• The first day of school for students is Tuesday, August 16th.
• Students in grades 1-5 will begin school at 8:10 a.m.
• Our incoming kindergarteners will have a 9:00 a.m. start on August 16th ONLY. Parents are welcome to walk kindergartners to the entrance of the building and help them find their teacher. Starting August 17th, kindergarteners will arrive for our normal start time of 8:10 a.m. and head to the west playground to locate their teacher.
• At arrival on August 16th, students entering grades 3-5 will head to the east playground. Teachers will be wearing Hillrise t-shirts and holding name signs so you can easily identify your child's teacher. First and second graders will go to the west playground to locate their teachers.
• Students can arrive beginning at 7:55 a.m., as there will not be supervision prior to that time.
• Breakfast will be served beginning at 7:35 a.m. If your child chooses to arrive for breakfast, they will be directed to the cafeteria.
• At 8:10 a.m., teachers will escort students inside the building to begin a memorable first day of school!
• These same protocols/directions will be followed for the second day of school, August 17th. Starting August 18th, we will begin Walking Club. Instead of students being directed to classrooms at 7:55, they will move to the east playground for Walking Club.

• Children must exit the vehicle curbside. Do not allow them to get out on the driver's side of the vehicle.
• If you must get out to open your child's door, please pull into a parking space first and walk with your child across the parking lot.
• At no time will any child be allowed to cross the parking lot alone.
• Respect members of our safety patrol and encourage their leadership opportunities by following their directions. As a pedestrian, please cross with the guards and as a driver, abide by their traffic control.
• Please be sure your child does not arrive before 7:55 a.m. (unless it is for breakfast which begins at 7:35 a.m.) and that you pick them up by 3:15 p.m. There is no supervision outside of these hours.
• New families will be receiving a car tag to hang from your rearview mirror during pick-up. The number assigned to you on your car tag will ensure Hillrise staff members contact your child's teacher for dismissal from the classroom. This procedure will allow us to follow safety protocols and dismiss students as quickly as possible.

Due to the USDA waivers not being extended, EPS does not qualify to serve free meals to all students this year. For the 2022-23 school year, free meals will only be available to those who qualify for free or reduced meals based on income guidelines and application submission.

Additionally, free and reduced lunch applications must be submitted in order to receive free/reduced meal prices and the additional benefits that can be provided to families who qualify. Instructions for online or hard copy applications can be found at https://www.elkhornweb.org/parents/lunch/. Families who qualify for free/reduced meals may also request the waiver of student fees by completing the waiver application found at this link or hard-copy waiver forms are also available in the office.

Breakfast and lunch prices for the 2022-2023 school year are as follows:

Elementary Breakfast: $1.65 : Elementary Lunch: $2.80

Adult Breakfast: $2.40 : Adult Lunch: $4.00

EPS partners with SchoolPay for an online payment system. To utilize the system, parents will need a user account. To access your account or create a new one, follow the below instructions:

1) Go to www.schoolpay.com and enter your login information

2) To create a new account:

a) Click the green “Create an Account” button

b) Enter the “Payer” Information

c) Choose “Elkhorn Public Schools”, then choose your student’s assigned school* and

enter his/her Student ID number and Last Name.

*If you have multiple students, choose one student to enroll first and complete the

School Name, Student ID, and Last Name for that student. Upon account creation,

you will have the option to add additional students.

d) You will receive an email to set your password. Click the Login link within the email, set

a new password, then log in to make purchases or add additional students as needed.

e) To add additional students to your account, follow the instructions at this link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0ireLb_ht8

If you have any questions regarding your account or the process for creating one, please contact School Pay Support at 888.886.9729 or support@schoolpay.com.

Open House
We are excited for the back to school Open House! Before you meet your new teacher, stop by The Big 'O' Sno Truck for a free small snow cone! They will be parked out in front of Hillrise from 5:30 pm to 7 pm. Make sure to finish it before going inside. This will help keep our school clean!

Business Showcase
We, Hillrise Huskies, love to work together and encourage one another. So, if you own a business, we’d love to come alongside you and introduce you to our community. From real estate agents, to jam makers, to independent product representatives, or auto mechanics…we would love to bring everyone together during our Open House night. Please email our PTO president at allipontious@gmail.com, if you’d like to showcase your business. We will have opportunities for you to set up a table, hand out samples or business cards, etc. It is really up to you on how you would like to represent your business. If you don’t own a business but happen to be looking for a new gym or hair stylist, then we hope you find them in the Hillrise family!

WHO IS THE HILLRISE PTO?
The Hillrise PTO is an organization of parent and teacher volunteers that support the school and enhance each child’s elementary experience. Part of what makes Hillrise a great place to learn is the widespread support and engagement from our very active parent community.

WHAT DOES THE PTO DO?
Throughout the year, the PTO supports school activities, sponsors field trips, buys classroom supplies, invests in new technologies, supports our staff, and contributes to social nights through financial and volunteer support. We accomplish these goals by organizing fundraisers during the year.

HOW CAN YOU SUPPORT THE HILLRISE PTO?
We welcome and need your support! Whether you work part-time, full-time, stay at home or travel extensively, we all have a desire to make a difference in our student’s school experience. We will have many opportunities throughout the year to volunteer, donate supplies, shop and dine out – all with the goal of combining our time, talents and resources to provide the best experience possible for our children and their families.

Please click on the sign-up genius for all our volunteering opportunities: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20f0c4eafa82ba1f94-20222023

PTO MEETINGS
Please join us for our PTO meetings throughout the school year. Our first meeting is on Tuesday, September 6th. Our meetings run from 6:30 pm to 7:30 pm. Please save the dates for 10/3, 11/7, 1/9, 3/6, and May 1st to join us in the Hillrise media center.

Hillrise Sponsorships

Hillrise families - we are looking for Corporate Sponsors for the new school year! There are different levels of participation with tiers of benefits. The sponsorship funds greatly benefit our students by helping pay for the Sponsor shirts suggested to be worn for field trips and school events as well as other items like school recycling, classroom materials, staff meals, and much more. If your company is interested in helping our school, please see the form for details. (The form is attached.)

Hillrise Husky Wednesday

Your Hillrise Husky Teachers & Staff LOVE the mid-week snacks provided by our wonderful parents. It's easy to drop off or have delivered. Whether it's something savory, salty, sweet, or all of the above, the teachers and staff appreciate your generosity. To see happy, smiling faces, sign-up for one of the Wednesdays! Please click on the link below to sign up!

Please click on the sign-up genius link to volunteer to bring snacks this year: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0c4aa9a82da0fac34-hungry

Giving Tree
Each year, the PTO creates a Giving Tree for our staff. It is an excellent program established for families to assist Hillrise staff members by giving additional supplies which have been identified that will help them enhance the learning experience. The Giving Tree will be up and running through SignUp Genius starting Friday, August 19th through Friday, September 2nd. The link will be provided via email.

Staff Favorites
Each year, the PTO likes to promote staff favorites to parents. This document provides a few of the staff's favorite things so parents know how to shower them with love throughout the school year. Please be on the lookout for this document after school starts. Make sure to save it for holiday gifts, birthday surprises, or just special "thinking of you" gifts. We truly have the best staff at Hillrise!