Hillcrest Back to School
2023-2024 School Year
Starting Soon!!
Hello Hillcrest Families!
The 2023-2024 school year is just around the corner!!
Our staff will be preparing over the next couple of weeks for students to return and are excited for the new year!
I'm sure families are also preparing for their students' return to school.
Here are tips to help students with transitions back to school from 10 Ways to Make the Switch From Summer to School by Scholastic:
1. Restart Routines. Kids need time to adjust, so provide a head start. About two weeks before school starts, make bedtime earlier and dust off the alarm clock. Aim to serve meals at approximately the same times your child will be eating throughout the school year.
2. Go Over Ground Rules. Decide when and where she'll do homework. Be sure to cover tricky topics: Can she watch TV after she finishes her work? How late can friends visit on school nights? When's the caffeine cutoff? What about chores? Establishing guidelines and going over them together will make sure you're on the same page once school's in session.
3. De-Stress Dressing. Let your child choose special first-day clothes — a souvenir shirt from a park you visited this summer or a new dress to match her best friend's. To avoid arguing over school-appropriate clothes, bring the fall wardrobe front and center. Replace sandals and swimsuits with socks, sneakers, and lightweight sweaters.
4. Develop a Game Plan — Together. Discuss goals for the upcoming year, triumphs from the year before, and some skills he would like to improve. Goals might include:
- Making three new friends or sitting at a different lunch table every week
- Becoming captain of the chess team or a spelling bee finalist
- Making the honor roll
5. Keep Passions in Play. If your child became a weaving whiz at summer camp or a diving champ at the local pool, keep it going. Integrate new summer hobbies into the school year by finding after-school clubs or groups that will let her continue to do the cool new things she tried this summer!
6. Summon the Learning Spirit. Assign creative "homework" as summer wanes: Ask him to identify a paw print in the park or photograph something that changes colors. Make family flashcards and quiz each other: What was the farthest you went from home this summer? What plans were rained out?
7. Take a Family Field Trip. Plan one last fact-packed trip to top off months of water parks and baseball games. You don't have to go far: Visit a nature sanctuary to learn about different plants and trees, or examine an old ship down at the docks.
8. Set Up a Homework Area. Create a quiet, well-lit space for study. Prevent first day freak-outs by hauling out the necessities: backpack, dictionary, atlas, calculator, art supplies, paper, and pencils. Make it personal and fun, but free from distractions.
9. Sharpen Skills. Add more factual brain-bending activities into the everyday mix. Sudoku games, crossword puzzles, word searches, and trivia all encourage your child to sit still, focus, and complete a task from start to finish.
10. Go for a Test Run. Take a trip to school, and get familiar with the new classroom. Make sure to find the cafeteria, gym and library. Don't forget about bathrooms! It's also a good time to size up cubbies and try out lockers.
Our school-wide Open House options are on August 31st, 5 - 7 p.m. or September 1st, 8 a.m. - 12 p.m. These will be great opportunities to help students meet teachers and navigate the building. We are looking forward to seeing your family that evening.
The first day of school for Grades 1 - 5 will be Tuesday, September 5th. Kindergarten families will be receiving a letter indicating their start days.
Enjoy the remaining days of Summer!
Mrs. Hebert
Important Enrollment Information
This means:
IF YOU HAVE MOVED your child to a new school or district, you need to contact the school there to enroll your child. That school will then request records and your child will be unenrolled here.
IF YOU PLAN TO HOMESCHOOL, this link will assist you with completion of required forms with the State of Wisconsin. The CFAUSD will then use state provided information to unenroll your child from the district.
Parents not completing these tasks PRIOR to the beginning of our school year on September 1st, will receive automatic dialer calls about their student's absences until we receive official documentation for withdrawal from CFAUSD.
If needed, please contact the CFAUSD Registrar, Tami See (ext. 1850) for assistance.
Classroom Assignments Available on Infinite Campus
**Due to an unexpected Infinite Campus glitch, it came to our attention that student schedules were accidentally turned on momentarily before the official release date. Please know that if you did see a schedule before you read this newsletter, classroom teachers may have changed.**
Classroom assignments are now available to view on the Infinite Campus Parent Portal.
After logging in:
- Click on "Schedules" on the left hand side
- Select the 23-24 school year
Kindergarten families will also be receiving a mailed letter with teacher information and dates they should attend at the start of the year.
If you have any questions regarding your Parent Portal, please call the Tech Help Desk at 715-726-2413.
Complete these items!
Please complete the following information online before school starts! Additional information on each item can be found within this newsletter. These are the must-do's!
- Transportation online form: We MUST know how your child is getting home after school each day. If a bus rider, please contact the bus company for the bus number BEFORE you fill out the form. Bus numbers/routes can change each year! If the plan changes regularly, a monthly schedule will be required in the office.
- Pay student fees
- Online Registration (if you did not complete it back in May): This is the district's annual form so you can fill out permissions to go on field trips, update addresses/phone numbers, etc.
- Medication/Dietary forms (if needed for your child)
- School Directory (if you'd like to participate)
If you have any questions, please contact Administrative Assistant, Heidi Solin at solinhm@chipfalls.org. You can also leave a message at 715-726-2405 and I will get back to you!
MUST FILL OUT: Transportation Form
It is essential we know how your child will be getting home after school each day. Please fill out the online elementary transportation form before the first day of school!
This information is vital to your child's safety so we can correctly direct your child at the end of the school day. Staff members will NOT rely on your child to remember what the plan is.
If your student rides a bus, bussing information has already been mailed to families. If you haven't seen it, please contact the bus company BEFORE filling out the form to find out your child's bus number. Bus routes/numbers can change yearly! The bus company's phone number is 715-726-2454.
If your afterschool transportation plan changes regularly, a monthly calendar will be required in the office. Students sometimes forget during the day and then we are left scrambling at the end of the day.
An individual form will need to be completed for EACH student for accurate record keeping. If your family has multiple households, please be sure to discuss the plan together and provide ONE form for EACH student.
Pay Student Fees
Online Registration-Annual Process
If you already completed this in May, you can skip this part!
The Chippewa Falls Area Unified School District has opened the annual online registration process found on the Infinite Campus parent portal. This process helps us gather the latest family contact information along with your permission for important questions concerning your student(s).
The online registration process is required for each student. Completion of the process allows your student access to a number of privileges including field trips, access to the internet, and use of district chromebooks/ipads.
To make the review and entry process simpler, please consider using a laptop or computer.
Log onto the Campus parent portal and click on the More menu item, Online Registration, and then 23-24 Next Year EXISTING Student Registration to begin the process.
If you need help logging in, click on the "Problems logging in?" link on the login screen. For help with the online process, email our help desk at helpdesk@chipfalls.org and include your phone number.
If your student is a member of more than one household, please understand that only one household can complete the online process.
Medication/Dietary forms (if needed for your child)
If your student needs to take a prescribed medication at school, a signed physician order and signed parent consent is required. Medications must be supplied and brought in by an adult. Medication must be properly labeled in the container from the pharmacy.
A dietary modification form must be filled out for any child that requires the school to provide a substitution in their diet. It must be filled out by a parent and physician. Please let the school nurse know as soon as possible if there's an allergy or intolerance!
Forms can be found below, but will also be available at Open House night.
Parental Permission to Administer Medication Form
School Directory
Please click on this link if you are interested in being part of the school directory.
A school directory is created annually for families wanting their information shared with other Hillcrest families. Contact information for those that choose, will be distributed to all families at Hillcrest for the purposes of inviting friends to parties, play dates, etc.
For those families responding "no", your information will not be distributed.
Dates to Remember
- August 29: Kindergarten Meet & Greet
- August 31: Open House: 5-7 p.m.
- September 1: Open House: 8 a.m. to noon, No School
- Monday, September 4: Labor Day, No School
- Tuesday, September 5: All students in grades 1-5 begin FULL days and attend full days all week
- Tuesday, September 5: 1/2 Kindergarten class attends school (Last names A-K )
- Wednesday, September 6: 1/2 Kindergarten class attends school (Last Names L-Z)
- Thursday, September 7: ALL students attend
Hillcrest at a Glance
**All students will go directly to the playground until the bell rings at 7:35 a.m. unless it's raining or too cold. Students will not be able to wait by the doors at the Main Office as there is no supervision there.
Breakfast/Lunch
Meal prices for 2023/2024
Elementary Breakfast: $0.35
Elementary Lunch: $2.25
**If you qualify for free or reduced price lunches there is no charge for breakfast or lunch.
The Free and Reduced Meal Application is now available online! To apply for meal benefits for the 2023-2024 school year, log into your Infinite Campus Parent Portal account and click on the More option in the left hand menu and then Meal Benefits.
If you received a letter this school year saying that your children are already approved for free meals, then you do not need to complete an application.
All families are encouraged to complete the online application if possible. Paper applications are available and will be mailed to households before the beginning of school or may be picked up at your child's school or at the Central Board Office at 1130 Miles Street, Chippewa Falls, WI 54729. If none of these options work for you please contact Kirsten Nesja to have one mailed to you at (715) 726-2581 or email nesjakj@chipfalls.org.
If you have questions on completing the application please call Kirsten Nesja (715) 726-2581 or email nesjakj@chipfalls.org.
**You can use the Infinite Campus Parent Portal to put money onto your child's lunch account or you can send exact cash/check to the Main Office.
District Notice
Upon request to the building administrator, submitted twenty-four (24) hours in advance, the District shall make reasonable accommodation including the provision of informational material in an alternative format as necessary for a disabled person to be able to participate select activities.
About Us
Email: solinhm@chipfalls.org
Website: https://cfsd.chipfalls.k12.wi.us/hillcrest/
Location: 1200 Miles Street, Chippewa Falls, WI, USA
Phone: 715-726-2405