Dear Hill Community,

We hope all of our families are staying healthy and safe at home. As I said in my message to our Dillos on Friday, we miss all of our students greatly but know they have the tools to be successful, even during this tough time.

We want to make sure everyone is up to date on the plan for the next few weeks. School is closed until April 13th. Classes are cancelled in Austin ISD through April 3rd. Currently, our teachers are working on our plan for distance learning for the weeks to come as we are not sure when we will be able to report back to campus. For the upcoming week of March 30th, please continue to use the Austin ISD Learning at Home website for resources that can support your students’ learning. Physical packets of activities can be picked up Wednesday at Burnet Middle School from 11:00-1:00. We will be communicating soon on what the week of April 6th will look like in terms of student learning. Thanks for your continued patience through the planning process.

In order to deliver up to date information, I would like to invite you to our first Virtual Principal Coffee taking place on Thursday, April 2nd. We will hold two meetings due to the constraints of the Zoom program we will use. They are broken down by student last name. Participants will be muted and not have video displayed. After a general update, I will answer questions in the chat section you may still have. The available meetings are as follows for those interested:

Hill Virtual Principal Coffee for Students Last Names A-M

• Thursday, April 2nd, at 10:00 am
• Online Access: https://zoom.us/j/609738292 (meeting ID is 609 738 292)
• Phone Access: Dial (408) 638-0968; the meeting ID is 609 738 292
• (Participant ID: Press #; if this doesn’t work, then type the meeting ID # again)

Hill Virtual Principal Coffee for Students Last Names N-Z

• Thursday, April 2nd, at 11:30 am
• Online Access: https://zoom.us/j/303883912 (meeting ID is 303-883-912)
• Phone Access: Dial (408) 638-0968; the meeting ID is 303-883-912
• (Participant ID: Press #; if this doesn’t work, then type the meeting ID # again)

We look forward to communicating with many of you on Thursday. Please continue to check the Austin ISD website for updates from the district including meal, medical, and emotional supports. Also, don’t be afraid to reach out to school staff with questions you may have as well. We love our school community and are proud of the positive attitudes we have seen from all of our stakeholders. Together, we will be successful in supporting our amazing kids. Keep reminding them of their Hill Agreements! Have a restful Sunday and nice start to your week.

Principal Drummond

In case you missed it, CLICK HERE for a message to all of our Hill students from Mr. 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!

Dear Hill Community,

We want to keep you updated on the latest information from Austin ISD regarding the COVID-19 planning. In response to the developing and rapidly-changing situation and to provide the district sufficient time to plan for minimizing the risk of exposure to COVID-19, Austin ISD has cancelled classes for students only on Monday, March 23 thru Friday, April 3. This means students will not be on campus for two weeks following spring break.

Please visit www.austinisd.org/coronavirus regularly throughout the week to continue to receive updated information from the school district. I will receive more guidance later in the week and will communicate with the community accordingly.

We wish our Hill families health and safety during this time. Thank you all for continuing to do your part to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Jack Drummond

Principal

Dear Hill Community,

We look forward to an exciting time on campus with all of the celebrations planned for Valentine’s week. Spring is just around the corner now and as always, it will be busy! We want to remind you that Friday, February 14th, is a student holiday and staff District of Innovation day. Monday, February 17th, is our spring conference day and a student holiday as well.

As we progress further into this school year, it is already time for us to begin planning for 2020-2021. As many of you know, construction will begin in May on our new ten studio addition and new fitness space which will be in the area of our current sport court. The safety of our students will be the number one priority with access to that area being restricted beginning in May. Our campus leadership team is already discussing a plan for recess in May and the upcoming school year with more limited space. We have some creative ideas and will continue to keep you updated on what our recess and WOW time will look like during bond construction.

We want to give a big Dillo Cheer for our students who modeled Dillo Best effort and participation this past week! On Thursday, our Lion King Kids performance took our music program to the next level. We are so proud of the talent and practice these students put in prior to amazing performances all day. Our UIL Dillo participants also made us proud through their effort and participation on Saturday at our district competition.

If you missed it, Ms. Newton was back on campus for our parent coffee and presentation on the great things that are taking place at Murchison Middle School. It was a blast to see her leading our assembly and visiting our Hill Dillos. Our 5th graders even received a compliment for their excellent modeling of Hill Agreements following their visit a few weeks ago.

Thank you to all of our volunteers who make our events possible! Have a wonderful week and enjoy the upcoming student holidays.

Principal Drummond

Dear Hill Community,

It was a fun week of learning at Hill School as we wrapped up a successful fall semester. We were so proud to see students sharing family traditions with each other as Hill’s cultural diversity was on full display! We hope our entire Hill community has a wonderful winter break full of family, friends, and reading of course.

Social Emotional Learning is a focus on our campus as we believe in developing the whole child beyond just academics. Compassion and giving to others are such great examples of SEL in action this time of year. Our Hill Families Helping Families program was again a huge success to make the holidays special for those in need. We can’t thank our amazing counselors, volunteers, and families who donated enough for supporting this work. Our weekend backpack program continues to support families with weekend food. Hill’s annual food and coat drive this year brought in around 280 coats and hundreds of cans of food to support the Austin community. We are proud of this philanthropy and the wonderful lessons it teaches our Dillos.

As you have noticed, we are nearing the completion of the sidewalk addition on Tallwood across from our school. It should be completed during or just after our winter break. We are thankful for the improved safety that this Safe Routes to School work brings for our students. In January, we anticipate the city completing a traffic study to assess our crossing guard need at the Hyridge 4-way stop as well. Thank you for your continued patience during these changes as we continue to evolve safe routes to Hill school!

Lastly, we look forward to a busy spring semester that is just around the corner. Ms. Herb and Maestro Williams have been rehearsing for months for our first ever production of the Lion King musical. Our annual UIL competition will take place in February. We will also finalize our Campus Architectural Team planning in January as construction is planned to begin in May on our ten studio addition and new fitness space. We will continue to collaborate with our community as we plan for a modernized Hill campus ready to prepare our Dillos for bright futures.

Our staff wishes all of our families a safe and happy winter break!  We look forward to seeing all of our students back on January 8th.

Principal Drummond

Dear Hill Community,

We hope you have enjoyed a relaxing holiday break with family and friends! Our Hill staff is thankful everyday to work in such a supportive community with your amazing students.

November went by like a flash, and we are gearing up for a very busy December. This time of year is so exciting with many class celebrations taking place, along with wonderful learning about all of the different cultures that make Hill School special. From the Kinder Winter Carnival to our 4th grade Culture Fest, we look forward to all of the fun in the next few weeks!

I would like to invite all of our interested Hill community to our Principal Coffee this Thursday, December 5th, at 7:45 am in the library where we will have a discussion on dyslexia and supports we provide at school. We look forward to showcasing some of our amazing staff who do so much behind the scenes every day for our kids.

You will also notice in the coming weeks that sidewalk updates from Safe Routes to School will be completed. We will now have sidewalks on both sides of Tallwood connecting to an extension of a shared-use path on Hyridge, allowing for an easier and safer path to school from that area. The crosswalk directly in front of our school on Tallwood is also being updated, to shorten the distance across the street and encourage slower traffic. We look forward to educating our families on ways to continue to make the trip to school the safest possible.

We can’t wait to see your students at assembly on Monday to begin an exciting end to the fall semester. Have a great week, everyone!

Jack Drummond

Dear Hill Community,

We enjoyed seeing all of our families, staff, and friends who attended the Hill Fall Carnival this past Saturday! It was perfect weather for all of the fun activities and food. We want to thank all of our volunteers who make this massive undertaking possible, especially our executive PTA and Dillo Dad group. Their hard work started months in advance, and our school is so grateful for the long hours they put in to support Hill School.

At school, we have wrapped up our first 9 weeks of instruction and many fall conferences. Thank you to all of our staff members for their dedication to our students and their progress. Many teachers will begin tutorials soon, if they have not already begun, for students who need the extra support. We encourage all of our parents and guardians to continue close partnerships with our teachers to ensure all students have solid plans to support them academically and emotionally. We are off to a great start so far as we look ahead to further success.

I want to invite all of our stakeholders to the next Principal Coffee, tomorrow (Thursday), where the Parkhill, Smith, and Cooper architectural team will update attendees on phase one of our future modernized campus with a proposed 10 studio addition and new gym. Discussions will include construction planning, updated parking/traffic plans, and updates from our last community meeting. The team will also be attending our next CAC meeting to examine how the phase one construction will affect our campus for the 20-21 school year. We are excited for the future for Hill School and the opportunities a modernized campus will bring for our community!

With Halloween upon us for Thursday, just a friendly reminder that students should not wear costumes to school on October 31st. We appreciate your support in helping your student dress appropriately as usual.

We hope you have a truly wonderful week!

Principal Drummond

We are half way through our first 9 weeks of the school year, and it has been an amazing start! Personally, it is so rewarding being back on campus after spending quality time at home with the new addition to our family. Your kind words, support, and tips have meant so much.

We enjoyed seeing everyone dressed up and having fun for our annual Sock Hop on Friday. Thank you to all of our PTA members and volunteers who make these special events possible for our families. We also want to recognize the hard work of our Garden Club and Dillo Dads this last weekend to help beautify our campus. Hill is a true community school and this support plays a huge role.

We were honored recently to have Mayor Adler kick off our first Career Day presentation at assembly. That same week, we were recognized at City Hall for being a Mayor’s Healthiest School. Only a small group of exemplary Austin-area schools received this distinction. Our Coordinated School Health team has a passion for supporting the whole child and that will continue this year.

We have some busy weeks ahead with parent teacher conferences around the corner and many activities planned. Hill is very excited to welcome our AISD Board Representative, Kristin Ashy, back to our Principal Coffee event on September 26th to update our community on the School Changes process and draft scenarios. We will also give updates on our campus bond planning and other school happenings.

Just a reminder that this Monday, September 23rd, is a District of Innovation professional development day for our staff with students not on campus. We will be diving into our school data with a growth mindset toward meeting our campus goals. Have a great week, everyone!

Jack Drummond

Dear Hill Community,

It was amazing to see all of our Dillo families who were able to attend Meet the Teacher last Friday!  Our teachers have been busy preparing their classrooms and getting ready for the first day of school. We look forward to another exciting year of learning as we celebrate everyone in our community who is a Game Changer, working to impact our students and change lives!

We have a fantastic staff this school year!  Included below are all of our teaching staff, as well as teacher pairings:

PK – Michele Meadows, Erin Webb, Caty Winslow

PPCD – Marci Adkinson, Hayden Higginbotham

Kindergarten – Caroline Braun, Christine Combs, Laura Davis, Joanna Fairbrother, Stacy Maine, Brandi Watson, Lindsey Zigal

1^stGrade – Jill Clark, Michele Dare, Wendy Lee, Morgan McClellan, Maitri Shah, Katlyn Simon, Rebecca Stanley

2^ndGrade – Lori Huang and Tho Nguyen;  Katherine Laxton and Sheryl Southwell; Tara McBrearty and Alli Sanchez; Sherrie Shaver

3^rdGrade – Sally Armstrong and Kaci Moore,  Madison Mischnick and Hannah Westbrook, Abby Bolin and Jason Eddleton,  Robin Olson and Clayton Oden

4^thGrade – Krista Davis and Naomi Haynes; Alexa Denny and Jordan Silverman; Melanie Brown and Jeanine DiVincenzo-Smith; Terra Moses and Beth Warning

5^thGrade – Rachel Briles, Jacob Mayer, and Bess Wirht; Hannah Cotton, Lorrie Salome, and Thomas Wilder

Essential Areas:  Primary Grades – Melissa Monreal (PE), Steve Williams (Music), Stephen Williams (Art)
Upper Grades – Roger Taveirne (PE), Michelle Herb (Music), Stephanie Perry (Art)

As part of the Anderson Vertical Team, Hill will continue focusing on the arts and culture to enrich our students’ learning with the Creative Learning Initiative. Our FLEX program will be in its sixth year! Also, our staff will continue learning about the brain and supporting students during our 2nd year of  the Neuro-Sequential Model of Education pilot.

We are looking forward to the first day of school Tuesday! Our first day of instruction will begin at 7:45 am.  Please report directly to your child’s classroom on the first day.

Jack Drummond