Dear Hillview Parents and Guardians of 6th and 7th Graders,

Today was a big day for your student. As part of Hillview's redesign process this year, we have re-imagined our electives program making it even stronger and offering new courses. Your 6th and/or 7th grade student was treated to an informational Electives Faire highlighting the new changes and course offerings. Please take a moment over the next two weeks to discuss with them their desire for next year's course selection.

Linked to the front page of Hillview's website is more information about the elective request process. This letter contains additional information shared with your student at today's Elective Faire. Please read the following information and discuss with your child his/her thoughts on the decisions before them.

Things Parents/Students need to know...

1. Current 6th and 7th graders will request electives online via Power School using their student usernames and passwords. This is the same username and password that students use for most of their logins at school. If you have lost your login, please contact the front office. (Note: This is the STUDENT login, not the parent login).
2. The window for requesting electives will be open at 4 p.m. on Monday, May 20 until 4 p.m. on Wednesday, June 5. All students who enter and request before the deadline will have the same priority for electives; there is no benefit for requesting early. Only those students who DO NOT register online before the deadline will receive second priority.
3. Beginning next year, all students will have the option of choosing a second elective during the school day. This is an important choice to consider. Hillview's "Flex" program as it currently exists will not continue next year. Hillview will have six academic periods during the day. A seventh period, called "Open Session," will occur at the end of the day for all students. During this "Open Session" time students will be scheduled into our reimagined Flex program called, "Qu3ST" (pronounced "Quest"); this stands for Quiet Sustained & Supported Study Time. This time, facilitated by Academy Teachers will allow for additional support, quiet study, and homework completion. Twenty-five minutes of quiet reading will not be required, rather students will have the choice as how they will use most of their time in Qu3ST. Different than Flex, Qu3ST will be optional for all students. We do recommend Qu3ST for many students, particularly those that find middle school workload to be difficult at times.
4. Those students who choose to take a second elective rather than Qu3ST may choose from the same list of trimester and year-long elective courses from which they chose their primary elective. Thus, a relatively independent student could conceivably request:


• Two sets of trimester electives
• One year-long elective and one set of trimester electives, or
• Two year-long electives.


5. More information about the process and a detailed course description for each elective is available at the school's website. The announcement on the front page will walk each family through the selection process and should offer all of the information necessary to make an informed decision.
6. The list of elective options is extensive and exciting; most parents and students will find the selections more comprehensive and engaging than any private or public school in the area. Students are encouraged to "spread their wings" and to try to experience new and different topics, particularly in seventh grade. Trimester courses provide a wide variety of options, while year-long course provide the opportunity to specialize and "go deep." Students are STRONGLY encouraged to select courses based on their interests and NOT based on what their friends are requesting.

This process and our elective selections are new. There are bound to be questions and even a few hiccups in the process. However, we are thrilled at the potential the reimagined program provides. Questions should first be addressed to the student. If the student doesn't know the answer and it isn't explained in this letter or on the website, please email your child's counselor, Ms. Devoto or Ms. Watts.

I hope you are enjoying the end to the spring season. As always, it is a pleasure to be leading such a fantastic community of leaders and learners.