Hillside welcomes you to the 2022-23 school year! We are looking forward to seeing our students, teachers, and families back in action at Hillside. Here's hoping your summer has been restful and full of fun.

We are excited to see all our Hillside Tigers back at school before you know it!

Westside's First Day of School is Tuesday, August 16**! Should you have any questions, please visit the district website at www.westside66.org, download the app: Westside Community Schools, or email communications@westside66.net.

**First day of school varies for Westside Middle School and Westside High School students. Please watch for upcoming newsletters with additional details**

Hillside's Community Club is back in action this year! We will structure events in a slightly different way and plan to tackle building events using parents/guardians who would like to get involved in leading that particular event. Planned events for 2022-23 are:

• The Hillside Picnic (September)
• Trunk or Treat (October)
• STEAM Day (December)
• Hillside School Dance (April)
• Field Days (May)
• There is a possibility to plan various Family Nights (such as a Hillside movie night in the gym or bowling off-site at a local bowling alley) throughout the school year, if there is interest and enthusiasm

Please reach out to Community Club President Erin Palzer at d66hillside@gmail.com if you are interested in joining in to help with Community Club efforts; our students and families love school events, and we very much want to make sure we organize gatherings if there is interest for doing so.

Thank you for considering contributing some of your time to make our school a great place to learn and grow!

If you haven’t already done so, please complete the Returning Student Registration for 2022/2023. This MUST be completed for each currently enrolled student returning to Westside in August. Please log into PowerSchool (ps.westside66.org) and click on the icon in the lower left corner. If you have any questions or need assistance, please email powerschool.support@westside66.net.

Incoming kindergarten students will come to school during the week of August 16th according to the Kindergarten Group 1 or 2 email sent to families. Please come to school on the days you were assigned according to the email:

Group 1: August 16th and 17th

or

Group 2: August 18th and 19th

All Kindergarteners will report to school on Monday, August 22nd. If you have questions or need a reminder if your kindergarten student is in Group 1 or Group 2, please call the office at 402-390-6450.

*Kindergarten teacher assignments will be communicated by 6pm on Friday, August 19th.

Did you know that the Westside Foundation's mission is to raise private funding for all District 66 Schools? The Foundation does this primarily through private fundraising for special projects, an annual fundraiser- VI VI, and through the annual campaign, W-CLUB. Your support of the Foundation ensures our faculty, staff and students have what they need to excel every day.

Save the Date: VI VI LAS VEGAS, September 24, 2022

Funds raised at this event benefit <<YOUR SCHOOL>> teachers and students. In year's past, VI VI funds have directly supported our students through X, Y, and Z projects. We hope you will consider attending this event or making a donation so we can continue our good work! SUPPORT VI VI TODAY!

W-CLUB: JOIN TODAY

Make a gift that is meaningful to you to show you are proud to be part of Westside Community Schools. Funds raised through the W-CLUB get redistributed back into all Westside Community Schools. Every teacher has the opportunity to apply for W-Club grants annually. <<YOUR SCHOOL>> has received funding for X, Y, and Z in the past.

Donating to Hillside

To make a tax-deductible donation please donate through the Westside Foundation. You can specifically note that funds should be designated to Hillside community club, fun run, etc. Your gift is not tax deductible if it comes directly to our school. If you have questions, please contact Westside Foundation at foundation@westside66.net.

Hillside's Health Assistant, Mrs. Ecklebe, is here to assist you with your student's health needs. Her direct number is 402-390-8460. Please call with health questions or issues, and she will be happy to help.

Hillside Families:

Below is a link to information about many aspects of our school; please take a moment to read through the information below. Thank you, and welcome to the 2022-23 school year!

Breakfast

Student: $1.70

Adult: $2.60

Deluxe Adult: $2.85

Lunch

Student: $2.95

Adult: $4.25

Deluxe Adult. $4.50

A La Carte

Milk $0.50

Juice $0.50

Student Main. $1.20

Pizza $1.20

Fruit $0.50

Vegetable. $0.50

Bread $0.25

Toast (2) $0.50

Cereal $0.75

Cookie $0.50

Popcorn $0.50

Adult Main $1.75

You are invited to BE A PART OF THE MUSIC! This fall, 5th grade students will have the opportunity to do what so many successful students have done in previous years by being a part of Band and Strings! In the first three weeks of school, instrumental music teachers will be visiting all elementary buildings, demonstrating the instruments available, and giving students the opportunity to select an instrument of their choice. The instrumental music team will have a parent meeting about the program on Tuesday, August 30, at 6:30 pm at Westside Middle School. All are welcome to attend to learn about elementary instrumental music and to meet the teachers. The whole team is excited to introduce your child to the world of instrumental music!

The Elementary Instrumental Music Staff

Gail Carpenter-Johnson, Michael Freeman, and Viktoria Matheson

Parents and Guardians:

Please see the Hillside student supply request lists below. These supplies are a donation and reflect requests from classroom teachers. If you choose to supply teachers with any or all supplies listed for your student's grade level, please know these supplies will go directly to classrooms to be distributed when needed. We are grateful for the support of our families in supplying our classrooms each year.

• Please be sure to fill out a Free/Reduced Lunch Application for the 2022-23 school year. If you think you might qualify for assistance, just go ahead and fill it out! Thanks.

  
  

• Apply for free/reduced meals at Westside Community Schools. https://www.myschoolapps.com/Home/PickDistrict

• If you have questions about the free/reduced meals program, please email Michele Divoky at divoky.michele@westside66.net or call (402) 390-3382.

Westside Community Schools wants to make sure ALL Westside students and families are set up for success for the coming school year. If you need help with food, utilities, clothing, or other support for your child and family, please reach out to our caring team of social workers; CLICK HERE.

Westside Community Schools are also partnering with One World Health Centers to offer two more Back To School health clinics. This offers presents a convenient way to complete school physicals, get immunizations, and receive treatment for certain issues.

• July 20, 8:30am-3:30pm at Westside High School

• August 14, Noon-4pm at the Back To School Celebration (WHS)

Please do not hesitate to reach out; we are here to help!

If you are new to our school, welcome to Hillside! We have a very efficient and organized carpool lane so that we keep everyone safe at drop-off and pick-up. Please see the carpool pathway below so that you are prepared on the first day of school to drop-off and/or pick-up your student(s).

Please:

• Stay in your vehicle
• Pull up as far as you are able to do so before stopping to drop off or pick up student(s)
• Pull into the parking lot and park in a space if your child(ren) require(s) you to get out, help them buckle or unbuckle, etc.
• Feel free to pull around those in front of you to exit if you are loaded and ready to go; there is a free lane in order to do so, and it keeps traffic moving

We have staff outside ready to help you and to direct drivers; please give them a smile and a wave! We are here to help you and to keep your student(s) safe.

It is important to us that we know how your student(s) is/are getting home before the first day of school! Please take a moment to either print out and complete a dismissal plan for each student (button below) OR plan to complete a dismissal plan at Sneak-a-Peek Night on August 11. An alternative would be to drop in at the front office on the first day of school to fill out a dismissal plan. Thank you for helping us to keep students safe and accounted for!

We send our thanks and best wishes to Mrs. Teresa Matthews as she explores new vistas in Lincoln, NE. We appreciate all Mrs. Matthews has given to Hillside for the past decade; please stay tuned for an announcement regarding art instruction for the 2022-23 school year.

In order to avoid issues with allergic reactions to snacks brought into school, we ask you to please stick to the below snack list provided by our school district. These snacks are our best bet for providing safer snacks to all students; we will not serve to students anything other than what is on the below list! If you wish to provide a snack for your student's classroom (i.e., special occasions like birthdays, etc.), please choose from the snack list. Of course, you may send what you would like for your own student's consumption during snack time; we only ask that you avoid sending products containing peanuts, as we have quite a few students with severe peanut allergies. The items on the snack list are for serving to a classroom of students. Thank you for your help and support!

Please note that Hillside's front office must be informed regarding any legal documentation regarding your child/children, including restraining orders, custody changes, or address changes. Thank you for keeping us updated.