December 2023 Hillcrest Newsletter

Hillcrest Families,

It was my best intention to get our monthly newsletter sent to you before our winter break. As you can see, that did not happen. The hustle and bustle at home and school got to me, and I had to prioritize my lists to make it through the holidays. I am sure some of you can relate to the overwhelming feeling I had leading up to break. Although it was a busy time, I truly tried my best to savor all of the moments and cherish the days leading up to the holidays with our students and staff. When I think about my elementary school days I think about holiday parties, music programs, and the fun extra curricular activities my teachers planned for me. As I watched our students participate in dress up days, sing in a music program, shop at the Winter Wonderland Shop, enjoy holiday activities in their classroom, etc. I was flooded with nostalgic memories of the fun I had in school. I hope we were able to create wonderful memories with your child at Hillcrest this season--ones that they will remember in the years to come.

I hope you and your family are enjoying break. I am sending well wishes to you as 2024 quickly approaches us.

~Mrs. Tapscott

Kurt Wagner, along with his children, visited Hillcrest Elementary School on December 19th. Thank you to our families, we sold over 40 books. Due to the number of sales, Kurt visited our students for no additional charge. During his visit, Kurt talked to our students about using their imagination and using their talents to write. Our students were able to get a glimpse of the process behind publishing a book. He asked for ideas on what adventure Anthony (the main character) should go on next. Wouldn't it be cool to see an idea from a Hillcrest Hornet published? Keep your eyes open! Visit https://anthonythemouse.com/ for more information about the author.

January 3- School Resumes

January 12- End of 2nd Quarter

*Report Cards will be sent home with your student on January 17th.

January 15- No School to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day

January 26- 11:30am Early Dismissal

BINGO Night - More information coming soon from our PTO!

Parent/Teacher Conferences are the evening of February 8 and the morning of February 9.

Has your student talked about KYFOOTY? If not, ask your student what this stands for. We will continue to work on our school wide goal of KYFOOTY: Keep your hands, feet, and other objects to yourself. We notice when students become frustrated (especially out on the playground) their feelings are communicated through physical aggression. We are working hard on using conflict resolution skills at Hillcrest. The conflict resolution skills we continue to teach are (but not limited to): using your words, walking away, asking for help, taking a break, etc.

When each classroom follows KYFOOTY, our entire school family earns a piece to our snowman. It is our goal to build the entirety of the snowman by January 12th. Congratulations to the following classrooms for earning a piece to our snowman: Mrs. Salazar, Ms. Marshall, Mr. Garzon

Our winter benchmark assessment is on the horizon. Students will begin taking the winter MAP Assessment on Tuesday, January 16th. This assessment will show us the amount of growth your student has made in both reading and math since the beginning of the school year. It will also allow your student's teacher to see the areas in which your student still needs to grow. This will help the teacher adapt the instruction to meet your student's needs.

MAP Growth tests are unique and adapt to your child’s responses to measure your child’s knowledge. If your child answers a question correctly, the next question is more challenging. If they answer incorrectly, the next one is easier. These results will provide a more complete picture of where your child is on their learning journey— regardless of whether they are on, above, or below their grade level.

During the week of January 16th please make sure that your child gets good sleep, eats breakfast, and is at school on time. Please also talk to your student about taking his/her time on the test.

We look forward to sharing your child's results with you.

Thank you to our volunteers for Culver’s Night. PTO raised a total of $500.44!

PTO has been busy this year with various fundraising initiatives. We were able to hold a mum fundraiser earlier this fall and have had spirit nights at Country Style and Culvers. All funds raised are going towards various contributions to the staff and students of HIllcrest School. PTO was able to provide dinner during conferences to the staff, provide a snack to students during their fall parties, and we were able to help with the Thanksgiving Feast. A new bench for the entrance area of the school and new rugs are in process of being bought. In addition to those things, we look forward to adding landscaping around the sign in the spring.

January 26th, PTO will host our annual BINGO Night to help raise funds for the student gaga pit, teacher appreciation, and a 4th grade field trip, along with other miscellaneous spring activities. PTO is accepting any donations for raffle baskets (gift cards/certificates, snacks, themed items, etc.). If you’d like to donate a basket or items for a basket, please let the front office know or reach out to the PTO.

We are always looking to add more parents/guardians and staff to the PTO to help plan and volunteer for events. Join one of our future meetings to learn more!

Upcoming Dates

• PTO Meeting - January 10th at 3:30pm

• Bingo Night - January 26th at 6pm -
  This year BINGO Night will be located at Glenview Middle School!