From Mr. Drummond

Dear Hill Community,

It is Teacher Appreciation Week! During this week, we recognize the excellence and care that our teaching staff brings to Hill each day. Thank you to our volunteers helping to provide an extended lunch to them on Wednesday. We appreciate all of your thoughtfulness this week in showing how much we care about our teaching staff!

It is also Nurse Appreciation Week! Thank you to Alexis and Carmen in our Hill Health Room who take amazing care of our students. We recognize how much they mean to our Hill Community as well.

If you have not done so, we need you to register for 23-24 school year this week! All families must follow the registration procedure online each year. It is crucial to us knowing who will be attending and allows us to be ready with staffing. All the information you need can be found at https://www.austinisd.org/enroll. Our wonderful PTA also has more helpful information for our new incoming families at https://www.hillelementary.com/parents/new-parents/Again, if your student will attend in the fall, this is a mandatory requirement. Thank you all!

Prior to the summer, please be aware that families will be turning in all their devices, chargers, hotspots, and accessories from the district back to Hill. This is for inventory purposes. If needed, there will be an opportunity to borrow a device for the summer. The original device and equipment will still be checked in to Hill, though. No student will keep their current device. More detailed information will come in my next letter as we are still learning about the process. There is nothing needed right now. Just know we will begin collecting soon.

We have three weeks of school left. Turn in your library books by Friday, please! More end of year reminders will come your way in the next couple of weeks.

Principal Drummond

Fri: No Place for Hate

This Friday, April 28th, is a No Place For Hate Dress Up day.  Join the Hill SEL-ebration Leadership Team and dress magically, because RESPECT IS MAGICAL!  We are so proud of our KIND DILLOS!

2023-2024 Executive PTA Board

We are excited to announce our 2023-2024 Hill PTA Executive Board!  Thank you to these volunteers for their willingness to serve on the Board. 

President: Melanie Petersen
President-Elect: Margarita Bagwell
1st VP (Communications): Erin Hanson
2nd VP (Sponsorship): Jessica McKay
3rd VP (Membership): Kristen Trout
4th VP (Ways & Means): Miso Yang
Treasurer: Brent McNguyen
Secretary: Weatherly Schroeder
Parliamentarian: Tiffany Cross
Faculty Connections: Maitri Shah
ACPTA Representative: Erica Martindale
ACPTA Representative: Jessica Patiño
CAC Representative: Alexis Holder

From Mr. Drummond

Dear Hill Community,

This week is Office Staff and After School Childcare Appreciation Week! Please join us in thanking these two amazing groups for all they do. Our office staff is the heart of our school and the first faces that greet you. Our Childcare Workers go above and beyond to do so many different tasks for our students each day. Dillo Cheer for these ladies!

Our older students made us proud this past week as they worked so hard on their Reading Language Arts STAAR. As a reminder, here is our remaining schedule for this week and next:

This Wednesday, April 26th: 5th Grade STAAR Science Exam (Make-Ups the Following Day)
Wednesday, May 3rd: 3rd, 4th, 5th STAAR Math Exam (Make-Ups the Following Day)

A reminder that volunteers should not be on campus during STAAR testing days. Thank you all for ensuring your 5th grade Dillos get good sleep on Tuesday night and a healthy breakfast the morning of. We hope they can be at school those days at 7:30 am.

Order Your Hill School Supplies: Our online school supply store is officially open for the 2023-2024 school year.  Skip the trip to the store and get your teacher requested supplies delivered directly to the classroom.  Ordering couldn’t be easier.  Just go to www.sproutsupplies.com and enter school code HES003.

We will work to provide a staffing update in an upcoming letter to give everyone a good picture for next year so far. If you are interested in possible free or discounted internet if you qualify, check the message at the end of this letter. Lastly, someone asked this week how big the Drummond boys were getting. Here is picture evidence they are too big. Take care, everyone!

Principal Drummond

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Do you have students and families who need support paying their internet bills?
Austin Free-Net is partnering with Austin ISD to offer free or discounted internet service to families who qualify through the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) Affordable Connectivity Program.

What is the Affordable Connectivity Program?
The Affordable Connectivity Program allows qualifying (income-based) households to choose the internet service provider of their choice and receive a significant discount to their internet bill (with current service packages in place, this is resulting in FREE internet).

Who is eligible?
Households who participate in free/reduced school meal programs are eligible to participate. If the entire school receives free meals, all households are eligible. The FCC estimates that 150,000 residents in Travis, Hays and Williamson counties are eligible but not enrolled.

How can my students and families enroll?
Austin Free-Net is dedicated to assisting all eligible Austin ISD students and families in enrolling in the Affordable Connectivity Program and can provide individualized support throughout the entire process. There is no expiration date, but take advantage of this great opportunity and current funding is still available. Please refer to these flyers and reach out to Austin Free-Net with any questions.

– Website: austinfree.net
– Phone: 512-236-8225
– Email: access@austinfree.net
– Address: 2209 Rosewood Ave., Austin, TX 78702

About Austin Free-Net
Austin FreeAustin Free-Net is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that assists community members with technology resources and has been boots on the ground in Austin for over 28 years. Austin Free-Net specializes in basic digital inclusion and is a “one stop shop” for affordable devices, internet, training and support, especially focusing on marginalized communities including people of color, low income, veterans, seniors, immigrants and people experiencing homelessness, but their services are available to all. All public services are free and available in both English and Spanish.

From Mr. Drummond

Dear Hill Community,

This week is School Lunch Heroes Week. Let’s give a big Dillo Cheer to our lunch staff who show up and support our students every day!

As we are now in the last month of school, we wanted to give our community a staffing update for the fall:

–  Counselor Sarah Kelton is leaving Hill to expand her private practice. We wish her well and thank her for her time at Hill! We are excited to announce that Hanna Curran will transition from 3rd grade into the Counselor role.

–  In 1st grade, Morgan McClellan will be transitioning to our 3rd grade team. 3rd grade teacher Emily Nieto will move to 1st grade for the fall.

–  In 2nd grade, Clara Rivas will be transitioning to our 3rd grade team.

–  In 3rd grade, Michelle Grona is transferring to the new General Marshall Middle School where she will be the 504 Coordinator. We wish her well and thank her for her time at Hill!

–  In 5th grade, Bess Wirht is transferring to Davis Elementary where she will join their 5th grade team. We wish her well and thank her for her many years of service to Hill! We are happy she will still be in the vertical team.

–  In Essential Areas, Michelle Herb is leaving Hill and moving out of state. We wish her well and thank her for her many years of service to Hill! We are excited to announce that we have hired Nicholas Flott to be our new music teacher. Nicholas comes to us after spending two years in a graduate music program. He has prior elementary music teaching experience as well.

–  In Special Education, Luana Freitas Ikanovic is transferring to Pflugerville and opening a brand new ECSE unit closer to her home. We wish her well and thank her for her time at Hill! Marci Adkinson is coming back to Hill as a General Resource Special Education teacher! We are excited to have her back home after a year at Doss. She previously taught special education and Pre-K at Hill.

–  One of our reading interventionists, Erin Drew, will be moving on to continue work on her reading specialization. We thank her for her time at Hill!

Currently, we are in the interview process still for the following positions:
– Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE)
– French FLEX Teacher
– Part-Time Hourly Reading Interventionist

We will keep everyone updated in the coming months as we move into fall.

As a reminder, here is our remaining STAAR schedule:

–  This Wednesday, May 3rd: 3rd, 4th, 5th STAAR Math Exam (Make-Ups the Following Day)

A reminder that volunteers should not be on campus during STAAR testing days. Thank you all for ensuring your Dillos get good sleep on Tuesday night and a healthy breakfast the morning of. We hope they can be at school those days at 7:30 am.

We have 4 weeks of school left! Have a great start to your May.

Principal Drummond