Weekend Update!

Our five-day week had a little bit of everything: pictures, clubs, a half day, testing, and two parent events! I hope your children are enjoying the start of the school year. From our perspective, they continue to adjust well to a new year, and we are confident 26-27 will be another great one! One thing that would be very helpful in facilitating a smooth end to the school day, would be to communicate any early dismissal requests prior to 2:20PM. We certainly understand that there may be extenuating circumstances. The closer requests come in to 2:30, the more likely that it will be difficult to communicate the change in time to your children.

It was terrific seeing such a big crowd at Back to School Night! Our teachers were thrilled to meet you, and I hope that you were equally excited to meet them. For the first time in my career, I attended a middle school back to school night for my own child. As I was watching all of her teacher's impressive presentations, I thought about how much more important it was for me to get to know them as educators versus only learning about the nuts and bolts of their courses. At Hillcrest we have always emphasized the importance of striking the balance between sharing important information about class, while also making sure our families are excited about their children's teachers. Based on your feedback, it seems like everyone left feeling exceedingly happy about their children's teachers!

We also enjoyed having our first Coffee with the Principals with our PTA families this morning! Mrs. Laird and I happy to spend more face time with your, and we enjoyed the conversation! Thank you to our PTA for putting on this event, and we look forward to doing another one soon! One of our PTA parents, Nate Moyer, has been kind enough to take some very cool looking drone photos of our construction project! Please check them out below in Scenes From Our Week!

Both in my own home and in my observations at school, it appears as though cold season is in full swing. Some of the best ways to combat or lesson the effects of a cold is to get a good night's sleep each day. After a long day on Sunday, in which I began the day running a half-marathon in a monsoon, followed by attending the Giants season opener (pictured above) I was battling a cold all week. It was a good excuse to change my alarm clock from 4 to 5:30AM, and I promise that I did not regret the extra sleep! If your children (or you) start to come down with something, make those bed times just a touch earlier!

For those of you who will begin observing Yom Kippur this weekend, G’mar chatima tova. Enjoy your long weekend!

Next week is Start with Hello week! This is an age-appropriate Social-Emotional Learning and violence prevention program that welcomes students back into the classroom. The program teaches students to: minimize social isolation, empathize with others, and create a more inclusive and connected school culture. Want to learn more about Sandy Hook Promise’s Start with Hello week mission? Click here to view the parent guide. Click here to see the activities that students will participate in throughout the week.

If you missed Mrs. Durand’s Back to School Technology workshop presentation this morning you can click here to access the recording and click here to access the slides.

🎳 Student Bowling Night - It’s Time to Roll! 🎳
Our very first Student Activity Night is here—and we’re kicking it off with Bowling Night at Lucky Strike in Milford!
📅 Friday, Sept. 25th
🕡 6:30–8:30 PM
This will be the ultimate night out—a safe, welcoming space for all HMS students to hang with friends, laugh loud, and have a blast!
👉 For just $45, your student gets:
🎳 Two full hours of bowling
🍕 Unlimited food & drinks
🕹️ Arcade fun galore

This is a drop-off event, but to make it all happen smoothly, we need a crew of awesome parent chaperones. Please consider volunteering—it’s a great way to be part of the fun and help create an unforgettable night for our kids!
Volunteer Here: https://hillcrestmspta.membershiptoolkit.com/volunteer/170410
Sign Up Here: https://hillcrestmspta.membershiptoolkit.com/packet/17666

📣 Attention 8th Grade Families!
Hillcrest’s annual Career Night is coming up on October 22nd — and we need your help to make it a success!

We’re looking for volunteers to present in these fields:
-Dentist or Dental Hygienist
-Nutritionist/Dietitian
-Nurse
-Actuary
-Pharmacist

If you or someone you know can share their expertise, please email Lori Wheeler at LWheeler@trumbullps.org.
✨ It’s a fun and meaningful night for our 8th graders and parents — and your participation makes it possible! 💛💜

Additionally, please see this letter that was sent out today with all of the details regarding 8th Grade Career Night.

Lowest price of the year!

Order by Friday, October 2nd to reserve your Hillcrest yearbook for $38.

Order personalization, and save up to $20 when you add 4 icons.

Use code YBKICONS

Limited time offer! Click here to order!

With after school extra help and clubs beginning next Wednesday, we encourage you to get in a routine with your children that will help ease any stress at the end of their day. Please work out their after school plan before they leave your home in the morning. Students must be picked up from after school activities at 3:15PM in the front of the building. If a pickup cannot be made at that time, students should take one of the late buses home.

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

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

This is the final weekend for the first Hillcrest gear shop. The store offers Hillcrest t-shirts, hoodies, pajama pants, water bottles, backpacks plus much more including many items that can be personalized. All orders must be placed by 9 am on Monday, September 21.

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

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 an approach to learning experiences that avoid the use of AI.

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!

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.

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.

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

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