Head of School Chat Recap

February 28, 2023

Hello Hillcrest Family!

Today we hosted our Head of School Chat. We love having the opportunity to meet with our families to talk through all that is happening in the life of the school as well as answer questions that are on the minds of our parents! The following is a quick recap of the topics that Mr. Vande Pol covered. We invite you to mark your calendars for the next HOS Chat on Tuesday, April 18th, at 8:30 AM. We would love to see you there!

• Last week eight of our teachers attended a two-day BJU conference where they were encouraged and inspired by topics like Science Strategies for Success, Yes! You Can M.A.T.H, and What in the World is a Worldview? These are just a few of the incredible classes they were able to attend during this excellent two-day conference. Please read the teacher's entry in the newsletter to learn about this conference in more detail. 
• Reenrollment- As we make plans for next year, re-enrollment plays a key role. We really appreciate all of the families who have already reenrolled and will truly miss our families who are moving out of state. If you still need to reenroll, we encourage you to do so today! It makes a difference as we are already making important decisions for next year. 
• Our annual Gala fundraiser is coming up on March 18th and will be a masquerade party! Tickets are on sale now, and you won’t want to miss this event! The Gala will be an awesome night of dinner, dancing, and live and silent auctions. You can click on this link to purchase your tickets. https://hillcrestcs.ejoinme.org/2023gala
• We are proud to say that our school is accredited by both ACSI and WASC. Accreditation is important because being accredited means our transcripts are accepted as valid at the university level. We go through a reaccreditation process every six years, and this year is our reaccreditation year. March 19-22, our school will have a team of six coming to evaluate us. In preparation, we have completed a 107-page report, and the visiting team will ensure our report is congruent with what we are actually doing here at HCS. They will meet with the board, visit every classroom, talk to students, watch our drop-off and pick-up procedures, and much more. We would love prayer as we go through this very important process.
• Career Day- During this school year, we have implemented a weekly leadership class for 7th through 12th grade. As part of this class, we will take several weeks to expose the students to different career opportunities. We have asked parents from the school to come to speak to the students about what they do, how they got their start in their careers, and how the Christian perspective impacts the workplace. The students will get to hear about professions like some of the following:
• Insurance company broker
• Recruiter
• Vice President of Global Marketing
• Graphic Designer
• Therapist/Counselor
• Speech and Language Pathologist
• Construction Project Manager
• Company Founder/Entrepreneur 
• Attorney
• Property Manager
• Gym/Supplements Business Owner
• Recruiter
• College visits- Our students are starting to visit colleges. Last week many of our 11th and 12th-grade students visited The Master’s University, and a GCU recruiter came on campus for our accepted on-the-spot event. 
• Gym progress- Last week, we had an architectural company on campus, taking pictures and giving us feedback on the best placement for our gym. Please pray for us as we continue to move forward with the city to obtain permits. 
• Elementary International Day- March 31st will be our Elementary International Day. This year there will be some changes. As in the past, we will have cultural dances and dining, but this year we will add a missionary speaker and a “walk through the country” element to this wonderful event. Look out for an email from you can join in on the fun of making this day special. 
• Website- Please check out our Parent Resources page on the website to see our calendar for next year as well as our Athletics calendar.  We encourage you to join us in supporting our secondary boys' volleyball, beach volleyball, and track teams.