Over the last few days parents have reached out about the discrepancy in the dates for Picture Day. Unbeknownst to us, Lifetouch changed the date over the summer from October 10th to October 13th.

NEW Date: 10-13-2023

Retakes: 11-17-2023

Be on the look out for picture day informational flyers to come home closer to the date.

New year, new books! The Scholastic Book Fair will be hosted at Hillcrest the week of September 18-22nd. Your child(ren) will visit the Book Fair during their Library special. We will also have extended hours so families can shop on Wednesday, September 20th from 4-7pm. Can't make it? No worries—you can shop online from September 18 until October 1st. All proceeds will be used to support sustaining and building our library collection here at Hillcrest.

Attached is the Parent/Student Handbook and an electronic Handbook Signature Form. We ask that you read or review the Parent/Student Handbook (link included) . There are specific areas that would benefit a review at the start of the school year.

After you read this information with your child(ren), please complete this electronic form. The form is meant to be completed as a family; so you DO NOT need to complete separate forms if you have multiple children.

We ask that parents/designees refrain from using their cell phones during our active car rider dismissal time. This is such a fragile time that we need to ensure that all eyes are watching and no one is distracted.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER!

Hillcrest Elementary School is excited to announce the Principal’s 100 Club. The program is a positive behavior support system that rewards students who follow our ROAR rules. ROAR tickets are frequently given out to students demonstrating the ROAR Rules, which provides acknowledgement to the student about his/her behavior and gives that student an opportunity to earn additional rewards.

Students who are “caught” following the school-wide ROAR rules are given a ROAR Ticket that is redeemed in the main office for a spot in the Celebrity Book and a placement on the Principal’s 100 Club board. Parents will be notified, if your child receives a ROAR Ticket. Also, students will be given their ROAR Ticket to take home to “brag” to their family.

Parents, Please Be Sure To Celebrate at Home as well!

The program is similar to BINGO in that the board has numbered squares where students place their name in a square that coincides with a randomly drawn numbered chip. Once an entire row of 10 is filled those students whose names appear in those boxes in the winning row will receive the Principal’s Mystery Motivator reward.

The rewards could range from a free snack, visit to the ROAR STORE, store gift cards or movie tickets. Upon completion of a cycle, usually about four weeks, the board will be wiped clean and the process will start again. The intended result of the Principal’s 100 Club is increased positive behavior, public acknowledgment for following the school-wide ROAR rules and reduced office discipline referrals.

A student’s behavioral/social success within school can have a strong correlation with their academic success and love of learning. We encourage you to ask your child about the ROAR tickets and Principal’s 100 Club. We also believe it is very important to help your child get excited and be proud of their social/behavioral accomplishments, as well as all of their academic accomplishments.

Last spring students were asked to complete a brief survey about the Principal's 100 Club and what prizes they wanted. During this time we also asked them for feedback about the program.

Here's what we learned:

Top 5 Mystery Motivator Requests

5. FOOD GIFT CARD

4. FREE SNACK IN CAFETERIA

3. TIGGER’S CHAIR

2. STORE GIFT CARD

1. ROAR STORE

ALSO, the overarching feedback was that students wanted the opportunity to win more prizes.

HERE ARE SOME OF THE CHANGES TO THE P100 CLUB AS A RESULT OF OUR SURVEY AND STUDENT FEEDBACK:

1. Every student that earns a ROAR TICKET will receive a small INSTANT PRIZE in the Main Office (prizes will vary).

2. We are bringing back Tigger's Chair (Tigger's Chair will be an option in the ROAR STORE, and students can select the chair as their Mystery Motivator Prize).

3. Every student that earns a ROAR TICKET will sign their autograph in the celebrity book; but this year they will also sign their autograph to the P100 bulletin board. This way when a mystery motivator wins and the board is cleared, the autographs will remain on the bulletin board ALL YEAR LONG!

Transportation will notify parents via Blackboard Messenger should a bus experience delays in leaving Hillcrest after 4:00 PM. Some delays may take place once the bus has departed Hillcrest. Transportation will also notify parents of these delays via Blackboard Messenger as soon as they are made aware of the delay within the community.

Dismissal will begin at 3:40 PM for 1st through 6th grade and PM Kindergarten students. All parents who are picking up their children should remain in the car line that outlines the parking lot. (SEE ATTACHMENT) Again, staff will be available to assist your child to your car. PARENTS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REMAIN IN THEIR CARS DURING THIS TIME.

Two placards were provided to every family on BTSN. Placards must be displayed in full view for staff to see, when you or your designee are picking up students as car-riders. If your child is an infrequent car-rider, please be sure to store this placard in a safe place for those random times when you will be picking up your child.

PLEASE DO NOT ENTER THE BUS LOADING ZONE (HMS/HCE SIDE LOT) TO ENTER OR EXIT!

Within the first 60 days of school, we must conduct emergency drills within our building. These drills help us practice what we should do in the event of an emergency. Fire Drills are practiced monthly. During the months of September & October, we also practice A.L.I.C.E. Drills for an inside & outside threat and Shelter-In-Place.

A.L.I.C.E. Drills are designed to protect our children in the event an intruder enters the building (inside threat), dangerous incidents in the surrounding neighborhood or intruder on our school grounds (outside threat). Safe Shelter is designed to protect our children from weather related emergencies.

Teachers will review these procedures with students this month.

If you should report to the school during these drills you will not be able to enter the building. A sign will be posted on the outside door to communicate that we are conducting a drill. Most drills are fairly brief. We thank you, in advance, for your patience and understanding during this time.

All questions regarding student lunch accounts should be sent to the Chartwells staff at www.HCECafeteria@CRSD.org. Click on the below link to preview the monthly menu and nutritional information.

In addition to the demographic and emergency information, parents should also locate the Publicity Exclusion section in Home Access Center (HAC), if you DO NOT want your child photographed during the school year. You do not need to make changes if your child can be photographed/video-taped during the school year.

For parents and other visitors, entry into our school buildings will require the production of a driver’s license or other form of photo identification. This identification will be used in conjunction with our access system (RAPTOR) to validate identification before a visitor enters the school building. Once the driver’s license is scanned, the system will print out a badge that includes the name and picture of the visitor, destination and the date/time of the visit. Visitors who do not present their driver’s license/identification will not gain entry into the building.

Parents, we are always looking for support and assistance with our Mystery Motivator prizes. If you are willing OR know of a vendor or organization that would be willing to contribute to our Mystery Motivator prizes please contact the Main Office. In the past we asked for prizes to be in sets of 10. Now that our ROAR STORE is open and student's get to choose their prize (unless the prize is an activity with a staff member); we will take any number of prize(s) that you are willing to donate.

(EXAMPLES OF PRIZES---STUDENT FRIENDLY GIFT CARDS, SPORTS BALLS, FIDGETS, POP-ITS, ETC.)

We are also always looking for BIG PRIZES. These prizes will be given out during special raffles, etc. throughout the year. For example, in the past, we have given out electronic tablets to kids during our holiday raffle.