A Letter from Principal Drummond

Dear Hill Community,

We hope all of our Dillos and their families are staying healthy and enjoyed their spring break during this time of uncertainty. Hopefully you received the communication from Dr. Cruz including an FAQ (frequently asked questions) on the school district response to COVID-19. The number one priority right now is keeping our families and staff safe. Our custodians will be the only staff on campus through next Wednesday, continuing to deep clean our campus and common touch points.

As a reminder, classes are cancelled March 23rd through April 3rd. District departments are currently planning what school will look like for us in the coming weeks. Our staff will be utilizing the next two weeks to collaborate virtually and prepare for distance learning.

As Dr. Cruz stated, we do not know the timeline of when students will be returning back to school as things are ever changing. Our district leadership will continue to collaborate with state leaders to prioritize the safety of our students. We encourage all of our parents and guardians to utilize the Austin ISD Learning at Home website that was emailed out through communications to all families on Friday evening. There, you can find daily learning resources, sample home learning schedules, and other resources to support our Dillos for the next two weeks. Next Wednesday, hands-on activities for elementary students will be available at the grab-on-go lunch sites that the district has organized for students who have limited access to devices and internet. The closest location is Burnet Middle School for those families interested. The district is also working on strategic locations for Wifi access as well.

The state announced this past week that STAAR testing for this spring will be cancelled. For our campus, we have rescheduled a few events like our Hill Heritage Fashion Show which is now April 16th. Obviously this may change depending on how the next few weeks evolve. Certain meetings may be moved to virtual options as well.

Most importantly, continue to keep your families safe by doing the basics. We should continue to practice healthy habits (washing hands with soap and water, coughing into elbow, not touching face, etc.) and social distancing as we work to stop the spread of COVID-19. Keeping our children and guardians mentally well is important, too! Our wonderful counselors compiled this list of useful resources that can be used for the next couple of weeks at home.

Please continue to check Austin ISD daily for district updates. Austin ISD Food Services will prepare and provide curbside meals for children under the age of 19 and their parents or caregivers at 70 locations while school is closed due to COVID-19 precautions. Telemedicine information is also provided for non-emergency situations. This link is regularly updated with this information and more. More information on both services below.

Hill is a true community school. We appreciate all of our stakeholders who are pulling together to show how strong we are together. We will continue to update everyone in the days and weeks to come. We miss our Hill Dillos but look forward to seeing them under safe circumstances soon!

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