Weekend Update!

Congrats on making it through the first 20 (but who is counting?) days of the school year! It was great to see before and after school clubs begin, as those experiences are truly motivating for our students. We had everything from Early Risers Math, to Sports Club, to Cross Country, to Choraleers, and everything in between. Thank you for continuing to support making our community welcoming and inclusive for our students!

As illustrated in the graphic above, our instructional focus this year at Hillcrest centers on the concept of Teacher Clarity. This instructional strategy has been researched and practiced throughout the world, and is recognized as one of the most effective ways to accelerate student learning. Teacher Clarity is essentially when a learning target, success criteria, and feedback are all in alignment. It is widely accepted that if students can accurately answer the following three questions, then our approach is working at a high level:

1. What am I learning?
2. Why am I learning it?
3. How will I know I have learned it?

If you would like an opportunity to expand your school conversations with your children at dinner, try asking them any of those three questions!

I hope everyone enjoys their weekend! It looks like we may be in store for some unpleasant weather, so please be safe! Even at 43 years old, my dad still reminds me to make sure we have plenty of groceries and batteries for flashlights. I can assure you that text and email will be coming to my brothers and me any time now. I would encourage you to be prepared as well. Stay safe, and enjoy the weekend!

Every year, Trumbull Public Schools take the Pink Pledge to show support for Breast Cancer Awareness and specifically the Norma Pfriem Breast Center, culminating in the annual Pink Out THS Football Game at 7pm at McDougall Stadium. This year’s district-wide Pink Out is on Friday, October 23rd, and we’d love to see the Hillcrest community go all-in!

Students and staff are encouraged to wear pink to school to show their support. Hillcrest students can also bring in $1 (or any amount) as a donation — or make a contribution online by clicking here: https://www.justgiving.com/page/hillcrest-middle-1?utm_medium=FR&utm_source=CL

Together, we can make a difference and show our support for those affected by breast cancer. 💗

Please see this letter with information on our 26-27 Parent-Teacher Conferences. We look forward to seeing you there! Conferences are on 10/27 from 1-3PM, and 11/10 from 1-3PM & 6-8PM.

Wednesday, September 30th is the last day to sign up for Chromebook insurance.

$25 covers 2 accidental incidents during the 26-27 school year.

Don’t wait! Go to Infinite Campus>>School Store>> Technology

Click here for more information.

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.

Please see this letter with all of the details regarding 8th Grade Career Night. 8th Grade Career Night will take place on Thursday October 22nd at 6:45PM.

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!

Since after school extra help and clubs began this past 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.

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 details different approaches to differentiating instruction.

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.

• 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