25-26 NEW FAMILY GUIDE

WELCOME TO HHCA!

Whether you are new to our school or bringing more of your children to our community, we are delighted that you are an HHCA family, and we want you to feel at home. Know that you belong. This is your school - and your community - throughout your time at HHCA, and beyond.

This page was designed as a guide for your family and is filled with information, links, resources and answers just for you. As the school year approaches, more information and helpful resources will be added, so check back often! You can always reach out to Laurie White on our Admissions Team with any questions.

START HERE

Select a topic below for more information.

(1) MyHHCA: Parent Resources + Student Info

As a school parent you will be given access to our school's student information system, known as MyHHCA, by June 15, 2025.

MyHHCA holds several important resources for you, and it is where all student and family information is housed. Mentor information, class schedules, our Magnus Health Portal, and more can be found within MyHHCA. Report cards are posted in student and parent accounts quarterly.

You will receive information about how to access MyHHCA by June 15, 2025.

(2) HEALTH & WELLNESS INFORMATION | School Nurse

HHCA uses a secure online portal, known as Magnus, for the collection of student medical records and parent/guardian release and consent forms.

Our Magnus Health Portal can be accessed through your MyHHCA account, which will be active by June 15, 2025.

Please note that all students must have a South Carolina Immunization certificate uploaded to Magnus prior to August 1, 2025. Out of state families are asked to make an appointment with a local physician at their earliest convenience as the S.C. Immunization Form must be uploaded before August 1st.

See below drop downs for HHCA's policies on illnesses, immunizations, sports physicals, and medications.

School Illness Policy

As a member of the HHCA community, it is the responsibility of parents to monitor the health of their child, and to keep him/her home from school when ill (as defined herein) to reduce spread of contagious illnesses in the interest of the health of other students and staff at HHCA. Students must remain home from school until they have been without vomiting, diarrhea, and fever for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medication. In addition some contagious illnesses require students to have been on antibiotics for a full 24 hours before returning to school. Therefore, we ask that you notify the front office or school nurse if your child is absent from school due to illness to ensure that proper policy is followed.

South Carolina Immunization Requirements

A current South Carolina immunization record for your child is a condition of enrollment.

If your child has an out-of-state immunization record, you must establish a local primary care provider in order to obtain a South Carolina immunization record. SC immunization records must be uploaded in Magnus Health (accessed through MyHHCA) by August 1st.

South Carolina law dictates that children cannot be admitted to attend any school (public, private, or parochial) or child development program without a valid SC Certificate of Immunization, a valid SC Certificate of Religious Exemption, or SC Certificate of Special Exemption. South Carolina School Immunization Requirements can be found here.

Students without a valid certificate or exemption may not be allowed to attend if these records have not been must be uploaded through the Magnus Health portal (accessed through MyHHCA) by the beginning of the school year.

Students entering the 7th-12th grade must have a valid certificate that includes at least one (1) dose of the Tdap vaccine on or after the child’s 10th birthday. This dose of Tdap may be included as one of the doses needed to meet the requirements for Diphtheria, Tetanus, and Pertussis. Students entering Kindergarten must have a valid immunization certificate uploaded through the Magnus Health portal (accessed through MyHHCA) This immunization certificate must include the new vaccine requirements for two doses of Hepatitis A.

Please note that SC Religious Exemption Forms can only be obtained from the Health Department.

Sports Physical Requirements for Student Athletes

As noted in the athletics section below, all students who plan to participate on a sports team must have a sports physical dated after April 1, 2025, as well as several additional signed documents. You may access the physical form here.

All required documents will be available via MyHHCA and the Magnus Health Portal by June 15, 2025.

We will not be accepting paper copies of physicals or any other forms. All completed forms must be uploaded to the Magnus Health Portal before the first day of practice.

Questions?

Reach out to Athletic Trainer Brett Lattire.

Medication Requirements

If a child is required to take medication during the school day, to include rescue medications such as inhalers and epinephrine auto-injectors, and the parent cannot be at school to administer the medication, only the school nurse (RN), or the RN's trained designee (Unlicensed Assistive Personnel) will administer the medication.

If any medication outside of the school-issued medicine listed below is required during the school day, or on a field trip, this Medication Authorization Form must uploaded through the Magnus Health Portal (accessed MyHHCA).

School-Issued OTC Medicine:

Tylenol/Acetominophen
Advil/Ibuprofen
Benedryl
Tums/Pepto Bismal
Lubricating Eye Drops
Cough Drops
Antibiotic Cream
Hydrocortisone Cream

(3) ATHLETICS + FALL SPORTS

Students who plan to participate on any sports team during the 2025-2026 school year are required to upload a series of signed documents.

You will be given instructions for your MyHHCA account, our student information hub, by June 15.

Within MyHHCA, you will have access to our Magnus Health Portal, where you will find a checklist of the documents that need to be uploaded before the first day of practice. We will not accept paper copies of these forms.

Physicals must be dated after April 1, 2025, to be valid for the entire 2025-2026 school year. You may access the physical form here.

If you have questions, contact HHCA Athletic Trainer Brett Lattire.

Many fall sports teams begin practicing in the spring and over the summer. If your student is interested in a fall sport, we encourage you to connect with a fall coach soon, and have included them below.

2025 FALL COACHES

cheerleading

Varsity Coach: Ashley Bezilla
- NOTE: Tryouts for Varsity Cheer will be held in Late April. Contact Ashley Bezilla for more information.
Middle School Coach: Rachel Craddock
- A Middle School Cheer Clinic will be held Saturday, May 3, 2025, from 9:00-11:30 AM in the gym. All (rising 6th-8th Grade) girls interested in Middle School Cheerleading are invited to attend. Tryouts are not held for MS Cheer. The Spring Clinic is a chance to get to know others on the squad, try on uniforms, practice cheers and dances, and more.
- In the meantime, you can complete this form to be added to the Middle School Cheer communications.

Cross Country

Coach: Aaron Mau

Football

Varsity Head Coach: Ron Peduzzi
Middle School Head Coach: TBD

Volleyball

Middle School Coach: Nicole Bruno
JV Coach: Heather Culbertson
Varsity Coach: Drew Dale

Questions?

Reach out to Julie Richardson.

(4) Lunch Orders

Delicious, healthy meal options are available for purchase in advance Monday-Thursday. Lower School students need to bring lunch on Fridays. Middle and Upper School students do not have lunch at school on Fridays.

Orders must be placed in advance through Boonli, our online lunch ordering platform. All families need to create a new Boonli account to begin ordering following these steps:

Click here to begin.
Click "Create An Account"
Enter HHCA1 (our school's password)
Register for a new account NEW ACCOUNT (even if you have had one in the past)
Add profiles of each person for whom you will be ordering
Click "I'm Done" & begin to order

Lunch orders for the first week of school must be placed by July 28, 2025.Semester meal plans are available for purchase at a discounted rate. We are grateful for our Cafe Supervisor, Mrs. Robin Smith, your the point of contact for missed and/or late orders, account credits, or order changes and cancellations. You can contact Mrs. Smith via email here or call the school at 843.681.2878.

For technical support on the Boonli website, email support@boonli.com.

(5) Middle School & Upper School Schedules

Middle School and Upper School families will hear from our Guidance Team over the summer months.

Final schedules for all students (new & current) will be posted in MyHHCA in August.

Middle School Families:

6th, 7th and 8th grade families will hear from our Middle School Guidance Counselor, Mrs. Kayla Spangler over the summer.

In the meantime, please review this list of Middle School elective courses, then download and complete the applicable elective form below and email it to Mrs. Kayla Spangler.

This academic overview was specifically designed for rising 6th Grade families, but is helpful for all new Middle School students.

Upper School Families:

9th and 10th grade families will hear from Mrs. Megan Robbins, Director of Guidance; 11th and 12th graders will hear from Mrs. Haley Artime, College and Career Advisor.

Individual Graduation Plans (IGPs) will be discussed with your assigned Guidance Counselor.

This academic overview and this college and career presentation were specifically designed for rising 8th Grade families, but are helpful for all new Upper School students.

Questions?

Reach out to Mrs. Megan Robbins, Director of Guidance

(6) 2025-2026 School Year Key Dates

(7) GETTING CONNECTED

New Parent Drop-In | Thursday, July 31

Parents of new HHCA students are invited to a special drop-in event the week the school year begins. It's a great opportunity to connect with other new parents as well as HHCA's Administrative Team and key leaders.

Questions:
Reach out to Laurie White.

Eagle Ambassadors

Eagle Ambassadors (EA) are a select group of students who enjoy helping new students transition smoothly into life at our school prior to their arrival on campus and as they become part of the HHCA community.

New families in Middle and Upper School can expect to hear from their student's assigned EA during the summer in hopes they can connect prior to coming to school in August.

EAs in Middle and Upper School will attend Orientation on August 6th and help their assigned new student become familiar with where to go and what to do on their first day of school.

Questions:
Reach out to Laurie White.

New Student Touch Points (MS/US)

The Guidance Team loves getting to know our new students so they can help connect them with others who share similar interests and learn how to best serve this VIP group throughout the year.

Upper School

Coffee With The Counselors | Week of August 18

Middle School

New MS Student Lunch | Wednesday, August 13

Questions:
Contact Megan Robbins, Director of Guidance

Parent Teacher Fellowship (PTF)

All parents are members of our Parent Teacher Fellowship organization, known as PTF. Throughout the school year, monthly PTF meetings offer fellowship, feature guest speakers, and provide important school updates, and more. Each grade has an assigned HHCA Grade Rep who serves as a communicator and guide throughout the year.

Grade Reps for the 25-26 school year will be named in early May, and you will hear from your assigned rep over the summer.

learn more about ptf and find your current grade rep here

HHCA Club Walk | At Orientation Day

HHCA offers numerous clubs where students can plug in. During orientation, clubs will be on display in the gym for a sneak peek.

View a complete list of current HHCA clubs here

Athletics Booster Club

Our Athletics Booster Club is a great way to plug in to Eagle Nation. Along with annual memberships that renew before the beginning of the school year and offer athletic event entry and more, volunteers support HHCA athletics in various capacities throughout the year. It's a great way to get to know other families in the sports community.

visit athletics booster club

Fine Arts Booster Club

Those passionate about the arts can also connect with others through our school's robust, growing Fine Arts Booster Club. Director of Fine Arts James Berry hosts quarterly meetings where fine arts supporters can connect with one another while learning more about events and program initiatives.

visit fine arts booster club

(8) Spirit Stores

Items in the HHCA Shop (which is available at various times throughout the year at hhca.org/shop) are approved MS/US dress code. Orders placed through hhca.org/shop are distributed on campus with the date and time of distribution provided to those who have ordered.

THE CURRENT HHCA SHOP IS OPEN THROUGH MARCH 31, 2025.

hhca.org/shop

Items in the HHCA store linked below are not all approved for MS/US dress code. These items may be delivered directly to your home.

bsn sportsBe sure to refer to the official dress code for Lower School here and MS/US here for official dress code policies.

(9) SCHOOL UNIFORM AND DRESS CODE

(10) Campus Security

At HHCA, the safety and security of our students is a top priority, and we make exceptional efforts daily to ensure your children are safe, secure, and protected.

Our Director of Security, Mr. Steve Bryant, is on campus every day and on-call 24/7. If you haven't already met him, Mr. Bryant looks forward to connecting with you at Orientation, or anytime throughout the school year.

If you ever have questions about campus security and student safety, or if you have information for Mr. Bryant, you can contact him at any time. He can be reached at 859-494-7900 (text or call) or you can email him here.

learn more about HHCA campus security

Questions?

Reach out to Steve Bryant.

(11) SCHOOL HOURS

Lower School (K-5th)

Lower School

Most school supplies for Lower School students are included in tuition and will be in the classroom for each student on the first day of school. In addition to those provided, students need to bring the following:

Bibles

K-1st: Read with Me NIRV Story Bible for Children (Zonderkidz ISBN #0-310-92008-6). These will be kept in the classroom and will go home with students at the end of the school year.
2nd-3rd: NIV Holy Bible (Zondervan Bibles ISBN #978-0-310-44855-6).

Backpacks

Students K-2nd DO NOT need a backpack. They will receive an HHCA bag to bring to and from school each day.
Students in 3rd-5th DO need a backpack.

Water Bottles, Lunch & Snacks

Lower School students need to bring their lunch on Fridays. They will eat lunch prior to early dismissal at 12:30 PM.
All students need to bring a water bottle and a snack to school every day.
NOTE: Water bottles must have a closed lid without a straw, and must be no larger than 20 ounces.

Middle School & Upper School (6th-12th)

(13) SCHOOL BUS

HHCA offers bus service to and from Hilton Head Island. Pre-registration is required, and space is available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Annual Bus Service Fees | 2025-2026 School Year:

$800 per student for one-way service (morning or afternoon)
$1200 per student for both pick-up and drop-off

Pick up and drop off will take place at Hilton Head Presbyterian Church with a 7:20 AM departure and 3:45 PM arrival Monday-Thursday and 1:00 PM arrival on Fridays.

Please note that your registration indicates your acceptance of HHCA's bus policies.

Questions?

Reach out to Rachel Bagenstose.

(14) SUMMER READING & PROJECTS

(15) MIDDLE & UPPER SCHOOL FALL RETREATS

Retreats are a loved and important aspect of the HHCA experience for Middle and Upper School students. This time away from campus early in the school year is intentionally designed by our Spiritual Life Team and Mentors with epic activities to ensure class bonding, time for quiet reflection, spiritual growth, guest speakers, and more!

Middle School Retreat:

8th Grade: August 27-29 | 6th & 7th Grade: August 28-29
Epworth By The Sea

Upper School Retreat:

12th Grade: September 1-4 | 9th-11th Grade: September 2-4
Carolina Point Young Life Camp

read more about us retreat here

Questions?

Reach out to Jason Suddeth.

(16) Lower School - After School Care

HHCA will offer After School Care to Lower School Families for the 2025-2026 School Year! Available for HHCA students in kindergarten through 5th grade, the program will include supervised homework time, snack time, and fun/free time as well.

HOURS

Monday - Thursday: 3:00-5:30 PM; Friday 12:30-3:00 PM (When school is in session.)

COST

$20 per student per day (not to exceed $300 per student per month)

learn more and sign up for after school care here

(17) Philanthropy

As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, HHCA is dependent on charitable gifts to ensure our students have access to the resources, programs, experiences and facilities that define a transformative educational experience. We invite you to consider making us one of your top three philanthropic priorities. Your support, at any level, makes a difference!

LEARN ABOUT GIVING AT HHCA

Questions?

Reach out to Haley Labrot , Director of Development.

IMPORTANT DATES

HHCA Summer Camps
June & July - Click here for summer camp details

CAGE Camp (US Students)
August 5 | 9:00 AM-12:00 PM

New Parent Drop-In
July 31

Orientation
Wednesday, August 6 | 9:00-11:00 AM

First Day of School
Thursday, August 7

HHCA Club Walk
Various activities and features about HHCA Clubs during Orientation on August 6.

New Family Tailgate
TBD

New Parent Coffee with Head of School (8:15-9:15 AM)
August 13 & 20 | RSVP Here

New US Students: Coffee with the Counselors | Week of August 18

New MS Students: Chick-Fil-A Lunch | Wednesday, August 13

🛒👇 SHOP NOW THROUGH 3/31:

🍉👇 CAMP AT HHCA: REGISTER NOW!

🔗👇 QUICK LINKS:

2025-2026 Key Dates

help guide

car rideR instructions

MyHHCA (available soon!)