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Hillsdale Knights' Bulletin ~
January 9, 2026
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| | What's Happening at Hillsdale | | |
Welcome to 2026...Senior families, graduation will be here before you know it, but there is so much happening before then!
Monday, the faculty and staff kicked off the semester with a professional development day complete with lunch provided by the PTSO. We would like to thank PJ's Pizza on 25th Avenue for providing lunch. We recommend visiting PJ's if you're in the mood for pizza and then walking a few doors down for ice cream and/or donuts from Cruel Donuts (another big Hillsdale supporter) We love to reach out to local / Hillsdale family owned businesses for our hospitality needs--if you are interested in building a relationship with us, please email us at hhsknightsptsopresident@gmail.com so we can chat!
The Winter Sports season has officially begun. There will be a Quad on Friday night. For those new to HHS, a "quad" is when JV Boys/Girls and Varsity Boys/Girls ALL have home games. It is a fun afternoon and evening PLUS there's concessions sold throughout. Not only is there basketball, but wrestling and soccer have upcoming meets/games. Scroll this bulletin for dates and locations.
Our amazing Mock Trial team has a "home" competition at HHS this weekend! We wish them a strong kick-off to their season!
With the new semester just beginning, everyone is still getting back into school mode, so not too much happening...but we know that can change in a blink.
Hope you had a wonderful winter break and have eased back to school this week.
Can't wait to see you at an event or at the PTSO meeting on Monday!
Jen and Holly
HHS PTSO Co-Presidents
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Upcoming Events:
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Mon Jan 12: Shakespeare in Love Informational Meeting @ lunch
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Mon Jan 12: PTSO Monthly Meeting @ 6:30 in person & virtually (Flyer)
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Wed Jan 14: Shakespeare in Love Auditions 3:00-8:00
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Fri Jan 16: Make-Up Senior Pictures @ 12:00
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Mon Jan 19: No School - Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday
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Jan 26 & 27: Professional Development Day - No School
Current/Upcoming Fundraisers:
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Sun Jan 11: Mini-Moves (Dance Ensemble) (Flyer)
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Sat Feb 28: Winter Formal (Junior Class)
Volunteer Opportunities:
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HHS Athletic Contest Calendar
Come support our athletes! Go Knights! (Games in BLUE = home games)
Link to game schedule
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Happy New Year from your
Hillsdale High School Foundation Board
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We are a collection of educators and parents committed to supporting our school’s special Small Learning Communities. Our House System is central to HIllsdale’s success and we couldn’t do this work without your support. Thank you!
Come Join Us! We welcome your voice.
- We meet 6 times a year.
- We hear an update from Lead Principal Jeff Gilbert at each board meeting.
- We have opportunities at every commitment level.
Board roles are intentionally flexible to align with your interests and time available.
Please reach out to Foundation Executive Director Amy Michael for more information. amymichael@hillsdalehsfoundation.org
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Snack Shack Volunteers Needed
Have a free hour or two?
Come help out in the Snack Shack during our Basketball Quad Games!
Click the link or scan the QR code to sign up. Grab a friend (or two!) and join the fun!
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Welcome Class of 2026!
Senior Fall Events
Please join our Instagram site @hhs2026parents for more information about senior activities!
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Yearbook Senior Ads
Senior Class parents! Please consider purchasing a Senior Ad in the 2026 yearbook for your graduate. It is a fun way to commemorate their years of education. You can get a 1/4, 1/2 or full page ad. You provide the pictures and words, the design is done by a professional at Friesens Publishing Company.
Order at: https://ybstore.friesens.com/768274
Avid young journalists and designers from Hillsdale can attend the National High School Journalism Conference using these funds and experience in depth learning about publishing and broadcast.
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Class of 2026 ~ Grad KNight
Don’t miss out on Grad KNight! 🎓⚓
The Class of 2026 will set sail for an unforgettable Bay Cruise! It will be an evening of music, dancing, food, casino fun and celebrating this milestone year. Reserve your student’s spot today! Let’s make this a knight they’ll remember forever.
** Please note that Grad Knight is NOT a school sponsored event and takes place immediately following the graduation ceremony. It is an event organized by parent volunteers from the class of 2026 **
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Empowerment Through Action at Hillsdale
Peace Pantry ~ Community Garden ~ Community Closet
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January 2026
“The fundamental law of human beings is interdependence. A person is a person through other persons.”
~ Archbishop Desmond Tutu
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Happy New Year Hillsdale Community,
We did it. . .our Hillsdale Community raised close to $100,000 during our December Holiday Giving Campaign. These donations came in the form of online giving, checks, donor advised funds and monthly recurring donations in 2026. We are also excited to announce two sizable donations that came in at the end of the month in the amount of $30,000 and $40,000. Make no mistake, we will continue to support families in 2026 who struggle with the high cost of living right here in San Mateo and Foster City!
In January, we will launch our first formal advisory committee to offer direction on how we think about ensuring the highest level of support possible for families while continuing to be good stewards of your donations. We have always informally asked students, families and staff for input on the types of resources we can provide (Peace Pantry, Mi Rancho Groceries, Essential Items, Community Closet, Community Garden, Emergency Relief Fund) and tried to honor that feedback, This advisory committee will now formalize this process. We will also continue to bolster our rainy day fund to ensure that we are ready to respond in the event of another significant event or ongoing and destabilizing concern impacting our community.
Volunteers Needed: Join our emerging ETA Career Exploration Committee
A recent Gallup Poll indicates 59% of people report they don’t feel engaged or excited about their work. Layer on the fact that most of us will work 80,000 hours in our lifetime. Lastly, consider the hourly wage needed (for those 80,000 hours) to ensure access to financial security, opportunities and upward mobility? How can ETA and our community support students who are first generation in their family to either graduate from high school or attend college to be informed, prepared and ready for their post high school journey? How do we help establish work history for students when they turn 16? How do we introduce students, while still in high school, to the emerging career fields available to them? How do we expose students to career internships and higher education opportunities?
As we kick off 2026, we would like to share a volunteering opportunity for a committee seeking to make an impact in our community on behalf of students. ETA is excited to announce that in 2026, we are ready to launch the workforce development arm of the ETA Career Exploration Committee. Empowerment Through Action is looking for dedicated volunteers interested in joining this important ETA committee work. If you would like to learn more about either program, please join us for an informational meeting on January 28th @ 7:00-8:00pm in our Community Resource Center/Room 110.
If you are interested in learning more and wish to join our January 28 Meeting from 7:00-8:00pm please RSVP by using this link.
In closing, we would like to share one of our favorite quotes from Coretta Scott King, “The greatness of a community is most accurately measured by the compassionate actions of its members.” Equity work comes in many forms, but it is often the quiet actions in service of others which speak the loudest. Thank you for taking action in 2025 and we hope you continue to join us in service of others in our Hillsdale Community in 2026!
Read the complete January 2026 Newsletter here.
Hillsdale Stands Together,
Brett Stevenson
Hillsdale ETA Co-Executive Director
ETA Website, ETA Overview Slides. ETA Donation Page
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Ways to Get Involved:
*Please follow us on Instagram, @etatogether, for updates.
Peace Pantry
If you would like to volunteer at our Peace Pantry in January please sign up here. Our volunteer team meets in the Alameda Parking Lot every Friday morning at 6:45am-7:15am (shift #1) and/or 7:15am-8:00am (shift #2) to provide weekly groceries and essential items to families. Volunteers can sign up to help set up and/or work a station at our Farmer’s Market and/or break down. No experience required. We will be closed December 26 and January 2.
Community Garden
If you are interested in joining our Community Garden Team for basic winter projects, please email bstevenson@smuhsd.org to be added to our What’sApp Garden Group to join special projects. No experience required.
Community Closet
For the month of January, the Community Closet is in need of HHS Swag, Jeans, hoodies, new socks, warm coats and the following essential items: shampoo, conditioner, lotion, shaving cream, toothpaste/tooth brushes, deodorant and laundry soap.
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Opportunities Slide Deck for All Students!
This is a wonderful, frequently-updated slide deck that features volunteer opportunities, job openings, community engagement activities, summer opportunities, career exploration, research positions, and more. bit.ly/SMUHSDCareerOpportunities
| | Important District Updates | | |
We Want Your Opinion: Take the Panorama Survey
SMUHSD Parents/Guardians: Take the SMUHSD Panorama Survey today!
We want to know your thoughts and opinions on:
- School culture and climate
- Communications from the District/school to you
- Opportunities for engagement with your school community
Take the survey:
English: https://surveys.panoramaed.com/sanmateo/familysurvey/surveys
Spanish: https://surveys.panoramaed.com/sanmateo/encuestafamiliar/surveys
Your thoughts improve the future of our District and Schools for our entire school community. The deadline to complete the survey is February 6, 2026.
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Padres/Tutores de SMUHSD: ¡Complete la encuesta Panorama de SMUHSD hoy!
Queremos conocer sus pensamientos y opiniones sobre:
- Cultura y clima escolar
- Las comunicaciones del Distrito/escuela hacia usted
- Oportunidades de participación con su comunidad escolar
Visite el enlace: https://surveys.panoramaed.com/sanmateo/encuestafamiliar/surveys
Gracias por tomarse el tiempo para participar. Sus pensamientos pueden mejorar el futuro de su estudiante y de los demás. La encuesta para padres / tutores se cierra el viernes 6 de febrero.
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Parent Venture Webinars
The following webinars are free to attend and offer simultaneous Spanish interpretation unless otherwise noted.
Visit the Parent Venture free Video Library for access to 400+ video recordings, including 60+ webinars in Spanish.
10 to 25: The Science of Motivating Young People (Parents Under Pressure Series)
Wednesday, January 14, 5:30 p.m.
Learn more and register
Creating Inclusive Environments for Neurodivergent Youth (Neurodiversity Education Series)
Thursday, January 22, 5:30 p.m.
Learn more and register
Wednesday, February 11, 6 p.m.
Discovering AI - A Parent's Guide to Navigating the Future of Education
Register Here
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Digital Student Arts Music Showcase Submissions Open on December 16
The San Mateo County Office of Education presents a series of digital arts showcases that serve to highlight the incredible talent and creativity of students in TK-12th grade across the county.
These showcases will feature student work in all five art forms: dance, theater, music, visual arts, and media arts.
This project celebrates and uplifts student voices, fosters artistic expression, and provides a platform where students can share their work with the broader community. Through these showcases, we aim to inspire future artists and ensure that the arts remain a vital part of every student's educational experience.
Explore each of the five categories, which include submission requirements, judging criteria, important dates, and other information for each showcase.
Submissions open on the following dates
Music: December 15
Art: January 12
Dance: February 9
Theater: March 16
Film: April 13
Learn more: https://creates.smcoe.org/digitalshowcases
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Silicon Valley Youth Climate Action (SVYCA) Paid Internship Opportunities
Silicon Valley Youth Climate Action (SVYCA), a youth-led nonprofit organization combating climate change through policy and education advocacy, is offering another year of paid internships in partnership with Peninsula Clean Energy!
The internship is open to students currently in 10th and 11th grade in the San Mateo, Sequoia, or Jefferson Union High School Districts, with the following general deliverables:
- Conduct school workshops/assemblies at your school to educate students about Peninsula Clean Energy programs and electrification.
- Engage your school district on prioritizing electrification solutions and committing to clear next steps in facilities electrification due to this engagement.
- Implement a district-wide Climate Week in your school district.
- Contribute to coordinating a San Mateo County Intergenerational Climate Forum.
Interns would collaborate with SVYCA's San Mateo County Team, Peninsula Clean Energy Staff, District Executive Admin, District Sustainability Committees, as well as more community-based organizations to effect meaningful change and grow their own experience in youth-led sustainability advocacy.
Deadline to apply is January 17, 11:59 p.m.
Learn more and apply: tinyurl.com/svycapceintern26
View the flyer
Questions? Email sanmateoyca@gmail.com
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Bay Area Youth Climate Summit Hosts Rally on January 19
Bay Area Youth Climate Summit (BAYCS) is hosting a Martin Luther King Jr. Day Climate Rally on Monday, January 19 at Dolores Park in San Francisco!
Join the rally from 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. for music, art, dance, stories, speeches, and a march to build solidarity and community. We’re building a space to support one another, confront the challenges to the climate movement, and transform frustration into collective action.
Details
Monday, January 19, 10 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Dolores Park, San Francisco
Register
Website: baycs.org
Questions? Contact bayareaycs@gmail.com
View the event flyer
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2026 "Step Into the Light" Creative Contest
Submissions deadline is January 23
Celebrate the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., by participating in the Step Into the Light creative contest. Entries should be respectful to all cultures, races, religions, and orientations, and be uplifting and inspiring. Students will submit work to the Cow Palace where it will be displayed in an exhibit and free reception open to the public on Wednesday, February 11, from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Students, their families, teachers, and friends are invited to attend.
Learn more: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1tMjGFVl68pOCyBB5n0GoDiYYaizl-9pJ/view
Submissions are due January 23 by 6 p.m.
Online entry form
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Saturday, January 31: SMC Youth Commission Hosts Event on How to Get Involved in Local Government
Are you a young person who wants to make a difference?
Do you want to make change using your local government - but you’re not sure how?
If so, join the San Mateo County Youth Commission in Redwood City on Saturday, January 31, 2026 for the Civic Cafe event!
The Civic Cafe provides tools for youth to participate in local government.
Attend the Civic Cafe to participate in workshops, discuss with fellow youth, hear an inspirational yet short keynote with Q&A, network, and more.
Details
Date: Saturday, January 31, 11 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Location: Regional Operations Center, 501 Winslow Street, Redwood City
Keynote Speaker: Assemblymember Marc Berman
Workshop topics include:
- Legislation Pathways
- Getting involved in Government
- And more
Refreshments and snacks provided.
Space is limited, sign up now
| | Other Ways to Support Hillsdale | | | | |
