Hillcrest STEAM Academy Newsletter
December 2018
A Note from the Office...
1.) Our families truly value education, and this is evident in our attendance rates at Hillcrest STEAM Academy. You truly realize each minute of each day is valuable, and we appreciate that! Our attendance continues to be outstanding, and we aim to continue that each year.
2.) Family involvement also continues to exceed expectations. We welcome hundreds of families throughout the year for a variety of events, including family nights, a highly involved PTA, WatchDOGS, and so much more! Thank you for supporting Hillcrest STEAM Academy.
3.) We have just about finished our application to become a State School of Character. The process of becoming a State School of Character allows us to reflect on the different initiatives we have in place.
We are fortunate to have a wonderful family here at STEAM, and are glad you are a part of it!
-Hillcrest STEAM Academy Staff
Engineering Design Process
The Engineering Design Process is utilized at Hillcrest STEAM Academy. Students spend a lot of time planning, organizing, and researching various topics before they even begin constructing a project.
Check out this article, from TeachEngineering, which talks about the engineering design process.
https://www.teachengineering.org/k12engineering/designprocess
As you can see, students spend a lot of time identifying needs, researching problems, developing possible solutions, and selecting a promising solution. This all takes quite a bit of time. Oftentimes, the students go through “productive struggle” and have to go back to the drawing board. This helps to build resiliency amongst all students.
Contact your child’s teacher for more information about engineering projects specific to each grade level.
Changing Seasons
As the weather is changing quickly, please remember to send your child to school in a coat, hat, and gloves. Students will have outdoor recess as long as the wind chill is above 20 degrees. The students will not be allowed to stay in during colder temperatures unless there is a note from the doctor specifying that your child cannot go outside for recess due to medical reasons. We want to help every student stay healthy, and wearing a coat is an easy way to accomplish this. We will not take the students outside if there is thunder, lightening, or heavy precipitation.
Please remember that if your child is sick to notify the office. You can email us at hillcrest@bsd124.org or call the school at (816) 348-1130. Our office hours are from 8:40-4:40. You can call outside of those hours and leave a voicemail to notify us of your child’s absence.
Winter Concert Information
Upcoming Performances
Hillcrest STEAM Academy’s winter musical performance - Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening presented by our 2nd grade, 4th grade, 5th/6th grade music and 4-6 grade choir will be on Monday, December 10th at The Forum at the Belton Middle School/Freshmen Center.
2nd grade parents please bring your student to the middle school band room (to the right of the forum entrance) at 5:45 pm. 2nd grade will perform at 6:00.
4th, 5th, and 6th grade parents please bring your student to the middle school band room at 6:15 pm. You will not be able to enter the forum until the 2nd grade performance has concluded. The 4-6 grade concert will begin at 6:30. There will be no supervision for your student if you bring them prior to the times listed for them to enter the band room.
Students are welcome to dress up for the concert (ex. dresses, sweaters, button up shirts) but it is not required.
We look forward to seeing you, thank you for supporting the arts in our schools!
5th/6th Grade Band
Conscious Discipline
Hat Days
PTA Meeting
Thursday, Dec 6, 2018, 05:30 PM
Hillcrest STEAM Academy
Winter Parties
9:45-10:30 - 3rd Grade
10:30-11:15 - 4th Grade
11:15 - 12:00 - 5th Grade
LUNCH BREAK
12:30-1:15 - 6th Grade
1:15-2:00 - Kindergarten
2:00-2:45 - 1st Grade
2:45-3:30- 2nd Grade
Thursday, Dec 20, 2018, 09:00 AM
Hillcrest STEAM Academy
Important Dates in December
6 - PTA Meeting @ 5:30pm
10 - 2nd, 4th, 5th, and 6th Grade Choir concerts @ BMSFC Forum
13 - Band Concert - 6:00-6:30 @ Belton High School
20 - Winter Parties
21 - January 2 - No School
Our Mission
The mission of Hillcrest STEAM Academy, a leader of STEAM innovation, is to ensure that all students flourish as individuals of character and advocates of their for own learning through the school community distinguished by
a culture of independence and collaboration
a global outlook based on a foundation of character
a focus on problem solving and critical thinking
- real world experiences with integration throughout all subjects.
Hillcrest STEAM ACademy
Email: hillcrest@bsd124.org
Website: http://www.beltonschools.org/Page/151
Location: 106 South Hillcrest Road, Belton, MO, United States
Phone: 816-348-1130
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HillcrestSTEAMAcademy/?ref=bookmarks
Twitter: @HillcrestSTEAM