Newsletter April 12
News on The Hill
CONTACT INFORMATION
Office Hours are 8:00-4:30pm weekdays. Please don't hesitate to call us at 208-350-4432 if you have any questions. You can also access our school website:
Hillsdale Elementary School / Homepage (westada.org)
https://www.facebook.com/hillsdaleherons1
Instagram:@hillsdalees
For our Hillsdale Staff Directory, please visit our Hillsdale webpage:
www.westada.org and choose school-elementary-Hillsdale from the district school dropdown menu
Once on the Hillsdale page, select the Menu icon from the upper right and choose Hillsdale Staff from the drop-down menu under Contact Us Hillsdale Staff | Hillsdale Elementary School (westada.org)
Just click the following link: https://www.westada.org/o/wasd/page/community-bulletin-board/
Current posts include information on community cheer tryouts, football camps, piano lessons, and more...
Office Staff and PTO
Jenn Connor, Head Secretary Connor.Jenn@westada.org
Sally Fitzgerald, Office Assistant/Registrar Fitzgerald.Sally@westada.org
Patty Smithley, Office Assistant/Registrar Smithley.Patty@westada.org
Rachel Bordewyk, Counselor Bordewyk.Rachel@westada.org
Ashley Tracy, Safe School Assistant tracy.ashley@westada.org
PTO BOARD CONTACTS:
President: Shelby Van Orsow
Vice President: Tiffany Alexander
Treasurer: Lisa Jarvis
Communications Secretary: Heather Galm
Fundraising and Event Coordinators: Rikki Watkins and Brittney Logsdon
Email: bair.khristie@westada.org
Website: https://www.westada.org/Domain/6243
Location: 5225 South Stockenham Way, Meridian, ID, USA
Phone: 208-350-4432
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hillsdaleherons1
Instagram:@hillsdalees
REMIND: Hillsdale Elementary School @a62337b
UPCOMING EVENTS
April
24-Volunteer Appreciation Event-8:15-8:45am in the cafeteria-invitations coming home soon... (There is 'muffin' better than you!) Come walk the red carpet and enjoy a muffin and warm drink on us!
25-Author Assembly: NY Times bestselling author, Patrick Carman shares his passion for reading with our students.
30-1st grade Music Program in the cafeteria and auditorium 9:15-10:15am
May
6-10-Staff Appreciation Week--more details to be announced
6-10-Idaho Reading Indicator (IRI) assessment K-3rd grade students
16-SAVE the DATE-Spring Carnival: 5:30-8:00pm Hello, Parents! Our spring carnival is just around the corner, and the PTO is working on putting together our fantastic raffle prizes. If you would like to donate items on behalf of your family or a business, please reach out and let us know. Anything is appreciated! hillsdaleheronspto@gmail.com
20-Yearbooks distributed to students
20 & 22-Field Day
21-Preschool Graduation 10am (for am class) & 2 pm (for pm class)
24-5th grade promotion ceremony 9:30-11am
24-Last day of School-all school picnic outside at 12 noon.
PTO Volunteers Needed 2024-2025
We need you! Volunteer opportunities with the Hillsdale PTO for the 2024-25 school year are now open! No matter your schedule or availability, there is something for everyone, and volunteering with the PTO is a great way to have a direct impact on your child and the entire Hillsdale community. Click the link to sign up now!
PTO Meeting Dates for 2023-2024
Thursday Night-7:00-8:00pm upstairs in the Hillsdale Library
The remaining PTO meeting dates for the 2023-24 school year are as follows:
April 25
May 23
PTO BOARD for 2023-2024
Vice President: Tiffany Alexander
Treasurer: Lisa Jarvis
Communications Secretary: Heather Galm
Fundraising and Event Coordinators: Rikki Watkins and Brittney Logsdon
Caught you Being a Heron!
Hillsdale staff are looking for students who exhibit HERON traits to give a Caught You Being a Heron ticket to each day. Students then put the ticket in their grade level jar by the main entryway. A student's name will be drawn each week and read over the announcements for prizes from our Treasure Chest.
We want to acknowledge all the great HERON traits we see in our students throughout the day!
Congratulations to our Herons being recognized from our weekly drawing:
Kindergarten: Teagan Torell & Rylee Zacher
First Grade: Quinn Crowfoot & Madelyn Montgomery
Second Grade: Jacob Wiersma & Corbin Morris
Third Grade: Naomi Zoda & Logan Anderson
Fourth Grade: Owen Cottam & Nathan Dowdle
Fifth Grade: Alia Truong & Adela Judd
Order Hillsdale Spirit Wear!
Author Assembly
Hillsdale is excited to welcome author, Patrick Carman, on April 25, for an in-person author assembly! Some of our third and fifth grade classes have signed up to attend this event. Mr. Carman is a NY Times Bestselling author and writes for young adults and children. He’s written over 40 books including, Skeleton Creek, Floors, Mr. Gedrick and Me, Book 5 of the popular 39 Clues series, and many more! His newest book series, Bonkers, is also an animated series on YouTube! Mr. Carman has done over 3,000 school visits and has a passion for getting kids excited about reading. We look forward to hearing his tips for writing and learning about his new book series.
New Devices Coming for 5th and 8th Graders Over the coming weeks, all 5th-grade and 8th-grade students will be receiving a new device that they will take with them over the summer to use for the next few years at middle and high school. To coincide with the deployment of these new devices, we will also be opening early enrollment for Device Protection for the 2024-25 school year on March 1st. Families will be able to log in to the Payment Portal in PowerSchool and purchase Device Protection for $20 instead of $25. This coverage will be effective immediately and run through the summer of 2025. Additionally, please note that as part of the process of checking in these students' older devices, inspections may identify damaged or lost components. Fines resulting from these incidents of damage and loss will start showing up in the Payment Portal, and notification emails will start going out shortly after your 5th or 8th grader receives their new device. For any questions about Optional Device Protection or outstanding balances in our online payment system, Rycor, please send an email to onlinepayments@westada.org, or call our IT Service Desk at 208-350-5300, Monday-Friday 7:30 am - 4:30 pm. "Always-On" Laptop Case Reminder This year, to cut down on the frequency of device damage, and to further safeguard families from unplanned repair expenses, protective "always-on" cases were purchased for all Lenovo laptops. If your student has one of these devices, we hope you will join us in encouraging them to keep this device on at all times. This case should not be removed for any reason except by a trained staff member. Removing and installing this case can be difficult and may even damage the screen if not done correctly. If you see your child using their blue Lenovo 500W G3 or G4 laptop without its protective case, please have them bring the case and the laptop to their school's library or designated technical support location and have the case be properly, and safely reinstalled. We appreciate your partnership in protecting these devices! How to Purchase Optional Device Protection (On or after March 1st): For more detailed information and answers to frequently asked questions, please visit our website:
Counselor Corner
Fill Someone's Bucket Today!
What is a "Bucket Filler"? We each have the opportunity to fill or dump out one another's bucket. (See "How Full Is Your Bucket" by Rath and Reckmeyer) A "Bucket Filler" is a positive written note of recognition for a Hillsdale Elementary staff member who deserves an acknowledgement, a thank you, an unsolicited special recognition that acknowledges a special effort, an outstanding job, a caring and sensitive attitude toward a student, or 'going the extra mile'. The recognition is provided to the staff member during our faculty trainings. Who can submit a 'bucket filler'?--students, parents, teachers, administrators, co-workers, and all community members. Thank you. If interested, please fill out the bucket filler form below.
Rachel Bordewyk
Counselor - Hillsdale Elementary School
208-350-4432
Idaho Crisis Hotline – Call or text 988
Idaho Crisis & Suicide Hotline — 988