The Lion’s Roar – August 9, 2026
HCA Families,
WOW! What a great day we’ve had at Hillsborough Christian Academy! I’d like to thank all the members of our school community who came out and celebrated the start of this great year at First Love Community Church this morning. I hope you enjoyed the hot dog lunch!
It’s hard to believe – but TOMORROW is the FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL! As a reminder, The Lion’s Roar is a revamped version of our weekly update (formerly known as News from the Lion’s Den). In response to our Family Survey, this will be posted in the FACTS Family Portal, emailed, and posted to our website under a new tab where these updates will be archived.
We have this week’s announcements listed below and have kept all our Back-to-School Resources following them.
We are looking forward to serving your family in the school year ahead. As always, please reach out to our administrative team or school office for any of your needs! We are here to serve you!
CAMPUS TRAFFIC PATTERN
As a reminder – our campus traffic pattern returns to ONE WAY TRAFFIC tomorrow. All traffic should enter campus on US 70 (at the FLCC entrance) and exit on Orange High School Road. A Carline map can be found in the Back-to-School resources below.
Monday, August 10th- First Day of School!
We can’t WAIT to see everyone tomorrow for the first day of school! Morning carline begins at 7:30 and ends at 7:55. Parents are welcome to walk their students to class on the first day of school. Parents of TK and kindergarten students are welcome to walk their students to class the first week of school. The 2nd week of school all students are expected to be dropped off in carline.
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.
Upper Grades Electives and HCA Unleashed
This year, students in upper grades will participate in either band or art twice a week. This week, students will visit both classes to meet instructors and hear about their options for the year. An electronic form will be sent home this Wednesday along with additional information. STUDENTS MUST MAKE THEIR SELECTION AND COMPLETE THE FORM BY FRIDAY, AUGUST 14th. Students without a completed selection form will be assigned an elective.
Along with electives, we have a new opportunity for our upper-grade students – HCA Unleashed! This is a once-a-week class for students, allowing them to explore different areas, including: Apex Creators (HCA’s FIRST Yearbook class), Worship Arts/Tech, Financial Literacy, ACT/SAT Test prep, etc. Students will choose their HCA Unleashed opportunity along with their Art or Band elective.
Upcoming Events
Monday August 10 – FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL!!!🎉👏🥳
Monday August 17 – First Day of My Hot Lunchbox
Back-to-School Resources
In case you missed it in our last update, 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.
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 acknowledgement 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! All students previously enrolled in Afterschool will receive an invite directly from brightwheel to complete this year’s enrollment.
My Hot Lunchbox – BEGINS NEXT MONDAY (AUGUST 17)
We are excited to continue our partnership with My Hot Lunchbox to offer parents the opportunity to order meals for their students. Stay tuned for final details concerning delivery days and partner vendors. 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].
School Office Hours Our normal school office hours resume August 4th (8 am – 4 pm). Note – all HCA Faculty and Staff will be in required training August 3, 2026. All calls or emails to the office or administration will be returned beginning August 4th.
We are so grateful for every member of our HCA Community! We are looking forward to a great year ahead as we embrace this year’s theme: “Christ We Preach.”
“Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ.” Colossians 1:28
We are looking forward to a great start of the school year! See everyone tomorrow!
For the Kingdom,
Dr. Turner