The Hill Academy Newsletter- May 30th, 2021
May 30th, 2021 HILL Message (from Academic Director Rick Kunc): Seth Godin is a writer, teacher, marketer, entrepreneur, founder of Akimbo and the AltMBA. Yes, he does a lot. He also has a blog that I follow and love to read. While often grounded in business and marketing, much of what he writes is applicable to life. As the school year grinds towards the end, we often have trouble engaging in that final project, or assignment. We know we must, but we are waiting for the “motivation”, the “right time”, etc… We know we should go for a run, but we don’t feel like it right now, so we will wait for the “inspiration” to run. To reach our Highest Level of Achievement, we cannot afford to wait. Sometimes you just need to take the action first. Drag yourself to your desk and commit to 30 minutes of work. More often than not, 45 minutes will have gone by, you will have started on your project, and your final product will be better than if you had waited for the right motivation. Drag yourself over to the closet, lace up your shoes, put in your earbuds, and head out for a run. 10 minutes in you will feel better, and when you are done you will feel great. And you will have some training done for the day. Waiting for inspiration will likely lead to no workout. Seth’s blog that is included as the quote of the week below speaks to the idea of attitude and accomplishment following action.
Quote of the Week: The consequence Attitude follows action far more often than action follows attitude. We change our mood as a result of how we act. If you want to feel a certain way, begin by acting as if you do. On the other hand, if you truly want to accomplish something, waiting for the mood to strike is ineffective. Seth’s Blog May 24th – Seth GodinNk _____________________________________________________________________________
HILL Athletics (From Athletic Director Brodie Merrill): Watching the Montreal Canadiens vs. the Toronto Maple Leafs game was an emotional experience and not just because of the stakes and circumstances of the hockey series. It was because, for the first time in Canada in over a year, fans were allowed into the building to view the game. The 2,500 fans in the building felt like 20,000 fans. It was hard not to get a little misty-eyed hearing the fans sing the national anthem, considering everything we have been through. Talking to a close friend that lives in Montreal, he described the city as feeling like it was coming alive again. It’s an example of the impact sports can have on a city’s mood and overall culture. I hope that if our Hill students tuned in, they were excited and encouraged. Sports are coming back and when they do, it will be in a big way. We have a lot of pent-up energy waiting to be set free. No doubt we will all have a deeper appreciation for how amazing sports are and I have a feeling you will see that present in your game. Picture your own version of the Montreal vs. Toronto game (I guess with a different result if you’re a leafs fan ;)). Hang in there, stay ready in your “lab” preparing. Your time will come! Go Habs Go!
Other Notes and Important Information: Monday Morning Assembly: There is a Monday morning assembly on Tuesday. All students will tune in by clicking the Microsoft Teams link below at 8:30 am: Tuesday Morning Assembly Save the Dates! Graduation Ceremonies After the most recent communication about Provincial restrictions, we have moved our scheduled celebration days from June 10-11 to June 17-18. Grade 8 graduates, Grade 12 graduates, and recipients of various awards will receive invitations to our proposed events. Vaccination Updates Health Canada has authorized the use of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for youth aged 12 and up. Ontarians aged 12 to 17 are now able to book an appointment for a free first dose of the vaccine. There will also be special “youth and families clinics” happening throughout the weeks of June 14 and 21. Depending on where you live, some clinics will offer appointments and others may be drop-in clinics. Here is a link to the vaccine fact sheet provided by Peel Public health. If you would like to look into booking an appointment for your student-athlete aged 12 +, please visit the Ontario site here. Guidance Meetings All students should have had a chance to book a Guidance appointment in the last 7 weeks. If your student-athlete missed their appointment or did not schedule an appointment, they can reach out to guidance@thehillacademy.com and we will attempt to reschedule or answer any questions over email Graduation Requirements 2020-2021 Community hours and final reports for online courses should have been submitted to the Guidance department before the end of last week. If you have documents outstanding, we will contact you a final time this week to discuss. Please note this could affect the receipt of your diploma. Ontario Literacy Test 2021 (OSSLT) The EQAO is planning to resume field tests for the online Literacy test once schools are back in person. The test will be scheduled in the 2021-2022 school year and will likely be a graduation requirement for 2022 graduates. We will share more information about the test, format, and availability once we have it. Mental Health Resources: There are a lot of valuable resources available to families who are navigating this unusual time together. One such resource is the CMH page on COVID-19 Mental Health response found here. Our staff is also available and we encourage students or families to reach out to us. We are also building onto our Wellness Resources on the Guidance website here