Hillcrest News

We’ve had a fantastic start to the school year, and it’s all thanks to your continued support, patience, and flexibility! The first two weeks have been filled with learning, growth, and excitement as students and staff settle into routines.

A few reminders:

• Help our continued grass growth by keeping bikes and foot traffic on the sidewalks only.
• Students may bring only water to school to stay hydrated throughout the day.
• Lockers are reserved for clothing and backpack storage only; we ask that they not be decorated.
• If you need to drop off any items during the school day, there are convenient cubbies located in the front entry for this purpose.

A big thank you to our wonderful staff for their dedication and to all of you for making this such a smooth and successful start to the year. We’re excited for all the great things ahead!

Any adult who wants to be on the playground in the morning, will need to have a visitor badge. Please bring your driver's license to the front office. Your license will be scanned and you will receive a visitor badge. We welcome anyone on the playground with a visitor's badge.

Supervision at Hillcrest begins at 7:45 a.m. Please ensure that your student is not dropped off before this time. Additionally, the bus loading and unloading zone on 3rd Street is designated for bus use only. We kindly ask that you refrain from using this area for drop-offs to keep it clear for our buses. Thank you for your cooperation.

Every day gets better and better! Any changes to pick-up procedures needs to be to the office by 2:30. Teachers are busy teaching our students and often times do not see last minute messages. We want to make sure we get students to the correct destination after school.

Afterschool pick-up has been going wonderfully, thanks to our incredible families! We truly appreciate your support in waiting until 3:15 to line up out front, allowing our preschool students to dismiss safely. Thank you also for parking in the lot and either walking up to pick up your learner or patiently waiting in the pick-up line. Your efforts in keeping the intersections clear ensure smooth and safe traffic flow. We’re grateful for your continued cooperation!

Calling all 3rd grade Girls and Coaches for Girls on the Run (GOTR) Fall 2024 Season! 5 coaches are recommended for a team of 16.

We are excited to announce the upcoming season of Girls on the Run. We are looking for enthusiastic participants, coaches, and a coordinator. If your daughter would like to join or if you're interested in being a Site Coordinator or Coach, we need to hear from you! This is open to any adult, community member, or family member.

We are accepting applications for Junior Coaches (high school girls ages 16-18).

Season Dates: Sept. 12 - Nov. 9

Practice Times: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 3:30-5:00

Practices will be held at Hillcrest.

For more information or to sign-up, please contact the elementary school office or email Mrs. Smith at shannon.smith@k12.sd.us.

New Coach Application

https://www.pinwheel.us/.../Fall2024-GOTR-SD-Volunteer...

Junior Coach Application

http://www.embe.org/gotr

This notice is to inform our families and staff of the Brookings School District of a change in the Child Nutrition Department’s online payment platform.

Effective Wednesday, July 3, 2024, the Child Nutrition Department will now use EduTrak (formerly Wordware) for accepting payments online. EduTrak will still be used to view your family account balance and transaction, but we are adding the option of online payments through this program.

If you already have a family account set up with EduTrak, you do not need to set up a different account. The only step necessary would be to add a funding source to your EduTrak account to make payments online, if you choose.

If you are new to having a family account with EduTrak, there are instructions attached for creating an account, and setting up online payments, if you so choose. For new accounts, when you get to step 4 and it asks for a family key, please email me at laura.swier@k12.sd.us stating you need a family key. Once I receive a request, I will prompt an email to be sent to you with the details to finalize your account registration.

It is not a requirement to have an EduTrak account.

A family may choose to have an EduTrak account, to view your family account balance and transactions, without making online payments. Check and cash payments are still accepted at any of our schools.

As of May 31, 2024, Efunds will no longer be used for the Child Nutrition Department. Please note Efunds may still be used as a payment option by other departments within the Brookings School District.

We are accepting school supply donations to stock our supply closet! Items can be dropped off at the NEW Hillcrest Office during Back-To-School appointments.

September: Hispanic Heritage Month

Sept. 9-20: MAP Testing, all students

Sept. 17: Constitution Day, wear red, white, and blue

Sept. 30 - Oct. 4: Brooking Homecoming

Oct. 4: Homecoming Parade, 1:00 dismissal, 2:00 parade start

Oct. 7-11: Fire Prevention Week

Oct. 11: No School, Professional Development Day

Oct. 14: No School, Native American Day

Nov. 7: Parent-Teacher Conferences, 4:00-7:30

Nov. 8: No School, Parent-Teacher Conferences, 8:00-3:30

Nov. 11: Parent-Teacher Conferences, 4:00-7:30

Nov. 27-29: No School, Thanksgiving Break