Hello Hill Community,
Over the past few years, students from Grade 5 through PG have dedicated their Wednesday Physical Education class to working with Coach T (Riley Thompson) and, this year, Coach Hogg as well. These sessions have been an integral part of our school’s programming, offering Junior School students lessons in Socio-Emotional Learning and High School students the chance to dive into the Player Development Program. These Wednesday sessions provide a valuable opportunity for student-athletes to pause, reflect, and focus on the mental side of sports and life.
This week, the high school session centred on Confidence Within Your Sport. As always, I found myself listening and thinking about how valuable the lessons are for our student-athletes but also applying the lessons to my own role at the school and in my personal life. Confidence was defined as “trust in yourself” and described as something that’s always there—even if it’s sometimes hidden behind negative thoughts or worries.
The session highlighted two key barriers to confidence and offered practical tips to build it up:
Barriers to Confidence
Focusing on future outcomes
Worrying about the opinions of others
How to Build Confidence
Embrace the Nervous Feeling: Don’t fear nervousness—it’s a sign you care!
Develop an Autopilot Skill: Identify one skill you can rely on in any situation.
Use a Practice Journal: Keep track of what you’ve worked on to boost confidence and focus.
Learn from Mistakes: Treat every mistake as an opportunity to grow and improve.
Drazen Glisic
Director of Sports Science and Athlete Performance
In this week's newsletter:
Grade 8 and Grade 12 Grad Photos
We have received the revised date for Grade 8 and Grade 12 Grad Photos: April 14th. A schedule of times will be released closer to the day, but please mark your calendars.
Grade 5-8 Ski Trip
Reminder on March 4th the junior school students will be going on a ski trip to Hockley Valley. We will have supervision at the school for those that do not wish to attend, however regular classes and sport periods will not be occurring on Tuesday.
If you have any questions or concerns please email dglisic@thehillacademy.com
Save The Date! Junior Athletic Banquet and Senior Athletic Gala
Stay tuned for more details to follow, but we wanted to ensure everyone had the dates of the Grade 5-8 Junior School Athletic Banquet and the the Grade 9-12+PG Senior School Athletic Gala.
Junior School Athletic Banquet: Tuesday, June 10, 2025
Senior School Athletic Gala: Wednesday, June 11, 2025
The Hill Eats
Below is the menu for next week.
Grade 8 Transition Meetings
In the coming weeks, Grade 8 students will be meeting with Guidance to discuss the transition from Grade 8 to 9. They will have a chance to ask questions about the Secondary Program, Pathway, Planning and more. Students are encouraged to come with questions!
Mental Health Champions in Elite Youth Sport – Project Overview
This year, athletes and parents at The Hill Academy are invited to participate in a research study on the role of Mental Health Champions in elite youth sport organizations. This is a pilot project in partnership with researchers at the University of Toronto. Young athletes often have stressful experiences in sport, and some athletes experience concerns related to their mental health. For this project, the researchers want to learn about how parents and elite youth athletes may benefit from having Mental Health Champions within a team/sport-related organization. Mental Health Champions are people who will be selected to receive training on mental health in sport, and they will provide information and resources this year for parents and athletes around the topic of mental health among elite youth athletes. For more information about the project, please see the information booklet.
Parents and athletes are invited to complete one survey now and another survey at the end of the year. Parents and athletes will also be invited to participate in focus group interviews at the end of the year to share their experiences during the project.
If you are interested in taking part in this research project, please see the following links for more information and to complete the first survey for the study:
If you have any questions about this project, please feel free to contact the primary researcher, Dr. Katherine Tamminen (katherine.tamminen@utoronto.ca)
Community Involvement Hours
Students who plan to graduate with an Ontario Secondary School Diploma are required to collect at least 40 community involvement hours before graduation. Mrs. Flynn has posted a list outside of her office for 2025 graduates and the number of community involvement hours currently recorded. Please check the list.
There are many opportunities to collect these hours. Below you will find links to some of the events upcoming in certain communities, and students should connect with Mrs. Flynn about finding ways to complete the required hours:
Phys Ed This Week
Here is a review of what was covered off in Phys Ed this week.
Encouraging Student Independence
At Hill, the "I" in H.I.L.L. stands for Independent Thought, and we encourage our Student-Athletes to advocate for themselves. Whenever possible, please have your child reach out directly to their teacher or coach regarding any questions related to their classwork or sport. If an issue remains unresolved and requires further discussion, parents are welcome to contact staff by email during the week (8:00 am - 4:00 pm) to arrange a meeting.
Respecting Teacher/Coach Focus
Continuing with the theme of encouraging independence, we want to ensure that the expectations of teacher/coach communication remains in the best possible position moving forward. Please ensure that meetings/communication is guided toward the weekday (8:00 am - 4:00 pm) timeframe unless otherwise advised.
Additionally, during busy tournament and game weekends (or evenings), we kindly ask that parents avoid contacting coaches with questions related to the games (such as playing time, tactical decisions, etc.) or requesting meetings. Coaches are fully focused on supporting our athletes through games, reflecting, and planning for upcoming events during these times. Please know that coaches are always available to address health and safety concerns if they arise, as is our on-site athletic therapy team.
Summer Camps At The Hill
The Hill is excited announce the following upcoming camps:
Multi-Sport Summer Camp - June 30-July 4
Boys Lacrosse Camp - July 14-18
Girls Lacrosse Camp - July 21-25
Multi-Sport Summer Camp - July 28-Aug 1
Hill Student-Athletes can use the code "COACHCAM" for 15% off Summer Camps. Stay tuned for more Summer Camp announcements!
Sports schedules can be found in the image below for this week. Stay up to date by checking TeamSnap for your individual team's calendar.
(click on image to enlarge)
Daily Timetables
Daily timetables are available in the Hill Families > Parent Resources section of our website, alongside other helpful links for parents.
Cold Weather Policy
As the winter season is now upon us, we want to remind everyone of our cold weather policy to ensure the safety and well-being of our students while they are outdoors. Please review the guidelines below, which outline how we manage outdoor recess and activities during periods of extreme cold and wind chill:
Dress for the Weather
Students should wear warm, layered clothing, including hats and gloves, when outdoors. Proper attire is essential for staying comfortable and safe during colder temperatures.
Temperature Guidelines for Outdoor Recess
- When the wind chill or extreme cold is between **-20°C and -24°C**, outdoor recess will be limited to a maximum of 20 minutes (or less based on our professional discretion, if it is extremely windy)
- When the wind chill or extreme cold is **below -25°C**students will remain indoors for recess and other activities.
We kindly ask parents to ensure their children are dressed appropriately for the weather each day. Layers, insulated outerwear, and waterproof boots are strongly recommended during this season.
Thank you for your support in keeping our students safe and comfortable during the colder months.
Inclement Weather Procedure
Depending on the weather and the conditions, one of two decisions will be made:
1. School closure- remote learning
All buses cancelled; students are to perform their schoolwork remotely. This includes before and after care.
2. School Bus Cancellation
Either specific buses or all buses are canceled, and the school remains open for staff and students that can safely travel. Before and After care will still be operating.
We will do our best to communicate our decision by 6am, utilizing email and social media channels. Decisions will be made considering the safety of students and staff on both the way to and from campus.
Labeling Items
With so many activities and practices happening daily, it's easy for items to get misplaced. To help keep track of uniforms, equipment, and personal items, we kindly ask that all student-athletes have their belongings clearly labeled with their name. This simple step ensures that lost items can be quickly returned and helps maintain organization throughout the day. Thank you for helping us keep our athletes focused and prepared!
Safety and Security
In preparing for your student-athlete for the school year, we want to remind everyone about the safety and security considerations of arriving and leaving the campus.
For all:
Please follow the posted speed limits
Please note and follow the one-way driveway and the stop signs
Please follow the directions of the staff who are supervising pick-up and drop-off times.
Parking lots are to be used for anyone waiting to pick up students. There is no parking in the fire routes, crosswalks or kiss and ride areas. If you arrive before the designated pick-up times, you will be directed to park in the lots.
Fire routes are allocated to help Fire and Emergency Services access buildings quickly in the event of an emergency. Blocking these routes, even to drop off or pick up students, can be dangerous for everyone.
Accessible parking spaces are for the exclusive use for individuals holding valid accessible parking permits. Please do not use or block any accessible spaces without a valid permit.
Absences and Late Arrivals
School success is closely tied to good attendance. When students miss learning time, they often struggle with understanding concepts, completing assignments, and performing well on assessments. Consistent attendance helps your child(ren) stay connected both academically and socially. We encourage you to commit to having your child(ren) attend school every day and arrive on time. Regular attendance builds positive habits that will last a lifetime. If your child is absent from school, please remember to email attendance@thehillacademy.com to report the absence.
If your student athlete is going to miss their Phys. Ed or sport period for any reason, please remember to email DGlisic@thehillacademy.com.
Late Arrivals
If your child arrives late to school, please park in the designated parking areas and walk them into the main office to receive a late slip. The students will need to provide their educator with the slip upon arrival to class.
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