The Heron Nest
Happening This Month
April is The Month of the Military Child
April is Autism Acceptance Month
Apr. 8: New Family Enrollment for 2024-25 Begins
Apr. 10: OHHS Key Club Carnival | 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM | OHHS
Apr. 12 -19: Spring Scholastic Book Fair
Apr. 15: Purple Up Day
Apr. 17: Kindergarten Orientation Night | 5:00 PM - 6:30 PM
Apr. 19: Kona Ice Friday | 3:00 PM - 4:30 PM
Apr. 25 - 28: Holland Happening Art Walk
Apr. 26: Popcorn Friday
Apr 30: Kindergarten Music Program | 6:30 PM
Planning Ahead
May 1: Last Day to Order Your 2023-24 Yearbook (Click Here To Purchase)
May 7-9 and May 21-22: Smarter Balanced State Testing Dates for 3rd and 4th Grade
It's Going to Be Another Great Month!
Greetings Heron Families!
I hope everyone had a fun and restful Spring Break! We are excited to have the kids back and we have lots of learning and memory-making days ahead! To that end, let's pause to honor our remarkable children!
During both the Month of the Military Child and Autism Acceptance Month, I'm thinking about the striking parallels between these two inspiring group of kids! Much like children from military families, individuals on the autism spectrum exhibit exceptional courage and resilience in the face of adversity. They impart invaluable lessons for their peers about empathy, patience, and the beauty found in diversity.
This month, let's champion ALL children, irrespective of their differences. Let's ensure they feel cherished and understood. I am so proud that Hillcrest strives to create an environment where EVERY child feels acknowledged, heard, and celebrated!
Respectfully,
Paula Seaman
Hillcrest Principal
Is Your Family Excited for Fall 2024 Kindergarten?
Enrollment for new families opens on April 8! You might feel a little nervous about your first steps, but don't worry - we've got you covered! We invite all new Hillcrest Kindergarten families to attend our upcoming Hillcrest Kindergarten Orientation Night on Wednesday, April 17 from 5:00 PM to 6:30 PM. During Kindergarten Orientation your family will receive a welcome packet, hear from school leadership, meet teachers and staff, learn more about the Kindergarten experience, and get in-person help with registration if needed. Learn more on our Kindergarten Family Resources page.
💜 Hillcrest Celebrates Our Military Kids 💜
APRIL is the MONTH OF THE MILITARY CHILD. This month and every month, our military children deserve to be celebrated. From missing their parents through deployments, training exercises, temporary duty, and long work hours; to multiple moves and being the new kid at school and in the neighborhood A LOT; to facing challenges and being aware of real world events often well ahead of their peers; to living a life and being a part of a community, its language (acronyms!), rules, and a culture that the majority of their peers can never begin to understand or appreciate, to so much more, OUR HILLCREST MILITARY KIDS ARE INCREDIBLE!
Remember to PURPLE UP next Monday, April 15 by wearing to purple to show your appreciation and support for our military kids. We also invite our military families to take advantage of a wonderful HCE PTA sponsored photo opportunity at the giant "Purple Up for Military Kids" Yard Card on our campus' front lawn all this week!
In April We Recognize Student Neurodiversity
The Scholastic Book Fair Is Coming!
We are so excited for our upcoming Hillcrest PTA Spring Scholastic Book Fair! The theme is "Once Upon a Time" and runs Friday, April 12 through Friday, April 19. Our Book Fair is a great chance for Herons looking to add to their home libraries and all purchases benefit Hillcrest classrooms, library, and our soon-to-be-purchased book vending machine! Keep reading for more details on this not-to-be-missed event!
Book Fair School Spirit Days
Friday 4/12: Pajama Day
Monday 4/15: Purple Up Day
Tuesday 4/16: Rainbow Colors Day
Wednesday 4/17: Hillcrest School Pride Day
Thursday 4/18: Inside Out/Backwards Day
Friday 4/19: Crazy Hat/Crazy Hair Day
Online Book Fair
Prefer to shop online? Have out-of-town family members that would like to support our school? Shop online for an expanded selection of exclusive books, new releases, value packs, and more. All orders ship home and book-only orders over $25 ship free.
Visit our Hillcrest Book Fair Homepage for details.
Cash-Free Payment Option for Your Child
Consider signing your child up for an eWallet. There's no need to send your child to school with cash thanks to this convenient option. The spending limit is set up in advance! Learn more about the Scholastic eWallet on our Hillcrest Book Fair Homepage.
Seattle Authors Inspire Hillcrest Students!
Hillcrest celebrated National Reading Month in March and we were so fortunate to have three amazing local authors share their craft with our Herons! We started the month welcoming Weirdby Island book series author Eldritch Black and closed out the month with grade-level presentations from Narwhal and Jelly author & illustrator Ben Clanton and Poof! author & illustrator Andy Chou Musser. A huge thank you to our PTA for sponsoring this inspiring learning opportunity for our students!
How Do You Feel About How We Communicate With Families?
We want to hear from you! It is important to keep families, staff, and the community informed while promoting the mission, achievements, and progress of Oak Harbor Public Schools. Please participate in this brief survey to help us evaluate and improve district communications with families.
PurposeFull People Focus for April
Through our PurposeFull People curriculum, students participate in monthly lessons and activities focusing on character traits, including, perseverance, cooperation, empathy, respect, responsibility, gratitude, honesty, creativity, and April's focus: courage.
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Check out these grade-level honesty family newsletters for more details:
Welcome Spring!
Our Herons hunting and drawing eggs!
Oreo Moon Phases!
Mrs. Nickerson's class made models of the moon's phases using Oreo cookies!
Join Us!
We're meeting in the Hillcrest library after school tomorrow! As always, kids are welcome and snacks are provided! We have lots of fun events planned for these last few months of school and we'd love your input!
Volunteer Opportunities
What a great opportunity to help your child's school and earn Scholastic Book Fair Dollars! Can you take a shift during our upcoming Book Fair or help setting up and decorating for the Book Fair? We have time slots open that may fit your schedule! Sign up here!
Enter Our Instagram "Shelfie" Contest
Did you know we’re on Instagram? Now’s a perfect time to follow us! With our Scholastic Book Fair starting April 12th we’re hosting an Instagram “shelfie” contest! To enter, simply like our page, share a photo of your Heron holding a favorite book, and tag us in the comments. One lucky participant will win a $10 gift card to be used at the Book Fair. Follow us on Instagram here.
Our website features the monthly menu posted in a web calendar format that can be translated directly on the page and is more ADA-friendly. Click here to view the menu calendar.