The Lion’s Roar – August 23, 2026
Good Afternoon HCA Community,
As we continue settling into the school year, I am grateful for the rhythm beginning to take shape across our campus. Classrooms are busy, relationships are growing, and our students are being challenged each day to learn, grow, and become more of who God has called them to be. Thank you for continuing to partner with our faculty and staff as we work together to serve our students well.
This week also brings several important opportunities and reminders for our families. Our Learning Centers are preparing to launch, providing students with an additional opportunity to receive direct support from their teachers. The NC Opportunity Scholarship endorsement period is also open, and we encourage scholarship families to complete that important step as soon as possible. You’ll find details on both items below, along with several other updates.
As we move further into the year, I want to continue encouraging our HCA community to be people of prayer. Please pray for our students as they learn, for our teachers as they lead, and for wisdom and provision as we pursue the mission God has entrusted to HCA. Our theme, “Christ We Preach,” is more than a phrase for the year—it is the reason behind the work we do each day. May Christ remain at the center of our classrooms, our homes, and our entire school community.
Thank you for your continued partnership. We are looking forward to another great week at HCA!
We have this week’s announcements listed below and have kept all our Back-to-School Resources following them.
NC Opportunity Scholarship Endorsement Period
NCSEAA has opened their MyPortal for Fall Award endorsements for Opportunity Scholarship and ESA+ recipients. Please take a moment to login to your MyPortal account, select your To Do List, and endorse your fall award amount. To access your MyPortal account, visit:
HCA proactively applies the NC Opportunity Scholarship amount to every recipient’s FACTS account at enrollment. It is parent’s responsibility to ensure that all requirements are completed for NCSEAA through the certification and endorsement process. Make sure you have completed all items on the MyPortal To-Do list to prevent application of awards. Failure to endorse your award will result in updated tuition charges in FACTS. If you have any trouble, please contact the school office at (919) 732-0888.
Please note: we are not able to assist with account issues – follow the online instructions for resetting your password if necessary.
HCA Learning Centers
Our faculty are getting prepared for the launch of our Afterschool Learning Centers, an opportunity for students in Kindergarten through 12th grade to receive additional help from their classroom teacher afterschool. See below for information on Learning Center times and pickup procedures. Note that the same procedures apply for our Extracurricular Activities, which will launch in the near future. Classroom teachers will be communicating the details of their learning centers over the next week. Please be sure to utilize this FREE opportunity as often as your student needs! Please let your classroom teacher know by email the day prior if you would like your student to attend.
Learning Center Days:
Transitional Kindergarten: By Request
Kindergarten: By Request
1st Grade: Wednesday
2nd Grade: Wednesday
3rd Grade: Tuesday
4th/5th Grades: Tuesday
Upper Grades ELA: Tuesday
Upper Grades History: Wednesday
Upper Grades Mathematics: Monday
Upper Grades Science: Wednesday
Spanish: Tuesday
Operational Times:
Lower Grades (K-5) Learning Centers: 3:15 – 4:00 pm
Middle Grades/Upper Grades Learning Centers: 3:15 – 4:15 pm
Extracurricular Activities: 3:15 – 4:45 pm
Pickup Procedures:
On both sides of campus – please remain outside the office entrance where your student(s) will be brought to you for sign out at the conclusion of learning centers/extracurricular activity. Students will line up orderly and will be dismissed as each parent signs them out from the teacher/advisor for the learning centers/extracurricular activity. Once all students with a parent present have been signed out at the entrance, any remaining students will be signed in after school. Once a student has been signed into afterschool, parents are then responsible for signing students out from our afterschool team.
Student Medication Form and Medication Drop Off
Please remember that any student medications to be kept on campus (prescription OR over the counter) MUST be accompanied by an HCA Medication Form which has been completed by both a parent and the student’s physician. You can click the link here to view both the medication policy and medication form. Medication can only be dropped off at the school office by a member of the school administration from 8:00 am – 4:00 pm. Please do not send medication with your child to school.
Partner With HCA Through Prayer & Giving
As we begin another school year, we are reminded that HCA’s ministry is made possible by the faithful partnership of families, friends, churches, and supporters who believe in the importance of Christ-centered education.
We invite our entire HCA community to partner with us in two important ways: pray and give. Please pray for our students, faculty, leadership, and families—that God would provide for every need, give us wisdom, and continue to use HCA to make an eternal impact in the lives of our students. If God has blessed you with the ability to give, we also invite you to prayerfully consider making a financial gift to our Annual Fund. Every gift, regardless of size, helps strengthen our school and further our mission.
To learn more about supporting HCA or to make a gift, visit our Annual Fund page. Thank you for praying, giving, and partnering with us as together we invest in the next generation for the glory of Christ!
Upcoming Events
Monday August 17 – First Day of My Hot Lunchbox
Wednesday September 2 – Campus Preview Day
Friday September 4 – Fall Picture Day
Monday September 7 – No School (Labor Day Holiday)
Friday September 11 – Student Early Release (12 pm dismissal) and Professional Development September 14-18 – Fall Benchmarks (Kindergarten – 12th Grade)
Back-to-School Resources
In case you missed it in our previous updates, here are all the Back-to-School Resources available!
Classroom Supply Lists
Every grade level’s classroom supply list is available on our website. Each grade has its own link, making it easy to find exactly what your student needs.
2026–2027 School Calendar
Our printable school calendar is also available online. We encourage families to download or print a copy to help plan for the school year. The calendar includes holidays, teacher workdays, early dismissals, school breaks, and other important dates. You can also access an electronic version of our calendar by clicking here.
2026–2027 HCA School Calendar (Printable PDF)
2026-2027 Parent-Student Handbooks
Our student handbooks have undergone a revision with all handbooks merged into one! This document is ready for your review. All families should read through the handbook in its entirety and complete the form to acknowledge receipt of the handbook, and to agree with current school policies. Click here to review the handbook and then click here to complete the acknowledgment form.
Car Line Map
Student drop off and dismissal will run utilizing the same one-way traffic pattern as previous years. Please click here to access the carline map and additional information.
Student Medication Form
Please remember that any student medications to be kept on campus (prescription OR over-the-counter) MUST be accompanied by an HCA Medication Form which has been completed by both a parent and the student’s physician. You can click the link here to view both the medication policy and medication form. Please do not send medication with your child to school. Medication can only be dropped off in the school office with a member of school administration from 8:00 am – 4:00 pm. Medication forms can be faxed to HCA from your primary care provider by sharing our fax number (919-732-1566).
2026–2027 Afterschool Program
HCA offers after school care from 3:15pm to 6:00pm daily. Daily drop-in rate is $25 per day, or parents can choose a monthly rate of $240 per month. To register your child, please click the link here to create a brightwheel account and sign up! Our office team will be reaching out to confirm your afterschool plan selection in the days to come.
My Hot Lunchbox
We had a great first week with our NEW My Hot Lunchbox options. Students and staff enjoyed the variety and we are looking forward to the year ahead. As a reminder:
Weekly Lunch Vendors:
Monday: Colorado Burrito
Tuesday: Jersey Mike’s
Wednesday: Domino’s Pizza
Thursday: La Fiesta
Friday: Zaxby’s
Please remember that orders must be placed by noon the day before the lunch is served. For example, Monday lunch orders must be submitted by noon on Sunday.
My Hot Lunchbox is hoping to average at least 25 orders in order to continue offering service to HCA next year. We hope our families will enjoy this convenient lunch option! If you have not yet created your My Hot Lunchbox account, click the link here to get started.
Share HCA with Another Family – And Receive $250!
One of the greatest compliments a family can give our school is referring someone they know to HCA.
If you have friends, neighbors, coworkers, or members of your church who are looking for a Christ-centered educational community, we would be honored if you would encourage them to visit Hillsborough Christian Academy. Word-of-mouth continues to be one of the most meaningful ways new families discover HCA.
As a way of thanking our current families, we are excited to offer a $250 tuition referral credit for every new family you refer who enrolls and remains enrolled through the 2026–2027 school year. The referral credit will be applied to your FACTS account in January 2027.
There is no greater testimony than a family who loves what God is doing at HCA and invites others to experience it as well. To connect with admissions, reach out to our Assistant Head of School for Admissions and Development – Mrs. Denise Al-Chacar ([email protected]).
FACTS Family Portal
Did you know that your FACTS Family Portal is THE PLACE for HCA news? Be sure to bookmark the Family Portal to stay connected to everything you need to know. A quick training is available by clicking here! (The video is password protected – the password is Portal with a capital “P”)
FACTS Financial Accounts
Please take a moment to log in to your family’s FACTS Tuition Payment Plan to ensure it is up to date. Please note – FACTS has dropped support for American Express as a payment method this school year. If you have any questions, please reach out to us by emailing [email protected].
Thank you again for making this a great start to the school year! We’re looking forward to a great week ahead!
For the Kingdom,
Dr. Turner