Hillsboro School District Weekly Hot News April 6, 2026 - Earth Month

April is Earth Month - with Earth Day on Wednesday, April 22 - and this year the theme is once again: “Our Power, Our Planet.” This statement reminds us that protecting our planet is demonstrated through everyday individual actions. Every effort and every voice matters! Small, consistent actions add up to big change. HSD embraces and demonstrates conservation practices throughout the year in ways that you might not realize. These include:Food Scrap Collection. All school kitchens collect food waste, which is picked up by our hauling service and taken to a composting facility. Textile Recycling. Many of our schools have an on-site textile recycling bin for the collection of unwanted clothing items. Food and textile waste are two of the most abundant and harmful to our environment, significantly contributing to the accumulation of greenhouse gas emissions. Did you know that roughly 800,000 tons of food are wasted annually in Oregon and that only 15% of textile waste in the U.S. is recycled? How can you help?Reduce food and food-related waste by:Taking only the food and beverage you will consume Using durable (not disposable) dishes, beverage bottles, and utensilsChoosing plastic-free containers, and Sorting your waste before disposingReduce textile waste by: Choosing natural fibers and dyesBeing “thrifty” and shopping secondhandLearning to mend your clothing, andBuying less and buying better qualityThese actions and more are listed on our calendar of Healthy Earth Action Items. The ideas listed are simply a launching point - tailor your actions to fit your vision. The most effective actions - and the ones you’re likely to stick with - are those that interest you. Have fun!For more ideas and inspiration, visit our Resource Conservation webpage and earthday.org.Congratulations to the Oregon Battle of the Books grades 3 through 5 team at Tamarack Elementary School, and to the grades 6 through 8 teams at Evergreen and Poynter Middle Schools. They performed well enough in their regional tournaments to qualify for the OBOB State Championship on Saturday, April 11, at Chemeketa Community College in Salem. OBOB is a statewide voluntary reading motivation and comprehension program. Students on an OBOB team read one or more books from lists provided by the OBOB organization, then compete against other teams in “battles” to see which can earn more points by answering questions about those books. Way to go and best of luck at State, OBOB teams!Third quarter ends on Thursday, April 9. There will be no school for students on Friday, April 10, as elementary teachers have a work day and secondary teachers prepare grades. School resumes on Monday, April 13. Hot News is produced and emailed to HSD families and staff each week school is in session. Please add the address to your “safe sender” list to make sure you always receive the latest issue. Please also bookmark our district website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠hsd.k12.or.us⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to stay informed about what’s happening in our district and schools.