A Letter from Principal Drummond

Dear Hill Community,
As we enter our final week of all virtual learning, we are looking forward to welcoming some of our students back on campus very soon on October 5th. We shared it last week but here is the comprehensive list of the phase-in groups by week. We do ask that if you have a student in one of these groups and you are sending their sibling as well, please alert the teacher(s) of the sibling so they know to expect them. The final district surveys were closed on Friday and if you answered that you did intend for your student(s) to return to campus physically, that will be our expectation. Beginning Monday, if you need to change your intention from remote virtual to face to face learning, please email hill@austinisd.org with that request. Your student will be able to return 5 school days after the request. If you would like your student to move from the building to all virtual learning at any point, just inform your teacher and that can happen immediately. Thank you for your communication so we can always have the best plan possible in place!

It was wonderful to welcome our Board Trustee Kristin Ashy this past Thursday during our Hill Principal Check-In for 9/24. My apologies the second part of the recording did not take as we went over a bit of the Hill Reopening Plan. That document is comprehensive and is still linked below. We will cover a lot on the phase in at our next Principal Check-In this Wednesday, 9/30, at 4:00 pm. Here is the Zoom info:
Zoom Meeting
Meeting ID: 861 2814 4955
Passcode: dillos

If you attended the Principal Check-In, we touched on an overview of our comprehensive Hill Reopening Plan. Within this document, you can find details on our arrival/dismissal, recess, lunch, and our general safety protocols for when students are on campus. This is a living document that will certainly continue to change. We hope it supports guiding all of our families on what to expect for the physical return to campus. There is a section on the AISD app and pre-screening. Please know that using this each morning prior to coming to school is a safety best practice and greatly needed as well to ensure we keep our arrival period as efficient as possible. Otherwise, we will be asking you questions each day as a best practice and protocol. Be sure to look over everything so you have a clear picture of the year. Also, don’t forget to check out the latest version of the district plan that is on the AISD website.

The district technology team wanted us to pass along this note on changes to the layout of Ipads at different times during the day. This is called a “Restriction Schedule” which allows layout control to be consistent during the day. No action has to be taken. Just note why your Ipad may look different on the homescreen during, then after the school day!

As a last note, please know that at the Monday board meeting, trustees will be discussing and voting on whether to change October 12th from a student holiday to a normal instructional day. We anticipate this happening as of now. The student holiday will then move to Election Day on November 3rd. This is not official yet. It will be messaged if this is the case. We just wanted everyone to have the most up to date information.

Have a wonderful weekend and Hook ‘Em, Hill families! Expect plenty of communication in the next week, prior to our campus reopening.

Principal Drummond