Hill's Got Talent 2019 Variety Show

The Hill Variety Show, once Talent Show, has been a Hill tradition for years. Each year, more and more students perform and, with the addition of the Art Show, this year has been our biggest year yet!! There is a so much talent at Hill and it was fun to watch the artists and performers shine. Thank you to Gretchen Frisen and Julie Mitretta for you hard work organizing this event and to all the parent volunteers that made this night a huge success. Also a shout out and thank you to the teachers that performed, it was a huge hit...we can not wait to see what you have in store for us next year!

Hill Students are Heading to Robotics World Championships

Hill Elementary’s Robotics Program will be representing Hill Elementary School, the Troy School District, and Michigan in the Vex IQ World Championships in Louisville, KY April 28-30 this year.

Teams 4600B (TEKnIQ) and 4600D (the Quantum Sheep) have qualified for the Vex IQ Robotics World Championships in Louisville, KY April 28-30! Pic 2: 4600B, TEKnIQ , with Seth Tesoro (pictured left, holding the Mad Elephant robot), Rishab Shteh (center), and Rishit Sheth (right) of, qualified by winning the Amaze Award at the Michigan State Championship Tournament for their robust and consistent robot design and programming. 4600D, the Quantum Sheep, with Nolan Sackrison (left) Quinten Lagesse (center), Valentina Mansour (right, holding the Quantum Shepherd robot), qualified later based on their combined high skills and autonomous programming score (using the Quantum Shepherd 3.0). Coach Matt Sackrison (Pictured with TEKnIQ and their Amaze Award) could not be more proud of these two teams of 4th and 5th graders! “Young minds always amaze!” said Sackrison. Who added special thanks to Steve Smitka and Jeff Blakely for their dogged efforts to come together to form the Hill Elementary Huskies Robotics Program (a parent volunteer organization) just two years ago. Sackrison also thanks Hill’s parent coaches/mentors and those behind the scenes helping our program grow to enable our Hill students to achieve such heights.

• Photo1: Coach Matt Sackrison with Team TEKnIQ (Seth Tesoro, Rishab Shteh, and Rishit Sheth)
• Photo3: Team Quantum Sheep L to R: Nolan Sackrison, Quinten Lagesse and Valentina Mansour

Grandparents & Special Person's Breakfast

This week Hill 3rd graders welcomed grandparents and special people into their classrooms. The morning included time in their classrooms, breakfast, a tour of the school, eating lunch together, and visiting the library. It was a wonderful opportunity for students and their guests to bond as they discussed school then and now. Students enjoyed being able to share a part of their every day life with the people they love. Thank you to the 3rd grade team, parent volunteers and the various Hill staff that made this morning a success.

Spring Parent Teacher Conferences

Spring Parent/Teacher Child Conferences are scheduled for Thursday, March 21 from 1:20-4:00 and 5:30-8:30 p.m. Spring conferences differ from fall conferences in that only one afternoon and evening are allotted for teachers to meet with parents. Therefore, conference times are limited and will not be scheduled for every child. Teachers have sent home an email if a conference is needed or not. Students will have a half-day of school on March 21.

Responsibility is Linked to Your Child's School Success

Educators agree that responsible children do better in school. Luckily, parents have endless opportunities to foster responsibility. To boost your child’s responsibility:

• Enforce a few age-appropriate rules and consequences. State them clearly so your child knows exactly how you expect her to behave—and what will happen if she doesn’t.
• Trust her with meaningful tasks. School-age children are capable of handling responsibilities such as picking up their rooms, setting the table and helping with the laundry.
• Talk about financial responsibility. Many kids receive an allowance. This provides a great opportunity to teach about budgeting, spending, saving and giving.
• Let your child make decisions, such as which homework assignment to tackle first. Having the responsibility of making decisions builds confidence.
• Find ways to help others. Discuss what it means to be a responsible member of a community. Talk about different ways your family can contribute, such as by donating gently-used clothing to a charity or volunteering your time for an important cause.
• Adjust rules and responsibilities. As your child matures, her abilities will change. Perhaps she can take on more grown-up chores. Or perhaps she can make new and exciting decisions. Talk about how great it feels to be responsible!

Reprinted with permission from the March 2019 issue of Parents make the difference!® (Elementary School Edition) newsletter. Copyright © 2019 The Parent Institute®, a division of PaperClip Media, Inc.

TSD Future Chef Competition

Twelve finalists were selected and competed on March 6th in the Future Chef Competition at Troy Athens. Forty students submitted a wide variety of recipes from all over the district. Rishit Sheth, 5th grader at Hill, represented our school in the competition with a very tasty dish he called the "Glass Burrito". Rishit did not move on in the competition but we are very proud of his hard work. Way to go Rishit!