A Fantastic First Week at The Hill Academy!
What an incredible first week it has been at The Hill Academy! Our Kindergarten to Grade 4 students dove into the new school year with enthusiasm, curiosity, and smiles. From building friendships and getting to know their teachers, to exploring exciting new subjects, the energy in our classrooms has been truly inspiring. We are so proud of how quickly our young learners have settled in and embraced this new chapter. Here's to a year filled with growth, discovery, and lots of fun!
In this week's newsletter:
School Hours:
School Hours for our Early Years and Primary students are 8:30am-3:30pm.
Kindergarten: Pick up and drop off with be in the cul-de-sac by the gravel road to the cabin. Supervision begins at 8:25am each morning.
Primary (Grade 1-4): Pick up and drop off will be at the front of the school in the designated areas. The primary teachers or Mrs. Kirkpatrick will meet the students upon arrival and walk them into the school. If you are a late arrival, please park in the designated parking area and walk your student into the main building to receive a late slip from Ms. Bush.
Supervision begins at 8:20am each morning.
School Uniforms
Most of our apparel items have arrived (with exception of some small and medium sizes that are sold out currently) and we are continuing to fill orders.
If you have placed orders, but have not yet received your apparel we will be sending you an email notification once items are ready for pick up.
If you have all your uniform items, please ensure your student-athlete is dressed in Hill attire each day.
For general information regarding the school uniforms, please refer to the Apparel Guide, and stay tuned to updates in the school store.
Drop Off/Pick Up
For Primary and Kindergarten (K-4):
Kindergarten drop off will be at the Kindie Loop on the way to the cabin no earlier than 8:25 am.
Kindergarten pick up will be at the Kindie Loop on the way to the cabin at 3:30pm (see below)
Primary drop off will be at the main building, kiss-and-ride no earlier than 8:20 am.
Primary pick-up will be at the main building, kiss-and-ride at 3:30pm
Students attending before and/or after school care should be brought in/picked up in the building through the primary door in the grade 1/2 classroom, no earlier than 7:30 am and picked up no later than 5:00pm. You must register for this service.
Kindergarten Kiss & Ride
Please take a moment to review and follow our Kiss & Ride procedures to help reduce congestion during drop off and pick up, and most importantly, to increase safety for our students.
All families should be utilizing the cul-de-sac as a designated Kiss & Ride zone. When you are the first car at the gravel road, please assist your child out of the car (if needed) as quickly as possible and then move along to keep the line flowing smoothly for others.
Please note, no families should park and walk their children to the educators. This procedure is designed to ensure the safety of all students, and we appreciate your cooperation and patience as we all adjust to this routine.
In the event of unsafe weather conditions, such as heavy rain or extreme cold, we will notify you with alternative drop off/pick up instructions at the cabin.
Thank you for your understanding and support.
Open House
The Hill Family Open House and BBQ will be hosted on Thursday, September 19 from 3:00PM to 8:00PM. Meet your child's teacher, see their class and join us for a BBQ and a great night of lacrosse. RSVP here.
Lunch Program
Our hot lunch program will begin this week. We are offering a hot lunch program 3 days a week for both our Early Years and Primary students. You will have the opportunity to purchase Lunch Lady Tuesdays/Thursdays and we will be offering Pizza and Subs or Pita’s on alternating Fridays.
'Lunch Lady' will be offering a hot lunch service on Tuesdays and Thursdays throughout the school year. Information on the program (exclusive to Grades K - 4), including options and how to sign up can be found here.
School Calendars
School Calendars are available and can be viewed in the Parent Resources section of the website. Updates will be made periodically, so continue to check the website for the most up to date details.
Teachers
Kindergarten: Ms. Hill (katelyn.hill@thehillacademy.com)
Kindergarten: Ms. Diefenbacher (megan.diefenbacher@thehillacademy.com)
Grade 1/2 : Mrs. Goverde (jodi.goverde@thehillacademy.com)
Grade 3/4 : Ms. Kennedy (haley.kennedy@thehillacademy.com)
Director of Early Years & Vice Principal: Casey Kirkpatrick (casey.kirkpatrick@thehillacademy.com)
Foundations (1-4) Schedule
Monday - Lacrosse
Tuesday - Lacrosse
Wednesday - Lacrosse
Thursday - Hockey @ Teen Ranch
Friday - Lacrosse
In preparation for the Lacrosse and Hockey sessions please fill out this Google Form
*If you would like pick up your student from Teen Ranch please email casey.kirkpatrick@thehillacademy.com
(include for first month)
Safety and Security
In preparing for your student-athlete for the school year, we want to remind everyone about the safety and security considerations of arriving and leaving the campus.
For all:
please follow the posted speed limits
please note and follow the one-way driveway and the stop signs
please follow the directions of the staff who are supervising pick-up and drop-off times.
parking lots are to be used for anyone waiting to pick up students. There is no parking in the fire routes, cross walks or kiss and ride areas. If you arrive before the designated pick-up times, you will be directed to park in the lots.
Fire routes are allocated to help Fire and Emergency Services access buildings quickly in the event of an emergency. Blocking these routes, even to drop off or pick up students, can be dangerous for everyone.
Accessible parking spaces are for the exclusive use for individuals holding valid accessible parking permits. Please do not use or block any accessible spaces without a valid permit.
Absences
School success is closely tied to good attendance. When students miss learning time, they often struggle with understanding concepts, completing assignments, and performing well on assessments. Consistent attendance helps your child(ren) stay connected both academically and socially. We encourage you to commit to having your child(ren) attend school every day and arrive on time. Regular attendance builds positive habits that will last a lifetime. If your child is absent from school, please remember to email attendance@thehillacademy.com to report the absence.
If your student athlete is going to miss their phys. Ed or sport period for any reason, please remember to email DGlisic@thehillacademy.com.
Late Arrivals
If your child arrives late to school, please park in the designated parking areas and walk them into the main office to receive a late slip. The students will need to provide their educator with the slip upon arrival to class.
Allergy Aware School
Hill Families, please be aware that we have several anaphylactic allergies within our school community. These include but are not limited to peanuts, tree nuts, and shellfish. We do not exclude nuts, tree nuts or other big ten foods packed in lunches and for snacks but ask for awareness of these allergies. We ask that parents please help educate their students on what it means to be allergy aware.
Ways that we can all keep our school safe are:
Be aware of specific allergies within your class
Please avoid sending in these foods as part of classroom celebrations to minimize exposure to those with allergies.
Placing food on paper towel or napkin and not directly on the table
Wiping down your area after eating
If using the microwave, wiping down any splatter
Hand washing before and after eating
Being mindful of those with allergies and not eating near them if consuming food that contains an allergen
All nuts are not permitted on any of the buses.
Please see https://foodallergycanada.ca/ for additional resources to help educate on food allergies. We thank you for your cooperation in keeping our students with allergies safe.
Prevalent Medical Conditions
If your child has a prevalent medical condition (asthma, anaphylaxis, diabetes or epilepsy) please ensure that you complete the plan of care as soon as possible so that we can ensure our staff are aware.
Privit
Privit is a safe and secure information management system designed specifically to track health information. Privit registration is now ready to complete. If you have any questions please contact jennifer.bell@thehillacademy.com
New Students
You will be required to create a profile and fill out all information. Please note that a Physicians note stating that you are fit to participate in sport that is within 6 months of the start of school, is only required after Grade 9. Parents are encouraged to fill in as much information as is possible, understanding that some questions will not be applicable and are not required to be filled in.
Returning Students
You will need to login in and update your profile.
Please note that this must be completed prior to the start of school. Failure to complete will delay sport participation.
Registration Instructions: Click HERE
Cell Phone Policy
In April of 2024, Ontario's Ministry of Education introduced guidelines and restrictions for cell phone use by students in schools. Following suit, students in Kindergarten to Grade Eight will need to keep cell phones on silent and out of sight for the entire school day (including breaks). Students in Grades Nine to Twelve will not be permitted to use cell phones during class time unless explicitly instructed by their educator.
For more information on the Ministry of Education's announcement, visit here.
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