HIGHCREST HEADLINES
August 11, 2023
A Message from the Administrative Team
We have been working round the clock to get things ready for the school year, and are excited to welcome our teachers back in the coming days to get their classrooms set up, and to get things ready for our first day on August 23!
If you have been by Highcrest this summer, you know that the building has been busy with construction work, getting things ready for air conditioning, as well as updated 6th grade science classrooms, and improvements in some of our infrastructure. We are looking forward to having these projects completed soon! As we get into our school year, please be sure to give our custodial team a big thank you....we wouldn't be able to start the year without them!
This email will be my first Friday email for this school year. Please always be sure to read the emails that come your way on Fridays, as they will contain important information from the school, the district, and the Highcrest PTO so you are up to date on all events and important information.
Next week on Thursday (August 17), class assignments will be emailed to all registered families. Please refrain from emailing us until Friday if you have not received your information. This process will take the whole day as emails are sent in batches throughout the day, so rest assured, if you are registered, you will receive yours. All class assignments will be accompanied by a letter from your Grade Level Administrator. Please read that information carefully as you receive your schedules. As a reminder, the placement process is very complicated and there are many factors we consider when placing each child, so for this reason, placements are final, and we are unable to make changes after Thursday.
Have a great weekend!
Kelly, Linda, and Susie
IMPORTANT DATES
- August 14 - Final 5th Grade Webinar (7:00 PM) Click for LINK
- August 16 - Highcrest Hangout for rising 5th graders (3:00 - 4:00 PM) - HMS playground
- August 17 - Classroom Assignments emailed (all day process)
- August 22 - 5th Grade Orientation (8:45 - 9:15 AM)
- August 22 - New Family Welcome (5:00 PM) - for new families to District 39 and HMS
- August 23 - First Day of School (dismissal at 11:46 AM)
- August 24 - First FULL Day of School
- August 31- 5th Grade Curriculum Night (6:15 PM)
- September 5 - 6th Grade Curriculum Night (6:15 PM)
- September 27 - PICTURE DAY
5th Grade Information
A FINAL INCOMING 5TH GRADE WEBINAR will be held this coming Monday, August 14 at 7:00 PM. Ms. Moric will review some final tips and tricks for fifth graders and will share some last-minute advice for students and families as they get ready for Highcrest. This webinar will be recorded and posted on our website. LINK FOR WEBINAR HERE.
Plan to attend our final Highcrest Hangout on AUGUST 16 from 3:00 - 4:00 PM. No need to register... just come join us on the playground for some brief introductions and a short tour of some HMS building highlights.
Mark your calendars for 5th GRADE ORIENTATION which will be held on August 22 from 8:45 - 9:15 AM. This is a student-only orientation where students will meet their homeroom teachers, learn a bit about their classroom and other teachers, and meet others in their homerooms. More specific orientation information will be sent on Friday, August 18, so you can plan accordingly! During this time, parents will have the opportunity to connect with the HMS PTO and have HMS Spiritwear printed on-site.
As always, information is continually updated on our COUNTDOWN TO HIGHCREST at THIS LINK , and is also regularly updated on our HMS Fifth Grade Transition website.
6th Grade Information
Forms may be dropped off during the first days of school or may be emailed to our nurse, at mclonem@wilmette39.org
DISTRICT 39 UPDATES
Our entire District 39 community wishes to welcome you back to the start of the 2023-24 school year. We are so excited to welcome our staff to our buildings in the days ahead and for our students to return for the first day of school on Wednesday, Aug. 23!
Registration Reminder
Please make sure that your child has been officially registered for the 2023-24 academic year and that any outstanding instructional materials fees have been paid prior to the start of school. Both matters can be resolved by logging into the PowerSchool Parent Portal.
Parent Education Events
We are proud to announce that our first Parent Education event of the year, titled “Feeling Safe in District 39 Schools” will be held next Thursday, Aug. 17 at 11 am via Zoom. This presentation will feature a review of our focused and collaborative efforts to ensure safe, secure and supportive learning environments for our students and staff. In addition, we have compiled a fantastic lineup for our Parent Education series this year and hope that you find these presentations both informative and helpful as we partner to provide a terrific learning experience for our students. Registration is open for our first event and our Parent Education page provides the full schedule and registration links. The list of presenters for our first event is below:
Dr. Kari Cremascoli, District 39 Superintendent
Tony DeMonte, Asst. Superintendent for Technology and Safety
Kyle Murphy, Chief of Police, Wilmette Police Department
Val Davis, Community Resource Officer, Wilmette Police Department
Dr. Renee Dominguez, Co-Executive Director, Family Service Center
Layla Danley, Illinois Chapter Lead, Be SMART
Air Conditioning Update
We are excited to be installing air conditioning within nearly all of our classroom spaces for the 2023-2024 school year. Although our construction teams and maintenance crews have worked extraordinarily hard this summer in preparation for the start of school, supply chain and equipment delays have caused some delay in project completion. As a result, our air conditioning projects in some district buildings will not be completed in time for the first days of the school year. However, we anticipate final equipment delivery in September and are eager for our temperature-controlled classroom environments soon thereafter. In the meantime, please dress appropriately for warmer weather. Our D39 Action Plan for Warm Weather Days will remain in place until all classroom air conditioning is fully functional.
COMMUNITY NEWS
LINK TO COMMUNITY NEWS:
https://www.wilmette39.org/news/community_events
The Wilmette Stars Special Olympics Team will have its first basketball skills practice on Tuesday, October 10 from 4:00 - 4:45 pm at McKenzie Elementary School.
Contact Joe Taylor at taylorjo@wilmette39.org or 224-220-4736 for more information.
Special Gifts Theatre Presents High School Musical Jr. September 2023 - March 2024 This musical theatre program held at The Skokie School in Winnetka
on Mondays 4:15 - 5:30 pm has openings for students and peer mentors.
See flyer for details
Skate for Girls Learn math through skating for free! Summer Session runs August 14-18
Glide to Growth is a non-profit that aims to provide one-on-one free figure skating lessons to children with disabilities. Ice skating is an excellent therapeutic activity that promotes physical, emotional, and social growth. Contact www.glidetogrowth.com
New Trier Township offers a Food Pantry 10am - 4pm weekdays; and other available resources go to www.newtriertownship.com for more information
Wilmette Food Pantry Provides grocery & seasonal produce Tuesdays 10:30 - 11:30 am