Good afternoon Hillhurst Families,

I hope this email finds you warm! Winter is surely upon us with the freezing temperatures and snow. The temperature with the windchill was hovering around -18 today. When temperatures reach below -20 degrees with the windchill, CBE policy states that students will remain indoors for recess. The system-wide weather app is Environment Canada. Because outdoor time is an important part of our days at school, students are to arrive at school with sufficient outdoor gear to spend morning and lunch recess outdoors (up to and including -19). Teachers are vigilant about ensuring that students head into recess with all of the clothing they came with, so that they stay safe and warm outside. If your family is in need of warm winter clothing, please email me and we can help find what you need (kldahl@cbe.ab.ca). If your family has an abundance of mittens and gloves, we welcome any and all donations. We are well stocked with extra hats and scarves, but could really use some more mittens!

We are truly looking forward to seeing everyone at Learning Conferences this week! You can book your Learning Conference online via your MyCBE account. The booking system will be open until Thursday at 4:00pm. Conferences will take place on Thursday evening, and again on Friday. There is no school for students on Friday. If you are having difficulty booking a conference, please reach out to your child's homeroom teacher directly. We can't wait to share your child's learning with you! We are also happy to share that Ms. Lidner is hosting a book fair in the gym during conferences. Please stop by if you are looking to purchase some amazing reading material. All proceeds go directly back to our school library.

Volunteer registration is ongoing. If you would like to volunteer at Hillhurst School, please ensure that you have filled out both the CBE Annual Volunteer Registration form, as well as submit your ePIC application to Calgary Police Services. In order to make an application through ePIC, you will need a letter from the school that gives you a specific reference number. Please contact Ms. Saxton in the office if you need the letter. We are so grateful for our Hillhurst volunteers! The great news is that volunteer clearance lasts for 5 years, and is transferable to other CBE schools. If you are unsure of the status of your ePIC application, please reach out to us. In order for volunteer clearance to be finalized, you will need to forward the documentation from CPS to the school.

Hillhurst School Council has decided to send updates every Tuesday that include dates to remember and other initiatives they are sponsoring. Please watch your inbox on Tuesdays for exciting news from Council!

To stay up to date on all school events, please subscribe to the Hillhurst School Calendar. The links to subscribe are on the bottom left of the page.

Have a wonderful evening everyone!

Kristin and Shafali