Weekend Update!

It is hard to believe that today marks the 25th anniversary of the terrorist attacks against our country. We began our day with a moment of silence remembering those who lost their lives. If you are anything like me, I am sure you remember every detail of that Tuesday morning. I remember the classes I had that began at 8AM, and the shock that overtook me when I arrived back at my dorm. While I truly will never forget the hurt and uncertainty from that period, I will also never forget just how kind and comforting we were to each other during such a tragic time. As I just experienced as a parent myself, it understandable for our children to come home with questions and curiosities. If you ever need any support navigating these conversations, we are here to help!

On a much lighter note, next week is quite busy at Hillcrest! We have picture day, an early dismissal, iReady, Back to School Night, the club fair, and much more! Please keep reading below to get all of the details.

I hope you all have a terrific weekend, especially those of us who will be rooting on the New York Football Giants on Sunday evening! For those who will begin celebrating Rosh Hashanah this evening, Shanah Tovah!

Now that we are finishing our third week of school, it is a good time to remind our students to make every effort to establish their after school plans before they leave their home in the morning. I completely understand that with the beautiful weather, there are lots of students that want to take advantage of a certain ice cream shop up the road from us. We would like to avoid students asking to leave their classes to call home to see if they can make social plans for after school. It is a great opportunity to talk with your kids about planning ahead (when possible)!

We are excited to see everyone at our Back to School Night on Thursday 9/17! Here are some helpful reminders:

• The event begins promptly at 6:30PM.
• You should follow your child's Day 1 schedule.
• This event is only for parents/guardians, so we respectfully ask to leave your children at home.
• During the evening, feel free to stop by the media center to check out the posters for our Club Fair.
• New this year: you will not go to the cafeteria for unified arts classes. Instead, please report to their Day 1 unified arts class.
• For families looking to have a more personalized conversation about your children, conferences signups will occur in the beginning of fall.

We look forward to seeing you there!

The PTA is hosting their Coffee with the Principals on Friday September 18th from 9-10AM in the Hillcrest Planetarium! It's a great opportunity to mingle with other parents, enjoy some refreshments, and chat with the Hillcrest principals!

September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month. Please see the flyer below with resources that are available for anyone in need of support.

We are thrilled to announce that our Club Fair for students will be next Friday, 9/18, in the Media Center. Students will get a chance to stop by the Media Center during the day to view the clubs and extracurricular activities offered this year by our talented and generous faculty advisors. If you’re coming to Back-To-School Night on Thursday, 9/17, please stop by the Media Center to get a sneak peek of the display! A full list of the offerings, including descriptions and details about where and when each club will be meeting, will be available in next Friday’s Weekend Update for you to review with your student.

Join Mrs. Durand on Friday, September 18th at 8:00 AM for a presentation on Back to School Tech Tips for parents/caregivers. This workshop will explain how to navigate Google Classroom and Infinite Campus. Families can learn more about Google Guardian summaries and how to get set up with notifications. No need to RSVP – just show up! The recording of this workshop will be made available in the weekend update.

Google Meet Link: https://meet.google.com/pku-byae-chk

If you are looking to downsize the Lego collection in your home, please check out the flyer below!

Please click this link to see our latest episode of News from the Nest!

If your child did not attend the “Scooping Your Way Into 6th Grade" event in August, please stop by the table located outside of the cafeteria to pick up their t-shirt.

The Hillcrest general merchandise gear shop is also open. The stores offers Hillcrest t-shirts, hoodies, pajama pants, water bottles, backpacks plus much more including many items that can be personalized. This online shop will accept orders through Monday, September 21.

https://hypeteamstores.ai/shop/rainbow/Hillcrest-Middle-School-Spirit-Wear-Spring-Store-2026

The Hillcrest Pink Out shop is now! Get your pink Hillcrest t-shirts and hoodies for all of October and especially for our Pink Out Day on Friday, October 23. The online shop will accept orders through Monday, September 14.

https://hypeteamstores.ai/shop/rainbow/hillcrest-middle-school-pink-out-store-fall-2026

As Dr. Semmel wrote in his monthly newsletter, this is an important reminder from the District Safety Team that all Trumbull Public Schools' campuses are closed to the public during school hours. Only individuals with official business at one of our schools are allowed on school campuses during the school day. This means that walks through our campus (particularly with our active construction) are not allowed when school is in session. We appreciate everyone's understanding and recognition that this expectation increases the safety of our students and staff.

The Trumbull Public Schools will be offering the option for parents to purchase Chromebook Insurance for grades 6-8 students as part of our 1:1 Device Insurance Program. Each student in grades 6-8 is issued a district managed Chromebook that is to be used as a tool to support their learning. Students are responsible for bringing their Chromebook from home to school each day and it is expected to be fully charged and available when needed during the school day. The 1:1 Device Insurance Program is designed to protect students and families in the event that the Chromebook issued to a student is stolen, damaged, or malfunctions due to no fault of the student. Students and parents may be charged for any damage resulting from intentional damage to the device caused by the student or for lost devices.

This program covers all accidental damage to the Chromebook or theft of the device subject to the following: $0 deductible for the first two occurrences per year and $50 deductible per occurrence thereafter. This coverage is effective for the duration of the school year. Insurance must be renewed annually.

The cost for the 2026-2027 school year is $25.00 per device, per child. If a family does not elect to purchase the insurance, the family will be responsible for the full cost of replacement parts plus labor or full replacement cost of the Chromebook ($250) if it can not be repaired. A typical repair for a screen replacement is approximately $85, which is why the district encourages parents to purchase the insurance to limit their liability in case of accidental damage to the device. Chromebook insurance does not cover intentional damage or lost devices, chargers or cases.

Enrollment and payment for the 1:1 Device Insurance Program will be processed via the Infinite Campus Parent Portal. To purchase the insurance login to the Parent Portal, and select School Store>Technology>Chromebook Insurance on the left menu.

Parents must elect the insurance no later than 9/30/2026.

CLICK HERE TO ENROLL NOW

• Phones are to remain off and placed in either their locker or backpack during the school day (7:35AM-2:30PM). We will make an announcement at the beginning of the school day to remind our students.
• The announcement reads as follows: “Please take this time right now to make sure your cell phones are turned off (not silenced) and placed away in your backpacks or lockers. Smartwatches may not be used for texting or messaging. Students are not permitted to use these devices during the school day.”
• If families need to contact their children, please do not text them. Please call the main office, who will get in contact with them.
• If students need to contact their families, they may use the phone in the main office to do so.
• Phones may be collected during assessments to maintain academic integrity.
• If students are found to be using their phones or storing their phones anywhere other than a backpack or locker, we will hold the device in the main office until the end of the day. If the same students are repeatedly not following the district policy, we will ask a family member to collect the device from the office at the end of the day.
• School staff may call a family or request a meeting if their children are having difficulty following these expectations.
• In regards to wearable smart technology (i.e. smartwatches), students may wear those during the school day. If our students are observed using their watches for texting/communicating, we will ask them to put those devices away as well.

For those who may be unaware, the board of education prohibits students from riding "bicycles, skateboards, roller blades, scooters, or unregistered motorized vehicles to school." That policy can be found here. Thank you for your support with this!

1. Mrs. Laird and I are currently reading The Digital Delusion by Dr. Jared Cooney Horvath.

2. This week, our staff read this article which shares different strategies on how teachers can prioritize paper over screens.

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.

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.

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.

If you interested in receiving summaries from your child's Google Classrooms, click here to access the directions on how to do so.

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.

Please see this flyer on helpful tips to navigate the Parent Portal of Infinite Campus.

Email: brickert@trumbullps.org
Website: https://hms.trumbullps.org/
Location: Hillcrest Middle School, Daniels Farm Road, Trumbull, CT, USA
Phone: 203-452-4466