Every grade level has a parent-led Facebook group for families to connect, ask/answer questions, and share information.  These groups are not monitored by Hill Elementary or Hill PTA, but lots of great PTA-related information is shared by the parent moderators.  Here are the links and moderators if you’d like to join:

2023-2024 PreK Dillos (Erin Knight)
2023-2024 Kindergarten Dillos (Katelyn Cassidy & Runi Limary)
2023-2024 First Grade Dillos (Goldyn Daupin)
2023-2024 Dillo Second graders – Hill Elementary (Margaret Lood & Vinitha Chintala)
2023-2024 Third Grade Dillos (Ira Brockman)
2023-2024 4th grade Dillos (Jessica Patiño)
2023-2024 Fifth Grade Dillos (Ashley Perraud)

Fall Softball Registration Now Open! Attention parents of girls ages 4 to 14! Registration is now open for Northwest Softball’s Fall 2023 season. Fall ball is a great time to learn the game and work on skills – especially for those new to the sport. Practices begin at the end of August with games starting September 9. Registration closes August 22 and spots are first come, first served, so sign up today because rosters are filling fast! Learn more and sign up at nwsoftball.org.

Dear Hill Community,

We have welcomed our staff back to campus and are preparing for another amazing school year! Below there are some updates but mostly reminders of our upcoming events this week and beyond.

Here is a quick guide for upcoming dates and times for our back to school events:

• August 4th-9th: Staff returns for Professional Learning and Planning (all day)
• Wednesday, August 9th: Class lists posted at 4:00 pm on front windows by first name, last initial
• Thursday, August 10th: Teacher Planning and Preparation Day (Helper Day)
  • Virtual Pre-K and Kindergarten Back to School Night with Teachers at 5:30 pm via Zoom (not an in-person event); Zoom Links will be sent this week prior to the event
  • (First through Fifth Grade Back to School Nights will be in September)
• Friday, August 11th:  In-Person Meet the Teacher Event
  • For Meet the Teacher: We request Last Names A-M visit from 10:00-11:00; Last Names N-Z from 11:00-12:00 pm if possible
  • Staff Preparation Day all other times
• Monday, August 14th: First Day of School! (7:40 am-3:10 pm; our bell schedule)

You can click here to view our updated Student/Parent Handbook for the 23-24 School Year.

Attention families who plan to park and walk their students to school: We want to thank everyone for their continued partnership in ensuring that we create safe routes to school each day. This year, we have no big updates for arrival or dismissal around campus after big changes last year. We still ask that families avoid parking on Austin Woods or Amy Circle for arrival or dismissal. You can click here to see a map of the limitations in the mornings and afternoons. There is virtually no legal or available parking (6-7 total spaces) from the hours of 7:00a-9:00a, then 2:00p-4:00p. If you are driving your student to campus, please use our carline or a different area to park/walk. We will send those directions out this upcoming week as we do each year. If you would like to park and walk your student to school, there is parking on Robbie Lane or Hyridge, all with available sidewalks. 

Reminder to Support our Hill PTA: Get everything you need for the 2023-2024 school year by participating in Online Open House!  In just a few minutes you can join Hill’s PTA, order birthday books and posters, and learn about the various ways we can support our school. CLICK HERE to begin! Using the link, you can also view and purchase our amazing Hill Merchandise, including school shirts, for this year! Be sure to sign-up to receive the Dillo Details as well at the bottom-right corner of hillelementary.com. 

Bus Transportation Information from AISD: We recommend families whose students are eligible for General Education transportation to check their bus information by checking the district’s “Bus Stop Finder”. Families whose students have special needs will receive their information from their bus teams.  *Please keep in mind routes and stops may change periodically. AISD’s transportation team offers families the “WheresTheBus” app, which provides timely information about the location of their student’s assigned bus only, including when it will arrive at their stop. The free app is available on any device with internet access (smartphone, tablet, personal computer, iPad)—and takes less than five minutes to install. Instructions are available at https://www.austinisd.org/transportation.

ATX Ballers will again have their after school opportunities available this year. You can follow the link for more information.

We can’t wait to see our Hill families on campus and in our classrooms on Friday! Have a great last week of summer, everyone.

Principal Drummond

WHO IS MY TEACHER?  It’s almost time to see!  Class Lists will be posted in the front windows of the main entrance August 9th at 4pm.  This is always an exciting day for our Dillo families and students.  Come see who your teacher will be and check out who you will be learning alongside this year!

WHAT IS BACK TO SCHOOL NIGHT?  Back to School Night is for parents only, and it’s a great time to get to know your teacher(s) and hear detailed information about the whole school year!  You will learn about the curriculum, approach, activities, schedule, volunteer opportunities, and more.

PreK – Kindergarten Back to School Night is Thursday, August 10th at 5:30pm VIA ZOOM.  Please note that this is a VIRTUAL event for PreK and Kindergarten families.  The Zoom link will be emailed to you before the meeting.  (Back to School Night for 1st-5th grade families will be held next month.)

WHAT IS MEET THE TEACHER?  This is when YOU AND YOUR CHILD meet your teacher in person!  Stop by your classroom, meet your teacher, check out where your backpack will go and say hi to familiar and new friends.  Bring your phone/camera for a picture!

To facilitate easy coming and going, Last Names A-M are invited to visit from 10:00am-11:00am and Last Names N-Z from 11:00am-12:00pm.  

If you ordered your school supplies through Sprout, they will already be in your classroom before you arrive!  If you need to drop off school supplies, this is a great time to do it.  CLICK HERE for the supply list.

WHAT IS OPEN HOUSE?  When you arrive to meet the teacher, you’ll see a handful of Hill PTA board members who are excited to greet you!  We’ll help new families find classrooms and welcome back familiar faces.  Various PTA tables will be set up along the front hall toward the office, so stop by to purchase your 2023-2024 PTA family membership, learn about our Hill Garden and more.

Our fabulous Kinder teachers could use an extra set of hands to help with dismissal the first two weeks of school!  Please sign up if you can help.  On your day, please sign in with the office and go straight to the classroom and the teacher will let you know how you can help.  Thanks!  Email volunteercoordinator@hillelementary.com with any questions!  

Here’s the sign up link: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090F44A8A629A6FB6-kinder

Hello Hill Families,

I’m excited to be back as your school nurse for a second year. Please also welcome Nurse Cynthia Holcomb who will be with us on Mondays and Tuesdays.  I am looking forward to another great school year.  I wanted to share some information with you, hoping to get ahead of the hecticness the first days will surely bring. 

• If your student received any immunizations since the spring/ summer, please turn in a copy of their record to the front office and ask that it be handed to the nurse.
• If your student has a health condition that may require my attention during the school day, including significant food allergies or medications to be kept on campus, please reach out directly to me by phone ((512) 414-2369 Ext 53710) or email (Alexis.pickard@austinisd.org) so I can assist you through the process of turning in provider orders, parent authorization and medication.
•  Throughout the school year we have several state-mandated screenings to complete for our students.  In all cases, if there is a significant finding during the screening, I will contact you to recommend follow up with your child’s healthcare provider.  The following screenings are required to be conducted during the school year:
  • Hearing and vision for all students in pre-K, KG, 1st, 3rd, and 5th grades.
  • Acanthosis Nigricans skin marker on back of neck for students in 1st, 3rd, and 5th grades. 
  • Spinal check for 5th grade girls. 
• I recognize parents are very busy people, but I must ask that you make every effort to pick up the phone if I call during the school day or return my call as soon as possible.   I will only call if I need to reach a parent/guardian immediately, in most cases because your child is sick and needs to be picked up, or because I need your immediate input about your child’s health concern.  Otherwise I will send an email for less urgent or less time-sensitive matters.  

If you have concerns about the screenings or anything else related to your child’s health at school, please do not hesitate to contact me.  Thank you for taking the time to read through this message. 

Warm regards.

Alexis Pickard, RN, BSN

Garden Work Day: Come help us spruce up our Hill campus and get the garden ready for fall planting! THIS SATURDAY, Aug 5th, 7:30- 9:30am, meet us at the front entrance of Hill. Bring water bottles, garden gloves and come ready to work! Lots of quick, specific jobs available, so even if you can only come for a bit, we will put you and your kids to work!

Lil’ Dillo Merch: Hey lil’ Dillos! We heard a rumblin’ from some of the youngest Dillos that the youth small tee shirt felt as big as the Texas sky so we returned to the shed and rustled up a size 5T (aka YXS) Hill Dillos tee option for ya. Get yorn here: https://www.hillelementary.com/product/hill-dillos-5t-short-sleeve-tee/

Dear Hill Community, 

We hope you have had a summer of fun and family time! There are only two weeks until our 2023-2024 school year begins on Monday, August 14th. We can’t wait to welcome our students to campus. The purpose of this letter is to give everyone a road map for our Back to School activities. More specificity will come soon as well.

Here are your reminders for upcoming dates and times for our back to school events. All are subject to change if needed. Some have been updated since our last communication: 

• August 4th-9th: Staff returns for Professional Learning and Planning (all day)
• Wednesday, August 9th: Class lists posted at 4:00 pm on front windows
• Thursday, August 10th: Teacher Planning and Preparation Day (Helper Day)
  • Virtual Pre-K and Kindergarten Back to School Night with Teachers at 5:30 pm via Zoom (not an in-person event) First through Fifth Grade Back to School Nights will be in September
• Friday, August 11th:  In-Person Meet the Teacher Event
  • For Meet the Teacher: We request Last Names A-M visit from 10:00-11:00; Last Names N-Z from 11:00-12:00 pm if possible
  • Staff Preparation Day all other times

• Monday, August 14th: First Day of School! (7:40 am-3:10 pm; our bell schedule)

Kindergarten Families: Use this link to access and share our Kindergarten Welcome Letter to your Hill Dillo! We hope to see everyone at our Back to School Night Virtual Event and Meet the Teacher In-Person Event on the dates/times above.

Support our Hill PTA: Get everything you need for the 2023-2024 school year by participating in Online Open House!  In just a few minutes you can join Hill’s PTA, order birthday books and posters, and learn about the various ways we can support our school. CLICK HERE to begin! Using the link, you can also view and purchase our amazing Hill Merchandise, including school shirts, for this year!

Austin ISD is looking for staff and community members to join the Calendar Task Force to support developing the 2024-2025 calendar. If interested, all information can be found at the link.

We will follow with more information prior to our events listed above. Have a great week of summer!

Principal Drummond