Principal Message

As we step into January, we are recharged and ready to dive back into learning with a renewed enthusiasm. This month, we will focus on re-establishing routines that foster a positive and productive learning environment. Whether it’s settling into our classroom lessons, participating in extracurricular activities, or getting involved in school-wide events, there is much to look forward to. We encourage students to embrace the excitement of a New Year by setting goals and investing in their learning journey.

We look forward to a successful and enriching year ahead.

Sincerely,

Jen

Monday, January 6th

• Classes Resume
• Cheer Practice 3:15-5:15pm

Wednesday, January 8th

• Gr. 9 at Paul Kane Mamma Mia! Musical 11:30am-2:55pm
• Gr. 5-9 Homework Club 3:00-4:00pm
• Jr. Girls Basketball AWAY Game vs. GHP 3:45pm
• Jr. Boys Basketball AWAY Game vs. GHP 4:45pm
• Neutral Ground event at Hillgrove 6:00-8:00pm

Thursday, January 9th

• Gr. 7-9 Art Club 3:00-4:30pm
• Cheer Practice 3:15-5:15pm

• Sr. Boys Basketball HOME Game vs. MCHS 4:00pm
• Sr. Girls Basketball HOME Game vs. MCHS 5:30pm

Friday, January 10th

• Drama 7 & 8, 6CLA, 6SAW at Paul Kane Mamma Mia! Musical 11:30am-2:30pm

Saturday, January 11th

• St. Albert Public Kindergarten Fair at Paul Kane High School 9:30am

Monday, January 13th

• Cheer Practice 3:15-5:15pm

Tuesday, January 14th

• Jr. Girls Basketball HOME Game vs. LA 3:30pm
• Jr. Boys Basketball HOME Game vs. LA 4:30pm

Wednesday, January 15th

• Gr. 5-9 Homework Club 3:00-4:00pm

Thursday, January 16th

• Gr. 7-9 Art Club 3:00-4:30pm
• Cheer Practice 3:15-5:15pm
• Jr. Basketball Greystone Tournament- Spruce Grove 3:30pm
• Sr. Basketball SAPEC Tournament 4:00pm

Friday, January 17th

• Gr. 9 Immunization Presentation with AHS 9:30-10:30am
• Gr. 5-6 Rabbit Hill Ski Club 9:45am-6:00pm
• Jr. Basketball Greystone Tournament- Spruce Grove 3:30pm
• Sr. Basketball SAPEC Tournament 4:00pm

Saturday, January 18th

• Sr. Basketball SAPEC Tournament 8:30am
• Jr. Basketball Greystone Tournament- Spruce Grove 9:00am

Monday, January 20th

• Cheer Practice 3:15-5:15pm

Tuesday, January 21st

• Jr. Boys Basketball AWAY Game vs. ESG 3:30pm
• Jr. Girls Basketball AWAY Game vs. ESG 4:30pm
• Sr. Boys Basketball HOME Game vs. ESG 4:00pm
• Sr. Girls Basketball HOME Game vs. ESG 5:30pm
• Parent Council and Fundraising Committee Mtgs. 7:00pm

Wednesday, January 22nd

• Fit for Life 7B & 8A Bowling 10:40am-12:20pm
• Gr. 5-9 Homework Club 3:00-4:00pm

Thursday, January 23rd

• Gr. 7-9 Art Club 3:00-4:30pm
• Cheer Practice 3:15-5:15pm
• Sr. Basketball Prescott Tournament 3:15pm
• Parent Session "Unplugged St. Albert" hosted at Sturgeon Heights School 6:30-8:30pm

Friday, January 24th

• Gr. 7-9 Rabbit Hill Ski Club 9:00am- 6:00pm
• Gr. 5-6 Hot Lunch: Nitza's
• Sr. Basketball Prescott Tournament 3:15pm

Saturday, January 25th

• Sr. Basketball Prescott Tournament 9:00am
• Cheer ACA Scholastic Showcase 9:00am-4:00pm

Monday, January 27th

• Fit for Life 7A & 9A Bowling 1:10-2:50pm
• Cheer Practice 3:15-5:15pm

Tuesday, January 28th

• Fit for Life 8B & 9B Bowling 1:10-2:50pm
• Jr. Girls Basketball HOME Game vs. RSF 3:30pm
• Jr. Boys Basketball HOME Game vs. RSF 4:30pm
• Sr. Boys Basketball AWAY Game vs. Taché 4:00pm
• Sr. Girls Basketball AWAY Game vs. Taché 5:30pm
• Cheer ACA True North & Dance Championship 4:00pm
• ACE Program Information Evening at SAM School 6:00-7:00pm

Wednesday, January 29th

• Gr. 5-9 Homework Club 3:00-4:00pm

Thursday, January 30th

• Gr. 5-6 Assembly 10:30am
• Gr. 7-9 Art Club 3:00-4:30pm
• Cheer Practice 3:15-5:15pm

Friday, January 31st

• Staff PD Day, No School
• Report Cards Released to Parent Portal 4:00pm

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

The Semester 1 Progress Reports will be released through the PowerSchool Parent Portal at the end of the day on Friday, January 31st at 4:00pm. Parents are required to have their account set up in order to access and view the student Progress Reports. Please note that these 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, January 21st, 2025 at 7:00pm.

Please note that there is no meeting in June.

Starting 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 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.

Neutral Ground's next activity evening will be taking place at Hillgrove School this Wednesday, January 8th, 6:00-8:00pm. Pizza will be provided.

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

hillgrove@spschools.org

780.459.4456

https://hillgrove.spschools.org/