Hillside Happenings

It's hard to believe how quickly October is coming to an end! We are still focusing on Habit #1: Be Proactive. Students can be proactive by taking pride in their work, acting responsibly, and taking the initiative. We have seen lots of examples of this over the past few weeks, and students are rewarded by earning a PAWS Ticket. We are so proud of our Huskies and look forward to continuing to see them make good progress this school year.

The Lost & Found is filling up! Please take a moment to check for your student's belongings and pick them up from the West Hallway. Thank you!

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:

October 27th - 1st Grade Field Trip

October 28th & 29th - Open Art/Music/PE (1st Grade)

October 31st - Half Day of School

November 4th - No School (Election Day)

November 5th - Parent Lighthouse Meeting

November 5th/6th - 2nd Grade to Nature Center

November 10th - Scholastic Book Fair Begins

November 11th - Parent-Teacher Conferences

November 13th - Parent - Teacher Conferences

November 19th - Picture Retakes

November 20th - PTA Meeting (Virtual)

November 26th - 28th - No School (Thanksgiving Recess)

December 1st - Book Blast Begins

December 2nd - 1st Grade Library Field Trip

December 2nd - Lunch & Learn w/ Dr. Coffin

December 9th - Leader in Me Book Event w/ Muriel Summers

December 11th - Bonaventure Skate Night

December 12th - 3rd Grade Capital Field Trip

December 16th - 1st Grade Safari

December 19th - Spelling Bee Lists Sent Home

December 19th - Winter Break Begins!!

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

We’re gathering parent/guardian feedback on how FPS communicates. We’d like to know what’s working and what we can improve. The survey takes less than 5 minutes, is anonymous, and will be used for districtwide communication improvement and evaluation. Please complete it by November 9, 2025: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/FPSComms2025

A HEARTSafe designation recognizes a school’s efforts to prevent sudden cardiac death of the young (SCDY) by preparing for a cardiac emergency. Members of this school community know how to recognize the signs of a sudden cardiac arrest and respond quickly by calling 9-1-1 and using CPR and an automated external defibrillator (AED) until EMS arrives.

Beginning this week Thursday (and every other Thursday), elementary students will have the option to purchase a second slice of pizza on Little Caesars Pizza Day. 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.

What an epic day for our 2nd graders! 🤖🍂They started off by wrapping up their reading of The Wild Robot by Peter Brown. The students absolutely loved following Roz's journey! Then, the excitement continued as they headed to the movies to see the animated version! It was so much fun seeing the story come to life on the big screen! But the adventure didn't stop there! They explored downtown Farmington with a fun scavenger hunt, followed by a well-deserved lunch. The beautiful fall colors of downtown made for the perfect backdrop for our entire trip.What a great way to combine literacy, fun, and local exploration!

8:45 am - 9:15 am on October 31st

Halloween Husky Parade - 5th grade leads students through the building and out the lower level sidewalk in front of the building, where parents are welcome to watch from outside. If it rains there is NO outside PARADE.

9:30 am -11:15 am on October 31st

Parties can be scheduled for 45-60 mins anytime between 9:30 am -11:15 am. Classrooms are encouraged to have only 4-5 parent helpers total. ALL classroom volunteers must check in with the office and wear a visitor badge. Pleaes reach out to your child's teacher if you would like to volunteer. Stay tuned for more information from the teacher and room captain!

Our Hillside Junior Optimist Club is off to a great start and is now full!!

The Hillside Club will meet once a month on Tuesdays from 3:30 to 4:30 in the Media Center. Questions, please contact Andrea Janks at andrea.janks@fpsk12.net or Susan Riggs at susan.riggs@fpsk12.net.

Remaining Meeting Dates for the 25/26 School Year

November 18, 2025

December 16, 2025

January 20, 2026

February 24, 2026

March 24, 2026

April 21, 2026

May 19, 2026 - End-of-Year Pizza Party!

President - Blake P

Vice President - Graham P

Secretary - Avery S

Treasurer - Wade B

Presidential Assistants- Josephine J & Liliana K

Please join us in celebrating the big game and doing something good for our community! Donate socks for those in need Thursday, October 23 - Thursday, October 30.

This year's National PTA Reflections art contest theme is "I Belong!" Check out our website to learn more about the program and how to submit your entries by October 28th! https://www.ptahillside.org/academics/reflections

Email hillsideptareflections@gmail.com with any questions.

Support Hillside while you shop at Kroger & Busch’s

Kroger Community Rewards

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

Sign up to bring soup, salad, breadsticks or another item on the Sign up to feed our staff on November 11th before Parent/Teacher Conferences. Sign up here

Reach out to Angela Probst with any questions at aguerro28@gmail.com

The Farmington African-American Parent Network, in partnership with Farmington Public Schools Student Services, will be launching Free Tutoring beginning Saturday, September 27. Sessions will be held from 9:00–11:00 AM at the Maxfield Education Center (32789 W. 10 Mile Rd., Farmington Hills).

As part of this initiative, we are also hosting an in-person parent workshop to provide hands-on support for navigating Canvas, MiStar, and the free Varsity Tutors online platform. These tools are essential in supporting academic excellence, and the workshop will give families the opportunity to practice directly on their own devices. For families without a device, loaners will be available.

To make families feel welcome, we will also serve a pancake breakfast, generously hosted and sponsored by the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Omicron Omega Chapter of Farmington Hills.

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

We are so proud of you!! Congratulations:

Kyrie

Amelia

Sebastian

Briella

Thank you Mrs. Pelton & Mrs. Janks

for nominating these amazing students!!

We can't wait to see who's next!😍

Free meals will continue through 10/31/25.

Once we have a budget from the state we will know more.

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

'Tis the season for HFM and the county is receiving many reports of cases in schools and childcare facilities. Please take a moment to review this helpful information on HFM from the Michigan Department of Health & Human Services:

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