest way to

avoid any issues is to set up an Auto-Deposit function on your students account, instructions can be found below.

MAKING DEPOSITS

SETTING UP AN ONLINE ACCOUNT INSTRUCTIONS - This will allow you to make deposits, view the account, set reminders and add an auto-deposit option if preferred. EPS partners with SchoolPay for student lunch accounts. To add funds, go to www.schoolpay.com and log into to your user account. More details about setting up a schoolpay account are given below.

MAIL CHECKS payable to EPS, that include your student name and student ID Number to Sodexo,

EPS Food Service, 1401 Veterans Drive, Elkhorn, NE 68022

SEND LUNCH MONEY WITH YOUR STUDENT TO SCHOOL, include student name and student ID number preferably in an envelope for elementary students to give to their teacher.

We look forward to continuing to serve our students healthy and nutritious meals!

EPS partners with SchoolPay for an online payment system. To utilize the system, parents will need a user account. To access your account or create a new one, follow the below instructions:

1) Go to www.schoolpay.com and enter your login information

2) To create a new account:

a) Click the green “Create an Account” button

b) Enter the “Payer” Information

c) Choose “Elkhorn Public Schools”, then choose your student’s assigned school* and

enter his/her Student ID number and Last Name.

*If you have multiple students, choose one student to enroll first and complete the

School Name, Student ID, and Last Name for that student. Upon account creation,

you will have the option to add additional students.

d) You will receive an email to set your password. Click the Login link within the email, set

a new password, then log in to make purchases or add additional students as needed.

e) To add additional students to your account, follow the instructions at this link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0ireLb_ht8

If you have any questions regarding your account or the process for creating one, please contact School Pay Support at 888.886.9729 or support@schoolpay.com.

When a student must take a prescribed or over-the-counter medication (i.e. Advil, Tylenol, cough drops) during school hours, it is the responsibility of the parent or guardian to provide current, non-expired medication and complete a Medication Authorization form

(available from the school office). The District has the right to limit quantities of medications that can be brought to school at one time. Please limit to a maximum 30 day supply. All medication will be taken in the nurse’s office. The following procedures will be strictly adhered to:

- A physician must provide written orders with the name of the drug, dose, time interval when the medication is to be taken, and diagnosis or reason the medication is needed.

- The parent or guardian must provide a signed, written request that the school district comply with the physician’s order.

- Medication must be brought to the school office in the original container and labeled with the student name. If medication is a prescription, label must have the doctor/pharmacy label indicating student’s name, medication, route of administration, dose, time to be given and doctor’s name. If a prescription changes, medication label must reflect the changes.

- Medications will be stored in the health office.

- The principal will designate school personnel authorized and trained to administer medication during the school day.

- The Medication Authorization form can be found below.

1. ENHS Junior Cheer Clinic: Details and registration information can be found here.

2. Salvation Army Backpack Distribution Weekend: distribution locations and dates can be found here.

EPS and individual buildings use a parent messaging system called SchoolMessenger to send emails, phone calls, and text messages to parents sharing district information, monthly updates about building happenings, and weather-related school closings. To ensure receipt of these updates, please verify that all contact information listed in your parent PowerSchool account, including phone numbers and email addresses, is correct.

Additionally, this system allows recipients to “unsubscribe” from its mailing list; however, please understand that by “unsubscribing” you are completely removing your email address and phone number from both District and building lists. If you choose to Unsubscribe, you will not receive any communication from your child’s assigned school or the EPS district. If you accidentally unsubscribe or decide you would like to begin receiving emails again after unsubscribing, contact your building secretary to change your communication status.

The Hillrise PTO is excited for the upcoming school year! We have a lot of exciting things planned, including a Fall Festival, Trunk-or-Treat, Grandparents Day and Family Pie Night!

NEWSLETTER SUMMARY:

• Please install the GroupSpot app, using the Invite Code: Wx1S. This app is the primary way we will communicate. It has a calendar of events for the year that you can easily sync to your personal calendar. It houses documents like the Teacher’s Favorite Things list and a school director.
• Our Open House is Thursday, August 10th from 5:30 to 6:30. Please come meet the PTO. Popsicles and ice cream cones will be provided.
• Please sign up to bring breakfast to the Hillrise staff on one of our Husky Wednesdays. (Click here to signup!)
• Information for Back-2-School Supply Drive (formerly the Giving Tree) and Teacher’s Favorite Things Lists coming soon.

FULL VERSION:

OPEN HOUSE
We are excited for the back-to-school Open House! This year we will be giving students a "Passport" that they can complete in order to earn a cold treat (popsicle or ice cream cone). The items on this passport include visiting your child(ren)'s classroom, dropping off their school supplies, and having the parents learn about the PTO.

WHO IS THE HILLRISE PTO?
The Hillrise PTO is an organization of parent and teacher volunteers that support the school and strengthen the school community.

WHAT DOES THE PTO DO?

The PTO supports the school in many ways: Some things the PTO does are:

• Funds field trips, school assemblies, Family Math Night and 5th grade graduation
• Supports teachers with additional funds for classroom supplies
• Organizes social events to build the school community

WHERE DO PTO FUNDS COME FROM?

The PTO raises all their funds. Some funds come from sponsors in the community (various businesses) and the rest come from PTO fundraisers. Our main fundraiser for the year, Acts of Kindness, will start in September. We receive no funds from the school district.

HOW DO I GET INVOLVED?

There are two easy things you can do to get involved:

• Install the GroupSpot app and join the Hillrise Elementary PTO Group. The Invite Code is Wx1S. In this group, you can easily see all the PTO events for the year (and add them to your Google/phone calendar), access the Teacher's Favorite Things lists (coming soon), get access to the school directory (coming soon), and receive notifications about ways you can get involved. More info about how to use this app will be shared at the Open House and the first PTO Meeting!
• You can attend the first PTO meeting on Tuesday, September 5th at 6:30 pm. There is free childcare in the gym. We welcome your attendance and you are welcome to be involved as much as you'd like.

HOW CAN YOU SUPPORT THE HILLRISE PTO?
We welcome and need your support! Whether you work part-time, full-time, stay-at home, or travel extensively, we all have a desire to make a difference in our students’ school experience. We will have many opportunities throughout the year to volunteer or donate supplies. The main goal is to combine our time, talents and resources to make the school the best place it can be for our kids. Please click here to see all our volunteering opportunities:

HILLRISE SPONSORS:

Hillrise families - we are looking for Corporate Sponsors for the new school year! There are different levels of participation with tiers of benefits. The sponsorship funds greatly benefit our students by helping pay for the Sponsor shirts suggested to be worn for field trips and school events as well as other items like school recycling, classroom materials, staff meals, and much more. If your company is interested in helping our school, please see the form for details. Please see the attached form for details.

HILLRISE HUSKY WEDNESDAY

Your Hillrise Husky Teachers and staff LOVE the mid-week snacks provided by our wonderful parents. It's easy to drop them off or have delivered. Whether it's something savory, salty, sweet, or all of the above, the teachers and staff appreciate your generosity. To see happy, smiling faces, sign-up for one of the Wednesdays! Click here to sign up.

BACK-2-SCHOOL SUPPLY DRIVE (formerly the Giving Tree)
Each year, the PTO does a Back-2-School Supply Drive for our teachers and staff. This program helps the Hillrise teachers and staff get the items they need for the upcoming school year. The signup will be shared later via email and the GroupSpot app.

STAFF FAVORITES
The PTO is working to put together a list of Staff Favorites. This document provides a few of the staff's favorite things so parents know how to shower them with love throughout the school year. This document will be housed in the GroupSpot app under "Attachments." Make sure to save it for holiday gifts, birthday surprises, or just special "thinking of you" gifts. We truly have the best staff at Hillrise!

If you have any questions, you can reach the PTO at hillriseelementarypto@gmail.com

The PTO is looking forward to the upcoming school year!

Email: mmehlmann@epsne.org
Website: www.elkhornweb.org
Location: 20110 Hopper Street, Elkhorn, NE, USA
Phone: (402) 289-2602
Facebook: facebook.com/ElkhornPSHR
Twitter: @ElkhornPS_HR