HMS Headlines
August 27, 2021
A MESSAGE FROM THE ADMINISTRATIVE TEAM
Dear HMS Families,
It has been a great start to the school year this week! We've been so grateful to have all of our students back in-person and have had some fun celebrating the start to school with them.
6th Graders received iPads on Thursday, and 5th Graders enjoyed iPad Bootcamp on Friday. We had a lot of camouflage in the halls, and fun learning new skills from all of the teachers in our Houses. Ask your child about iPad Bootcamp, and about the iPad pledge that they signed to be safe and responsible in their use of their device.
We hope you rest up this weekend, and enjoy the break!
See you Monday!
Kelly, Linda, and Susie
CURRICULUM NIGHT IS THURSDAY!
PASS 39 ICE CREAM SOCIAL THURSDAY
Please join us for a welcome back ADULTS ONLY ice cream social on
September 2nd at 7-7:30pm in the tent behind WJHS.
Following the social, we will be meeting at VALLEY LODGE in Wilmette
for food and/or drinks. There has been a private room reserved for
"Pass39".
What is PASS39? The Parent Association for Student Services in
District 39 (PASS39) is a parent organization committed to supporting
parents of children with learning, behavioral, emotional, and
developmental challenges.
Can I join? Your child doesn't necessarily have to have an IEP or 504
to be part of this organization. If your child meets the criteria
above, please join us!!
SIXTH GRADE - PHYSICAL EXAM REMINDER
HERE is a link to find the required forms.
NWEA MAP FALL ASSESSMENT
CROSS COUNTRY STARTS MONDAY!
Cross Country Season this Fall!
—Open to 5th and 6th Graders!
—Practice: Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays (Come when you can!) 3:45-4:45
—Competing is Optional (5th grade: home meets/ 6th Grade: home and away meets)
—No experience necessary!
—First Practice: Monday, August 30
Go to the Athletics website: https://wjhs.wilmette39.org/students/athletics for information on protocols, fees, and how to sign up through Power School.
NEW FOR HMS! LATE ACTIVITY BUS!
We are excited to announce that Late Activity Buses will be serving students attending clubs and athletics at both WJHS and HMS. This is a wonderful option if your child has decided to stay for cross country.
All the buses will depart from the front of WJHS at 4:45. They will then proceed to the upper deck of HMS to pick up those students.
- Bus #1 will then take the students to Central School (9th Ave entrance)
- Bus #2 will then take the students to MCK School (15th St entrance) and then continue on to Harper School (front entrance)
- Bus #3 will then take the students to Romona School, the Rec Center, Indian and New Glenview (serving the northside students), and then Indian and Glenview (serving the southside students)
You do not have to be a bus rider to use this service at the end of the day.
2021-2022 Parent Education Series
Please join us for presentations held via Zoom on topics ranging from social emotional heath to technology use. Some are led by the Family Service Center and others are led by District 39. All events will have a 30 minute presentation followed by a 15 minute Q&A mini panel. Make sure to register for these FREE events. Our first one is Wednesday, August 25th and is about supporting the re-entry into school. All presentations will be recorded for later viewing and the link will be communicated in Principal newsletters. Please register individually by clicking on the title of the presentation.
Executive Functioning Toolkit to Support Your Child’s Learning (D39)
Wednesday, September 15th at 11am
Learning About the Responsive Classroom Model and Tips to Take Home (D39)
Wednesday, October 13th at 11am
Supporting Friendship Development and Connection (FSC)
Wednesday, November 17th at 11am
Making Room for Ambivalence/Sadness and Silver Linings of COVID (FSC)
Wednesday, December 15th at 11am
Parenting in a Digital Age (D39)
Wednesday, January 12th at 11am
Raising Resilient Children in a Highly-Competitive, Digitally-Driven World (FSC)
Wednesday, February 16th at 11am
Dear Parents, This is What You Should Know About Social Media! (D39)
Wednesday, March 16th at 11am
Wednesday, April 13th at 11am
Coping with Stress, Anxiety, and Uncertainty (FSC)
Wednesday, May 18th at 11am
You may have missed Wednesday's presentation led by the Family Service Center. HERE IS THE LINK to the presentation. Check it out! It was filled with great ideas for how to support your child's transition to this school year.
Our next parent education event will be Wednesday, September 15th at 11am. The title is Executive Functioning Toolkit to Support Your child's Learning and will be led by District 39. If you haven't already done so, please REGISTER HERE.
DISTRICT 39 UPDATES
Welcome to the 2021-22 school year! We hope that your first week has been filled with smiles and happiness for everyone. We are grateful for all of our teachers, staff members, and administrators who worked tirelessly this summer to ensure that we could safely welcome our students this fall.
Back to School References
Please check out our Back to School 2021-22 website for information on our health and safety protocols, social emotional learning resources and parent education events. You can find a more detailed look at our layered mitigation plan here. Additionally, please check out our updated FAQs and our newly published Family Response to Illness Booklet to stay informed about how you can help us continue to provide in-person instruction for all of our students.
COVID-19 Testing Through Shield Illinois
This year we are thrilled to be partnering with SHIELD Illinois to make COVID-19 testing available district-wide for students, faculty and staff. Registration is strongly encouraged for all students to ensure easy access to testing when and if it is needed. Weekly participation in testing is strongly recommended for all unvaccinated students. Learn more about SHIELD Illinois and all COVID-19 testing options on our COVID-19 Testing webpage.
Excessive Heat Procedures
We are aware that the hot summer weather is being felt in some of our learning spaces. As a result, we are implementing our hot weather day plans within our schools to ensure that our students and faculty have options to stay cool. Below are a few of the measures available to mitigate the heat:
Rotating classrooms through designated cooling areas (air conditioned spaces) available within each building throughout the day
Continued implementation of our increased ventilation throughout our school buildings
Using fans inside classrooms and hallways to assist in circulating air
Decreasing use of overhead lighting
Limiting physical activity in classrooms and PE classes
Moving to outdoor, shaded spaces
Encouraging frequent water breaks
Monitoring students, faculty, and staff for signs of excessive heat exposure
Monitoring weather for potential implementation of Heat Advisory Day Plans, which include implementation of the above as well as consideration of shortened days or e-learning days in the event of extended excessive heat (see page 15 of our D39 FAQs)
As always, the health and safety of our students is our priority and be assured that we are working to ensure that our students are cool and comfortable during this stretch of warm weather.
COMMUNITY NEWS
LINK: http://www.wilmette39.org/news/community_events
Wilmette Food Pantry is open every Tuesday 10:30-11:30 am at Trinity United Methodist Church.
Covid Catch Up Tutors has rebranded to "Best Step Tutoring”. Free online tutoring for PreK-12 grades. beststeptutoring.org
For 5th - 8th graders:
Wilmette Scout Troop 2 hosts an Open House Picnic for boys & girls ages 11 and older on September 12th from 1:00 - 3:00 pm at Crow Island Woods,
1140 Willow Rd., Winnetka.
Membership Toolkit
AtoZ Connect is now powered by Membership Toolkit to bring you the best directory experience available. PTO memberships, directories, communications, online store, and more will all run through the newly improved online software. Click here if you haven’t already signed up!
To access the new 2021-2022 Highcrest PTO Directory, please visit https://highcrestpto.membershiptoolkit.com/. Bookmark this site now!
Volunteer Opportunities
Looking to get involved with the PTO? We are looking for a 5th Grade Yearbook Coordinator & an Environmental Awareness chair for this year! Please contact Megan at president@highcrestpto.org for more information.
5th Grade Connections
5th Grade Connections is a field day for 5th graders and a great way for new students to get to know each other. Learn more HERE and sign up to volunteer HERE
Highcrest After School Clubs
After School Club registration is open for the following clubs:
🗣 Aces Debate Club
🎭 Skyline Studios (The Little Mermaid)
📸 Yearbook Club - club full, waitlist available
CLICK HERE to register!
More great offerings to come next week!
Spiritwear
Show your Hawks pride with a variety of spiritwear options! Please contact Jen at spiritwear@highcrestpto.org if you would like to make a purchase.
Freaky Friday is BACK!
Save The Date for Friday, October 22 from 5:00 - 6:30!
All announcements to be included in Headlines must be submitted via the Communications Request Form by Wednesdays at 2pm.