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Wednesday, June 8th
World Ocean Day: Beach Hat and Sunglasses Day Good day, Hillview families. Tomorrow we will be recognizing World Ocean Day. The health of our oceans very important as we consider the impacts of climate change. Whether you consider environmental, economic, recreational, or aesthetic reasons, our coves, bays and shorelines need to be protected. After lunch, we will be busing our students to Norris Arm Municipal Park for a stroll along Sandy Point beach to experience the beauty and recognize the importance of our marine habitats (weather permitting). Please dress your child appropriately for a walk along the beach. The weather is supposed to be sunny, but not very warm. Wear a hat and sunglasses and use sunscreen. Fly repellent might also be a good idea. We will not be allowing students to wade out into the water…this is not a swimming day! https://worldoceanday.org/ Where did the time go…Only 14 school days left…Wow!
Here we are on the closing end of another school year. As we clue up this year, I would like to remind you that every school day is a learning day, so please make sure that your child is in attendance. The last school days provide time for teachers to help students conclude their learning, finish up projects, and give last attempts at improving their grades. It is much harder to maintain focus with the onset of warmer weather and thoughts of summer break…the students also find it difficult 😊. To help keep everyone’s mind focused, we will be filling our last couple of weeks with some school spirit activities. Please take note of the following schedule of events: Wednesday, June 8th (Day 3): Hat and Sunglasses Day Come dressed in your beach hat and sunglasses. This is also World Ocean Day. We will be taking some time today to focus on the environmental importance of our oceans and shorelines. Activity: Our students may be heading to Sandy Point for a short hike (weather permitting; details to follow). Thursday, June 9th (Day 4): 80’s Day Dress up in your parachute pants, acid wash jeans, or other 80’s fashion. Maybe a “mullet” or BIG hair might be your thing. Activity: We will have some 80’s trivia and music throughout the day. Friday, June 10th (Day 5): Pride/Tie-Dye Day Wear your rainbow colors and tie dye clothing today to celebrate Pride Month. Activity: We will be doing a “whole school” art activity. Monday, June 13th (Day 6): Teacher-Student Swap Day Students dress like teachers and teachers dress like students today. Activity: Board game hour Tuesday, June 14th (Day 7): Floral/Spring Colors Day Wear your spring colors and floral patterns to show your school spirit. Activity: Grade 4-9 field trip to Grand Falls-Windsor Wednesday, June 15th (Day 8): Anything but a Bookbag Day No backpacks allowed today - get creative carrying your supplies to school. Activity: Wednesday morning breakfast in the gym & staff picture guessing game Thursday, June 16th (Day 1): School Colors Day Wear burgundy, blue and gold today to show your HVA spirit. Activity: Kindergarten-grade 3 field trip to Grand Falls-Windsor Friday, June 17th (Day 2): PJ Day Wear your PJs to school today. Activity: We will be watching a movie in the gym as a whole school this afternoon. Monday, June 20th (Day 3): Jersey Day Support your favorite sports team today by wearing their jersey. Activity: We will be going outdoors (weather permitting) in the afternoon for activities (more details to come). Tuesday, June 21st (Day 4): National Indigenous People’s Day Wear an orange t-shirt to support our indigenous community. Activity: There will be a presentation and indigenous resources at school today. Wednesday, June 22nd (Day 5): Red Carpet Day Wear your fancy clothes today. Activity: The Hillview Academy Awards and Celebration will take place this afternoon. See notes below for special instruction on public attendance. Thursday, June 23rd (Day 6): Last Day of Classes!! Report Cards go home today. Students will be dismissed at 12:30pm. Hillview Academy Awards Celebration On Wednesday (June 22) at 12:45pm, we will be holding our annual year end Hillview Academy Awards Celebration. Last year, COVID restrictions did not allow any public attendance at the event, so we broadcasted on-line through Facebook Live. During this assembly, the Kindergarten and the Grade 9 classes will be recognized. Annual awards will be presented. There may also be some musical performances. This year, we still have to consider COVID restrictions in an effort to keep our school population as safe as possible. We will be allowing public access to the assembly with the following restrictions: 1. Only TWO people per family will be permitted to attend the assembly. We will be issuing two passes per family; these passes can be used by any person that the family chooses. (i.e. mom, dad, aunt, nan, etc.) 2. Any person who has COVID-like symptoms will not be permitted to attend. We will attempt to broadcast the event online, but we cannot guarantee this, at the moment. To: Students and Families
From: Ed Walsh, Associate Director of Education (Programs and Human Resources) Subject: Masking Policy; COVID-19 Protocols Date: May 13, 2022 ___________________________________________ Dear Students and Families, Further to our April 13, 2022 memo regarding masking and COVID-19 protocols, please be advised that, in consultation with Public Health, the District has determined that current masking protocols in schools and on school buses will remain in effect until May 20, 2022. Commencing Tuesday, May 24, 2022, the masking protocol will become family choice. However, masking remains highly recommended for students and staff. By continuing to strongly encourage masking, it is our hope that it will continue to reduce the transition of germs and viruses within the school environment and help us preserve valuable instructional time and extracurricular activities as we near the end of the school year. To that end, we encourage you to continue with the following: ● Individual hand washing and sanitation; and, ● Ensure individuals utilize the daily school screening questionnaire and remain home when unwell. Thank you for your continued attention to these matters. Early Dismissal Thursday Apr 14
Please note that there will be an early dismissal for students on Thursday, April 14. Students will be dismissed at 1:35pm. Buses will be bringing students home at that time. School will be closed for Easter break from April 15-24. School will re-open on Monday, April 25th. Thank-you. 
KinderStart: Next Session April 8
Good day, KinderStart families; Our next session will be this Friday, April 8th. The session will run from 9:30-11:30am. Children will need to bring a clean pair of sneakers for use inside the school. Children will need to bring a peanut-free recess snack. We look forward to seeing you! There will be one more session planned for Friday, April 29th. Here are some things to keep in mind: ● Covid-19 pre-screening must be completed by student and the parent/caregiver before coming to the session. You can find the NLESD Daily Screening Questionnaire by following this link https://www.gov.nl.ca/education/files/Covid-Questionnaire-Schools.pdf ● Children and parent/caregiver will be required to wear masks while inside schools. ● All students and the parent/caregiver will use hand sanitizer while entering the school as well as entering and exiting the classroom and learning spaces. ● Only one family member/caregiver per student may attend KinderStart sessions; no siblings will be permitted. ● Classroom sessions will be for students only. Parents/caregivers are to remain in the school library during the session. A parent/caregiver session may be offered during that time. ● Some students may not be able to complete a classroom session without parent/caregiver support. In the event that a student is not able to continue in the classroom, the student will be reunited with their parent/caregiver in the parent/caregiver session. Please note that there will be no school ALL DAY for Kindergarten and Grade 1 students on KinderStart days. Be Cool For Autism: World Autism Day
Saturday, April 2nd was World Autism Day. In order to show our support, HVA will have a "Be Cool For Autism" day on Monday, April 4th! Hey, students...wear your shades and show how you can "be cool for autism"! 😎 To: Students and Staff at K-12 Schools
From: Dr. Janice Fitzgerald, Chief Medical Officer of Health Subject: Changes to COVID-19 Rapid Antigen Self-Testing Program Date: March 29, 2022 Based on emerging evidence regarding rapid antigen self-testing for COVID-19 (in the context of Omicron), we are recommending two changes to our existing protocols: 1. The swab collection site will change from a nasal swab to a throat, cheeks, and nasal swab. Rapid antigen tests can more reliably detect infectious cases of the Omicron variant using combined oral-nasal samples as viral load peaks first in the throat and then in the nose. Please follow the instructions for the new throat, cheek and nasal swab collection technique posted here. We have also updated your test instruction sheets to reflect this new method. 2. Participation in this program is not required for individuals who have recently had a COVID-19 infection. Current evidence suggests that reinfection is unlikely in the three months following an infection with Omicron. Therefore, individuals are not required to test or self-isolate for 90 days from symptom onset or the positive test date. You are encouraged to share your rapid tests with others who require testing if you have extra kits available at home (for example, friends and family members). Please do not waste rapid tests. These are a valuable and limited resource and should be used wisely and only when testing is indicated. If you are unsure of your testing requirements, please complete the online COVID-19 Assessment and Test Reporting tool at www.covidassessment.nlchi.nl.ca for direction. 
Request for Feedback – Family Survey
Dear Parent/Guardian, School Development Surveys are conducted annually to gather feedback from students, staff, and parents/guardians to inform the school development process. The survey results will be provided to your child’s school and used with other data to identify the school’s strengths and challenges. Your child’s school will then create and implement a plan to build on successes and address areas of challenge. The survey is anonymous, which means that we cannot connect your survey responses to you. We encourage everyone to participate so that we have the most accurate representation of family perceptions at your school. Please complete the survey by April 8th, 2022 by clicking on the following link: https://www.research.net/r/SDFAMILY2122EN. If you do not have internet access contact your school. If you have any questions or concerns regarding the school development surveys, please contact: Allan Johnson at 709-729-7831 or allanjohnson@gov.nl.ca or Patricia Emberley at 709-729-6850 or patriciaemberley@gov.nl.ca Thank you for your participation and for being a valued member of your school community. 
Text Messaging Service
Our school utilizes the SchoolMessenger® system to deliver text messages straight to your mobile phone with important information about events, school closings, safety alerts and more. You can participate in this free service* just by sending a text message of “Y” or “Yes” to our district’s short code number: 978338 You can also opt out of these messages at any time by simply replying to one of our messages with “Stop”. *Terms and Conditions – Message frequency varies. Standard message and data rates may apply. Reply HELP for help. Text STOP to cancel. Mobile carriers are not liable for delayed or undelivered messages. See schoolmessenger.com/txt for more info. To: All Families
From: Terry Hall, CFO/Assistant Director of Education (Corporate Services) Re: Clarification on Distribution of Rapid Test Kits Date: March 21, 2022 _________________________________________________________ A statement made during a Friday, March 18 Public Health briefing, and subsequent media reports, may have been misinterpreted to mean there would be an unlimited supply of COVID‐ 19 rapid test kits available to the public through K‐12 schools. To be clear, there is no unlimited supply of rapid test kits available in schools at this time. The Newfoundland and Labrador English School District will be receiving shipments of rapid test kits from Public Health on a regular basis, which will be equitably distributed to students as they are made available to the school. Ten (10) kits per student were recently provided to the District for distribution to students. A further ten (10) per student will be provided through schools in the near future. If students/families do not need the rapid test kits they are provided, per Public Health guidance, they are welcome to distribute them to family, friends and neighbours as they see fit. Parents can contact the school to request replacement kits for students in their household as needed. We thank you in advance for your attention to this matter. Education Week 2022: A Place To Grow
Next week (March 14-18) is Education Week across our province. Education Week is a time to recognize the value of education and its importance to every child’s future and the future of our province and country. We recognize that our school is an important place of learning and that this school and everyone here is dedicated to helping each child in their journey of learning and growing. We recognize that everyone at our school – students, teachers, support staff, volunteers – are unique individuals with something to contribute. Here are some of the events planned for this week: Monday: Theme – Career Day Dress up to show us “what you want to be when you grow up”. Students can some to school dressed up to portray future career goals. Tuesday: Theme - Twin Day Come dressed as look-alikes. Show us how closely you and your buddy can resemble each other. Wednesday: Theme – Ukraine Day Come dressed in Blue and Yellow as we show our support for those involved in the Ukrainian conflict. There will be other theme activities throughout the day. Thursday: Theme – St. Patrick’s Day Show us your Irish Green! Grade 7-9 students will be leaving for their Marble Mountain Ski Trip today. Friday: Theme – PJ Day and Dart Outdoors Come dressed in your PJ’s. Also, bring clothing for outdoor activities. Grades K-6 will be Darting Outdoors to take in some winter activities. This event may be moved back to Thursday depending on the weather outlook. Grade 7-9 students will be returning from their ski trip later in the evening. Public Health Announcement: Close Contacts and Isolation Protocols
Many of you have had questions regarding the definition of Close Contact and Isolation expectations when you suspect exposure to COVID. The following link outlines the most recent version. Take a look: https://www.gov.nl.ca/.../Covid-Exposure-Flowchart-2021... 
Online Learning Resources and Course Materials
Date: January 26, 2022 To: Students and Families (Grade 7-9 Students) From: Georgina Lake - Assistant Director of Education – Student Services Subject: Online Learning Resources and Course Materials --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Students and Families, We are delighted to welcome our staff and students back to in-class instruction this week. The value of being in class and availing of all the learning resources available cannot be overstated, both from a learning perspective and for mental health and well-being. At this time, we remind all high school students they can access online learning resources and course materials at: https://www.cdli.ca/. Asynchronous learning resources and course review supports are available for a variety of high school courses. Students may find this resource beneficial as a supplement to their in-class learning, and it can also assist students who may feel ill, or have to temporarily isolate, due to COVID-19. We also offer students the opportunity to avail of live online tutoring sessions hosted by post-secondary students. The attached document provides a more detailed description as well as instructions on how to set up an account to gain access to these resources. Students are encouraged to set up their account. Regards, Click here: CDLI Information - 7-12 Students NLESD Mask Guidelines
Please see the attached memo from the NLESD regarding mask guidelines for schools. Click Here to access memo. Welcome Back to In-Class Learning
Good day, Hillview Families. We are looking forward to welcoming students back to the building tomorrow. Considering the latest COVID policy updates from Public Health, here are some things to keep in mind: 1. Rapid COVID Testing Each child should perform a Rapid Test on Tuesday morning before leaving for school. If the test is positive, the child cannot attend. Please follow GovNL guidelines for steps to take if your child shows symptoms, or has a positive test. Screening Questionnaire: https://www.gov.nl.ca/covid-19/files/Covid-Questionnaire-Schools.pdf Rapid Testing Instructions: https://www.gov.nl.ca/covid-19/schools-children/school-rapid-testing-program/ 2. Mask Wearing There will be a very strong emphasis on proper mask wearing. Students must wear a mask at all times on buses, in the classroom, and in other common areas. Please adhere to these points of emphasis:
3. Lunch-time and Recess The Public Health guidelines say that masks should only be removed while the child is ACTIVELY eating/drinking. During student breaks:
4. Parents choosing to keep their children home With in-class instruction resuming, teachers will be engaged in their classes and other related duties in their schools. Teachers will not be providing “at-home learning” packages to students who choose to stay home. Continuity of learning plans can only be provided to students who cannot attend school for documented medical reasons or because they are following Public Health guidance to self-isolate. Parents should contact the school if their child is in this situation. 5. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) Many of the questions the school community has been asking have been answered in the attached document. Check it out at: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1vEG0KOx7IVo_p_4CwJAbHAVa7J1foiQ4fjrew3f7Atc/edit Thank-you for your cooperation. Let’s work together to maintain a safe learning environment for our children. NLESD COVID-19 Information Page
The NLESD has created a COVID-19: Information for School Communities page to provide you with up-to-date information that has been guiding our schools since the beginning of the school year. Check out the link below: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) 2021-2022 Resumption of In-Class Instruction: Memo to Families from the NLESD
Please see the attached memo from the NLESD. The memo provides some answers to questions you may be having regarding the recent Public Health announcement to open schools for student on January 24th. The memo can be accessed HERE. Return to Classes – Rapid Test Kit Distribution
School Re-opening and Rapid Test Kits Due to ongoing planning efforts between the Departments of Education and Health and Community Services, the decision on whether to resume in-person classes on January 24 has been deferred to Thursday, January 20 as per EDU Public Advisory. Rapid Test Kits The school has received a Rapid Test Kit for each student at Hillview. The school will be distributing these kits on Thursday, January 20. Each kit contains enough material/items to perform 5 Rapid COVID Tests: 5 swabs 5 test strips 5 testing solution vials An Instruction Sheet will be attached to the kit, but you can also find it here: Instruction Sheet COVID-19 Rapid Test Kit K-12 A demonstration video is also available here: Rapid Test Kit Demonstration Video Everyone receiving a kit is asked to hold it in a secure location until receiving the official go-ahead to begin the testing process. This notification will come in the form of a public advisory from the Provincial Government and communication from your school administrator. Rapid Test Kit Distribution Plan The school will be distributing the rapid Test Kits on Thursday, January 20. The school will distribute the kits using a “drive-by” arrangement. Parents will drive to the school, and kits will be handed to you through your car window; there will be no need to enter the building. Kits will only be given to PARENTS of Hillview students; other relatives, or friends, cannot pickup kits. If you cannot make it to the school to pick up the kits due to transportation or work conflicts, you are permitted to arrange for another Hillview parent to pick them up on your behalf. If this is not possible, please call the school so that we can discuss other possible arrangements. To avoid possible traffic congestion, pickup times will be staggered as per the following schedule: 9:00am-12:00pm Grade K-6 Parents 1:00pm-3:30pm Grade 7-9 Parents Please follow the normal traffic flow pattern of the school parking lot. Enter the parking lot at the west entrance (playground side) and leave at the east exit. Thank-you for your cooperation. HVA Update: Jan 3, 2022
School will start up tomorrow, January 4th, for all students. Due to our recent shift to on-line schooling, we will take it slow tomorrow. Students will not be expected to connect at 8:40am. We will take some time to connect with our students, address any needs that may arise, and communicate expectations and instructional schedules. With that in mind, here is what you need to keep in mind for tomorrow: 1. Google Meet at 11:00am All students will connect with their teachers though Google Meet at 11:00am. Teachers will discuss class expectations and other items to keep in mind going forward. 2. Device Needs Grade 7-9 students should use their Chromebooks for their on-line sessions. For those in Grades K-6 with device needs, please contact me (or your homeroom teacher) at the school. We will do our best to address individual needs. Please note, however, that any internet-ready device (cell phone, iPad, tablet, gaming system) can be used to connect to Google Meet. For most days, I will be at the school during regular school hours. If you have questions, please call or email; I will do my best to respond to your inquiries. Please stay safe…and be kind. To: Families and School Communities
From: Tony Stack, CEO/Director of Education Date: December 29, 2021 Subject: January 4, 2021 Virtual Learning Start Dear Families, The Provincial Government announced today that K-12 classes will resume on January 4, 2022, as scheduled, “but in an online learning, virtual format”. Updates will be provided each Thursday, beginning January 6, 2022, with respect to classes the following week. As you know, schools and families have adjusted to virtual learning in the past, but each time they may encounter unique challenges. There will be inevitable glitches and connectivity issues, but it will get better as we go. Meanwhile, please take advantage of the NLESD Digital Readiness Page with resources for families, students, and teachers, and reach out to your school administration if there are any issues. Schools will prioritize in-school attendance and services beginning with those students not accessing the prescribed curriculum (alternate curriculum and alternate curricular courses). Your school administration will confirm arrangements with affected families. Protocols are accessible here. Students in Grades 7-12 are expected to use their District-issued Chromebooks for online learning. However, to be clear, a student does not need a Chromebook to access online learning. For students in K-6, for example, online learning can be accessed through most personal laptops, tablets, desktop computers and smartphones. K-12 Online Learning Protocols can be accessed here. The Newfoundland and Labrador English School District, along with your individual school administrators and staff, thank you in advance for your patience, understanding and support as we navigate this latest Covid-19 challenge together. HVA Update (Dec 19)
Monday (Dec 20th) School is open for students. It will be Day 8 in the schedule. It will be Christmas Sweater and Hat Day. Students will follow a normal schedule of classes; however, there will be time given in the day for the collection of personal and school items to bring home. Please make sure that your child has adequate space in their bookbag, or bring extra reusable bags, to carry home the items they need. Students will need to bring home adequate school supplies in case schooling moves online in the new year. Grade 7-9 students should make sure that Chromebooks are brought home. Tuesday and Wednesday (Dec 21-22) School is closed for students. School is open for staff only. Other items: 1. Vegetable Sale For those of you that ordered vegetables, the bags will be arriving before noon. Please arrange to pick up your order at the school before the end of the school day. 2. Christmas Concert, Christmas Dinner, and Bake Sale Unfortunately, all of these events are cancelled. 3. Student Gift Exchange – Secret Santa Students were previously told by their teachers that Friday (or Monday) was the deadline to bring in their Secret Santa gift. Please bring in your gift on Monday. We will decide whether or not to go ahead with the exchange after the students arrive. School will re-open for students on January 4th, 2022. NLESD Update: COVID-19 and School Closure
From: Ed Walsh, Associate Director (Programs and Human Resources) Subject: Last week of School December 20-22, 2021 Date: December 19, 2021 As a result of the Provincial Government announcement today, December 19, 2021, pertaining to school operations during the period December 20-22, please note the following: ● Monday, December 20, 2021 will be a regular school day with students in attendance, unless otherwise communicated to specific schools with unique circumstances due to public health measures or operational considerations. This day will allow for the wrap up of the calendar year and for students to collect personal items and class materials, including technology for potential use in virtual learning in the new year should that be required. ● For Tuesday, December 21 and Wednesday December 22, 2021, there are no classes for students. School staff are expected to report for work, unless otherwise on an approved or directed absence due to special circumstances. We are planning for regular in-class learning in January, but should virtual learning be required, staff will use this time to prepare. Update: Next Week Events Dec 20-22
Due to the school closure today, there will be some changes in the events planned for next week. Please note the following: Monday - Christmas Hat and Sweater Day
Thank-you...Have a Merry Christmas! 
Questions about Busing?
The NLESD has a number of resources available on its website to help answer the most common questions regarding busing. We encourage you to take a look at the site by clicking here. There is also a bus safety video which highlights students expectations and emergency evacuation procedures. Our students practice these drills each year. You can view the video by clicking here. Take some time to view our School Bus Safety brochure by clicking here. We have also placed a couple of NLESD documents about busing on our documents page. School Closure/ Delayed Opening – Weather Day
School closures, due to poor weather conditions, are a reasonable expectation during the winter months. A lot of factors go into the decision to close school for all, or part, of a day. Present weather conditions, projected weather conditions, and road conditions play a major role in the decision to close or remain open. Decisions are always made in consultation with other personnel who provide information and advice. Ultimately, it is the safety of our students that determines the final decision. Usually, a decision to close school happens at two occasions: (1) before a school day begins, or (2) after a school day has started. Each of these situations requires slightly different procedures. Weather Day – Before a School Day Begins Decisions can only be based on the information provided by weather forecasts, road reports, and personal contacts. Sometimes this information may be slow in coming, or may be inaccurate. As soon as a decision is made, the following steps will happen:
Be aware that school may have a delayed opening, be closed for the morning, or be closed for the entire day. Pay careful attention to the announcements for details. We understand that it may be difficult for parents/guardians to make alternate arrangements for the care of their child(ren). A decision to close school before the day begins will be made as quickly as possible. Be reminded that it is your right, as a parent/guardian, to keep your child home, if, in your opinion, weather/road conditions will endanger the safety of your child. Weather Day – After a School Day Begins On occasion, worsening weather conditions will make it necessary to close school during the progress of the day. If you are not regularly home during a school day, it is essential that you have alternate arrangements made for the care of your child should school be closed early. Alternate contacts and phone numbers need to be communicated to the school. If the school needs to close during the school day, an announcement will be communicated via our SchoolMessenger© phone system, to the local radio stations, and posted on-line. We will verify the status of ALL students before sending them home. It is essential that you “verify” the automated phone message when prompted to do so. This allows us to ensure that someone will be home to receive your child. From: Ed Walsh, Associate Director - Programs and Human Resources To: Families Subject: Updated Masking and Cohort Protocols Date: October 29, 2021 _________________________________________________________________________ In accordance with a Public Health Special Measures Order announced today (Friday, October 29), the Newfoundland and Labrador English School District is amending its current masking and cohorting protocols in schools throughout the province. Effective Monday, November 1, mask-use in schools will be mandatory for all K-12 students, including primary-aged students in K-3, and there will be a resumption of cohorting for K-6 students throughout the province. Masks will be required: ● While on school buses; ● While in school corridors, and in all common areas within the school (e.g., staff rooms, cafeterias, music rooms, learning commons). ● At all times while in the school environment, including while seated in the classroom. The exceptions are: ➢ in school gymnasiums when physical activity is taking place; and ➢ in music programs during activity which precludes the wearing of masks (i.e., during the playing of wind instruments). The District has also been advised cohorting should occur: ● in all primary and elementary classes; and ● During the lunchtime period (as occurred in schools last year). Public Health has indicated the continuation of K-6 extra-curricular activities is under consideration. The District thanks you in advance for your cooperation and support as we continue to adjust to the evolving Covid-19 situation in the province. Hillview Update, September 7
School will reopen for ALL students on Wednesday, September 8th. Good day, Hillview families; Another summer has slipped away…September is here…some would contend that it’s the most wonderful month of the year. Well, wonderful or not, back to school it is…with new sneakers, new hair, and a little bit of growing up! We are all geared up to welcome everyone back to Hillview. From our first bus-ride kindergartners to our seasoned veteran grade nines, this September has expectations for more “regular” school year. It’s going to be a fantastic year of learning and growing. Probably the biggest difference moving into this school year are the changes in COVID protocols. You should read the Return to School Plan 2021. The plan places schools into two possible scenarios based up the prevalence of COVID within our community…we can be either “Low Risk” or “High Risk”. The “Low Risk” plan allows us to run school with much less restriction. In summary:
You should also check out the NLESD information page September 2021 Back to School Information. The page has a pile information to help answer many of your back-to-school questions. By the way:
See you on Wednesday! Sincerely, Mr. P Wheeler Principal 
Student Transportation Parent Portal (June 14, 2021)
Good day, Hillview Families Today, you will receive a letter in your child’s bookbag introducing you to the new Student Transportation Parent Portal. This Parent Portal is the best way to access and review your child’s transportation information online. This portal will tell you if your child is eligible for transportation, or not, based on their civic address (located at the top of this letter - if this address information is incorrect, please notify your child’s school). If your child is eligible for transportation, the portal will also provide you with your child’s bus stop assignment and the pickup and drop off times in the morning and afternoon. You will also be automatically signed up to receive email notifications about routing changes throughout the school year. To help you access your transportation information more easily for next school year, we are recommending all parents create an account upon receipt of this letter. This Parent Portal will remain open for account creation until June 25, 2021. It will then be temporarily deactivated until mid-August while the District updates the system with any required bus route changes for the 2021-22 school year. 2021-22 School Year Once the portal is reactivated in mid-August for the 2021-22 school year, you will be able to login to view your child’s eligibility and their transportation information for the 1st day of school. In the event you miss the opportunity to create an account before June 25, 2021, you will be able to create an account once the Portal reopens in mid-August using your child’s Student Number, Birth Date, 2021-22 School Name and Grade. Courtesy Seating Currently, the system only provides transportation information for a student based on their civic address; so it does not capture any transportation changes relating to courtesy seat application approvals by your child’s school or if your child is availing of private transportation service (for example: school transportation provided by a childcare provider). For now, Courtesy Seating Requests will be handled during school start-up in September as per past practice. Thank you for taking the time to read this message. If you have any transportation questions, please submit a Student Transportation Public Inquiry Form which can be found on the “Busing/Transportation” tab of our website (www.nlesd.ca) under the “Students & Families” dropdown menu. Student Transportation Division - NLESD Cell Phone Policy Update
A while ago, we allowed more relaxed use of cell phones inside the school. Students were informed of expectations around proper cell phone use and we decided to allow some relaxed expectations for a trial period. In our efforts to maintain a safe and private school setting, and an educational setting with undivided learner attention, there remain issues that have been too challenging to monitor. Here are some of the issues that we continue to grapple with:
After a review of the trial period, we have found that there still remain too many issues with inappropriate use of phones inside the building. As of Wednesday, January 20th, we will be reverting to our original cell phone expectations for students. Please be mindful of the following policy and help to ensure that your child complies:
You can help us educate our students on the appropriate use of cell phones by following these steps:
Reminder:
Please note that Hillview Academy attempts to maintain an Allergy-Friendly and Scent-Friendly learning environment for our students. Food products which contain (or may contain) allergens that place students at risk are not permitted at the school. We presently have these food allergies at the school:
The use of scented products is also restricted. Students, staff, and visitors are not permitted to use strongly scented body products (i.e. aerosols, sprays, perfumes, colognes) at the school; in addition, these products should not be applied prior to arrival at school. We thank you for your help in considering the safety of others. 
Check out our Documents section for recent school memos and other information.
Canteen Services
***Please note that due to COVID restrictions, there will be no canteen service until further notice*** (Sep. 2, 2020) We typically have a small supply of healthier snack choices that comply with the Food Guidelines for schools. Be aware that there may be some days that certain items will not be available. The Item Price List is as follows: Bottled Water $1.00 Milk (white & choc) $0.60 Cheese String $0.75 Gold Fish Crackers $0.75 Veggie Chips $0.75 Ice Cream (Fridays only) $1.00 
Video Cameras in Use
Please be advised that our school uses video surveillance to help keep our school a safe place for your children. Video monitoring is in compliance with NLESD policy. |
