Handbook

School Hours

K-5 Regular Days  8:30am – 2:45pm
6-8 Regular Days  8:30am – 2:50pm

K-8 Minimum Days  8:30am – 1:25pm

* On Tuesdays at 8:30 am, students will form a circle on the yard for Morning Circle. Parents are always invited to join.

** Minimum days (early release days) are Wednesdays and a few additional days assigned by OUSD. Please check the school calendar or the weekly Yellow Pages newsletter for updates.

Office Hours are 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Monday to Friday.

2024-25 Bell Schedule K-8

Arrivals

Students should not arrive on the school grounds before 8:15 a.m. unless they are:

  • Enrolled in a before-school language program
  • Have been requested by their teacher to come in early

Rainy Days: Students should not come to school earlier than necessary. If they are early, they are allowed to wait in the breezeways until the bell rings. There is no supervision prior to 8:15 a.m.

Quiet Please! School is in Session: Teaching and learning are happening at Hillcrest, so after you drop off or before you pick up your child, please keep the hallways quiet, hold conversations outside and wait for your child outside of the building. Pre-arrange a meeting place with your child and meet him/her there. Please do not call your student at school; if you need to drop off lunch, bring it to the office, not the classroom.

Drop-off/Parking Procedures

Morning Drop-off Procedure: Thank you to all who take the extra effort in complying with our drop-off and pickup rules. Together we can make our parking situation very safe. Please do not park in the yellow zone in front of the school on Marguerite Drive from 8 to 8:30 a.m. This area must be clear for morning drop-off, which occurs from 8:10 to 8:30 a.m. The yellow zone in front of the school is the only car drop-off place. Volunteer parents, safety patrol students, and staff will be at the front of the school to assist the children in exiting the cars. During this morning drop-off time, please make every effort to drive only in the westbound (downhill) direction on Marguerite Drive.

  1. Please use the drop-off lane in front of the school on Marguerite Drive to drop-off your children in the morning. Even if you are running late, it is safer for your child to be dropped off in front of the school versus running across Mandalay!
  2. We ask that when you enter the drop-off lane that you pull all the way forward to the GREEN ZONE at the bottom of the hill, allowing more cars to move off the street and into this lane.
  3. DO NOT PASS THE LINE OF CARS to pull into a space ahead. WAIT for the cars in front of you to move and proceed forward in the line.
  4. Children should exit vehicles on the right hand/passenger side of the car quickly. Say your goodbyes and I love you’s as you pull forward and not after you stop. Parents should not get out to help children with backpacks, lunches, etc. – the Safety Patrol volunteers will help your child get out. Keep children’s BELONGINGS within their reach, rather than the trunk to help with a speedy exit.
  5. When exiting the drop-off lane, pull forward onto Marguerite and then carefully turn onto Mandalay. Please watch your left and right hand turns! We have St. Theresa, Holy Names, Aurora and Hillcrest students crossing streets! Obey all stop signs.
  6. Parking, stopping or dropping off on the opposite side of Mandalay and having children cross the street is not safe, even if they are with you. Please insist that your children are crossing at the corners.
  7. DO NOT DRIVE UPHILL ON MARGUERITE during pick up and drop off times, as the flow of traffic is going the other way (it goes downhill from Hermosa to Mandalay) and often cars are maneuvering around other cars in the drop off line.
  8. THANK YOU for your cooperation! Our goal is to keep all children safe, while making drop off more expeditious for drivers.

Afternoon Pickup: Please park legally in the neighborhood. Do not block driveways or crosswalks, even if you need to walk a bit more to and from the school.

Continue to think SAFETY OVER CONVENIENCE.

Please be respectful of our neighbors by obeying the posted parking signs and the school’s guidelines when dropping off or picking up your child. We do not want to receive parking complaints from neighbors. Let’s serve as good role models for our kids on this issue. And please inform all of your children’s caregivers about the rules of safe and neighborly parking.

  • The front of the school on Marguerite is for drop off and pick up only – DO NOT PARK AND LEAVE YOUR VEHICLE.
  • Do not ever park in the DISABLED PERSON’S spot on Marguerite, unless you have an appropriate placard. We have community members who rely on this spot. Unauthorized vehicles will be subject to tickets or towing.
  • Do not park along the narrow part of Hermosa (by the stop sign or guardrail). Parking here is not only illegal, but also unsafe. Do not park along the “No Stopping” zone in the same general area.
  • Do not park in the teacher/staff parking lot along Mandalay before school or during school hours. Teachers and staff recently have been unable to park there due to parents using the spaces in the morning and during the day. We ask that you respect this special privilege that we extend to our teachers.
  • Do not double-park behind the cars in the teacher’s lot when picking up your child. Yes, double-parking includes sitting in your car waiting for your child.
  • Relatedly, do not use the Mandalay gate (the big gates that open right onto the playground) as a drive-by drop off or pick up area, even if it is only for “a minute”. You should not be letting your kids out of your car here in the morning. Nor should you have them run through those gates and out to you in your car in the afternoon. It is unsafe to do so here. You may park legally and walk through the gates to pick up your child on the playground, but this is not a drive by and pick up zone.
  • Please be mindful of our neighbors – do not block or crowd driveways.
  • Do not block any crosswalks.
  • Do not exceed the time limit in the green zone on Marguerite Drive.

If you haven’t already, please refer to these maps to familiarize yourself with where your student should line up each morning, as well as the entrances of where to drop them off, and where to pick them up. We are located in a residential neighborhood with narrow roads and if we all do our part to follow the procedures, the drop off and pick up experience will be smoother and safer for all!

Attendance

If your child is going to be absent from school, please call the school office during the school day after 9 am (510) 879-1270 and speak to Antoinette Grogans or Wayne Berreman. You may also verify your child’s absence by e-mail. Send the verification to the Hillcrest Office at antoinette.grogans@ousd.org. The state administrator requires schools to contact absent students within 24 hours of missing school.

Parents are requested to schedule medical or dental appointments after school or on weekends whenever possible. If you know in advance that your child will be leaving school, please send a note to your child’s teacher.

The school district is reimbursed by the state only for the days that your child actually attends school. If your child cannot attend school for the entire day, have them attend for part of the day. If your child needs to be absent for five or more days, contact the school in advance to arrange an independent study plan.

Health

Emergency forms are completed on SchoolMint prior to the beginning of the school year. In the case of an injury or illness, school personnel will care for the student temporarily and will render first aid treatment only. Parents or their designated emergency contacts will be asked to pick up sick or injured children. Students can be released only to their parents or to persons authorized on the emergency forms.

It is critical that the school has up-to-date information on every student. Please notify the school immediately of any changes in your child’s address, home, work or emergency telephone numbers or medical status or people authorized to pick up your child.

Medications: Students are not to carry medication at school. Medications must be brought to the office by the parent/guardian with a school form completed by a physician and kept in the school office. Forms are available in the office.

To Send or Not to Send: Please use good judgment in determining whether or not your child is well enough to attend school, remembering that above normal temperatures, runny noses and persistent coughs are often indications that your child is not well and may be contagious. Rule of Thumb: A child should have a normal (unassisted) temperature for 24 hours before sending to school.

Fall is usually LICE season: Being watchful will help us all to manage these pests. Remember that everyone can get them regardless of how squeaky clean we might be. Remind your children to take precautions, being mindful not to play with each other’s hats or hair. Your cooperation and your partnership will help to keep the cases at Hillcrest to a minimum. Information is available in the office.

TB Screening and Fingerprinting for Volunteers: This document gives an overview of the volunteer clearance process. Classroom volunteers who visit 3 times or more require TB Clearance and Mandated Reporter Training. Field Trip drivers require TB Clearance, Mandated Reporter Training, Fingerprinting Clearance, as well as an OUSD Declaration of Driver Form.

Expected Behaviors

A full list of Hillcrest expected behaviors, including an explanation of Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) as well as Restorative Justice can be found here.

Bay Area Community Resources (BACR)

Bay Area Community Resources (BACR) runs the after school child care program. More information, including Registration can be found on their website. Please direct questions to Carlos Castro.

Lost and Found

Mark all personal belongings with the full name to aid in return if lost. Check the lost and found. Small or valuable items should be turned into the school office and will be returned when identified by the owner. Articles not claimed at the end of the month will be donated to charitable organizations.

Meal Program

Students may bring lunch from home or receive lunch at school. For the 2023-24 school year all students eat breakfast and lunch free! Best of all there is no paperwork needed to receive free meals. More information including the current breakfast & lunch menus can be found under K-8 Satellite here.

Parent-Teacher Conferences

Parent-Teacher conferences are scheduled once in the fall and additionally as requested in the spring by parent or teacher.

Safety

Emergency Preparedness: Hillcrest has an emergency plan and drills are conducted monthly. In the event of an emergency, students will be supervised until picked up by those authorized on the Student Emergency Form. The school has minimal supplies to care for students for three days. In the event the school is deemed unsafe, signs will be left (on the main doors and the playground gates) to indicate where the children have gone. Options include St. Theresa’s, Claremont Country Club golf course and the Red Cross Shelter at Oakland Technical High School.

Cancellation of School: School is cancelled only during extraordinary circumstances such as extreme weather, equipment failure or public crisis. Announcements will be released to radio, television and to newspapers. In the unusual event that school must be cancelled during the school day, parents or people authorized on the emergency form will be notified.

Library

The Hillcrest School Library is a fun, safe space for the entire Hillcrest community to access a wide range of information. Students learn how to find and evaluate published materials which are at their skill and developmental levels. Through exploration, students will identify subjects they enjoy and build an information literacy toolkit to use across the curriculum.

Hillcrest Library’s catalog and other research and homework resources are available here. The library is open for all to use for an hour after school on Tuesdays. Parents are welcome to check out books from the school library too. The library always welcomes volunteers. Ask your room parent about opportunities.

School Directory

The PTA publishes the Hillcrest School Directory online via Konstella. The directory lists all of the students in each class and parents’ names, addresses, phone numbers, and e-mail information. Soon after the school year begins, the new year’s online directory is created and parents are asked to verify their contact information. Please remember the directory and its information is designated for use by, and distributed to Hillcrest families.

Hillcrest Newsletter

Look for news from the school in the Hillcrest Newsletter e-mailed each Monday evening. It provides a calendar of upcoming events, messages from the Principal and PTA President, and articles and notices from other members of the Hillcrest community. Please reach out to us here if you are not receiving the weekly Hillcrest Newsletter emails.

School Site Council

The School Site Council (SSC) is composed of five parents and five teachers/staff members. Members of the council are elected by their peers and serve for two years. Each year the council finds out the needs of students, develops and reviews a school site plan, decides on the School Improvement Plan (SIP) budget and plans a way to measure program effectiveness. The school receives a minimal amount annually in SIP funds. All meetings are open, and parents are invited to attend.

Parent Teacher Association

The Parent Teacher Association (PTA) promotes communication and cooperation between the home and the school. The PTA provides funds and sponsors many programs outlined below. All Hillcrest parents, teachers, and friends are encouraged to join and participate in the PTA. Membership is $6 per adult. Dues can be paid to the folder in the front office, or online.

A membership drive is held in the fall, but parents may join any time during the year. Board meetings are usually held the second Thursday of each month at 6:00 pm at the school; general meetings are usually held three times per year at 6:00 pm, in which case the board meeting will immediately follow at 7 pm. The date of the meeting may vary for family programs and special events. Check the PTA website full calendar for the most up-to-date info.

After several years of discussion, study and evaluation, the Hillcrest PTA concluded that one of the best ways to enrich our children’s education was to provide assistants and specialists to work with the Hillcrest staff in particular areas. This is done in close coordination with the Hillcrest Principal. These roles include a librarian, music teacher, technology instructor, reading specialist, mental health specialist, History instructor, Spanish instructor, STIP teacher, and classroom aide.

The PTA funds these programs mainly through an annual auction, the walkathon, a donation letter, and scrip/retail programs. Your support for these fundraising efforts directly benefits the children of Hillcrest School.

The PTA encourages every family to participate in the PTA. Become actively involved by serving on a committee including areas such as: Hospitality, Emergency Preparedness, Membership, Programming, Fundraising, Communications, Curriculum for Arts and Music, Library, Science, and Technology. For more info go to the PTA Contacts page.

The Hillcrest Mission

The Hillcrest School Community will be engaged in continuous inquiry and self-reflection to provide a nurturing environment and engaging and powerful learning for each and every child. Read more about Hillcrest’s mission, philosophy and goals.

Middle School Handbook

Please click here to download the 2019-20 Handbook.