Congratulations to all of our grade 4 and 5 classes on an awesome show last Friday during Battle of the Bands! It was wonderful to see so many of our students getting the chance to step out of their comfort zones and come together as a team as they performed live for their peers. Below are the links to the videos of each performance for your viewing pleasure.

Div 5 (Mrs. Smith) – https://youtu.be/0NPqCpuGxFU

Div 4 (Mrs. Gecse) – https://youtu.be/rkv75rt7KlM

Div 3 (Mr. Smith) – https://youtu.be/Fz9cJlU2aRg

Div 2 (Ms. Tyssen/Matuga). – https://youtu.be/uf9ZmBiabwo

Div 1 (Mrs. Menzies) – https://youtu.be/QhEW2vVaXEs

In light of the news last week regarding the remains of the 215 children found at the Kamloops Residential School, schools across the province and beyond will be holding an “Orange Shirt Day” tomorrow (Monday May 31, 2021). Join us in wearing something orange as we support all Residential School survivors and remember those that didn’t survive, their families, and the greater community during this difficult time.

We look forward to meeting all of our new Kindergarten students, and their parents, on Wednesday June 16 during our modified Kindergarten Orientation event. Parents can visit the information booth set up beside the Kindergarten Playground anytime between 1:00pm and 2:00pm on this day. Staff will be there to provide a gift bag for each of our new students and answer any questions you have.

Below is a link to the information sent to parents of new Kindergarten students on May 12, 2021. If you know of a family in your neighborhood with a Kindergarten aged child, please check with them to make sure they are registered and have received this information. Thank you for your help with ensuring all of our families are kept in the loop.

Dear Hillcrest Families,

Next week our modified swim program will begin. Each class will participate in two Recreational Swim times this year according to the schedule below. Thank you to the many parent volunteers who will be helping to supervise in classes that have students under the age of 7! If you are one of those volunteers, please be at the pool 10 min before your child’s scheduled swim time. 

On the days your child is scheduled to go swimming please remind them to…

• Come to school with their swimsuit on under their clothing. This is not optional as students will be required to change on the pool deck before entering the pool.
• Bring a towel and a plastic bag to put their wet swimsuit in. Students will be changing in the changerooms following their swim.
• Bring a bag/backpack large enough to hold all of their clothing (including shoes) while they are swimming.
• Dress for the weather, if they are in one of the classes walking to the pool.

Note: students who have opted out of swimming or do not have their swimsuit will be required to stay at school instead of going to the pool with their class. The pool does not allow any spectators at the moment.

K-5 Swimming Schedule – May 2021

	Tuesday May 25	Thursday May 27
9:00 (Walk Down & Back)	Div 3 – C Smith	Div 4 – Gecse
9:45 (Walk Down & Back)	Div 1 – Menzies	Div 5 – M Smith (*Bus Back?)
10:30 (Walk Down, Bus back)	Div 8 – Wessely	Div 11 – Boyd (*Bus Down)
11:15 (Bus Down & Back)	Div 12 – Kehl	Div 13 – Porter
	Tuesday June 1	Thursday June 3
9:00 (Walk Down & Back)	Div 2 – Tyssen	Div 5 – M Smith
9:45 (Walk Down & Back)	Div 6 – Rushton	Div 7 – Larmand
10:30 (Walk Down, Bus back)	Div 10 – Corbett	Div 9 – Meerza
11:15 (Bus Down & Back)	Div 14 – Knipe	Div 11 – Boyd
	Tuesday June 8	Thursday June 10
9:00 (Walk Down & Back)	Div 3 – C Smith	Div 4 – Gecse
9:45 (Walk Down & Back)	Div 1 – Menzies	Div 7 – Larmand
10:30 (Walk Down, Bus back)	Div 8 – Wessely	Div 9 – Meerza
11:15 (Bus Down & Back)	Div 12 – Kehl	Div 13 – Porter
	Tuesday June 15
9:00 (Walk Down & Back)	Div 2 – Tyssen
9:45 (Walk Down & Back)	Div 6 – Rushton
10:30 (Walk Down, Bus back)	Div 10 – Corbett
11:15 (Bus Down & Back)	Div 14 – Knipe

Thank you again for your support and please feel free to call the school at (250) 832-7195 if you have any questions or concerns. 

Sincerely, 

Gord Ritchie

Principal – Hillcrest Elementary School

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We are pleased to announce that Mrs. Wentworth’s Children’s Library is open for use by the children in our community!

The little book lending library pictured above has been installed near the main entrance of Hillcrest School. This library was created in memory of our dear teacher Ms. Wentworth, who loved books.

Please feel free to TAKE A BOOK. When you’re finished, share it with a friend or bring it back to the library for someone else to enjoy.

You can also GIVE A BOOK, by bringing an appropriate children’s book from home to share.

We hope this library inspires you to keep reading, as Ms. Wentworth has inspired so many of us!

It has been worderful watching so many of our students participate in Intramural Soccer this year! We have 12 teams in total at the grade 3/4/5 level taking part. All of the games have been extremely close and the students participating have displayed excellent effort and sportsmanship throughout. Way to go Hillcrest!

Thank you to all of our students who participated in Star Wars Day by either bringing in their Star Wars Art or dressing up as their favourite Star Wars character. May the 4th be with you all!

On behalf of our wonderful PAC I would like to inform you that our Spring Flower Orders have arrived! Please arrange to pick-up your order at the Multi-Purpose Room Door (NE corner of Parking Lot near Red Gate) between 5:00pm and 6:00pm on Monday May 3. If you cannot make it during that time, there will be an alternate pick-up time on Tuesday May 4 from 5:00pm to 6:00pm. 

Thank you for your support!

All students are invited to participate in the following activities planned over the next few weeks!

Tuesday May 4 – STAR WARS ART ATTACK!

To celebrate Star Wars Day students are invited to participate in a STAR WARS ART ATTACK!

• Draw your favourite character
• Colour or paint a Star Wars picture
• Create a new light saber
• Build a small droid
• Any artsy idea will work!

Please bring in your creations on May 4th. If you really want to get into the theme, you could dress like your favourite character on that day too. May the 4th be with you!!!!

Thursday May 20 – Twin (Multiples) Day!

This is your chance to dress up with your friend(s)! Wear the same color shirt, wear your hair the same way, wear the same shoes etc.! This day is not meant to be exclusive in nature, so please help your child explore the option of including many friends when choosing what to wear.

Congratulations to everyone who participated in the Hillcrest Hustle yesterday! The entire event was a wonderful display of pride, determination, and school spirit. All of our students showed excellent effort and enthusiastically supported their peers throughout the afternoon. A huge thank you also goes out to our parent volunteers/course marshalls for encouraging our runners on along the way.

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Thank to all of our students and staff who participated in our Earth Day School Yard Clean-Up. Our school grounds look amazing! It was also wonderful to hear all of the conversations teachers were having with their students throughout the week about the little things we can do on a daily basis to make a difference for our environment.