What's Happening At The Hive!

September 9, 2024

Upcoming Dates

Monday, 9/9:

4th and 5th Grade Orchestra and 5th Grade Band Rehearsals begin this week (check schedule from directors)
6:00 pm Board of Education Meeting at District Office: 41 E. Elmwood Drive, Chicago Heights

Tuesday, 9/10: Picture Day at HH
Thursday 9/12: HH Code Red Drill (see parent letter sent in email on Friday)
Monday, 9/16: 5th grade Orchestra rehearsals before school begin (check schedule from directors)
9/23-9/27: Spirit Week (More info to come soon!)

News and Notes

Thank you to the Heather Hill PTO for starting the year off strong with events and fundraising activities! Congratulations to our top 3 winners of the Double Good Popcorn sale: Ivy, Callie, and Joshua. Ivy will be Principal for a Day and winners have or will receive their prizes soon. Thank you to all who participated in this and the spirit wear sale!

Below you will find an important newsletter from our specials teachers regarding quarter one goals and important announcements. Please see the Board Briefs for information from our Board of Education. You will also find some great pictures of students learning and connecting this past week!

3rd Grade Social-Emotional Learning and Social Contract

3D Engineering Design STEAM Project

4th Grade Math

Kindergarten Letter Formation and Writing!

Board Briefs. 8/29/24

ECRA 2023-24 Illinois Assessment of Readiness [IAR] Data

The Board of Education report and the 2023-24 ECRA Illinois Assessment of Readiness [IAR] charts were presented. Most schools and grade levels throughout the District demonstrated higher than expected growth on the 2023-24 IAR assessment. Reaching higher than expected growth means that that district is on the right track to close achievement gaps and accelerate achievement for all students. The consistent growth on the Illinois Assessment of Readiness is a clear indicator that the curriculum, instruction, and assessment changes are having a positive impact on our school community.

2024-25 Budget

The 2024-25 budget was presented and discussed. The annual budget is a roadmap that includes both revenues and expenditures. The District receives revenue from local sources [property taxes], state sources [Evidence-Based Funding, mandated categoricals, and state grants], and federal sources [grants]. The budget will be discussed again at the Board of Education meeting on September 9, 2024, and will be brought for approval on September 23, 2024. The full presentation can be found here.

Heather Hill Detention Basin

The Board of Education received an update on the Village of Flossmoor’s detention basin at Heather Hill School and the timeline for completion. Board members discussed safety concerns and possible improvements for the area. Until the project is complete, District 161 staff will continue to monitor the safety of the area and will investigate additional strategies to maintain a secure environment. The Village of Flossmoor anticipates completion of the project in the coming weeks.

E-Learning Plan Renewal

School districts are required to adopt and approve an E-Learning plan which is valid for three years. District 161’s E-Learning Plan is now due to be renewed with the Regional Office of Education. Minor adjustments were made to the plan, including updates for pre-kindergarten and kindergarten, as well as updates to the live meeting platforms. Once the renewal is approved by the Board of Education, the E-Learning plan will be registered with the Regional Office of Education and posted on the district website. Additional details about the E-Learning plan can be found here.

Picture Day!

Picture day is on Tuesday, 9/10! Please come ready with a smile!

Health Information

Just a reminder that Kindergarten and students that transferred into the district this school year need updated physical exams. These records need to be current with updated immunization information. This is mandated by the state of Illinois. If the required medical documentation is not provided by October 15, students will be excluded from school. They will be not be able to return until the documents are submitted. If you need resources for health care facilities in our area, please contact the front office at 708-647-7200.

SD161 Student Handbook

Please view the SD161 Student Handbook for important information.

Student Spotlight

Do you have a student accomplishment you'd like to celebrate with the Heather Hill community? Please email Principal Carol Humm at chumm@sd161.org and include a description and picture of only your student. We love to celebrate students' accomplishments!

Heather Hill Recess

Kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd graders are currently having recess in the south field. This is an extra layer of precaution while construction from the Village of Flossmoor is completed on the Detention Basin and the permanent fencing is placed. In addition, volunteers from Flossmoor Village Hall have been and will be present during recess to ensure students stay away from the fencing.

We continue to review two PBIS Cool Tools to help keep students safe. Below are the two tools so that you can discuss and reinforce these with your children at home. Additionally, we are using cones to show students safe boundaries for play with recess equipment. We will continue to get updates from the Village to share as the work on the Basin progresses. If you have questions about the Detention Basin, please feel free to reach out to John Brunke, the Flossmoor Director of Public Works at jbrunke@flossmoor.org. If you have any questions about recess, please feel free to reach out to Principal Humm (chumm@sd161.org) or Assistant Principal Small (csmall@sd161.org). Thank you!

#Above and Beyond

Want to show your appreciation for outstanding work from a staff member? Nominate them for #AboveAndBeyond! Use this form to nominate a staff member today!