HIllcrest Elementary
30 Griswold Street
Turners Falls, MA 01376
413.863.9526
Fax: 413.863.3284

Hillcrest School offers many programs to its students.  Some of these programs are permanently part of our school programming while others are made possible for a shorter amount of time through grant funds.

Art

While art takes place on a daily basis in the classroom, the students kindergarten through grade two participate in a formal art program.  Classroom teachers and the art teacher work together to plan and co-teach the art program which runs one hour, every other week.  Children's art is a source of important learning and self-expression.  We take great pride in our students work and you will see it prominently displayed throughout the school.

Music

Our music program is designed to broaden children's knowledge of a variety of music.  Children will learn some early fundamentals about rhythm, notes and beat.  As a school we are teaching children of variety of songs that will become our "school songbook".  Children, kindergarten through grade two, meet with the music teacher once a week for 30 minutes.

Physical Education

The State of Massachusetts requires that children receive classes in physical education.  For our kindergarten students, this is a class which meets once a week for 30 minutes.  Students in grades 1 & 2 meet twice each week for 30 minute classes.  Our physical education program is designed to teach children movement, coordination, balance and games.  Classes take place outdoors in good weather and in our auditorium on cold and/or rainy days.  Children must wear sneakers on gym day!

After School Programs

Hillcrest School has been fortunate to receive state grant monies to enable us to offer after school program opportunities for children in grades 1 & 2.  Programs such as chorus, art & gardening, soccer and T-Ball enable children to enjoy extracurricular activities at a very low cost.  Programs vary from year to year.  Flyers and sign-up forms are sent home with students.

Early Childhood Programs

The Gill-Montague Regional School District is proud to offer several preschool programs for children 3, 4 and 5 years old.  The programs are coordinated by Ms. Emily Koester.  The Hillcrest School is home to the Discovery Preschool Program, offering fine developmentally based preschool opportunities for young children. Please call the Early Childhood Coordinator Emily Koester or Principal Chris Jutres at 863-3257 for more information.

Hillcrest School is beginning to upgrade computers for each of its classrooms.  At this early age, children will be provided with opportunities to become familiar with the basic skills to successfully operate a Macintosh computer.  Our goal is to have a new Macintosh computers in each classroom.  We purchase only the best, most relevant educational software.  Research shows that having "stand-alones" in classrooms are the best match for young learners.  As children grow older a computer lab experience is shown to have benefits.

Kindergarten Screening

The State of Massachusetts mandates that all kindergarten children be screened for possible special needs by October 31 of each year.  The screening takes place during the school day during the month of October.  Parents are informed both prior to the screen and after, regarding the results.  Children are screened by their teacher and by a speech pathologist, physical therapist and occupational therapist.  Vision and hearing checks are completed by the school nurse.  The screening is a brief check of a child's growth and development in areas of speech and language, small and large muscle development, general learning, vision and hearing.

Holiday Celebrations

With respect for all children and their backgrounds the Hillcrest School does not celebrate holidays which have a religious origin.  Rather, the staff plan activities and celebrations which take the spirit and intent of important celebrations and plan activities accordingly.  For some holidays, children are particularly excited and can become preoccupied with events surrounding them.  By keeping the regular routine of school intact we help children stay focused on their school learning.  Our experience is that children are calmer and focused in school when the keep to our routines.  We also believe that the decision to celebrate holidays is best left to each family.

Our school offers many celebrations throughout the school year which are related to the children's studies, achievements and the arts.

D.A.R.E.

The Gill-Montague School District and the Montague Police Department provide all children with a drug and alcohol awareness program.  At the Early Childhood level, the program, lasting 4 weeks, is primarily about safety.  Children learn about how to keep themselves safe and how to turn to family members and teachers for help if needed.