Hillside Happenings

Welcome Back!!

Happy New Year and welcome to 2026! We hope you and your families had a wonderful, restful winter break filled with joy and relaxation. It has been such a pleasure seeing our hallways filled with energy again; we are truly happy to be back into our learning routine. As we settle back into the school week, we’re reminded of how much children thrive on consistency. Routines provide a sense of security and stability, helping students feel confident and prepared for the day ahead. By re-establishing these daily rhythms, we help our kids manage their energy, focus their minds, and transition smoothly into learning.

📚 Celebrating Our Book Blast Success

First, we want to give a huge shout-out to our community! Thanks to your incredible generosity and support during our Book Blast event, we have successfully distributed hundreds of prizes and over 1,500 books to our students. All books and prizes will be sent home today.

We also have a very special announcement: Congratulations to Jack L. for being our Book Blast Treasure Chest Winner!

This first week back has been a whirlwind of activity. Our staff and students have spent the last few days reconnecting, sharing stories from the break, and diving back into their studies. It’s been a delight to see those classroom bonds pick up right where they left off.

We have a feeling 2026 is going to be a fantastic year for our students!

Wishing you all a peaceful and happy weekend,

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:

January 13th - LOC Day

January 14th - PTA Meeting (Virtual)

January 16th - Half Day of School

January 19th - No School - Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day

January 21st - Bonaventure Night

January 30th - Movie Night

February 3rd - 4th Grade Ski Trip

February 11th - Bonventure Skate Night

February 16 - 20 - No School - Mid-Winter Break

March 2nd - 2nd Grade Field Trip

March 6th - Leadership Day

March 6th - Half Day of School

March 12th - PTA Meeting at 7:00 pm

March 16th - Spring Book Fair Begins

March 18th - Parent-Teacher Conferences

March 20th - Book Fair Ends

March 23rd - Dentist R Us Returns

March 30 - April 3 - Spring Break

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

Archive of all Newsletters

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

Calling All Student Leaders! Please consider applying for a Leadership Job! Click here to apply!

Scripps Spelling Bee - Grade level study words are coming home in Friday Folders TODAY!

• 1/12/26 – 1/16/26: Classroom spelling bee at the teachers’ convenience. All students participate.

• 1/20/26: Families of finalists will be notified of their timeslot for the Final Bee on 1/28/25

• 1/27/26: Hillside Final Bee: there will be (3) grades from 5:30-6:30p and (3) grades from 6:30-7:30p

If you are interested in helping plan the 5th grade End of the Year Party, please fill out this form by January 23rd and the PTA will gather the results and share with all. This will give the committee a starting point for planning.The PTA sponsors the 5th grade party with a $600 donation, but this event is not planned by the PTA.

January Movie Night is Friday, January 30th. Tickets are now on sale - Purchase tickets here

It may seem early, but after-school enrichments for 2026 are available to register. You can find additional details on our website.

Just ADDED:

Hillside Sports Camp - Tuesdays, starting January 27th

Still available to enroll:

MadScience - Mondays, starting January 26th

Sunset Theatre presents Lilo & Stitch - Wednesdays, starting January 14th (Only 3 spots left!)

Basketball - (K-1st) Mondays, starting January 12th // (2nd-5th) Wednesdays, starting January 14th

Support Hillside while you shop at Kroger & Busch’s

Kroger Community Rewards

Busch's Cash for Education : Busch’s must be updated yearly

Join us for a Young 5s Informational Meeting on January 22nd! Meet our current Young 5s teachers and families, ask questions, and learn more about this free program.

Farmington Public Schools (FPS) is partnering with Varsity Tutors for Schools to provide students with free access to additional learning tools through the Varsity Tutors for Schools Platform.

Varsity Tutors for Schools offers a wide variety of tools including:

• 24/7 On-demand chat tutoring
• On-demand essay review
• Live academic and enrichment classes
• SAT and ACT test preparation classes
• Celebrity-led Starcourse classes
• Self-study resources
• College and career readiness resources
• Adaptive assessments and personalized learning plans
• Prerecorded enchantment classes and videos

Students can access the free resources only by logging in through Clever at Clever.com.

Once students login to their Clever account, they can access tools by clicking on the Varsity Tutors application. From here, students can explore the learning lab and discover all of the features the platform has to offer.

To learn more about the Varsity Tutors partnership, visit www.clever.com.

To learn more about Farmington Public Schools, visit www.farmington.k12.mi.us.

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

We are so proud of you!! Congratulations:

Ziggy

Heavenly

Brooklyn

GiAnna

Hannah

Aariv

Ruby Lee

Cameron

Charlie

Thank you Mrs. Sabon, Mrs. Lyons, Mrs. Kherkher, and Mrs. Schultz

for nominating these amazing students!!

We can't wait to see who's next!😍

Elementary students will have the option to purchase a second slice of pizza on Little Caesars Pizza Day (every other Thursday - Jan. 15 & 29). 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.

River will be joining the Hillside Staff very soon! Please consider donating to help with supplies.

As we begin to transition from summer to fall, don't forget to bring your items to our bin. Donate your old clothes, shoes, & linens. Donated items are recycled, and our school receives a donation. The bin is located on the west side of the parking lot. 

What is Clothes Bin?

Clothes Bin® is a textile recycling program that partners with schools to turn unwanted clothing, shoes, and textiles into funding for student needs. Our bright green bins are conveniently located on campus and equipped with smart technology to ensure timely service. Every bag you drop off reduces waste in landfills and, more importantly, provides direct funding for programs, resources, and activities that benefit our students all year long.

How You Can Help

• By dropping gently used clothing, shoes, and textiles in the Clothes Bin® on campus,

you keep items out of landfills and give them a second life.

• Every bag of textiles you bring in generates real funding for our school’s programs, classrooms, and

activities.

How Our School Benefits

• Enrichment programs

• Classroom resources

• Student activities and events

The Clothes Bin Program focuses on textiles only — toys, books, and household items can be

recycled or donated through other local programs.

Email: torrie.maas@fpsk12.net

Website: www.farmington.k12.mi.us/hil
Location: 36801 11 Mile Road, Farmington Hills, MI, USA
Phone: (248)489-3773
Facebook: Facebook.com/HillsideFPS

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hillsidefp