Hillcrest Family Newsletter
December 22nd, 2023
Thank You!
Thank you to each and every one of you for all of the warm wishes sent our way this holiday season. We all are so thankful for the love and support you share with our staff everyday. We know Hillcrest is a special place and we know that you all are a large part of that feeling. Thank you for all you do to make this school a place for each and every child can grow and thrive.
Have a wonderful break. Our hope is that you have everything you need to be able to rest and spend time together!
The Ability Center Takes Over Physical Education
On Tuesday we all had the amazing opportunity to work with coaches from The Ability Center as they took over our Physical Education classes. Students were all able to try on another pair of "shoes" (a wheelchair), and play games wearing those shoes. EVERYONE played and everyone had fun! Play is universal and everyone needs the opportunity to be included in play.
Special thank you to Deb and Rick Schiel for sponsoring this event and for the PTO with your support in organizing the event. The most common response from our students is "when can we do this again?"!
Bus Driver Shortage Winter Break
Bus riding families, please continue to monitor your emails from First Student and the Transportation Department for our district.
- Route 16 does not have a driver for Tuesday, January 2nd. Families will be responsible for transporting their child to school. If your child rides bus 16 and you need to arrange for an early drop off at school on Jan 2nd, please reach out to the office via email or 262-970-1800.
- As of now, all other routes will continue to run as expected.
PTO Corner
Hillcrest has a wonderful community, and it has been a pleasure serving as President of the PTO over the last 1.5 years. As some of you may have heard, our family has moved out of the school district. Starting over holiday break, Tiffani Prekop will be taking over as the new PTO President. Thank you, Tiffani, for leading the PTO board for the rest of the school year! You are very dedicated, bring a fresh perspective, and will do an amazing job! It has been a joy to meet so many Hillcrest families – through events, volunteering, and more. And thank you to our incredible staff at Hillcrest!!! We will miss you and look forward to visiting in the future. Sincerely, Cheri Grabowski
Here is your PTO board for the remainder of the school year:
President: Tiffany Prekop
Vice President: Megan Haynes
Secretary: Jennifer Gorst
Treasurer: Casey Brandow
Communications: Abbey Dahler
Week of Gratitude, one of our biggest family events of the year, is next March 4th through 8th. If you love to shop sales after the holidays or if you have items to regift, here are the baskets that we will be filling come next year. Each grade level fills its baskets with the items identified below.
4K and Kindergarten: Let your Imagination Run Wild (ex. Arts and Crafts, Gift cards to Art stores)
1st Grade: Toy Box (ex. Legos, Barbies, Pokemon, American Girl)
2nd Grade: Gift Card Galore (ex. Gift cards for iTunes, Starbucks, Target)
3rd Grade: Rainy Days Just Got Better (Movies, Puzzles, Board Games, Blankets)
4th Grade: Family fun in the Outdoors (Beach, Camping, Fishing, Frisbees, Kites)
5th Grade: All Things Wisconsin Sports Teams (Brewers, Badgers, Admirals, Wave, Packers, Bucks)
Save the Dates!
January 9th – Culver’s Night from 5pm-8pm – 1650 E. Main, Waukesha
Revised! January 17th – PTO Meeting at 6:15pm in the Hillcrest library or via webex: https://sdw.webex.com/meet/flincicu
January 29th – February 3rd – Penny Wars – Save up your change!!
Revised! February 1st - Skateland
Have a question, want to get involved, or interested in meeting more families, please reach out anytime at hillcresthuskiepto@gmail.com.
2024-2025 School Year Registration Information
New Student Enrollment for the 2024-2025 school year opens on December 1st! If you have a child that will be 4 years old on or before September 1, 2024, make sure you complete the 4K enrollment process by January 31, 2024. 4K enrollments completed between December 1, 2023 and January 31st, 2024 will be considered as a priority placement at your neighborhood school or current community partner site. Enrollments received after January 31st, will be placed based on seat availability after the 4K Lottery that takes place on February 9th. We have limited seats at attendance area schools. Please review the 2024-2025 4K Enrollment & Lottery Process and the 2024-2025 4K Site Listing for more detailed information.
School Choice/Intra-district Transfer :
The School Choice/Intra-district transfer application period for the 2024-2025 school year will also open on December 1st and will close on Friday, January 5th. If you are interested in attending a school that is not your neighborhood school, please complete an application by January 5th. Late applications will not be accepted. Email confirmations will be sent upon submission of the application.
Important Dates to Remember
Dec 1: Intra-District Transfer/School Choice Application Period Opens at 8:00 AM
Dec 1: 4K & New Student Enrollment for the 2024-2025 School Year Begins
Jan 5: Intra-District Transfer/School Choice Application Period Closes at 4:30 PM (Late Applications will not be accepted)
Jan 11 & 12:Secondary(Grades 6-12) Intra-District Transfers/ School Choice notifications will be emailed home
Jan 19: Secondary(Grades 6-12) School Choice Online Commitments or Appeals Due
Jan 31: 4K Enrollment Ends for the lottery
Feb 9: 4K Virtual Lottery at 2:00 pm
Feb 16: 4K Site Placement will be emailed home
March 2023: Elementary Intra-District Transfer/School Choice notifications will be emailed home
Safe Arrival for reporting student absences
If you haven't used Safe Arrival to report an absence for your child, please see the directions for how to download the app and log into your account: https://sdw.waukesha.k12.wi.us/page/safe-arrival-attendance-reporting.
Bus Tracker
We encourage all families using the school buses to download the First Student Bus Tracker App to stay updated on your student(s): https://sdw.waukesha.k12.wi.us/o/sdw/page/first-student-bus-tracker.
You will have access to:
Live Tracking
Predictive Stop Arrival Times
Custom Alerts and Messages
Multi-Stop View
Additional User Notifications - Connect up to three additional email accounts to receive email alerts. This is a great feature for grandparents or caregivers!
Secure and Easy Access
Who are you going to call or email?
We are here to help! Sometimes families aren't quite sure who to reach out to for specific needs or requests. Take a look at the list below to see who to reach out to:
- Absence notifications should be completed online using Safe Arrival.
- Dilini Williams - Building Secretary - 262-970-1805, dwilliams@waukesha.k12.wi.us: Urgent student needs, Attendance support, After school PM dismissal changes, Infinite Campus access, School Fees
- Jodi Voelkel - Health Clerical Assistant - 262-970-1815, jvoelkel@waukesha.k12.wi.us: Attendance support, After school PM dismissal changes, Medical attendance excuses, Pre-planned attendance needs, Health Room forms, Medications, Blessings in a Backpack
- Any changes to end of day pick up plans need to be communicated:
- Transportation questions or concerns, please contact First Student directly.
- To communicate with the teacher directly, please reach out via email. Phones do not ring into the classrooms during the school day and teachers find time to check their emails once or twice a day. Staff Directory
2200 Davidson Road, Waukesha, WI 53186
262-970-1800
Over 155 years of serving families in the Waukesha area.We are Growing Community, Growing Learners and Growing Curiosity everyday.
We take pride in our history, our community and our commitment to ensuring each and every learner thrives.