Heather Hill Elementary

Dear Parent/Guardian:

Summer is quickly approaching so it's time to talk about next school year! I would like to take this opportunity to outline the NEW registration process for 2018-2019 school year.

In honoring our commitment to streamline the residency verification process, if you have a student entering Kindergarten, 3rd grade or 6th grade you must verify residency on Monday, July 9th, Wednesday, July 11th, Tuesday, July 17th, or Thursday, July 19th at the Normandy Villa Administration Center, 41 E. Elmwood Drive, Chicago Heights. A PDF containing a full schedule of dates and times can be found below.

Additionally, regardless of your students grade, if you do not own or rent but rather live with a Flossmoor School District 161 resident, the parent/guardian and the resident are both required to come in person to the Normandy Villa Administration Center, 41 E. Elmwood Drive, Chicago Heights to verify residency on Monday, July 9th, Wednesday, July 11th, Tuesday, July 17th, or Thursday, July 19th. A PDF containing information on residency requirements can be found below.

On-line registration via Family Access in Skyward is open and you should have received this information via an email blast. The following is needed to participate in the on-line registration process:

1. A computer with internet access (if you don't have access to a computer, this can also be done at the public library or during one of the residency verification days held at the district).
2. Skyward Family Access account- contact your child's school if you do not have access
3. A valid e-mail address for the guardian completing the process
4. Each student being registered must be a returning student
5. If you wish to pay your fees on-line you will need a Discover, Visa or Mastercard (debit or credit). Please note: fees are at a discounted rate until July 26, 2018, they will be full rate thereafter.

Free lunch applications and waiver of fee forms will be available for parents on the district website or on residency days. Applications can also be picked up at Normandy Villa.

Lastly, all families will go to Parker Junior High on Class Assignment Pickup days to receive your student's class assignment and other pertinent information to begin the school year. Dates and times are posted in a PDF below.

Thank you for your cooperation with student registration. If you have any questions, please call Ms. Wanda Alexander at 708-647-7001.

PDFs:

• Residency Verification Dates & Times
• Residency Requirements
• Class Assignment Pickup Days & Times
• Student Fee Payment Form Before July 26
• Student Fee Payment Form After July 26
• Parker Student Fee Payment Form Before July 26
• Parker Student Fee Payment Form After July 26

The Ronald McDonald Care Mobile from Advocate Children’s Hospital will be at the District Office on Monday, August 6, 2018 to provide school physicals for children who have no insurance or on Medicaid. Physicals and the necessary immunizations will be provided free of charge for those students on Medicaid or no insurance. Students with private insurance cannot be accepted. The completed Child History Form and Patient Information Form, along with a current vaccination record will need to be returned to the District Office (41 E. Elmwood Drive in Chicago Heights) by July 25th . You will then be contacted to confirm the time of your appointment. Appointments will be taken on a first-come basis.

Parent Letter (English / Spanish)

Child History Form (English / Spanish)

Patient Information Form (English / Spanish)

Summer Reading

Reading can be one of the many fun activities children choose to fill their summer time. Research has shown it is also much more! Children who participate in public library summer reading programs make achievement leaps during the summer and score higher on fall reading achievement tests.

Please take a look at the following Flossmoor Public Library's summer reading program and the Association for Library Service to Children's summer reading lists:

Congratulations to the Heather Hill Green Team! This active group of students and educators made school district history through teamwork, research and letter writing!

In the fall, The Green Team noticed that Ceres, the school district hot lunch provider, had changed food packaging from cardboard to styrofoam containers. At that point, the Green Team had already been using excess cardboard for projects around the school, as well as donations for local veterinarians to use as pet feeding containers. The group was unhappy about the change and decided to do some research. They came up with some important facts: 1. small amounts of chemicals used in the production of styrofoam can leak into hot food 2.styrofoam never goes away. In fact, they found that currently, 30% of landfills are made up of styrofoam products. Once their research was complete, the team decided something needed to be done. So, they wrote a letter detailing their research and asked the Regional Co-ordinator of Ceres to change the food containers back to cardboard. To their surprise, the Regional Co-ordinator wrote back right away saying she would look into the matter. 

After winter break the Team received a letter from Ceres stating they would switch back to cardboard lunch containers for all of School District 161! The Green Team was thrilled with this response and students felt empowered. Joan Mahler, one of the staff member leaders of the group, said she felt, "Students learned not to be afraid to speak up. They learned to be persistent." 

The Heather Hill Green Team was interviewed by the Homewood-Flossmoor Chronicle (see link below). They were also honored by the Flossmoor School District 161 School Board, on January 22, 2018, for their outstanding work.  The students and staff presented their project to the board detailing the series of events. They ended with a quote from Margaret Mead, "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."

We're proud of The Green Team! The way they incorporated the power of research and writing, as well as their persistence, are qualities we strive to instill in all students at Heather Hill. Thank you to The Green Team for being such great models of citizenship and change!