What's Happening At The Hive!

• Monday, 12/1:
• School resumes
• 6:00 pm Board of Education Meeting at 41 E. Elmwood Drive, Chicago Heights, IL
• Wednesday, 12/3: Quarter 2 Midterm
• Friday, 12/5: EARLY RELEASE at 11:40 am: School Improvement Day
• Monday, 12/8-Friday, 12/12:
• NWEA/MAP Winter Testing for Grades 1-8
• Aimsweb Assessments for Grades K-1
• Tuesday, 12/9: 6:00 pm HH 4th/5th Grade Choir Concert
• Thursday, 12/11:
• 5:30 pm 5th Grade Band, Blue Jazz Band, 6th Grade Band Concerts at Parker Jr. High School, 2810 School Street, Flossmoor, IL
• 7:00 pm 7th and 8th Grade Band and Jazz Band Concerts at Parker Jr. High School, 2810 School Street, Flossmoor, IL

Check out the article "Heather Hill Elementary Raises $650 through 2nd Annual Think Pink Day and Penny War" in the Homewood Flossmoor Patch! A HUGE thank you and shout-out to Ms. Callahan for her work in raising awareness and funds for the The Cancer Support of Homewood and Project Kennedy! Check out the news article at this link!

We are working on setting reading goals and challenges! We are a community of readers at Heather Hill and we are working on getting all children excited to read and share their reading with others. Please see the attached parent letter that was sent home in an email. Help your child to log their reading minutes and work towards our school-wide goal!

The Capturing Kids Hearts character trait for month of December is Do Your Part - Responsibility.

What is Responsibility?

Responsibility is the willingness and ability to take ownership of our thoughts, words, and actions. We have a responsibility to our school, family, and community to be accountable for our choices and how they impact ourselves and others.

PBIS - Cool Tool for the month of December is Lunch Crunchers. This is about the way we eat in the lunchroom.

Description: At Heather Hill School we follow the Lunch Crunchers Cool Tool while eating our lunch in the classroom or lunchroom. We wash our hands before we eat. We enter the lunchroom in a line and walk to our assigned table. We touch and eat only our food, talk in a low voice to those around us, and remain in our seat at all times. We raise our hands if we need help, and quickly throw out our garbage when it is time to clean up. Last, if you see the supervisor show the silent signal, we quickly zip our lips, show the signal, and listen to what the supervisor needs to say. If we follow these expectations we are being respectful, responsible, and safe while eating lunch in the lunchroom or classroom.

2024-25 Summative Designations

Illinois public schools receive an overall rating based on the prior year’s performance. School summative designations are based on indicators from the annual Illinois School Report Card. The summative designations are based on multiple measures and accountability indicators including academic performance, student attendance, and climate survey participation. Flossmoor Hills, Serena Hills, Western Avenue, and Parker Junior High maintained a Commendable designation and Heather Hill improved from Commendable to an Exemplary designation. Additional information regarding summative designations can be found here and the data presentation that was shared with the Board of Education can be found here.

2024-25 School Improvement Plan Updates

Principals from all five schools shared an update regarding the work in their School Improvement Plans [SIP]. As a reminder, all plans have 3 main goals: 1) Climate and Culture, 2) English / Language Arts, and 3) Mathematics. This link takes you to the presentation with information for each school. The next SIP update will be shared following the winter assessment window and the Board will discuss the results and next steps based on the mid-year progress of our students.

2025 Property Tax Levy Discussion and Action

Initial discussions regarding the 2025 property tax levy began on October 27, 2025. The discussion continued at our most recent meeting, where Mrs. LaBella presented additional details regarding each of the proposed levy options and the presentation can be found here. Following a discussion of each option, the Board of Education approved a tentative levy that will be finalized at our next Board meeting on December 1, 2025.

Flossmoor Hills and Western Avenue Humidity Update

The Farnsworth Group completed a building pressurization test at Flossmoor Hills on Monday, November 10th, and representatives from Wold Architects presented the Board of Education with the test results and updated recommendations to address humidity issues at both Flossmoor Hills and Western Avenue School. The presentation and recommendations can be found here. Some of the remediation work is already included in the bid packages for our construction work during the summer of 2026. We intend to discuss the remaining recommendations at the Board meeting on December 15, 2025.

We are working towards our goals of increasing student attendance to increase learning goals! We are working towards a goal of at least 93% attendance each week. Of course we encourage parents to keep children home if they are sick. Students should stay home for at least 24 hours after a fever subsides. Please consult a medical professional as needed for other symptoms including cough, vomiting, etc.

Click here to access our school’s virtual backpack. This page is intended to provide information on resources and activities that may be of interest to our students and families.

• Signing up for District 161’s text message alerts is quick and easy. Simply text the word “YES” to 67587 from the cell phone on which you wish to receive text messages. Please make sure that your cell phone number is up-to-date in Skyward. If you need to update your phone number, please contact the office at your child’s school. Click here for more information.

• Registrarse para recibir alertas de mensajes de texto del Distrito 161 es rápido y fácil. Simplemente envíe un mensaje de texto con la palabra "YES" al 67587 desde el teléfono celular en el que desea recibir mensajes de texto. Asegúrese de que su número de teléfono celular esté actualizado en Skyward. Si necesita actualizar su número de teléfono, comuníquese con la oficina de la escuela de su hijo. Haga clic aquí para obtener más información.

• The 30 day grace period for free and reduced lunch has expired. If parents have not either been confirmed by the state for SNAP/TANF or Medicaid status or have not completed a new free/reduced lunch application in Skyward, their lunch status may be back to paid. Complete a lunch form in Skyward to correct your status!

This school year, our students will participate in the Neptune Navigate Digital Citizenship curriculum. Each module is designed to be engaging and informative, taking 30 minutes or less to complete. Our goal is to ensure that students learn how to be safe and smart online and understand the importance of building a positive digital reputation. See the December theme below!

Do you have used children's clothes in good condition? We are looking for donations for our nurse's office. These donations will help provide a change of clothes when needed due to accidents, etc. We are looking for all types of clothing: shorts, pants, shirts, underwear, socks, even shoes. The stretchier the materials, the better. Please bring bags labeled for donations to the office. We appreciate your help!

Our Staff Recognition Program, Above and Beyond, is designed to spotlight our staff members in all that they do for our students and community. Each school and department has the opportunity to nominate a staff member who exemplifies the characteristics and professional traits that exemplify our standards of excellence. Please use this form to nominate a staff member today!

Monday - Friday

• 8:30 am - 8:40 am - Arrival (Doors will close at 8:40 am!)
• 8:40 am - 3:15 pm - Instructional Day
• 3:15 pm - Dismissal

Half day dismissal (half days on District calendar) - 11:40 am

A few friendly reminders about arrival and dismissal:

• Our parking lot is closed to personal vehicles during arrival and dismissal
• The parking lot may only be used by buses and 3rd party transportation during arrival/dismissal
• Please do not engage in 3 point turns in the school zone
• Please do no block driveways--either school driveways or homes near HH
• Do not drop off children on the opposite side of the street of the school
• All street crossings must occur at the cross-walks
• By law, there is no cell phone usage in a school zone

Let's keep everyone safe by following the rules of the road!

Flossmoor SD161 is working with a new Food Service Company! Please see the flyer on who they are and what they have to offer.

If your child will be receiving breakfast or lunch and they have any allergies, a form detailing their dietary needs must be submitted to the school nurse. It will be shared with the food service company and alternative foods will be available to meet a student’s needs. This form is available in the front office.

INTERESTED IN JOINING THE PTO?

If you would like to participate in the PTO or have any questions please email them at heatherhillhornets@gmail.com.

Also, Please click on this link https://www.facebook.com/groups/2466905720251155 to join our Heather Hill Families page.

The Flossmoor Public Library has incredible events and programs coming up for children of all ages! View the calendar and sign up for the library newsletter at https://www.flossmoorlibrary.org.

Email: chumm@sd161.org
Website: https://www.sd161.org/o/heather-hill
Location: 1439 Lawrence Crescent, Flossmoor, IL, USA
Phone: 708-647-7200
Facebook: facebook.com/gohornets161