Hillside Happenings

Dear Hillside Families,

🌟 Habit of the Month: Habit #6 Synergize🌟

There was a great energy in the halls as we saw everyone sporting their best green this week to celebrate together. We were also fortunate to host a special visit from DTE, providing our 5th grade students with some engaging insights and learning opportunities. To top it all off, the warmer temperatures as we closed out the week certainly put a spring in everyone's step!

We want to extend a massive thank you to our incredible parent volunteers. Your time and energy at the Scholastic Book Fair helped put so many new stories into the hands of our students. Additionally, we are so grateful for the fantastic PTA dinner and potato bar provided during our conference nights; having a delicious meal waiting for us during those long evening hours truly means the world to our staff. Thanks also to Texas Roadhouse (Novi) for donating to our dinner!

Looking Ahead

We have an exciting new Cartoon Workshop coming up on May 7th! This will be a fun opportunity for students to explore their creativity and learn some new artistic techniques. Scroll down in the newsletter for more specific details. As we look to the calendar, please keep in mind that next week is our final week of school before Spring Break! We are looking forward to a productive and focused week of learning before everyone heads off for a well-deserved rest.

With Gratitude,

Mrs. Maas & Mrs. Amos

School Hours for 2025-2026:

Student Hours: 8:30 A.M. – 3:30 P.M.

Half Day: 8:30 A.M. – 11:45 A.M.

Office Hours: 7:45 A.M. – 4:15 P.M.

Save the Dates:

March 23rd - Dentist R Us Returns - Please write "No Flouride" on the form if you do not want flouride.

March 26th - Pizza Day at Lunch

March 30 - April 3 - Spring Break

April 6th - Classes Resume

April 8th - Bonventure Skate Night

April 9th - PTA Meeting

April 13th - MSTEP Testing Begins

April 14th - Spring Picture Day, 5th Grade Photo

April 14th - 2nd Grade Field Trip, Young 5's Field Trip

April 24th - Kindergarten Field Trip

April 25th - Science Expo

May 1st - Kindergarten Orientation - No School for Current Kindergarten/Y5 Students

May 4th - 8th - Staff Appreciation Week

May 6th - Farmington Focus Business & Community Showcase

May 11th - Silver Dairy Fundraiser

May 13th - Cultural Arts Night

May 14th - 2nd Grade In-School Field Trip

May 14th - PTA Meeting

May 18th - Boosterthon Kick-Off

May 19th - 1st Grade Zoo Field Trip

May 19th - 2nd Grade Greenfield Village Field Trip

May 19th - 4th Grade to the Nature Center

May 19th - Kindergarten/Senior Concert

May 22nd - Half Day of School

May 25th - No School (Memorial Day)

May 28th - 5th Grade Bonaventure Night

May 29th - Color Splash Dash

June 4th - 5th Grade Promotion/Party

June 11th - Last Day of School

The link below takes you to all published newsletters thus far.

Archive of all Newsletters

Did you know that the 26-27 School-Year Calendar is now available? Click here to download it.

The email address: hil@fpsk12.net is not regularly monitored.

To reach someone in the office, please use the email addresses below:

Mrs. Maas - torrie.maas@fpsk12.net - Principal

Mrs. Amos - deb.amos@fpsk12.net - Assistant Principal

Ms. Pliska - emily.pliska@fpsk12.net - Secretary

Mrs. Jacobs - susan.jacobs@fpsk12.net - Office Clerk

Mrs. Huell - tanya.huell@fpsk12.net - Office Clerk

We are excited to share our cultures and leadership on May 13! Please complete this form to let us know if you would like to perform or participate in our "Taste of Traditions" by bringing a cultural food item.

Students and families are welcome to participate in any way that feels comfortable. Whether sharing food, art, performances, or cultural traditions, every contribution helps make our Cultural Arts Night special.

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Teacher Appreciation Week (May 4-8) is an opportunity for us to recognize the incredible educators who support and inspire our students every day.

Between now and April 5, we invite families to share a message of gratitude for a teacher who has made a difference in your child’s life. Please consider submitting a short note of thanks to a teacher who has impacted your student through our Teacher Appreciation form. These messages will be shared on social media and with our teachers to recognize the impact they have made on our school community.

Students used sentence puzzles to create a retelling of the story they read.

Thanks to Mrs. Snyder for sharing!

DTE visited our 5th graders yesterday, did an energy presentation, and gave out swag bags, and tools to help keep our homes safe! Thank you, DTE!

For parents of students with IEPs - It is time to consider nominating an educator for a Golden Apple Award. The Golden Apple Award celebrates excellence in instruction, individualized support, and a deep commitment to students’ academic and social-emotional growth. The award ceremony will be on May 13 at 5 pm.

We invite you to use this form to nominate a staff member who has worked with your student during the 2025–2026 school year. In your nomination, please include a brief narrative describing how this individual has made a positive impact on you and/or your student’s educational experience, exemplifying Golden Apple Excellence. Please complete this form by Mar 30, 2026.

Please nominate only one staff member per student receiving Special Education services. If you have more than one student, please complete a separate form for each.

We look forward to celebrating the outstanding educators who make a difference every day!

This is a wonderful opportunity for our students to participate in a science expo!

Click here to register and learn more!

Click Here to Pay Your Membership Dues

The PTA is looking for interested parents/guardians for our 2026-27 Executive Board. This is a great way to stay involved and make a difference! Seeking candidates for:

President (2 - year term) – Oversees and directs PTA, local & state liaisons, represents the PTA at meetings/events, Hillside Happenings, Bylaws Updates. The outgoing president is happy to mentor for this role!
Vice President of Academics (1 - year term) – Spelling Bee, Reflections, Robotics/Lego League.
Vice President of Fundraising (1- year term) – Mum Sale, Book Fair, Restaurant Night, Fun Run (fundraising coordination), Bonaventure Nights, & Movie Nights

A slate of nominees needs to be presented at the April 9th PTA meeting for elections to take place at the May meeting. If interested in being on the board, please fill out this form by April 3rd. If curious in learning more about the open positions, please contact Kristen Buring (HillsideHuskyPTA@gmail.com).

Staff Appreciation Week is May 4th-8th. We are looking for volunteers to set up/prep the weekend before, help throughout the week and clean up on Friday. Please reach out to Angela if you’re interested at aguerro28@gmail.com!

Does your child enjoy drawing? Sign them up for a 1-day after-school workshop with Cartoonist Neal Levin. Space is limited to 40 students!

https://hillside.givebacks.com/shop/items/3fbbe7cd2f83

https://www.neallevin.com/

Spring Enrichments are now available to register!

More info and registration links on the PTA Website!

Brixology (same program, new day!) - Mondays, starting April 6th

Chess Wizards - Tuesdays, starting April 14th

Sunset Theatre presents Trolls - Wednesdays, starting April 8th

MadScience - Thursdays, starting April 9th

Basketball

Kindergarten & 1st: Mondays, starting April 6

2nd - 5th : Wednesday, Starting April 8

Soccer

Young 5’s & Kindergarten : Mondays, starting April 6

1st, 2nd & 3rd Grade: Thursday, Starting April 9

Our last skate night of the school year is Wednesday, April 8th, from 6:00 pm - 8:30 pm. Bonaventure is open just to Hillside Elementary and their families, which is a wonderful family-friendly evening! The cost is $13, which includes skates. Spectators are always free! Address: 24505 Halstead Rd - Farmington Hills

Congratulations to all of our students who were recogized with Leadership Awards this week!!😁

We are so proud of you!! Congratulations:

Isla

Hayden

Savanna

Thank you Mrs. Kherkher & Mrs. Dowd

for nominating these amazing students!!

We can't wait to see who's next!😍

In celebration of the history and beauty of the Detroit riverfront and the start of the spring/summer season at the Ralph Wilson Park, InsideOut Literary Arts is sponsoring the IF THE RIVER COULD SING poetry contest!

We are looking for poems that celebrate and give voice to the beauty and history of the Detroit River or rivers in general. There is a youth contest (18 & under) and an adult contest.

The winning poem will be printed on-site by Signal Return at Ralph Wilson Park on Saturday, May 16th. The winning poet will also receive 15 copies of their printed poem and a $75 gift card to a local bookstore. One runner up will also receive a $50 gift card.

CONTEST RULES
1) Deadline for submissions is Monday, April 13 at 5 PM.
2) Poets must reside in the state of Michigan.
3) All adult submissions should be no more than 16 lines.
4) One submission per person.
5) Winners will be announced via email by Wednesday, May 6th.

Submit ONE poem (no more than 16 lines). We are excited to read your work!!

Click here to enter!

Elementary students will have the option to purchase a second slice of pizza on Little Caesars Pizza Day (every other Thursday - March 12 & 26). The first slice is free, and the cost for an additional slice is $2.25.

Students must have sufficient funds preloaded in their cafeteria account. Deposits can be made online at https://farmington.familyportal.cloud/

Please reach out to Nutrition Services at 248.489.3717 if you have any questions.