Q. This is my child's first experience going to school. How do you relieve separation anxiety?

A. Our drop-off procedures are designed to alleviate separation anxiety. Parents drop their children off in our turn-around driveway so that separation takes place outside the school perimeter and is not associated with the school experience. That way, school has only positive associations.

Q. Can I visit the school during the day to see my child?

A. Hillcrest has an ‘open-door policy’ whereby parents are always welcome to visit their child’s classroom. Parents are encouraged to participate in a special activity with their child’s class, attend school trips, and to visit during a special day. Please speak with your child’s teacher in advance in order to ensure there are not too many visitors at one time.

Q. Do I need to send snacks?

A. Daily snacks are provided to all of the children.  We are a completely nut-free school and therefore no snacks have any trace of nuts. However, if your child has another food allergy, please inform the school so that appropriate snacks may be provided. Parents are also more than welcome to bring in special snacks for special occasions, such as birthdays (please call the office to arrange a mutually convenient time).

Q. How does Hillcrest handle health-related issues?

A. Your child’s health and safety is Hillcrest’s number one priority. Depending on the specific health issue, we will administer first aid accordingly. We will always contact the parent/guardian if we have any health or safety-related concerns.

ILLNESS PROCEDURE POLICY: Clean hands are the number one defense in the prevention of illness including the H1N1 flu virus. Frequent hand-washing is encouraged throughout our facility. Washrooms are equipped with soap and water and each classroom is equipped with Hand Sanitizer Gel to ensure your child's hands are kept clean while at school. In the event that your child experiences ANY flu or flu-like symptoms (including fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, chills, fatigue, diarrhea and/or vomiting). please DO NOT SEND THEM TO SCHOOL until they are symptom free. If your child has a fever of 38ºC (100.4ºF) or higher, please keep them at home until they have been FEVER-FREE WITHOUT MEDICATION for a minimum of 24 hours. You may be asked for a doctor's note before your child may return to school after an illness to ensure that your child is not contagious.

Q. What if my child has bad allergies?

A. We are a completely NUT-FREE school. No products with nuts or nut traces are consumed or even opened on the premises. For children with other food allergies - such as eggs or wheat - an individual snack plan can be created. We have also implemented an "Extreme Allergy Plan" that allows us to administer appropriate first aid in the case of any adverse allergic reaction. For those children requiring Epi-Pens, one is kept with the child's teacher at all times, and a second one is kept in the office.

Q. Is it a problem if my child isn't yet toilet-trained?

A. For Nursery-aged students, we prefer that children be sent to school in underwear – with several extra pairs of name-labeled underwear, in case of "accidents". We do not have the facilities to change diapers. We encourage the use of the bathroom several times throughout the school day and will work with your Nursery-aged children to ensure that potty training started at home will be reinforced while at school. Speak to your child's teacher about any extenuating circumstances. Children in Junior Kindergarten and Senior Kindergarten are required to be fully toilet trained.