A Letter from Principal Drummond

Dear Hill Community,
February is off to a great start. While Punxsutawney Phil did see his shadow, Dash Dillo did not as he emerged from his burrow on Tuesday for a 2nd grade activity. Therefore, we predict an early spring at Hill School!

Please remember that this Friday, February 12th, and Monday, February 15th, are staff professional development days. We will not have students on campus these days. Teachers will not be providing virtual instruction or new asynchronous work as they will be engaged in learning/conferencing.

It is time to register your student for the 2021-2022 school year. Every year, every student needs to register for the upcoming school year. Doing so early helps us plan, staff and be ready for the new school year. For instructions for Returning Students click here. For instructions for New Students click here. Please reach out to Christina McBride at christina.mcbride@austinisd.org if you need further assistance or have any questions.

We are excited to celebrate Black History Month throughout February in our classrooms and assembly videos. We want to highlight our amazing assistant principal Myra Josey who created this bitmoji classroom to use during our Thoughtful Thursday assembly videos. Feel free to explore this cool resource.

If you missed our Hill Principal Check-In on Wednesday, you can tune in here. We do plan to invite Board Member Kristin Ashy to an upcoming check-in and will message more on that once it is scheduled.

The Austin ISD 2020–2021 Student Climate Survey is now available for review. Please use this link to access a survey preview. Students in grades 3-5 will begin taking the survey during the month of February. 2020–2021 Student Climate Survey students are encouraged to participate so they can share input on the school experience. Survey results are used to improve services for our students. Participation is voluntary and all responses are confidential. Families can opt students out of the survey. If you have any questions, please contact the Department of Research & Evaluation atsurvey@austinisd.org.

Please also take the time to complete the Austin ISD Family Survey this month. It is so helpful for us on campus to know what we are doing well and where to keep improving, especially during the challenging year we have had. This survey is open into the middle of March.

We want to again recognize Hannah Cotten, this time for receiving the 2021 Outstanding Texas Educator Award for exceptional contributions to science education in the state of Texas from the Texas Academy of Sciences. This is a prestigious award that further highlights her excellence and progressive instruction in science education. We are fortunate to have her as one of our staff at Hill School.

Thank you for having a plan for your students for their four day student holiday next weekend. Have a wonderful week, everyone!

Principal Drummond