The Hill Academy Newsletter- September 20th, 202

HILL Message:

It has been amazing to see all the students bringing the new campus to life. We know the first few weeks can bring a mix of nervous and excited emotions. The cool thing about sport is that it provides a support system for our student athletes. We hope that everyone can feel they can count on their teammates, coaches, and teachers for support through the ups and downs of a school year. We want to be a school and community that looks out for each other!

As excited as we are to start our sports programming this week, we will continue to be diligent and responsible in following our safety protocols and mindful of what is at stake. One of our core principles at The Hill is to "be a good teammate." This can apply to many different areas of life. Being a good teammate in today’s environment, is being disciplined in following the safety precautions in place.

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Quote of the Week:

"Fight for the things that you care about, but do it in a way that will lead others to join you" 

Ruth Bader Ginsburg

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Other Notes and Important Information:

Masks, Eating/Drinking/Personal Belongings

Student must be wearing their masks at all times indoors and they must be responsible for their belongings. Items left behind in classrooms will be bagged and collected at the end of each day and can be collected from the main office before the end of the week. Unlabelled bottled or snack containers will be discarded. There are no designated snack areas other than in the cafeteria. Students are not permitted to eat in common areas or classrooms. We understand the needs of our student-athletes but are working to prioritize safety and cleaning protocols first.

Busses

Students are being selected as Bus Leaders on each of the busses to and from the school. These students will report any misconduct on the busses and it will be dealt with by the Administration staff. A reminder to all students who ride the busses: Social distancing and masks are non-negotiable. This means eating, drinking, physical contact and seat swapping are deemed as infractions that will result in losing bus privileges.

Daily Attendance:

If your son or daughter is absent, you are to email: attendance@thehillacademy.com. In your email, please state the reasoning for why the student is not on-campus. If an email has not been received, the absence will be recorded as un-excused and you will receive a notification.

Students being picked up throughout the day for appointments, etc must notify attendance@thehillacademy.com the night before.

If a student and/ or anyone in their household are experiencing symptoms; students are not to come on campus. Students have been trained on the Hy-Flex model and can tune into their classes remotely or complete their coursework asynchronously.

HyFlex learning

Monday and Tuesday last week were very successful HyFlex learning days for our students. Course timetables have now been solidified and students have accessed their Google classrooms. If a student is missing an in-person class, they are responsible for following class expectations and tasks. 

Power School Parent Portal

In order to access the parent portal for your student athletes, you must first download PowerSchool on your device to receive push-notifications about attendance, reporting, etc. Once you have downloaded the PowerSchool app, email guidance@thehillacademy.com for your parent portal access letter.

Uniforms:

In order to promote physical distancing and reduce contact surfaces, we would like to limit the time in the change rooms. Students are permitted to wear their workout clothes for the entire school day, or they can arrive to school wearing their workout shorts under their pants.

Showers:

As we continue with our gradual return to campus in- person programming, we appreciate your support, and patience. We need to assess the logistics of adding practices and transportation to the daily routine, before we are able to allow students to access showers in a safe and responsible way. Students will not have access to showers this week.

Hill students/ families receive a 15% discount on Outdoor Wipes; towel-sized, biodegradable wipes. The promo code is: Hill15.

COVID-19: Daily Screen:

The Daily Screen is to be completed prior to arriving on campus everyday. Our screening app will send you a text at 6:15am with the screening survey to complete.

To assist our staff in the process of checking every student's screen, please complete the screen prior to 7:20am and please arrive to the school, field, or arena by 8:00am.

We are trusting that the information you are inputting is accurate. If you do not have a thermometer at home, please do not forge a temperature. The bus drivers and/or staff are able to take your temperature if needed.

If you have any questions regarding the daily screen or would like to change the contact information, please email Drazen Glisic.

For students travelling on a bus to school, they are to show a screenshot of the completed screen to the bus driver.

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HILL Athletics

Despite all of the current challenges, our school is prepared and well positioned to facilitate a robust athletic offering and development environment. We will continue to be proactive and flexible to provide the highest level of programming in a safe and responsible way.

Two Primary Objectives of The Hill Athletic Program:

Preparation and Placement. It is our responsibility as a staff to help our student athletes create future academic and athletic opportunities while ensuring they are well equipped when they get to the next level. These two processes are operating in continuous parallel.

Preparation: A holistic approach to overall athletic development.

-The Hill Academy will provide a development environment like no other; 210 driven, high level student-athletes and a staff comprised of elite leaders collaborating to create a dynamic athletic experience. 

-If travel is restricted, we have the ability to integrate the programs and provide various competitive situations, red-white games, small area games, school wide tournaments, NCAA and Junior combines, etc.

-In an uncertain athletic environment, we will be leaders in the field and “double down” on our developmental focus and create a platform for our students to separate themselves and gain a distinct competitive advantage.

Placement: Guidance and Mentorship:

-In an uncertain, anxious time for our student athletes, the impact of The Hill support system and individual mentorship cannot be overstated.

-Sports Psychology, leadership training, goal setting, journaling, strength and conditioning, nutrition, and mindfulness are integrated into our daily programming.

-The Hill will be prepared for filming on site practices, scrimmages, and enhance evaluation tools to compliment the recruiting process.

-Working alongside all of our student athletes to ensure they have next level opportunities that align with their academic and athletic aspirations. This includes meeting individually with the students, providing feedback, and honest, objective hockey/lacrosse/golf mentorship.

This Week's Lacrosse Schedule:

Monday:

Non-Athletic Day (no practices).

Tuesday:

Grade 9,10, 10 Boys Lacrosse: 8:00- 9:15am Practice @ Teen Ranch (helmets and gloves)

Grade 12, PG Boys Lacrosse: 9:45am- 10:45am Practice @ Teen Ranch (helmets and gloves)

Girls Lacrosse: 12:15pm- 1:15pm practice @ Teen Ranch

Wednesday:

Team Session

Thursday:

Grade 9,10, 10 Boys Lacrosse: 8:15am- 9:15am Practice @ Teen Ranch (helmets and gloves)

Grade 12, PG Boys Lacrosse: 9:45am- 10:45am Practice @ Teen Ranch (helmets and gloves)

Girls Lacrosse: 12:15pm- 1:15pm practice @ Teen Ranch

Friday:

Grade 9,10, 10 Boys Lacrosse: 8:00- 9:15am Practice @ Teen Ranch (helmets and gloves)

Grade 12, PG Boys Lacrosse: 9:45am- 10:45am Practice @ Teen Ranch (helmets and gloves)

Girls Lacrosse: 12:15pm- 1:15pm practice @ Teen Ranch

This Week's Hockey Schedule:

Monday:

Non-Athletic Day (no practices).

Tuesday:

Varsity Hockey: 8:15am- 9:15am Practice @ Teen Ranch

Prep Hockey: 8:30am- 9:30am Practice @ Alder Arena

Wednesday:

Varsity Hockey: 8:15am- 9:15am Practice @ Teen Ranch

Prep Hockey: 8:30am- 9:30am Practice @ Alder Arena

Thursday:

Varsity Hockey: 8:15am- 9:15am Practice @ Teen Ranch

Prep Hockey: 8:30am- 9:30am Practice @ Alder Arena

Friday:

Varsity Hockey: Team Session

Prep Hockey: Team Session