August 29, 2025

Hello Hawk Families,

Special shout-out to our 5th-grade families for such a fun and fast-paced curriculum night! 6th-grade families, we are looking forward to you joining us for Curriculum Night on Thursday, September 11!

• Upcoming Events
• Highcrest Helpful Hints: Early Pick Up from a Student
• D39 Updates
• HMS PTO Updates
• Community News
• Hawk Handbook Highlights

We hope that everyone has a wonderful and safe extended weekend. This is a wonderful school community, and we cannot wait to welcome our students back on Tuesday next week. Next week's newsletter will include information about lunch, recess, and after-school clubs offered by Highcrest! In the meantime, be sure to check out the PTO club offerings!

Go Hawks!

Anthony, Susie, + Linda

In recognition of Labor Day.

Please join us for our 6th Grade Curriculum Night scheduled for Thursday, September 11, 2025.

• 5:40 - 5:56 pm: Band, Orchestra, and Choir Presentation [Optional, but recommended!]
• 6:00 - 7:22 pm: Speed-Walk a Day in Your Child's Shoes

We are still finalizing the schedule of events, but we will communicate the detailed schedule to 6th Grade families early next week! Mark your calendars and stay tuned for more!

• Wednesday, September 17 - HMS Picture Day
• Tuesday, September 23 - No School in recognition of Rosh Hashanah

• Do: Email "office-hms@wilmette39.org" to communicate date/time and brief details about the absence. This helps us categorize the absence in Power School.
• Do: Create that plan with your child. They can also manage the time they need to go to the front office to be picked up early. This way, they can let their teacher(s) know and request a pass to the office at their pick up time.
• Don't: When possible, don't show up unannounced and expect to pick up your child quickly. Students are learning all around the school, and it takes time to locate your child, for them to gather their materials around the school, and then meet you at the front office. This process typically takes 15 minutes. Advance notice using the strategies above can make this more efficient for all.

• Do: If your child is not returning to school, they should pack up their belongings and come to the front office. All students picked up early must sign out and leave through the main office doors.
• Do: If your child is returning to school, they are welcome to keep their belongings here and retrieve them when they return. All students picked up early must be signed out and leave through the main office doors.
• Don't: Students should not exit the building without being signed out through other doors to the school.

• Do: Sign out your child at our front office. Your child should exit with you from the front of the school. Once you've dismissed with your child, they are welcome to go home in the method your family prefers.
• Don't: Call or email to ask if your child can be dismissed early and take their bike home. We must ensure that if a child is being picked up early that they are checked out of the front office by an approved parent, guardian, or emergency contact.

• Do: Email or call our front office before 3:25. Communication received after this time may not reach your child before dismissal. office-hms@wilmette39.org or (847) 512-6500
• Don't: Email or call teachers, as they may not receive it before dismissal.
• Don't: Communicate on personal devices like cell phones and smart watches. These are off and away for the day in backpacks.

Our school does not need to be informed of all changes in dismissal plans; students can manage this on their own. However, if you need assistance in communicating, use these procedures.

• 8:00 - Instrumental Music + Choice [Period 0]
• 8:38 - First Arrival Bell, student entry to the school
• 8:45 - Second Arrival Bell, start of Homeroom [Period 1]
• Lots and lots of fun + learning happening here!
• 3:37 - End of Day Bell
• 4:15 - Front Office Closed

All students can be dropped off at school between 8:15 - 8:38, when the first bell rings. Students can report to the back playground for supervised arrival.

• Do: Call our attendance line at (847) 512 - 6550.
• Do: Use PowerSchool to enter an absence
• Do: Email "nurse-hms@wilmette39.org" to share your absence.
• Don't: Let the absence go without communication. It is important to us that we know our students are safe and accounted for.

Pro Tip: Remember, we aspire for students to be in attendance 90% of the school year or more. To achieve this, a student should have 8 or fewer absences during the school year. 10 or more absences in a single school year is considered chronically absent according to the Illinois State Board of Education. Let's get our students here for learning and fun!

• Do: If your child is not feeling well or sick at school, they should request a pass to go to the nurse. The nurse will provide necessary care and inform your family as appropriate.
• Don't: Students should not get their device and contact their parents to pick them up. If this happens, please direct your child to ask a teacher to go to the nurse and use our health and safety systems.

Pro Tip: You're welcome to contact Nurse Mary McLone at "Nurse-HMS@wilmette39.org".

• Do: Drop your child off in the circular drive at the front of the school.
• Do: Have your child ring the bell at the main office, sign in, and head to their locker + class.
• Don't: Your child should not try to enter through other doors of the school. Before going to any class, they should be checked in at the front office. For example, if they arrive late and see their P.E. class outside, they should go to the main office, sign in, and then proceed to P.E.

• Do: Your family can drop off lunch at our front office, and we will deliver it to your child.
• Do: Your child can purchase lunch from the cafeteria using their student number.
• Don't: Send food delivery services or restaurants with food, it won't be accepted by the office.

As we launch the school year, there will be more helpful hints. Stay tuned!

District 39 Parent Education Schedule for 2025-26 Academic Year

District 39 believes in the importance of connecting with our families and providing them with informative and relevant Parent Education events. We are pleased to announce our first Parent Education event of the year titled “Navigating School Safety Scenarios: How Would You Respond?,” scheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 17 at 11 am. During this presentation, we will review some student safety scenarios and our presenters will share best practices for handling various situations. We will be joined by representatives from Family Service Center, KEY Coalition, Wilmette Police Department, and Be SMART. This is a virtual event held via Zoom and registration for this presentation is now open.

Additionally, last year, District 39 hosted a Parent Education event titled “Feeling Safe in District 39 Schools.” The information presented remains true for the start of the 2025-26 academic year and contains valuable information for families. We encourage everyone to watch the recording to learn more about how we work together to maintain a high level of building security and work with community partners to create a feeling of safety for all.

Please visit our Parent Education webpage for our full 2025-26 schedule as well as recordings of many of our previous presentations.

Board of Education Meeting

The Board of Education gathered on Monday evening for a public meeting on budgets before moving into its regular business meeting. New Wilmette Junior High School Principal Jon Baffico and new WJHS 7th Grade-Level Administrator Anne Bishop were formally introduced while the Board was also presented with both the district’s enrollment and tax compliance notification reports, heard committee reports, and conducted a first reading of several Board policies. The Board was also presented with the district’s response to the Community Review Committee’s (CRC) report titled “Belonging & Connection in the Digital Age” and adopted both the District 39 and Wilmette Community Special Education Agreement (WCSEA) budgets for FY26. Agendas, materials and additional meeting details for all Board of Education meetings are posted online Friday afternoon prior to the meeting.

Looking For Fulfilling Work? Join Our District 39 Team!

District 39 is looking for caring and qualified individuals to join our D39 team! We are accepting applications for paraprofessionals, substitute teachers, teaching assistants, and a school nurse. If you are interested, or know of someone who may be interested in working as part of a dynamic team in a vibrant and welcoming setting, please visit our D39 employment webpage.

Want to mentor some of D39’s bright, scientific minds? District 39 is looking for coaches for its varsity and junior varsity Science Olympiad teams for the 2025-26 season. This position will receive a stipend of $3,213 for the year. If interested, please check out the job descriptions and apply online.

Please make sure to register on the PTO website!

The PTO website is where you can get access to the student directory, purchase a yearbook, donate to IGNITE (Highcrest enrichment fund - see info below) and the holiday teacher gift fund. You can also sign up for after-school clubs and purchase tickets to school events such as Freaky Friday and Beach Bash, and much more. Visit highcrestpto.org.

**Please note: Users must verify/update their information each year. Please update through the URL and not the mobile app. You can also reset your password through the URL but not the app.

Once you have verified/registered, please use the SALES FORM to purchase your PTO membership and yearbook today! The Sales form can be seen below your family information and can only be used ONCE so make sure you purchase everything that you need. (A store will be available at a later date but some items will increase in price). Directory access comes with PTO membership.

Did you know your iGNITE contribution pays for your child’s field trips and enrichment activities at Highcrest? With the increased cost in bus fees, we need your contribution to iGNITE to make it possible for our children to experience going on a field trip. The PTO ensures that all funds are used each year so your children are benefiting from your donation. Thank you for supporting these experiences. You can pay iGNITE fees through the SALES FORM.

Come jump at SkyZone to meet new friends and help raise money for the PTO! All funds raised will go toward Highcrest PTO initiatives benefiting students. Ticket sales will open on the PTO website next Friday.

Please join PASS39 (organization to promote communication and teamwork between D39 staff and parents of children who receive support and services) for these upcoming events!

• Evening support group (parents only) September 10 7:30 PM St. John's Church (1235 Wilmette Ave)

• Coffee and connection (parents only) September 12 9:30-11:30 AM Panera Bread (1199 Wilmette Ave.)

• Playground Connect (kids and parents) September 21 3 PM McKenzie School playground

• Ice cream social and workshop “When Love Doesn’t Conquer All” (parents only) September 29th (please note date change) 6 - 8 PM Mikaelian Education Center (615 Locust Street)

Start the school year with some new Hawks gear! Available online at Humankind.

The Wilmette Rotary plans to resume our Big Book Drive this fall, October 1 through November 14, 2025. They request that, as you consider weeding out your library collection this summer, you save gently used books (excluding textbooks, old atlases, encyclopedias, dictionaries) for our Book Drive in the fall, 2025. The Wilmette Rotary Club encourages you to consider donating children’s gently used trade books, K-6, so that we can donate them in the fall.

Ahead of the school year, it may be helpful to take a moment to review the following handbooks:

• HMS Student Handbook
• D39 Parent + Family Handbook
• D39 Mobile Learning Handbook

In particular, we emphasize taking time to review the following from the HMS Student Handbook:

• HAWKS Expectations
• Smartwatches + Personal Devices
• D39 Disciplinary Measures + Restorative Practices
• HMS Health & Safety

As we progress into the school year, we will request that students sign and return the letter of agreement and D39 Mobile Learning Contract.

Hawk Headlines will be sent weekly on Fridays!

Next Edition Scheduled for Friday, September 5

Anticipated Topics: Lunch + After School Clubs at HMS