Hillsdale PTSO Website



PTSO 2023-24 Membership Form (No Donation Required)

Hillsdale Families,

Pride Week wraps up with Coming Out Day in the Great Court today. Thanks to all who helped make this week one of inclusivity and pride. 

Did you know that Hillsdale is currently going through an accreditation process (WASC) right now? This process gives us the status of being an accredited high school for a certain number of years--and then the process is repeated when that time expires. HHS Administration has asked for our assistance by anonymously answering three short questions using this link WASC Questions. The more families that fill the form out, the clearer picture HHS administration and faculty will have about the path that Hillsdale needs to take in the future.

We are pleased to let you know about an exciting opportunity for our Child Development students**---after a Covid hiatus, we are pleased to let you know that there is a preschool on campus! Know a preschooler, aged 3-5yrs? We'd love to have them! See memo further down in the bulletin for details. (**if your student is interested in the Child Development class, please have them contact their counselor for more information)

Speaking of Hillsdale's future, we invite the Class of 2028 (current 8th graders) and their families to come on campus on Thursday for an informational evening. See attached flyer for details. 

That's not the only event at Hillsdale, next week. It's Pink Week--with spirit events and Penny Wars too, so send in those pennies or paper money in support of micro loans in Guatemala. There are home matches for Tennis and Volleyball--see attached schedule for upcoming fall sporting events. We close the week with the Faculty/Staff Pink Breakfast and Pink Football Game on Friday. The Pink spirit continues on Saturday, October 21 with A Knight for the Cure.

Thanks in advance for the support that has come through already for A Knight for the Cure! Our Sign-Up is getting slots filled, but...there are still openings for volunteers and donations. The event can't happen if we don't have volunteers to help run sales, concessions, etc., so sign up for a shift, we'd love to have you--no experience needed (plus you'll get free admission to the event)!! Don't forget to check the sign up for food and sales donations, too--remember the more we get donated the more we can donate to the classes and the Breast Cancer cause. AK4TC Sign Ups

Want to attend A Knight for the Cure, but haven't purchased tickets yet? See attached flyer for QR code. You can also purchase tickets at the gate. There will also be spirit wear and items from vendors available--so come ready with cash in hand and support the cause.

As always, if you are interested in learning more about the PTSO or any information in this bulletin (don't forget to scroll down and look at all this bulletin has to offer), please reach out to us. We are here for you!

Have a great weekend!!

Holly and Jen

HHS PTSO Co-Presidents

 “Fall” into Making Your Gift to the Foundation Fund Today!

This is Katherine Goodman, your friendly neighborhood HHSF Executive Director. You’ve probably noticed that the change in seasons is upon us. I don’t know about you, but fall is my favorite time of year: I love sweaters and hot apple cider and cooler weather and the leaves changing color.

I also love that it’s time to start the end-of-year fundraising push for the Foundation. Over the next few weeks, you’ll see an uptick in communications from us, encouraging every Hillsdale family to contribute toward our $600,000 goal for the 2023-2024 school year.

Some of you have already made your gift to the Foundation Fund this year, which is amazing! From all of us here at the Foundation, on behalf of Hillsdale’s students and staff: THANK YOU for your generous investment in our school.

For those of you who haven’t had a chance to make your gift to the Foundation Fund, check out the (not pumpkin) pie chart below to see the many programs at Hillsdale that the Foundation supports…

…and then donate now, either online or through the mail.  While we’re asking that every family give $750 per student this year, if that number doesn’t work for you, please donate an amount that feels meaningful for you and works for your family’s budget.  Every gift, in any amount, gets us closer to covering the cost of the programs that make Hillsdale an outstanding educational institution!

And, as always, if you have any questions or feedback for the Foundation, please feel free to email me at [email protected].

HHS Community Closet - Clothing Drive

We are really excited to launch our Fall 2023 Clothing Drive in support of Hillsdale Families who face the ongoing challenge and high cost of living in San Mateo. To find out more about our programs, please see HHS Community - A Call to Action.

We continue to need clothing and essential items for our Community Closet. From September 18-October 13th we are asking Hillsdale students, families, and staff to consider donating the following:

1. Jeans, hoodies, sweats, Hillsdale gear 
2. Homecoming/prom clothes and accessories
3. Winter clothing
4. Essential items: toiletries, towels, sheets, school supplies, new socks, undershirts and underwear, etc.

All items should be clean, undamaged, and something that a current teenager would wear/use.

Starting September 18, we will be accepting donations in Advisory classes, Thursdays (2:30-4pm) and Friday mornings (7:30-9 am) at the Community Closet. The Community Closet is located in the Alameda parking lot next to the stadium/track.

Interested in Volunteering? Please sign up here: HHS Community Closet, and we will add you.

Many thanks to all of the community members and volunteers who have already contributed their time, effort, or items to our HHS Community Closet! Flyer Link

HHS Athletic Contests Calendar

Come support the Fighting Knights at this week’s contests. Games in blue = home games

Go Knights!

GoFan Ticket Link

Family Pass Link

SMUHSD College Fair

Save the Date: SMUHSD's College Fair is happening on Thursday October 19. Over 70 colleges (both 2 and 4 year) plus military branches will be available to answer your questions. Aragon High School Gym from 6:30pm-8pm. More information coming! All students, families, and grade levels welcome. Learn more at www.smuhsd.org/collegefair

Stella Piccolo Preschool

Did You Know?

Stella Piccolo Preschool is now open on Hillsdale’s Campus in the Child Development room (800 building)! Stella Piccolo is a private preschool new to Hillsdale, but has been working with families from San Mateo, Belmont, San Carlos, Foster City and other Peninsula cities since 2003.  We are looking forward to providing Hillsdale Child Development students with experiences in a preschool setting! Stella Piccolo enrolls children three to five years old from 9am – Noon or 9am – 1pm and follows the school year calendar with a short summer program. Contact us to schedule a visit to stop by and see our classroom! 650-804 5923; [email protected]

www.stellapiccolo.com

Concession Volunteers Wanted

Knights families:

We have 2 back-to-back events coming up next week and signups are open for out Pink Game against Palo Alto High School on Friday, October 20 and A Knight for a Cure Game on Saturday, October 21. AK4TC Sign Ups

Also wanted to heap praises on the super awesome volunteers who staffed our last home games on Wednesday, 9/27 against Carlmont (flag football) and on Thursday, 9/28 against HMB.

Flag Football Crew: Tracey Blos, Ruben Zamora, Jen Ryan and Christine Owyang.

Football Crew: Tina Smith Ghanem, Lisa Azar, Mary Sheldon, Flor Santana, Mark Bernard, Ruben Zamora, Greg Thornhill, Rosemarie Pozzobon, Silvia Llorente and Jennifer Rohrbach. Maritoni Regan. Mabel Yonemitsu, Jessica Ganoza, Emma Otsuji, and Anaya Patel.

** Special thanks to Mabel, Jessica, Emma and Anaya for working 2 shifts in the trailer on a school night after having worked during the previous game, too!**

------- Coz once you try the shack, you'll keep coming back! -------

If you're feeling some FOMO over the fun we have during the games, be sure to sign up for a slot. 2 regular season football games and 1 flag football play-off game left on the schedule!

https://bit.ly/HHSKnightRider2023

Go Knights!!

Concessions Team: Chef PJ Stalteri and Melanie Baldwin

Spooktacular Pub Crawl

Hey Hillsdale Friends,

The Spooktacular Pub Crawl is back! Please join us for this very fun “adult” event! Please sign-up using the link below, and don’t delay, this event will sell out! Flyer Link

Saturday October 28 @ 5pm

Downtown San Mateo

$75 per person - includes dinner and 4 drinks

Sign-up here and pay before October 22.

Please note: This event is not sponsored nor supported by Hillsdale High School. This is a parent initiative to help offset the cost of Grad Knight Expenses for the Class of 2024.

Props Needed for Shrek the Musical!

The Shrek props committee is desperately searching for the following items to make Shrek a success! All item donations and borrows need to be delivered before October 27. Contact [email protected] if you have any of these items!

• Picnic baskets (2)
• Plastic or Wooden Swords (8)
• Raffle drum (or bingo baller)
• Cart or wheelbarrow to hold a person
• Bench press or similar (small light weight)
• 2 daisy chains for around neck (flowers white)
• Old fashioned suitcases (2)
• Satchel or leather briefcase
• Blow up or stuffed deer (preferably w/o antlers)

Nosotras necesitamos:

• Tambor de rifa (o jugador debingo)
• Carro o carretilla
• Press de banca pequeño osimilar
• 2 cadenas de margaritas blancaspara alrededor del cuello
• Maletas antiguas (2)
• Cartera o maletín de cuero
• Ciervo inflado o relleno
• Cestas de picnic (2)
• Espadas de Plástico o Madera(8)

envíe un correo electrónico a [email protected] si tiene un artículoque podamos prestar o conservar

AP Exam Registration for 2023-24

If your student is taking an Advanced Placement (AP) course this year at Hillsdale High School, registration for AP exams is open!

The College Board requires students enrolled in an AP course and participating in the AP Exams in May 2024 to register, pay, and commit to taking the exam during the fall semester. To ensure accurate and timely processing of all AP test registrations, the deadline to register and pay for taking AP exams at Hillsdale High School is October 31st, 2023. After October 31st, student registrations will be assessed a $40.00/exam late fee until December 11th. After December 11th, no student will be allowed to register for any exam. 

Students will need to use and navigate two online systems to register for exams:

1. Students will need to register and pay for the exams through https://user.totalregistration.net/AP/53165.
2. In their College Board account, students will confirm they are taking the exam and use this platform for the online learning tools. Students can access this through myap.collegeboard.org. Students MUST complete both steps in order to register. 

The registration directions are outlined in this presentation. The presentation also includes information about requesting testing accommodations for students with IEPs/504s and how to request financial assistance. 

The registration deadlines are hard deadlines and it is important that all families are aware of them. AP teachers will review the registration process with students, but for more information you can:

• Visit the AP Exams section of the Hillsdale High School website
• View this presentation
• Visit the AP section of the College Board website at https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/. 

If you have questions, please reach out to your course teacher or email Ms. P. at [email protected].

HHS Drama: Shrek The Musical

HHS Drama presents Shrek The Musical, November 9-12. Visit hillsdaledrama.org for tickets. (Flyer Link)

HHS Community Closet, Garden and Peace Pantry - October

Hillsdale Community,

We are entering the final months of 2023. Our HHS Community Support Team is busy as evidenced by the amount of activity in the Alameda Parking Lot throughout the week but especially on Thursdays and Fridays. 

Our Community Garden Team continues to harvest 80-100 pounds of organic fruits and vegetables each week. Our volunteer gardeners hand water each afternoon and work daily to trim the plants to ensure the highest yield possible. Our Harvest Team picks fruits and vegetables every Thursday from 3:30-5:00pm for distribution on Friday mornings at our Community Pantry. We are always looking for volunteers to support this work. 

Our Community Closet Team is busy preparing for our Fall/Winter Opening on October 27th. We hope to have a robust offering of winter coats, jeans, hoodies, Prom/homecoming dresses and accessories, men’s dress shirts, Essential items (e.g. new underwear, laundry soap, toiletries, backpacks, notebooks/binders) and HHS gear. We would not be able run our Community Closet without our dedicated student and adult volunteers so to put simply, thank you for your time and effort. Interested in Volunteering? Please sign up here: HHS Community Closet, and we will add you or please stop by on a Thursday at 2:30pm or Fridays at 7:30am. Flyer Link

Our Community Peace Pantry Team supports 130 Hillsdale and Bridge families every Friday morning from 7:30am-9:00am. We are blessed to have the continued support of Second Harvest Food Bank who supplies weekly groceries for families. In addition, thanks to the financial support during our annual Holiday Giving Campaign we are able to provide a $25.00 bag of groceries (cultural food staples) and essential items from Mi Rancho Market twice a month. The volunteers who work the Drive Thru Line or deliver groceries to families who do not have transportation allow our community support efforts to continue! Thank you for continued service to HHS Families! If you would like to volunteer in October, please sign up here.

Hillsdale Stands Together!

Grad Knight

Seniors: Grad Knight 2024 at Santa Cruz - Early Bird Pricing of $175 has been extended to Friday, October 20th. Sign up today: bit.ly/GradKnight2024. Please see flyer (English / Spanish) for additional information.

Questions, please contact: [email protected]. A limited number of scholarships will be available.

Seniors - Order your Cap and Gown for Graduation!

It's time to order your cap and gown for graduation! Cap and Gown are free of charge and yours to keep, but you need to complete the order form by November 1st so that we order your the correct size. Students who do not complete the form are not guaranteed to receive a gown in the correct size. 

Gown Order Form (MUST be completed from the student SMUSHD email address) DUE NOVEMBER 1st

Senior Portraits

If you have not yet taken your Senior Portrait (the one in your cap and gown) please schedule it as soon as possible! The photo's are taken off site at a studio in San Carlos. Please use the link below to setup an account and schedule your appointment:

https://local.prestigeportraits.com/ca/san-carlos/990-industrial-road.html

Having trouble scheduling? Please call (877) 825-7922

October College & Career Newsletter

Greetings, 12th grade families, and welcome to October.

Here is the latest College & Career Newsletter.

Highlights of this month’s newsletter:

• How to visit a CSU or UC
• Interested in barbering or cosmetology? Read on for Skyline’s Open House next week
• This week’s Career Speaker Series: Trades & Public Works. Sign up!
• Drop in hours to get support with your post-HHS plans
• New majors at the UCs
• Community college application timeline
• Filing the CSS Profile, a financial aid application used primarily for 4 year private colleges
• Colleges that dedicate resources to first generation college-bound students
• Real Talk: College Board– Supporting Black Student Programming

Starting today and every Monday until December, we have College and Financial Aid Open Office Hours from 2-3:45. Students are welcome to drop by and ask any questions! I will be in the office, as will at least 1 counselor. All 12th graders are welcome. Please send your student to us; we'd love to support them.

All my best to you and your family as we enter Fall.

Best-- Laura Burtness, [email protected]

650 558 2613

Call for Entries: Multicultural Art Showcase Seeks Student Artists

Join a celebration of cultural diversity through art! Welcome to the "Our Shared Stories" Art Showcase, an extraordinary opportunity for talented artists aged 14 to 18 in San Mateo County to express their cultural heritage and creativity through hangable artworks. The "Our Shared Stories" Art Showcase is organized by Hillsdale High School student Alex Carreon, a dedicated Youth Cultural Ambassador of San Mateo County. With 12 years of professional art instruction, Alex aims to celebrate diversity, empower young artists, and foster cultural unity. As a Chicano student, Alex understands the power of art to bridge cultures and create positive change within the community through this county-wide art project. Learn more about submission requirements: bit.ly/OurSharedStories

Convocatoria de Inscripciones: Exhibición de Arte Multicultural Busca Estudiantes Artistas

¡Únase a una celebración de la diversidad cultural a través del arte! Bienvenido a la Exhibición de Arte “Nuestras Historias Compartidas”, una oportunidad extraordinaria para artistas talentosos de 14 a 18 años en el Condado de San Mateo para expresar su herencia cultural y creatividad a través de obras de arte colgables. La Exhibición de Arte “Nuestras Historias Compartidas” está organizada por el estudiante de la Escuela Preparatoria Hillsdale, Alex Carreon, un dedicado joven Embajador de la Cultura del Condado de San Mateo. Con 12 años de formación artística profesional, Alex tiene como objetivo celebrar la diversidad, empoderar a los artistas jóvenes y fomentar la unidad cultural. Como un estudiante Chicano, Alex entiende el poder del arte para unir culturas y crear un cambio positivo dentro de la comunidad a través de este proyecto de arte en todo el condado.

Obtenga más información sobre los requisitos de envío: bit.ly/OurSharedStories