Office Hours

The office will be open during the summer as per the schedule below.  Please call (250) 832-7195 during these times if you would like to schedule an appointment to meet with Mr. Ritchie (Principal).

Monday August 31 – Friday September 4 (8:00am – 2:00pm)

Tuesday Sept 8  (8:00am – 3:00pm) – Regular Hours Begin

New Registrations

New student registration will take place on Tuesday September 1st from 9:00am-2:30pm. Please bring the following documents with you when registering your child.

• Birth Certificate
• Care Card
• Immunization Record
• Proof of Residency (ie. a hydro bill, rental agreement etc. with your name and address on it)

If you cannot make it in to register during this time, please contact the school by phone at (250) 832-7195 or by email at hil@sd83.bc.ca.

First Day of School

Students will return to their previous year teacher’s classroom on the first day of school. Our goal is to have students placed in their new classes by the end of the first week, once we have confirmed our class break-outs for the 2020-21 school year. Parents will be sent an email to inform you who your child’s teacher will be at some point during the first week.

Tuesday September 8 

• 8:12am – Classes Begin – (Returning students should go to their previous years teacher’s class. New students should report the main entrance)
• 11:14am – Early Dismissal

Note: Students in Kindergarten will attend according to the gradual entry schedule sent out in August. Kindergarten students first day will be Wednesday September 9, 2020. 

School Supplies

Families do not need to go out and purchase school supplies for their children. The school has purchased school supplies for each classroom, and families are charged a School Supply Fee to cover the cost of the supplies used over the course of the year. In preparation for the first day, students will need to have a backpack and a clean pair of indoor runners (with non-marking soles). A School Supply Fee letter will be sent home as part of a newsletter during the first week.

If you have any questions, please give us a call.  Have a wonderful summer!

Dear Hillcrest Families,

As we head into our last week of school, I would like to share our appreciation for your support and flexibility over the past few months as we navigated these very unusual times.  I am so proud of our entire community (staff, students and parents) for how we have stepped up to the challenge and worked together to explore new ways of learning both at home and at school. As difficult as it has been over the past few months, having students back at school in June has been absolutely wonderful, and the lessons we have learnt will be invaluable as we plan to ensure learning can continue when we head back to school in the fall.

Below is some important information about our alternate schedule for the last week of school.

Alternate Schedule for the Last Week

Note: Home Learning Opportunities will still be provided for the week, however, due to our Whole Class Farewell Events on Wednesday June 24 and Thursday June 25, regular Teams meetings will not be scheduled.

Whole Class Farewell Events

Please contact your child’s teacher if your child has not been attending school but would like to participate in the Whole Class Farewell Event planned for their class. As always, we completely respect the decision of families who may not want to participate in this activity. Below are some important reminders regarding our planned Whole Class Farewell Events.

• Due to the complexity of our schedule it is very important that parents drop-off and pick-up their child within the windows provided.
• Drop-off will be in the parking lot for all classes.
• Pick-up will be on 20^th Street by the Adventure Playground for students in Grades K-4. Students in Grade 5 will be picked up in the parking lot.
• All students attending our Whole Class Farewell Events must complete a Heath Check in the parking lot upon arrival. Please bring a Health Check Ticket to speed up this process.
• Students should be prepared to participate in the activities outside so please dress for the weather.
• Students should bring a water bottle but not a lunch. Students will be eating lunch at home on this day.

Wednesday June 24

Thursday June 25

Thursday June 25

Report Cards

Report cards will be handed out during the Whole Class Farewell Events. If your child is not attending this event, report cards can be picked up on Thursday June 25 or Friday June 26 from 8:00am-3:00pm. Please call the school at (250) 832-7195 when you arrive so that we can meet you at the door.

Chromebooks, iPads and Library Books

Please ensure all Chomebooks, iPads and Library books are returned to school no later than June 22. Invoices will be prepared on June 23 for any items outstanding.

Thank you again for your cooperation as we bring closure to what has been a very unusual school year. Please feel free to call the school if you have any questions or concerns.

Sincerely,

Gord Ritchie

Principal- Hillcrest Elementary School

Dear Families,

Dear Hillcrest Families,

I hope you are doing well. Below is some very important information about the last two weeks of school.

1. Change in Status – Please remember to contact your child’s teacher or Mr. Ritchie by Thursday June 11 @ 2:00pm if you would like to change the status of your child’s attendance for next week.

2. Alternate Schedule for the Last Week – Given that there are only 3 full school days during the week of June 22-25 we will be adjusting our schedule for the week to ensure every student can attend for an equal amount of time. Home Learning Opportunities will still be provided for the week, however, due to our Whole Class Farewell Events on Wednesday June 24 and Thursday June 25, Teams meetings will not be scheduled.

3. Whole Class Farewell Events – We are very excited to invite all students from each class to a Whole Class Farewell Event on Wednesday June 24 or Thursday June 25 according to the schedule below. Since the activities planned for these events will be taking place in the gym or outside, we can safely accommodate a full class of 20-28 students at one time. Please contact your child’s teacher if your child has not been attending school but would like to participate in the Whole Class Farewell Event planned for their class. As always, we completely respect the decision of families who may not want to participate in these events. Due to the complexity of our schedule it is very important that parents drop-off and pick-up their child at the designated locations within the windows provided. All students attending these events will still need to complete a Heath Check in the parking lot upon arrival.

Wednesday June 24

Thursday June 25

Thursday June 25

Thank you again for your cooperation and support as we try to bring some positive closure to a somewhat challenging end to the school year. Please feel free to call the school if you have any questions or concerns.

Sincerely,

Gord Ritchie

Principal- Hillcrest Elementary School

Dear Hillcrest Families,

Thank you again for your cooperation and support this week as we navigated our return to in-class instruction. As with any new experience we will continue to learn together and make efforts to improve some of the policies and procedures we have in place to ensure everyone stays safe and healthy. Starting next week we would like to make the following changes.

1. Health Check Ticket – students will now be able to come to school without a parent, as long as they bring a parent signed Health Check Ticket with them. Students still need to report directly to a Heath Check Station upon arrival though.  Ensuring all students coming to school are healthy is critical to the success of our restart plan.

Students who were at school on Friday received some blank Heath Check Tickets. Students coming to school on Monday will be getting their tickets then. If you don’t have a blank Heath Check Ticket at home please go to our website (https://hil.sd83.bc.ca) to print one off or copy it out on a blank piece of paper.

2. Pick-Up Times – We will be adjusted our staggered pick up times at the end of the day.

• • Parents can pick up students outside their classrooms between 2:00-2:07. 
  • Students taking the bus, walking or riding home will be dismissed at 2:07.

Please communicate with your child and/or their teacher how they will be getting home so they can be ready to go on time.  It is still important for all students and families to leave school grounds immediately after pick-up.

3. Drop-Off Times–  Our staggered Drop-Off times will be adjusted slightly as our Heath check stations are running quite smoothly.  As much as possible, students with a last name starting with…

• • A-M should be dropped-off from 7:50-8:00
  • N-Z should be dropped-off from 8:00-8:10

Students should not walk or be dropped off at the school site before 7:50am.

4. New Students – if your child will be coming to school for the first time this week please be sure to thoroughly review the Hillcrest School Restart Parent Letter document with your child.

Thank you for your continued support and have a wonderful weekend.

Sincerely,

Gord Ritchie

Principal – Hillcrest Elementary School

Dear Hillcrest Families,

The staff at Hillcrest have been working very hard over the past few weeks preparing for some of our students to return to part-time in-class learning starting on June 1.  We understand this is a family decision and respect your choice during this unusual time. In order to maintain a safe and healthy learning and working environment we will be implementing a variety of new procedures.

Attached is a summary of some of the procedures that you and your child need to be aware of before returning to school. For the health and safety of all members of our community it is critical that you review the information in this document thoroughly and contact the school  at (250) 832-7195 if you have any questions or concerns.

LINK: Hillcrest School Restart Parent Letter – Questions and Procedures

Thank you for your continued support as we navigate these uncharted waters.  If you would like extensive details about the safety protocols in place, please visit our website to view the complete SD83 Restart Safety Plan.

Sincerely,

Gord Ritchie

(Principal)

Heads up Hillcrest and Ranchero…Mrs. Meerza and Mrs. Major took part in the annual “release the trolls” spring placement session up at South Canoe. All of the trolls made by Ranchero and Hillcrest students are now ready to be visited.

Some more great photos from throughout the year at Hillcrest! Thanks for all the wonderful memories.

On Tuesday April 28 the flags at Hillcrest Elementary School will be flown at half mast in recognition of the National Day of Mourning. This day commemorates workers who have been killed or suffered illness due to workplace related hazards and incidents.

Join other Canadian children in song with professional vocal coach Jasmine Denham in this CBC Project Inside Voices.  It’s easy to participate.  Simply go to the website below and watch the latest video that will guide your family through the project.  Each week a new video will be added to move you along.  Be sure to be extra-creative and CBC may just decide to broadcast your video if you choose to share it.

https://www.cbc.ca/music/events/canadian-music-class-challenge/challenge-your-kids-to-raise-their-inside-voices-in-song-1.5531690

Video 1 (April 17): Vocal Warm-up

Video 2 (April 24): The Craft of Singing

Video 3 (May 1): Learn the Song

Video 4 (May 8): Record and Share Your Song

May 13: Upload your project

At the end of the project you will have the option to upload to social media using the hashtags #CBCMusicclass and #cbckids.  Remember that you will need your parent’s permission to share any of your work online.

Please feel free to send your project to our Music Teacher here at school as well!

The photo collage above is our first edition of Monday Memories. We will aim to publish a collage each week to help us remember the good old days. We truly miss the smiles of our wonderful students each and every day!