Husky Strong

Hillcrest High School
Midvale, Utah
May 10, 2018

Principal Message:

The time has come to have our official groundbreaking for the new H-Town.  The groundbreaking will be held May 31^st on the softball field in the back of the school.  There will be a reception starting at 5:30pm with a short ceremony at 6:00pm.  We hope you will join us for this exciting event!  See attached flyer for more info on the reception and groundbreaking- Groundbreaking Flyer

As construction begins, information will be forwarded to you on parking and safety as students attend school during a 2-3 year construction process.  Westland construction will start by clearing softball fields, tennis courts and re-routing the canal in the back of the school.  This will clear space for the new HHS athletic center and field house.  We most likely will be using these new facilities in the 2020 school year.  As we begin this process, it will be important to stay informed.

Many events happen at the end of a school year in a high school.  I would like to comment on a few so you are all better informed:

• Arena scheduling opens for the 1st time on May 18th through the 29th.  Students should have a copy of their schedule by then and will be able make adjustments based on class openings.  Instructions can be found on the HHS web page and the HHS counselor web page.  
• The morning of May 30th is our academic letter breakfast for students who applied for and earned an academic letter. These students have a 3.5 GPA in core academic subjects such as Math, Science, Language Arts and Social studies.  This is a cool event and we do it up right for students.  We hire Midvale Mining Company and serve around 200 students.  We hope to see your students achieve this well-deserved award. 
• May 30th is our senior IB celebration in downtown SLC at the Sheraton.  We will be celebrating those seniors who have completed the hard road of IB requirements for graduation.  If you have an IB senior you should have received an invitation. 
• On May 31st, after our ground breaking ceremony, is our senior awards night ceremony beginning at 7:00 pm.  HHS feels it has a great balance of honoring seniors and keeping the show moving.  We have so many wonderful things to celebrate we could be at the school all night.  We are well organized and have a good time honoring these awesome students.  Senior Awards Night is by invitation only. Students and their families who are invited to participate will receive an invitation in the mail by May 23rd.  
• Final locker clean out is on the 31st for all students.  Parents should know we are not able to store left items.  Items will be donated to family shelters. 
• Friday, June 1st is our Yearbook stomp.  We will not charge for this event.  This is a chance for students to receive their yearbooks early if they have all their skyward fines paid and have purchased a yearbook.   The main office will close at 10:30 am to be ready for yearbook stomp.  Seniors will line up first and then we will excuse students for the day to attend.  We will have music, shade, pop and chips for the students and usually we can count on a few food trucks to be on site.  Yearbook stomp will end at 4:00 pm.
• Tuesday June 5^th is graduation starting at 10:00 am.  Parents should know that most of our teachers will be at graduation and teachers here at school will lead students in activities.  Normal academic classes will not occur on that day.
• Parents should be aware that June 6th will be a regular school day, at least as regular as we can make it given it is the day before school ends.  

Sincerely,

Gregory Leavitt

Principal, HHS
801-826-6001

As the weather warms, we are seeing an uptick in student’s dress code violations. Please help us address dress code issues by sharing the dress code with your students and helping students wear clothing that is appropriate for the school environment. If a student is found to be in violation of the dress code, they will be asked to change their clothing. If they do not have appropriate clothing with them, students will be expected to call parents to provide them with appropriate clothing. Thank you in advance for your help!

1. Student Dress Code Standards:

• 1.1 Students shall dress in a manner suitable to the day’s activities consistent with the standards of health, safety, and acceptable behavior.
• 1.2 Student clothing and accessories must not present a health or safety hazard or distraction, which would disrupt the educational mission. Disruption is defined as reactions by other individuals to the clothing or adornment, which causes the teacher/administrator to lose the attention of students, to modify or cease instructional activities, or deal with student confrontations or complaints.
• 1.3 Dress code standards prohibit: immodest or suggestive clothing; apparel advocating illegal or inappropriate behavior or language; head wear; gang symbols; disruptive apparel; and unsafe apparel.
  • 1.3.1. Students shall not wear clothes that are mutilated, cut off, or immodest. (e.g., short shorts, mini-skirts, bare midriffs, halter-tops, spaghetti straps, tank shirts, or similar clothing).
  • 1.3.2. Clothing shall cover the midriff, underwear, backs, and cleavage at all times. Skirts, dresses and shorts must be at least mid-thigh length or longer when seated.

Upcoming Events:

• May 8-9, Region Tennis Tournament @ Granger High School
• May 9, 3:00 p.m. Volleyball Open Gym
• May 9-10, 3:30 p.m. Track & Field Region 2 Championship
• May 11, State Choir Competition
• May 11, During both Lunches, Josten Delivers Cap & Gowns
• May 11, 7:00 p.m.  LIA Social in Large Gym
• May 12, 6:00 p.m. Utah High School Theatre Award @ Eccles Theater
• May 15-17, College Placement Testing Accuplacer
• May 15, 2:45 p.m. School of Life @ A200
• May 16, 3:00 p.m. Volleyball Open Gym
• May 16, 5:30 p.m. Football Parent Meeting in Large Gym
• May 17, 10:30 a.m. Junior Husky Graduation
• May 17-19, State Orchestra Competition
• May 17-18, 8:00 a.m. Track & Field @ BYU (State Championships)
• May 17, 5:30 p.m. Softball Banquet @ STEM Building
• May 17-19, 7:00 p.m. Beautiful Game Production in Auditorium
•  May 18- 29, Arena Scheduling is Open for Next Year
• May 21-24, 3:30 p.m. Boys’ Basketball Skills Game
• May 21, 7:00 p.m. Dance Company Banquet @ Dance Studio
• May 22, 3:45 p.m. School of Life in room A200
• May 22, 3:00 p.m. National Honor Society Social
• May 22, 7:00 p.m. Choir Concert in the Auditorium
• May 23-25, AP Test Make Up
• May 23, 6:00 p.m. Cross-Country Parent Meeting In Media Center
• May 23, 7:00 p.m. Instrumental Music Concert in the Auditorium
• May 24, 7:00 p.m. Dance Show Case in Auditorium
• May 25, 12:00 p.m. Senior Decision Day
• May 26, 11:00 a.m. Music Social
• May 26, 7:00 p.m. CALLIE Awards in Auditorium
• May 28, Memorial Day No School
• May 29-June 1, Art Show Case in AT200
• May 30, National Jr Honor Society Orientation
• May 30, 8:00 a.m. Academic Breakfast in the Cafeteria
• May 30, 3:00 p.m. Volleyball Open Gym in Large Gym
• May 30, 6:00 p.m. IB Senior Celebration Banquet 
• May 31, 6:00 p.m. Ground Breaking for New Hillcrest High School
• May 31, 7:00 p.m. Senior Awards Night in the Auditorium
• June 1 & 4, 8:30 a.m. Mandatory Graduation Practice in Auditorium
• June 1, 7:00 p.m. Pop Concert in Auditorium
• June 1, 12:30 p.m.  Yearbook Stomp at Soccer Field
• June 1, 11:00 a.m. Senior Panoramic Picture
• June 2, 7:00 p.m. Senior Dinner Dance at University Of Ut Stadium Tower
• June 4, Senior BBQ on Soccer Field after Mandatory Graduation Practice
• June 4, 1:30 p.m. Tradition Assembly
• June 5, 10:00 a.m. Graduation @ Maverick Center, West Valley City

Class Schedules for 2018-19 School Year

On Friday, May 18th  ALL students will receive their schedule for the 2018-19 school year in their 1^st period class.  Middle school students can pick up their schedule from their respective counseling center or view online through Skyward.

2018-19 Schedule Changes

If you would like to change your schedule for next year you will need to do so through Arena Scheduling, 5/21/18-5/29/18

It is possible that you may drop a class and not be able to add it back to your schedule because it is full, so use caution. Also, if you are unable to add other classes it is because the class is full.

How to use Arena:

1. Login to Skyward Family Access
2. Use your Student Login and Password to access your information
3. Click on Arena Scheduling in the left hand menu and select 2018-19 School Year
4. Select “View/Print Schedule” to view your scheduled classes
5. To drop a class click on the class name. You will then be prompted if you are sure you want to remove the class. If you drop a class, there is no guarantee you will be able to add it later.  Be careful in what you drop!
6. To add a class, close the “View/Print Schedule” Search for classes by period, subject, teacher and click on the add button if available
7. There is no save button, when a change is made it is automatically saved
8. Specific instructions can be found through this tutorial
   
9. If you need help adjusting your schedule the Career Center will be open before and after school May 21st - 29th with counselors available to answer questions
10. There will be NO schedule changes with counselors at the beginning of the year so be sure to make the changes NOW

Hillcrest High School has appreciated the 250 students and the 25 parents who participated in our public forums. We value and consider all of the opinions expressed and will be holding more opportunities for students and parents to express their opinions in the future. Hillcrest is a positive and inclusive environment and we would like to be proactive in addressing any concerns.

To that end, both in the parent and student forums, comments were made and questions were asked about how our new building is being constructed. There will be a public forum for comment on the new building plans on April 18th at 6pm at Hillcrest High School

The other topics discussed at both forums are as follows:

Drills: 

• Students want more training on what to do during a drill, with the teachers and other students taking it seriously. Students specifically want to know what to do during passing times, lunches, and when an intruder is visible. Multiple suggestions were made for an opt-in active shooter drill.
• Parents also made suggestions for better drills and for the opt-in active shooter drill, although concerns were expressed about the traumatic impact such a drill might have.
• These are great suggestions and administration will hold more specific training on drills for both students and teachers. We are required by the state to only have four drills per year - we probably won’t increase this but we will make them more effective.

What makes students feel unsafe: 

• Parking lot is chaotic and people just need to follow rules in general. Not having relationships with counselors, teachers, and other adults. Students want a way for the school to mass communicate in emergencies. Suggestions were made to better advertise the SafeUT app and to provide training for teachers, counselors, and administrators that is similar to Hope Squad training.
• Parents also expressed concerns about the parking lot and crosswalks around the school. They were shaken and scared by the false alarm active shooter situation last year, but felt that the communication helped. Parents were excited about the reporting possibilities of the SafeUT app.
• The school community council has addressed the walking routes and sent letters to Midvale city. Mr. Leavitt has also met with the mayor on these issues. We invite parents to contact Midvale city with their concerns regarding walking routes to and from school. We will continue to monitor the parking lot and teach explicit behavior expectations for our student drivers. This will become increasingly important as we will have temporary parking lots during new school construction. We believe strongly that adding two more entrances to Hillcrest High School will greatly enhance safety and this has been included in the building plans.
• Administration will also develop a plan to talk about the SafeUT app with students and reward students for having the app on their phone. We will train students on how to use the app wisely.

How to make a more positive environment: 

• Students want everyone to treat each other with kindness. Again, students emphasized wanting relationships with the adults in the building and coping skills to deal with negative social situations. Suggestions were made for empathy lessons and trainings to develop a culture of connectivity (actual student words!).
• Parents emphasized the diversity of Hillcrest and the positive effects that has had on student relationships.
• We appreciated the responses celebrating the diversity of our population. Hillcrest is a unique, wonderful place to be. Administration feels that with our new Academic Prep Period (APP) next year, there will be greater opportunities to teach explicit behavior expectations, create positive relationships between adults and students in the building, and build tolerance. As one student said, at the end of the day it is everyone’s responsibility to just be nice.

Social Media: 

• Students felt that they should be responsible for monitoring their own social media and emphasized that students need to be encouraged to report things that make them feel unsafe or threatened. They also feel that school personnel has an obligation to act on those reports.
• Parents felt that social media could be used for good – both for communication during a crisis and as a reporting mechanism. Some parents expressed concern for the false information that could go out on social media. Parents also suggested Hope Squad training and better teaching of coping skills.
• This question was a little misinterpreted. Administration will not be monitoring social media on students’ private phones or accounts. Under state law, we do reserve the right to question students and search their social media accounts concerning posts and activity that have been reported as suspicious. The exploration of the topic of social media is more about students and parents being aware of reportable events being trafficked on social media and then following through with police and school reporting. We encourage students and parents to be more public in their conversations about out-of-the-norm social media activity.

Open Invitation

Canyons District and FFKR will be showing off renderings of the new HHS on April 18th at 6pm at HHS.  The public is invited to come look over the architectural drawings and speak with school officials and architects.  Below is the picture of the site to pique your interest.  

Click here to access the full-size image

Baby Ads Deadline: Due February 5th

Please turn in form to the main office at Hillcrest High School. Download document for more details.
Download Documents

Examples

HHS After School Classes for NG Make Up

For who: (1) Students needing to clear current NGs that have a C or better and (2) Students with prior NGs
When: Wednesdays and Thursdays, starting November 29^th
Time: 2:35pm-3:20 pm
Where: A105
With whom: Lizbeth Velazquez, Social Worker
What: Curriculum based NG make-up covering the following topics: Barriers to getting to class(es), Student Engagement Plan, and Goal Setting.

Students must fill out (from your CSDDocs account) this form: tinyurl.com/HHSNGmakeup at least a day prior to attending a session. No drop-ins will be allowed. Limited spots available, first come, first served.

husky_strong_parent_meeting_flyer.pdf

HHS_Parent_Meetings_Spanish.pdf