Principal Message

The first month of 2025 is coming to an end, and we are stepping into February with the beginning of longer days and the hope of warmer temperatures. With Teachers’ Convention, Family Day, and only 28 days in the month, February always seems to fly by.

Please continue to review our newsletter and our weekly Griffins at a Glance to stay up to date on all that is happening.

Sincerely,

Jen

Congratulations to the Junior High Griffins Cheer Team for their incredible performance at the Alberta Cheerleading Association 2025 Scholastic Showcase! The team received fantastic feedback from the judges and was honoured with the Jaw-Dropping Jumps award.

Your team spirit truly shines- way to make us proud!

Monday, February 3rd

• Semester 2 Begins
• Cheer Practice 3:15-5:15pm

Wednesday, February 5th

• Gr. 5-6 Rabbit Hill Ski Club 9:45am-6:00pm
• Gr. 5-9 Homework Club 3:00-4:00pm

Thursday, February 6th

• No School, Teachers' Convention

Friday, February 7th

• No School, Teachers' Convention

Monday, February 10th

• Fit 7A & 9A Servus Place 1:10-2:55pm
• Cheer Practice 3:15-5:15pm
• Jr. Girls Basketball HOME Game vs. WDC 3:45pm
• Jr. Boys Basketball HOME Game vs. WDC 4:45pm

Tuesday, February 11th

• Fit 8B & 9B Servus Place 1:10-2:55pm
• Jr. Boys Basketball HOME Game vs. ESSMY 3:45pm
• Jr. Girls Basketball HOME Game vs. ESSMY 4:45pm
• Sr. Girls Basketball AWAY Game vs. WDC 4:30pm
• Sr. Boys Basketball AWAY Game vs. WDC 5:30pm

Wednesday, February 12th

• Gr. 9 Immunizations 8:45am- 12:00pm
• Fit 7B & 8A Servus Place 10:35am-12:20pm
• Gr. 5-9 Homework Club 3:00-4:00pm
• Jr. Girls Basketball AWAY Game vs. SAA 3:45pm
• Jr. Boys Basketball AWAY Game vs. SAA 4:45pm
• Sr. Girls Basketball HOME Game vs. SAA 4:00pm
• Sr. Boys Basketball HOME Game vs. SAA 5:30pm

Thursday, February 13th

• Gr. 6 (6CLA/6SAW) Alberta Legislature Tour 9:15am-2:30pm
• Gr. 7-9 Art Club 3:00-4:30pm
• Cheer Practice 3:15-5:15pm

Friday, February 14th

• Valentine's Day
• Gr. 7-9 Rabbit Hill Ski Club 9:00am-6:00pm
• Gr. 7-9 Band Practice-a-Thon 8:30pm

Monday, February 17th

• No School, Family Day

Tuesday, February 18th

• Fit 8B & 9B Servus Place 1:20-2:55pm
• Parent Council and Fundraising Committee Mtgs. 7:00pm

Wednesday, February 19th

• Fit 7B & 8A Servus Place 10:35am- 12:20pm
• Fit 7A & 9A Servus Place 1:10-2:55pm
• Gr. 5-9 Homework Club 3:00-4:00pm

Thursday, February 20th

• Sr. Basketball Woodhaven Tournament 12:00-3:00pm
• Gr. 7-9 Art Club 3:00-4:30pm
• Cheer Practice 3:15-5:15pm
• Jr. Girls Basketball HOME Game vs. VJM 3:30pm
• Jr. Boys Basketball HOME Game vs. VJM 4:30pm
• Sr. Boys Basketball AWAY Game vs. VJM 4:00pm
• Sr. Girls Basketball AWAY Game vs. VJM 5:30pm

Friday, February 21st

• Gr. 5-6 Hot Lunch: The Lunch Lady
• Sr. Basketball Woodhaven Tournament 3:15-5:00pm

Saturday, February 22nd

• Sr. Basketball Woodhaven Tournament 9am- 4:00pm

Monday, February 24th

• Gr. 9 French Immersion visit from Paul Kane 9:00am
• Elementary Running Room Games at U of A Butterdome 2:00-5:00pm
• Cheer Practice 3:15-5:15pm
• Jr. Boys Basketball AWAY Game vs. JMD 3:45pm
• Jr. Girls Basketball AWAY Game vs. JMD 4:45pm
• Sr. Girls Basketball HOME Game vs. JMD 4:00pm
• Sr. Boys Basketball HOME Game vs. JMD 5:30pm

Tuesday, February 25th

• Gr. 9 Building Futures Presentation 8:30am
• Gr. 9 Presentation by Paul Kane High School 9:00am
• Hockey Academy Parent Information Night at WD Cuts 6:30pm

Wednesday, February 26th

• Pink Shirt Day
• Gr. 5-9 Homework Club 3:00-4:00pm

Thursday, February 27th

• Gr. 9 Presentation by Bellerose Composite High School 8:30am
• Gr. 5-6 Assembly 10:30am
• Gr. 7-9 Art Club 3:00-4:30pm
• Cheer Practice 3:15-5:15pm
• Jr. Basketball SAPEC Tournament 3:30-6:00pm
• Sr. Boys Basketball AWAY Game vs. ESSMY 4:00pm
• Sr. Girls Basketball AWAY Game vs. ESSMY 5:30pm

Friday, February 28th

• Jr. Basketball SAPEC Tournament 3:30-6:00pm
• ACA True North Cheer & Dance Championship 4:00-8:00pm

Saturday, March 1st

• ACA True North Cheer & Dance Championship 9am-4pm
• Jr. Basketball SAPEC Tournament 9am-4pm

Wednesday, March 5th

• Bellerose Composite High School Open House 6:00-8:00pm

Thursday, March 6th

• Paul Kane High School Open House 5:30-8:00pm

Wednesday, March 12th

• Hillgrove Open House 6:30-8:00pm

Tuesday, March 18th

• Parent-Teacher Interviews 4:30-7:30pm

Wednesday, March 19th

• Parent-Teacher Interviews 4:30-7:30pm

Semester 1 Progress Reports will be released through the PowerSchool Parent Portal at the end of the day on January 31st at 4:00pm. Parents must have their Parent Portal account set up to access and view these reports. Please note that the Progress Reports cannot be viewed through the mobile app. Contact the school office if you require assistance with your Parent Portal account.

With the cooler temperatures approaching, we are seeing increased use of our lunchtime Games Room. We are always looking to expand our collection of resources, so if you have any gently used board games, card games, or activities that you no longer use, we would greatly appreciate any donations.

Homework Club will be available Wednesdays from 3:00-4:00pm in the Hill Library for all students in grades 5-9. During this time students can access teacher and/or peer support for their course work or utilize a quiet space to get caught up on their homework. Please reach out to Mme Girard, megan.girard@spschools.org for any specific queries regarding Homework Club.

Art Club for grades 7-9 students is a drop-in group that runs Thursdays from 3:00- 4:30pm in the Art Room (room 203). All are welcome - you do not need to be registered in Art this year in order to participate. Art Club is a very relaxed space... a chance to work on ongoing art projects, create something new and different, learn a new technique, or simply sit and sketch. Feel free to bring your own materials and sketchbook, but know that there are also lots of things you can use in the Art Room, too. On occasion we have special events like "Paint Like Bob Ross" day, or gingerbread house decorating.... these events change year to year depending on the participants. Hope to see you there!

Parent Council and the Fundraising Committee meet the 3rd Tuesday of the month. Parent Council will begin at 7pm, directly followed by the Fundraising Committee meeting.

The next meeting will take place on Tuesday, February 18th, 2025 at 7:00pm.

Please note that there is no meeting in June.

From January 1st, 2025 through to June 30th, 2025, we will be collecting your Boston Pizza receipts from the Grenier Location (#200 St. Albert Road). Both the Hill and Grove offices will have receipt collection boxes and the school will receive a 5% rebate back. Dine-in, Take-out & Delivery receipts are all accepted. Please see the poster for more details.

We are excited to see the progress of the construction of the pedway that will be connecting both of our buildings. As this is an exterior project we anticipate very minimal interior disruption. Students have adapted to the changes in pathways between buildings. Homeroom teachers will continue to review these changes with students as construction advances.

To accommodate the exterior construction of the pedway we have temporarily lost some parking stalls. We are asking that parents do not drive through the staff parking area or park in the staff lot as all parking stalls are reserved for staff. Parents can continue to utilize the city lots adjacent to each building as well as street parking. As always, we ask that you be extremely mindful of resident driveways. Should you require it, the wheelchair accessible parking stalls beside the Grove main doors and the Hill South doors remain available to our families.

School doors will open at 8:15am. Please ensure students dress appropriately for the weather if you plan to arrive early. The first bell rings at 8:22am. Registration and attendance begins promptly at 8:25am. Please arrive on time.

• Due to limited parking space and to ensure the safety of our students please do not drive through the staff parking lot to drop off and pick up students.
• Please do not park in the school bus lanes during peak times (8:00am-8:30am and 2:45pm-3:15pm).
• Please keep residential driveways clear in our school community.

Regular attendance at school plays a key role in student learning, achievement and social-emotional health. Should your child be absent from school, please contact the office by:

• Phoning 780-459-4456
• Submitting an online absence report here
• Emailing hillgroveattend@spschools.org

Automated phone messages will be sent out to notify families of any unexcused absences.

If your child is late or is being picked up early, please ensure they sign in or out at the office. The office must receive notice from a parent/guardian before a student can be dismissed early during school hours.

During instructional blocks and transitions between blocks, student cell phones are required to remain secured in their locker. Students may use their cell phone during their scheduled lunch break.

The school is not responsible for lost, broken or stolen cell phones.

Our school has a zero tolerance policy for being in possession or using illegal substances on or off school property during school hours or school sponsored events. As all Hillgrove students are under the age of 18, these substances include:

• drugs of any kind including alcohol or marijuana
• vaping or vape supplies
• cigarettes

Students should be arriving to school with weather appropriate clothing as they need to be prepared to go outside for recess/lunch, physical education as well as times planned by teachers throughout the week. As the weather changes from morning to afternoon we are asking students to always come prepared with appropriate clothing regardless of the weather forecast.

We kindly remind all students to be respectful of our neighbor's properties while waiting for St. Albert Transit. Please avoid gathering on front yards or other private spaces, and remember to keep the area clean by disposing of garbage properly. Let's work together to keep our community a welcoming place for everyone!

At Hillgrove we pride ourselves on being an inclusive learning environment that is a welcoming space for all students, staff and families. Our individual uniqueness helps make Hillgrove the amazing school that it is.

School fees for the 2024-2025 academic year are to be paid at the school via cash or cheque (payable to St. Albert School Division) or online through the PowerSchool Parent Portal. Please ensure any outstanding fees from previous school years are settled.

The following buses park in front of the Grove building: 103, 105, 108, 109, 119, 128

The following buses park in front of the Hill building: 104, 106, 110, 114, 129, 130, 131, 138

Going to both locations: 152, 153, 154

If you have questions regarding transportation you may contact the transportation department at transportation@spschools.org or (780)460-3712.

Families may have noticed one significant change to the calendars for the 2024-25 school year. Across the division, schools will no longer have early dismissal on the first Wednesday of every month for staff meetings. Instead, professional development days will be combined with staff meetings, resulting in a full day off for students each month.

We kindly ask parents to take the time to read through the below document regarding the use of personal mobile devices in schools.

Orthodontic students at the University of Alberta are seeking patients to help them gain hands-on training. They can provide affordable orthodontic care, including braces, clear aligners, and jaw alignment — all supervised by expert faculty. Canadian Dental Care Plan accepted based on CDCP criteria.

50 Grosvenor Boulevard, St. Albert, AB, Canada, T8N 0X6

hillgrove@spschools.org

780.459.4456

https://hillgrove.spschools.org/