Friday News - February 4, 2022

Friday, February 4, 2022


 

Hillcrest Elementary School

Friday News

February 4, 2022

Dear Hillcrest Families,

Welcome to February!  We’ve had plenty of fickle February weather this past week.  We all know how unpredictable New England weather can be – it may be cloudy with temps in the single digits at morning drop-off and sunny with temps in the 20s or 30s by midday.  So, please be sure to send your child to school with winter gear EVERY day. I realize this may seem cumbersome, but we want to be sure that children are always  well-prepared for outdoor recess, which is an essential component of our school day.  

A few important news items:

  • Hillcrest families who opted in to the At-Home Covid Testing Program received their at-home test kits yesterday, February 3rd.  If you have not already checked your student’s backpack, please do so today so that you are prepared to test on Monday morning. For more details on this program, please check out the Family Letter here or via the PDF attached to your weekly email. 

  • This week, one of our student interns from the Nursing Program at Greenfield Community College joined us in the Health Office.  Her name is Caitlyn Moore and she will be at Hillcrest each Thursday between now and March 10th.

  • Friends of Hillcrest Meeting held a meeting this week and they’ve begun planning a fun family event for Saturday, April 30th. If you are interested in learning more about this event or about Friends of Hillcrest, please email friendsofhillcrest2015@gmail.com. And, all Hillcrest community members are welcome to attend the upcoming Friends of Hillcrest meetings: 

    • Monday, February 28th at 5:00 (virtual)

    • Wednesday, March 30th at 5:00 (in-person, hopefully)

  • You may be wondering . . . Why have there been so many Early Release Days recently? These days are set aside to ensure that our staff members have time for professional development, student data analysis and curriculum work. Our January 26th Early Release Day was focused on Student Literacy Data and our February 2nd Early Release Day provided professional development on a range of topics including the  implementation of Wit & Wisdom, providing support for students with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Google Tools training.  Excellent teaching and student success require a significant investment of time devoted to professional learning and these Early Release Day opportunities are designed to help us maintain our commitment to those goals. 

  • Upcoming Fun Fridays (optional fun):

    • Friday, February 11th – Wear a shirt that features your favorite sports team or your favorite activity

    • Friday, February 18th – Wear mismatched socks

Wishing you a wonderful weekend —

Sarah Burstein

Sarah Burstein, Hillcrest Principal

 

Important dates

Wednesday, February 16th -Early Release Day

Monday, February 21st - Friday, February 25th – School Vacation Week