Hillcrest HS CrestSide Weekly

Vision: Empowering learners to lead globally.

Mission: Cultivating lifelong learners prepared to culturally engage in an evolving community.

We are a 'B' rated campus!

Dear Panther Family,

I can hardly believe we are already three weeks into the school year—and what an incredible start it has been! Our campus is buzzing with energy, and our students and staff are setting a high standard for excellence every single day.

Celebrating Our August Victories

• Academic Excellence: We officially earned our B-rating from the TEA, along with 4 academic distinctions!

• Growing Community: Campus enrollment has grown by 100 students over our initial projection.

• Streamlined Info: We launched our new landing page, “The Heart of Hillcrest,” placing vital updates just one click away.

• Strong Parent Engagement: Our first PTSA meeting saw a fantastic rise in parent participation.

• Senior Leadership: Our seniors kicked off the year with three successful August events. Even better: 65% of our senior class are already College, Career, and Military Ready (CCMR) by TEA standards!

• Panther Pride & Athletics: Cross country and volleyball started strong, our first pep rally set an awesome tone, and football capped it off with a shutout victory against WT White!

Fine-Tuning for September While August was exceptional, we are constantly working to elevate our campus environment:

• Staffing: We are nearly 100% fully staffed, with only one remaining vacancy in Science.

• Campus Life: We are optimizing our 3-lunch schedule to improve student flow. Additionally, our generous PTSA is exploring options to add extra courtyard tables and shade umbrellas for outdoor seating.

• College & Career Support: ASP advisors are actively helping seniors apply for colleges and scholarships. Our third ASP advisor joins us right after Labor Day.

• Academic Support: Tutoring and after-school bus routes officially launch on Tuesday, September 8.

Mark Your Calendars for September This month is packed with opportunities to cheer on our Panthers and stay involved:

• Sept 1: Team Tennis Home Opener

• Sept 4: Volleyball Home Opener

• Sept 8: Senior Parent Information Meeting

• Sept 10 (7:30 PM): Feeder Pattern Night at Franklin Stadium

• Sept 17: North Texas Giving Day (our premier day to support Hillcrest organizations)

• Sept 22: PTSA & HAA Joint Meeting

• Coming Soon: Official dates for Panther School and Coffee with the Principal

Thank you for your continued partnership and commitment to our students. Together, we make Hillcrest an extraordinary place to learn and grow.

Destination: Excellence

One Voice | One Vision | One Heartbeat | One Hillcrest

Principal Florie

Tuesday, September 1 Team Tennis vs Sunset @ Hillcrest Tennis Courts, 3:30pm

Tuesday, September 1 Volleyball @ Adamson HS, 6pm

Friday, September 4 Volleyball vs South Oak Cliff HS, 5:30pm **Home Opener**

Friday, September 4 Football at Frisco Centennial HS @ Toyota Stadium, 7pm **Western** Fan Bus information under Athletics

Put it on your calendar:

To promote CCMR, we designate Wednesdays as College, Career, and Military Day. Wear college and armed forces shirts.

To promote Hillcrest Spirit, we designate Fridays as Hillcrest Spirit Day. Wear all your Hillcrest SWAG.

Labor Day Holiday: Monday, September 7

Senior Parent Meeting: Tuesday, September 8

Feeder Pattern Night: Thursday, September 10

North Texas Giving Day: Thursday, September 17

Coming Soon: Coffee with the Principal

Activity Buses will begin on Monday, September 8. They will leave campus at 6:10, Monday-Thursday. We will publish the Activity Bus schedule when it becomes available.

This year, to streamline communication, we decided to make a one-stop-shop for all things Hillcrest "The Heart of Hillcrest". This site will help guide parents on what is going on at Hillcrest and who to contact for various questions. This site will be upgraded regularly.

When our new website administrators are trained, we will also update our website with the same information.

The goal is to have the same information in three different platforms to make it readily accessible.

Parents, did your student miss an ACP exam in the Spring of 2026? Were they out with an excused absence and turned in a note to the attendance office? If so, please fill out the form below so that your student can be tested and the 0 exam grade can be changed. Per district policy, ONLY STUDENTS WITH AN EXCUSED ABSENCE CAN COMPLETE A MAKE UP TEST.

Once the district verifies an excused absence for your student and schedules a make up date, your student will be notified in their 1st period class with testing details.

Deadline to complete the sign up form is Wednesday, September 2.

ACP Make Up Request Form

Does your child plan to drive to school this year? To secure a spot, please make sure they complete and return the attached Student Parking Contract to the front office.

Key Information:

• Cost: Parking stickers are completely free.

• Next Steps: Once the contract is submitted, your student will receive an HHS Student Parking sticker to display on their windshield. Stickers will be given out next week. Every car must have a sticker by September 8.

• Important Policy: On-campus parking is a privilege. Please review the rules with your driver, as contract violations may result in revoked parking privileges.

Dallas ISD Food and Child Nutrition Services (FCNS) is excited to launch Dining Diplomats, a new student menu committee—and we’re looking for high school students who want to help shape the future of school meals! Students eat the food. Students know what students like. We want to hear from them.

Dining Diplomats will give students an opportunity to work directly with FCNS staff to share ideas, taste and evaluate potential menu items, provide feedback on current meals, and help us create school menus that students are excited to eat.

As a Dining Diplomat, students will:

• Taste and rate new foods before they are considered for school menus.
• Share your opinions about current breakfast and lunch options.
• Suggest new foods, flavors, and menu ideas you think students would enjoy.
• Participate in recipe tastings and product evaluations.
• Help FCNS understand what high school students want from their school dining experience.
• Work with other students and FCNS staff to brainstorm and improve menu options.
• Represent the student voice from your school.
• Help influence meals served to students across Dallas ISD.

We’re looking for students who:

• Have opinions and ideas about school food—and are willing to share them!
• Are creative and open to trying new foods.
• Can listen to and respect different opinions.
• Enjoy working with other students and adults as part of a team.
• Are willing to participate in meetings, tastings, and discussions.
• Want to make a positive difference at their school and across Dallas ISD.

Why Join?

Being a Dining Diplomat is more than just talking about food. Student feedback can make a real difference. Students can help Dallas ISD create meals that are nutritious, appealing, and reflective of what they want to eat. Student ideas could help shape menu items served to thousands of students across the district. If a student would like to be considered, they should respond by September 15, 2026, to Janet Li, Jali@dallasisd.org, with the requested student information—student name, school name, grade level, and a reason why they want to be considered. Selected students will receive additional information about meeting dates, expectations, tastings, and other Dining Diplomat activities.

The Hillcrest PTSA helped our teachers and staff start the school year off right!

We’ve stocked the workroom and break room with coffee, tea, and snacks to keep our amazing educators fueled through all the busy school days ahead.

Thank you to our teachers and staff for all you do for our Panthers—we’re excited for a great year ahead!

Help us continue to stock the teacher's lounge and workroom all year. Take a look at our Amazon Wish List and shower our staff with goodies! Click the link below.

Email Ms. Balderas at hillcresths@dallasisd.org with a written note that the students needs to be checked-out, the reason, and at what time. In addition, a photo ID of the requester needs to be attached to the email. This is to verify the requester has the legal authority to check out the student.

We want every Panther family to feel connected, informed, and involved! Each grade level has a dedicated parent leader ready to share updates, answer questions, and keep everyone in the loop. Together, we can cheer on our Panthers, plan exciting events, host fun fundraisers, and build a strong community. Let’s work side by side to create lasting memories and make these high school years the very best!

Class of 2027

Class of 2028

Class of 2029

Class of 2030

Find the Dallas ISD app in the App Store or Google Play and stay connected.

Don't miss out on crucial updates! Update your phone number and email address in Parent Portal TODAY! Click the link below to verify or update. https://bit.ly/4dyzV4R

Football season is almost here! 🏈 The themes are set, the lights are ready, and Panther Nation is gearing up for an unforgettable season. Are you ready to show your school spirit and pack the stands? Check out this year's game themes and get ready to cheer on the Panthers!

Mrs. Flores (Office Manager): enajera@dallasisd.org 972-502-6816 *Please email Mrs. Flores to schedule all appointments with Principal Florie.*

Mrs. Harrell (Financial Clerk: Donations & Volunteers): yharrell@dallasisd.org

Ms. Balderas (Registrar: All things attendance & Parent Portal): vbalderas@dallasisd.org

Ms. Banda (Data Controller: Data entry from counselors): mbanda@dallasisd.org