The Hill Academy Newsletter- May 9th, 2021

May 9th, 2021 HILL Message (from Academic Director Rick Kunc): I was speaking to one of my daughters who just graduated from university. Part of the conversation was about how hard it is to have positive conversations without discussing the impacts of COVID. Today I’m encouraging you to smile. You have probably seen this extended commercial, but to me, it is an amazing job at taking a negative and making us smile. Enjoy! Quote of the Week: "Laughter is an instant vacation." - Milton Berle ___________________________________________________________________________

HILL Athletics (From Athletic Director Brodie Merrill): Happy Mother’s day to all of the sports mothers, grandmothers, and caregivers in the Hill community! I’m fortunate to have an amazing sports mom. An accomplished athlete and long-time Physical Education (don’t dare call it Gym) teacher. My mom always has had a good feel and intuition for sports. I could always count on her for the straight goods in the car rides home. She has no shortage of confidence when it comes to sports. She once said, “I could do that” when watching 6’8” Shaun Kemp win the 1991 slam dunk championship! I know it is a different level of emotion when moms watch their child in sport. Oftentimes if I were to look up in the crowd I wouldn’t see my mom, because she would be pacing in the concourse not able to watch the outcome of the games because of nerves, getting her updates from the sounds of the crowd (you may have noticed this over the years at Hill games). I would ask my mom what she thought of certain plays or situations in the game, and she would respond “I don’t know, I didn’t see it!” Being a sports parent is tough. Your happiness is so connected to the happiness and wellbeing of your child. Sports are unpredictable, they can be a struggle and it is hard to see your child experience adversity or set back. Mom’s typically can see through all the scores, stats, performances, with their only concern being nurturing the person, not the player. It’s nice as an athlete to know that someone will unconditionally be in your corner. It’s a grounding force through the swings of sport. In hindsight, the practices, games, tournaments, end up being a good excuse to spend more time with each other. Many of the close bonding experiences with my mom and I have come through sport and I’m thankful for that. Thanks to all the great sports moms, grandmothers, and caregivers that put a special touch on things in only the way you can. As a 39-year-old athlete and coach, I still look forward to my pre-game “good luck” text! To our Hill student-athletes, take care of the hands that take care of you, and be sure to show your love and gratitude by giving your best!

Other Notes and Important Information: Monday Morning Assembly: There is a Monday morning assembly on Monday. All students will tune in by clicking the Microsoft Teams link below at 8:30 am: Monday Morning Assembly Graduation Requirements 2020-2021 Students who plan to graduate in June 2021 must complete a minimum of 20 hours of community involvement (reduced from 40 hours). Students must have their hours into Guidance before May 25th, 2021. Guidance Meetings The grade 10’s have started their meetings. Please have your grade 10 student sign up using the form HERE. Ontario Literacy Test 2021 (OSSLT) The EQAO has released the following statement: “EQAO will be field testing the online Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT) from March 2021 until June 2021.” We have not received any information about how this will affect our students but will continue to keep you up to date if we are granted access to these tests. 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 Mark Glicini Confidence Conference- Sunday, May 16th For those that are interested, professional lacrosse player and mental performance coach, Mark Glicini, is hosting a webinar featuring an impressive list of guest speakers with the focus being on: "How To Perform Your Best When It Means The Most”. For more information and to register go to the following link: Mark Glicini Confidence Conference