October 15-Tuesday-Family Engagement Night at Hillcrest 5-7 pm

October 31-Thursday-Halloween Costume Parade

November 8-Friday-Early Release-Students Dismiss at 11:38 am

November 13-Wednesday-Late Start-School Begins at 11:38 am

We are loving this fall weather and the students have been working incredibly hard! Bookworms, Number Corners, Art, Music, and so much more!

We will be having our annual Halloween Costume Parade this beginning at 2pm and we welcome parents and family members to line the streets!

Classroom teachers will communicate out more about classroom activities.

NEXT FRIDAY FOR 2nd and 3rd Grade.

If you are planning on attending the 2nd and 3rd grade event on October 18th, please make sure you register using the QR code or the link.

We are excited for this event coming up on October 15th! There will be chances to win a $100 gift basket, other prizes, along goodie bags to take home!

1st Grade Video

2nd Grade Video

3rd Grade Video

Benjamin

Luna Zamudio

Luna is a SUPER student in class. She always follows her ROARS, works hard, is a great listener and kind to others. I love that I can count on Luna to be a good example and a great helper in class! Thank you Luna for coming to school every day with a positive attitude and for making our campsite brighter with your smile! Keep up the great work!

Benjamin

Griffyn Girard

Griffyn shows responsibility daily by being prepared and punctual. He knows the routine and helps keep us on track! Thanks for being a happy camper, Griffyn!

Elsea

Jeremiah Sullivan

Jeremiah is a delightful student and friend! He is kind to his peers, a hard worker, and a great listener. I can always count on Jeremiah to be following his ROARS and leading by example. Thank you Jeremiah, you help make our campsite great!

Elsea

Kaydence Coger

Kaydence shows that she is wanting to be responsible by wanting to complete tasks. She always comes into the classroom and is working hard and is really motivating to those around her. She is always using her ROARS when she is in my classroom.

Gage

Stella Harkness

Stella comes to school every day ready to be the best student she can be. She is kind, thoughtful, funny, and intelligent. She displays her ROARs constantly and is a great role model for other students. Nice job Stella!

Guild-Hubbard

Caroline Krieg

Caroline not only demonstrates respect but demonstrates to others how to be an exemplary student. She always has a positive attitude, is always on task, and is extremely polite to others. Way to follow your ROARS Caroline!!

Langworthy

Landry Cristan

Landry is our camper of the month! Landry is a hard worker, kind friend, & great role model. HE loves learning & always has a smile on his face. He ALSO can always be counted on to be following his ROARS & setting an example for others. Thank you Landry, for making our classroom family great!

Lyon

Beau Bashore

Beau has been a great camp leader this past month. You can always find him following his ROARS no matter the camp setting. He sets a great example of what it looks like to be respectful, responsible, and safe. Beau enjoys coming to school and is a great helper and friend to many! Thank you for being someone our team can look to when they need support Beau, we appreciate you!

Art

Max McDonald

(Guild-Hubbard)

Max is our camper of the month in the art room! He always comes to art ready to learn and to be a role model to his fellow artists and always working hard, persistent and motivating those around him. Max is consistently showing his ROARS in the art room and creating amazing artwork! Keep up the amazing work Max!

PE

Kennedy Goodhall

(Lyon)

Kennedy always comes to class ready to give her best effort and always does a great job following her roars and respecting everyone else! She is a good example of what we should look like in the gym!

SEL

Vivian Nguyen

(Benjamin)

Vivian comes to SEL with a smile on her face and happiness in her heart! Vivian always practices her ROARS at school. She is confident, helpful, ready to learn, and a great friend to others. Vivian SHINES at Hillcrest!

Kindel

Magdalena Stupica

Magda has been such a joy to have in class. She is always willing to help others and participate in any classroom discussion. She is responsible, inquisitive and an extremely hard worker. Her humor and kind-heartedness can be counted on every day, along with her eagerness to learn. We are so thankful to have such a role model in our classroom. Keep following your ROARS Magda!

Peitsch

Eliseo Garcia

Eliseo is our camper of the month! He is such a hard worker and sets a great example for others. I can always count on Eliseo to be following his ROARS at all times of the day. Keep up the great work!!

Pineiro

Isabel Sherwood

Isabel is such a hard worker and great role model to her peers. She is always willing to help others and is very kind. I am so proud of her! Great job following your ROARS Isabel!

Rogers

Kavid Quiroz

Kavid is always following his ROARS. I can always count on him to help a friend or help me. He is a great leader and we are so lucky to have him in our class this year. Keep up the great work Kavid!

Trefil

Carter Hamilton

Carter is a great role model for his peers. He participates in all classroom lessons and follows directions the first time. Carter is incredibly kind to all and a wonderful helper. Keep up the great work, Carter!

Trefil

Evelyn Terry

Evelyn is a kind, loving person, who lifts her peers up with compliments and is always one of the first to participate in the classroom. She works hard when she puts her mind to it and is an all around joy to be around.

Wolfe

Madilyn Marr

Madilyn is a hard worker and always lends a helping hand to her classmates. I can always count on Madilyn to follow her ROARS and set a terrific example for others. Keep up the great work, Madilyn!

Brnabic

Esperanza Sanchez

Esperanza is a model student! She participates in class, completes her work with effort, and helps others. She is very enthusiastic about learning. And of course, Esperanza always follows her ROARS! Congratulations!

DeJong

Edgar Zimmerman

Edgar is a hard worker and a leader in the classroom! He is kind and respectful and sets a great example for others by always following his ROARS! He is a great participant in class with great ideas to share. Keep up the amazing work, Edgar!

Federspiel

Viviana Palomino

Vivi is a great student! She works hard in all of her classes and is always willing to help a classmate in need. She is very respectful and sets a great example for our ROARS. Great work, Vivi! Congratulations!

Federspiel

Brylee DeRosia

Brylee will try hard on her work. She has a great smile and will give it to friends in need of one. She wants to respect others, act responsibly, and be safe in school and her actions show that. Nice Job, Brylee!

Greiner

Merrek McDonald

Our first camper of the month is Merrek McDonald. Merrek has done a fantastic job of following his ROARS here at Camp Hillcrest. Merrek tries his best and always follows expectations. He is a leader that other campers in class can look to when wondering what the expectations are. Amazing job Merrek and congratulations on being our Camper of the Month!

Lambert

Odin Smith

Odin has been rocking 3rd grade. He follows his ROARS everyday both in and out of the classroom. I know I can always count on him to set an example for the rest of his classmates and he is always eager to participate in classroom discussions. Whenever I need a helping hand Odin is always there to help out. Keep up the great work Odin.

Wickes

Emma Tedhams

It is a pleasure to select Emma as our September Student of the Month! Emma comes to school each day with a bright smile on her face. She sets a positive example for her peers and always participates actively in classroom learning. Emma can be counted on to "do the right thing" and is an advocate for herself and others. She should be so proud of the great things she is doing in third grade!

Over the years, we have a partnered with Child Advocacy to come in to our schools and teach lessons to our students regarding safety. The program that was used formerly was called Protect Yourself and those lessons were taught to 1st and 3rd grade classes.

Child Advocoacy has updated that curriculum this year and is using a program called Safer, Smarter Kids. Mrs. Richelle Davis from Child Advocacy will be teaching these lessons to our 1st graders this fall and our 3rd graders in the Spring.

You can view the website here:

Safer, Smarter Kids

Next week, we will be doing our first ALICE drill of the year. Although we wish we never have to deal with these situations, it is important to practice what do in case of an armed intruder.

Before we do the drill, classes read the book to help them understand the situation in kid friendly terms.

If you or someone you know is in need of child care for your 2.5-4 year old, we still have spots available. Click the picture to begin enrollment or contact Kimberly Hamad at 989-466-7593 for enrollment information.

Spots are still available for our tuition-based preschool for 4-5 year olds. Open House is September 5, and school begins September 9. Contact Kimberly Hamad at 989-466-7593 for enrollment information.

We have a few spots available for K-5th grade students who are in need of before and after school care. Contact Kimberly Hamad at 989-466-7593 for enrollment information.

We have a tradition at Hillcrest of wearing our theme shirts on Tuesdays! It can be any form of camping shirt, such as camo colors, fishing, from a State Park, or whatever camping is to you!

On Fridays in Alma, we wear orange and black, or anything PANTHERS to show off our school spirit!

APS will once again have Late Start and Early Release Days about once a month. For both days, the time to remember for Hillcrest is 11:38 am. Our Late Start days are on Wednesdays and our Early Release days will be on Fridays this year.

November 8-Friday-Early Release-End at 11:38 am

November 13-Wednesday-Late Start-Begin at 11:38 am

December 11-Wednesday-Late Start-Begin at 11:38 am

January 10-Friday-Early Release-End at 11:38 am

February 28-Friday-Early Release-End at 11:38 am

March 12-Wednesday-Late Start-Begin at 11:38 am

April11-Friday-Early Release-End at 11:38 am

May 14-Wednesday-Late Start-Begin at 11:38 am

Thanks in advance for planning transportation for your students on these day!

At Alma Public Schools, we teach students to follow their ROARS. We focus on a positive approach and help them to understand the expectations and what following their ROARS looks like, sounds like, and feels like in all areas of the building.

As a way to promote positive behavior and as an incentive to follow their ROARS, students can earn Panther Paws.

Please make every effort to have your child at school every day! We want to see them and their classmates miss them when they are not here! It is so critical to their education process that they in school!

In all of our classrooms, we teach positive expectations for behavior so students know what to expect. We use the acronym MAC (Movement, Activity, Conversation) to help student understand those expectations. The M stands for movement so students know what the expectations are for moving. The A lets the students know the activity they will be coming and the C is the conversation so the students know what volume level they can be at.

Over the last few years, APS has worked very hard at developing and implementing systems to help all students be successful. This flyer helps to give more details regarding our progress.

Make sure to download the APS App on your phone. This year we will be using this app for all parent communication from teachers and coaches. At Open House, you will receive more information on how to connect the app to your student's classroom.

We greatly appreciate and welcome volunteers and chaperones in our classrooms and events. Your involvement in our students' activities and classrooms offers a valuable opportunity for teachers and students, enhancing the safety and enrichment of the learning experience. If you’re interested in volunteering this year, please review our volunteer and chaperone guidelines on our district website under “Parents and Community” and complete the volunteer form. This form will remain on file for one school year.

Click on the link to open the form.

Families are such an important part of their child's education and we want to make sure families are connected to APS! Please seek ways you can be a part of our schools!

Don't hesitate to reach out to the office or to your child's teacher to see what we can do to make this a great experience for your students!

If you need to make a transportation change for your student, it must be communicated to the office before 2 p.m. The end of the day is very hectic at an elementary school and messages are not always able to get to teachers after 2 pm.

Thank you for being so understanding in this situation!

Our buiding uses Second Step to help support our students and their Social-Emotional Learning. Each class does weekly lessons to teach a variety of different skills and techniques.

We have officially begun our ELA program called Bookworms! Our classes have done a great job and we are excited to see their progress throughout the year! Each student will receive three different blocks of reading and writing instruction a day.

One of the Bookworms blocks is called DI. Every student is placed in a group based on their skill and needs. They work on lessons geared toward progress in their reading skills and move up the staircase as they gain the necessary skills.

For all of our K-5 classes, we are using a six-day rotation for our specials, which we call A-F day. All of the students in grades 2-5 have STEAM, Art, Music, Social-Emotional Learning, and two days of PE. Students in first grade will not have music this year, but will have two days of Art class instead.

We are very fortunate to have so many offerings for all of our students that are taught by certified teachers!

Here is a link to all the Camp Hillcrest Happenings for the 2024-25 School Year.

Camp Hillcrest Happenings for 2024-25

Email: jhelinski@almaschools.net
Website: www.almaschools.net
Location: 515 East Elizabeth Street, Alma, MI, USA
Phone: 989-463-3113
Facebook: facebook.com/almahillcrest
Twitter: @almahillcrest