From Mr. Drummond

Dear Hill Community,

We want to thank all of the volunteers that made another successful Hill Country Carnival possible. It is always one of the highlights of the year for our students. We appreciate you all!

As a reminder, there is no school this Friday, April 7th as it is a student/staff holiday.

Current Kinder-4th grade families: It is that time of year for our parents/guardians to fill out a Student Information Form to help provide input as we begin to discuss classroom placements for the next school year with our staff. We value your feedback as an expert on your student both academically and emotionally. As always, we request you not make specific teacher requests as many factors go into these decisions. Please complete the linked Google Form by Friday, April 14th if you are interested.

A reminder for our Incoming Pre-K4 and Kindergarten Parents: We look forward to seeing everyone who can make it to our annual Roundup event at Hill School on Wednesday, April 12th at 9:00 am in our cafeteria space. All incoming Pre-K and Kindergarten parents, along with their students, can learn more about our school and teachers. We will take care of registration documents as well. Your students will visit a Pre-K or Kindergarten class for fun activities. Please spread the word to friends who may be interested in joining our Hill community! Also, look for more information in the next couple of weeks on a special Principal Coffee on Thursday, April 20th at 7:45 am for incoming Pre-K and Kinder families. We’ll do a presentation and leave time for your important questions. More to come.

We hope our caregivers can join us for our annual Parent Education event sponsored by our Hill PTA on Thursday, April 13th at 7:45am in our Hill Library. Click here for the flier and information on our presenter.

Reminder: We are excited to introduce and encourage our Dillos to participate in our first annual Project-Based Learning Activity at HillYou can click here for all the details you need. We look forward to seeing the creativity and critical thinking students put in while supporting ways to make our campus a better place. As stated, this is optional. Teachers will work with their students on the appropriate date(s) to present their organizers/projects if completed. This is an enrichment project for home. Hard copies will also go out via Wednesday folders. We hope completed organizers/projects can be turned in to your teacher by April 14th.

AHS Trojan Lacrosse is holding a 3-day summer camp. Click this flier for more information.

Enjoy an excellent week!

Principal Drummond

From Mr. Drummond

Dear Hill Community,

For those celebrating, we hope you are having an excellent holiday weekend. The following letter is full of reminders about upcoming events and deadlines. Nothing new but thanks for taking a look! For interested Pre-K families, please take a look at the end of this letter for a step by step guide on how to complete the Pre-K application that is now live.

Reminder to current Kinder-4th grade families: It is that time of year for our parents/guardians to fill out a Student Information Form to help provide input as we begin to discuss classroom placements for the next school year with our staff. We value your feedback as an expert on your student both academically and emotionally. As always, we request you not make specific teacher requests as many factors go into these decisions. Please complete the linked Google Form by Friday, April 14th if you are interested.

A final reminder for our Incoming Pre-K4 and Kindergarten Parents: We look forward to seeing everyone who can make it to our annual Roundup event at Hill School this Wednesday, April 12th at 9:00 am in our cafeteria space. All incoming Pre-K and Kindergarten parents, along with their students, can learn more about our school and teachers. We will take care of registration documents as well. Your students will visit a Pre-K or Kindergarten class for fun activities. Please spread the word to friends who may be interested in joining our Hill community! Also, please remember there is a special Principal Coffee on Thursday, April 20th at 7:45 am for incoming Pre-K and Kinder families. We’ll do a presentation and leave time for your important questions.

We hope our caregivers can join us for our annual Parent Education event sponsored by our Hill PTA this Thursday, April 13th at 7:45am in our Hill LibraryClick here for the flier and information on our presenter.

You need to enroll your current or incoming Hill student for the fall now! 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/Thank you for helping us better plan for staffing as you all state your intentions!

For our 3rd-5th grade families, please know we will send out more information next weekend on the upcoming STAAR tests. The first is our Reading STAAR that will take place on Wednesday, April 19th. They are earlier this year. Have a great night, everyone!

Principal Drummond

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Apply for Pre-K!
Greetings! We are excited to announce that the Pre-K application for the 23-24 school year is now open! Please make sure that you are ready to apply by following these steps below:

Step 1: Create a portal account with Austin ISD
     Why? The portal account provides access to online registration and the Pre-K Application.

Step 2: Complete online registration for your student
     Why? Online registration generates a Student I.D. number, notifies your student’s school that they may be enrolling, and gives you access to the Pre-K application. Should you have difficulty with registration, please contact the Family Help Desk at 512-414-9187.

Step 3: Find Your School using School Zone Finder
     Why? You will need to know what school your student will be attending. You can either choose to have your student attend their neighborhood school or transfer to another school. Please keep in mind that a transfer depends on space availability at the desired school. For information about our Pre-K 3 programming options please click this link.  For information about our Pre-K 4 programming options click here.

*Please know that your zip code determines your zoned campus. If you are interested in a campus outside of your zoned area, this will require the completion of a transfer application. The window to submit transfer applications will open on April 3rd 2023.

Step 4: Gather documentation that verifies your student’s eligibility for Pre-K
     Why? Pre-K is an eligibility based program and documentation that verifies eligibility must be provided.  There are seven ways to qualify for eligibility based Pre-K. Please click this link to find out more.  As you complete the application, you will be prompted to upload these documents. If you believe that you will not qualify for eligibility based Pre-K, we do offer a tuition-based program. Completion of the Pre-K Application is required for both Eligibility-based Pre-K and Tuition-based Pre-K.

Step 5: Select the Pre-K Application tile located within the portal and apply
     Why? The Pre-K application can only be accessed through your portal account and must be completed in order for your student to be admitted into our program. This means all necessary documentation must be provided and processed before receiving an acceptance letter. If you are planning to transfer, you must complete the entire Pre-K application process first, then the transfer application can be processed. You will receive notification of the status of your transfer application directly from the Office of Student Services.

Step 6: Select the appropriate school year
     Why? Carefully select the appropriate school year as both the current school year (22-23) and next school year (23-24) applications are now in the portal.

Should you have specific questions after you apply, please reach out to your student’s school directly as schools will be processing applications for the 23-24 school year. Tuition based applications will still be processed centrally by our Early Learning department in collaboration with your student’s school. Should you have general questions, please send them to Early Learning via Let’s Talk. We look forward to welcoming your family to Austin ISD Pre-K!

From Mr. Drummond

Dear Hill Community, 

This is an information-filled letter this week with many event reminders. Please read carefully, including the reminder at the end that there is no school this Friday!

It is Hill Heritage and International Reading Week! We appreciate all of our families who have volunteered to support reading in the classrooms in multiple languages, as well as our Hill Heritage Parade on Thursday. The Heritage Parade will be held Thursday, March 30th, right after morning assembly. Students may dress up in cultural attire and/or wave flags during the parade. Participation is optional but encouraged. We would love to see our Dillos participate! For more info and to sign up, please register here by tomorrow, Monday March 27th.

The Hill Country Carnival is this Friday! We are thrilled to spend the evening of Friday, March 31st with everyone! Incredible games, spectacular music by Rising Ivy, delicious food truck fare, our famous Haunted House, and MORE await you! If you bought your wristbands last Fall and need to pick them up, we’ll be at the front of the school this week to give them to you. If you still need to buy your wristbands, the link has been a bit temperamental so we have a new link for you!

  1. Buy your WRISTBANDS at hillelementary.com/carnival
  2. SIGN UP TO VOLUNTEER for your class booth(s) at https://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080D4EAFA82FA4FE3-hill1
  3. 5th GRADE PARENTS & STUDENTS remember to sign up for your Haunted House shift! The link is in your email inbox from Ms. Bayer and on our grade-level FB page.
  4. EMAIL Kelly Tarun and Theresa Ellington at carnival@hillelementary.com with any questions!

Our annual class group pictures are this Wednesday for each class. You can click here for online ordering information

23-24 Safety Patrol: On March 24th, Mrs. Martinez visited 4th-grade classrooms to recruit new safety patrol leaders for next year. If your child is interested, please fill out the form given to students, and return by April 6th. Your student must also attach a two-paragraph essay about why they wish to serve as Safety Patrol. Ms. Martinez will meet with the students who have returned their forms and essays on Thursday, April 13th, to review expectations and safety rules. Students will begin training on Monday, April 24th, during morning and afternoon safety patrol duty. Because our STAAR schedule is different this year, I will give students specific training days on April 13th to share with the parents. Please email nancy.martinez2@austinisd.org if you have any questions. Thank you.

Family Surveys are now open: Our district values your feedback! We are currently surveying Austin ISD families in order to gain insight into your perception of our school and district effectiveness. To ensure we continue to provide high-quality, rigorous learning experiences that meet the needs of our learners and prepare them for college and career, we need your feedback. We want to know what you think. To administer these surveys, we have partnered with Panorama Education to conduct our 2023 Family Survey. Panorama safeguards your privacy, keeping your responses confidential. The survey shouldn’t take more than a few minutes to complete and will be a valuable source of information for us as we work to make our schools and district as good as they can be. You may complete the survey online between March 21, 2023 and April 8, 2023 using a computer, tablet, or smartphone by visiting the website surveys.panoramaed.com/austinisd/family. We thank you in advance for your thoughtful responses. If you have any questions about the survey administration, please don’t hesitate to contact our survey coordinator at maria.harp@austinisd.org.

The LASA Velocity Dance Team is holding a clinic on Saturday, April 1st your student can take part in. Click here for more details.

There is no school this Friday as we observe the Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta Day of Service in AISD. We recognize their important contributions to our country and hope your family can use the day to support the local community in their honor. Have an excellent week!

Principal Drummond

From Mr. Drummond

Dear Hill Community,

We have one week to go until Spring Break! As a reminder, there will be no school March 13-17. We hope you enjoy the time with your family. With many Austin ISD students living in food-insecure households, access to healthy food may be challenging when the district is closed for Spring Break.  Families can use the community resources below to find free meals in their area while Austin ISD offices and schools are closed for Spring Break:

We are excited to introduce and encourage our Dillos to participate in our first annual Project-Based Learning Activity at HillYou can click here for all the details you need. We look forward to seeing the creativity and critical thinking students put in while supporting ways to make our campus a better place. As stated, this is optional. Teachers will work with their students on the appropriate date(s) to present their organizers/projects if completed. This is an enrichment project for home. Hard copies will also go out via Wednesday folders.

For families with students identified as GT or Talent ExplorerYou can click here to check out another opportunity for your students to get creative through the AISD Virtual GT Showcase.

Spring pictures are this Wednesday, March 8thClick here for the flyers from Strawbridge with information on the packages you can order. Packages can be ordered once you receive your proofs in a few weeks. There is nothing to do right now. Email lucy.chu@austinisd.org with any questions.

The City of Austin Parks and Recreation Department wanted to let our community know about opportunities to get active with the Northwest Recreation Center. Click here for details on their offerings this spring and summer.

Finally, a huge Dillo Cheer to our team of volunteers who supported and made our annual Hoopla fundraiser a huge success! Hill is special because of the community of support we give our kids in so many ways. Thank you all!

Principal Drummond

From Mr. Drummond

Dear Hill Community,

We hope everyone enjoys this three-day weekend with your students! As a reminder, tomorrow (Monday) is a student/staff holiday. There is no school.

Click here for all the information you need on Hill Hoopla! This is our biggest fundraiser of the year taking place on March 3rd. We would love to see everyone there at Great Hills Country Club. Be sure to check out hillelementary.com and the Dillo Details for information leading up. Get your tickets today at the link and check out the many events of the night, including a long drive/closest to the pin competition!

Quick Safety Reminder: Please remember that there are no left turns into our morning or afternoon carlines. The queue begins on Cima Serena. There are signs marking this appropriately. Also, we should never block or park in neighbors’ driveways. We appreciate everyone’s continued cooperation to keep our arrival/dismissal safe and respectful.

Take care and see you on Tuesday.

Principal Drummond

From Mr. Drummond

Dear Hill Community,

It was wonderful being back on campus with our Dillos this week. Thank you all again for the flexibility and grace you showed. Here are two calendar reminders for the upcoming week:

  • This Friday, 2/17 is an early release day in AISD. School will end at 1:30 pm on Friday. Thank you for ensuring you have a plan for your student’s dismissal. Buses will pick up at this time. Hill Childcare will run as normal until 5:45 pm.
  • Monday, 2/20 is a student/staff holiday. There is no school on this day.

PTA Meeting Update: Our PTA General Meeting is this Thursday, February 16th at 7:45 am in our Hill Library. We will be welcoming Board Trustee Kathryn Whitley Chu to give us an update and introduction. We hope to see you there.

Food Drive Extended: The Hill Caring & Sharing Committee invites you to SHARE THE LOVE, benefitting HopeAustin food pantry during our February Food Drive. We are asking each class to collect individual microwavable cups of mac & cheese and/or canned pasta (ex: Spaghetti & Meatballs). The class that collects the MOST items will win an EXTRA RECESS!  Our collection is now extended through this Friday, February 17th.

This week is officially our spring conference week in AISD. At Hill, we do not hold spring conferences for every student. If your teacher feels a conference is necessary, they will reach out to you and work with your family. Thank you!

Be sure to enroll your current or incoming Hill student for the fall: 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/We will send out more information in the next few weeks on our Pre-K/Kindergarten Round-Up event coming in April.

Have an excellent week and enjoy the Super Bowl tonight!

Principal Drummond

From Mr. Drummond

Dear Hill Community,

Thank you to everyone who supported our recent food drive benefiting Hope Austin. Hill families donated 1,800 food units to help local families in need! Hope Austin supports our families weekly so we appreciate you all for this generosity.

Reminder that Hill Hoopla is this FridayClick here for all the information you need on Hill Hoopla. This is our biggest fundraiser of the year taking place on March 3rd. We would love to see everyone there at Great Hills Country Club. Be sure to check out hillelementary.com and the Dillo Details for information leading up. Get your tickets today at the link and check out the many events of the night, including a long drive/closest to the pin competition, silent auction, and raffle!

Austin ISD Pride Week is March 20th-24th. You can click on this link to view the Hill Pride Week Communication Letter. Let Principal Drummond know if you have any questions.

Registration is open for Dillo Camp 2023Click here for all of the details and to register. Enrollment is based on a lottery system. Payment is not accepted until you receive confirmation of enrollment. No changes can be made following payment. Cancellations are allowed through April 28 minus a $50 fee. Regular registration ends March 3 and late registration runs March 12-April 28 (or until full).

Attention Incoming Pre-K/Kindergarten families: We look forward to seeing everyone who can make it to our annual Roundup event at Hill School on Wednesday, April 12th at 9:00 am. All incoming Pre-K and Kindergarten parents, along with their students, can learn more about our school and teachers. We will take care of registration documents as well. Your students will visit a Pre-K or Kindergarten class for fun activities. Please spread the word to friends who may be interested in joining our Hill community! Also, click here to view the flier of our “Ready, Set, Kindergarten” Dillo Camp incoming families can take part in as well. Spaces for this summer camp will fill quickly!

This past week AISD published the anticipated Comprehensive School Project Summary pertaining to the 2022 Bond work. You can click here to view the full schedule. Based on the calendar, Hill will begin forming our Campus Architectural Team at the beginning of 2024 with work to begin in 2025 for our Phase 2 modernization project. We look forward to communicating more on the process in the future.

Have an excellent end to your February and great start to March!

Principal Drummond

From Principal Drummond

Dear Hill Community,

As stated in a previous message, Hill School is open for business tomorrow. We ask that if you are still without power or are going through a different hardship, that you reach out and let your teacher know. As stated, all absences for those reasons will be excused. Reach out to Principal Drummond if you need support so we can work with you.

This week we celebrate Counselor Appreciation Week! Please join us in appreciating all that Sarah Kelton and Stephanie Winfrey do for our students, staff, and families. They are award winning for a reason! We are lucky to have them at Hill School.

Book Fair has been extended! We will continue this week through Thursday so everyone has a chance to visit. That includes being open after school until 4:00 pm each day for families to access. See the past Dillo Details or last week’s update for more information.

PTA Meeting Update: Our PTA General Meeting planned for this week is now moved to Thursday, February 16th at 7:45 am in our Hill Library. We will be welcoming Board Trustee Kathryn Whitley Chu to give us an update and introduction. We hope to see you there.

We hope everyone has a calm week as we look to get back on track. Thank you and again, please reach out if you need support.

Principal Drummond

From Principal Drummond

Dear Hill Community,

Happy Lunar New Year as we welcome the Year of the Rabbit. Don’t forget No Place for Hate Book Character Dress-Up Day is this Thursday, January 26th! 

From our PTA Book Fair Team: Hill’s Scholastic Book Fair is just around the corner and we need all the help we can get!  Come by during school hours on January 26th and January 27th to help decorate the library and set up the fair.  Bring a friend and have even more fun!  Next week, January 30 through February 3rd, we need cashiers to help each day throughout the week and on Friday evening.  Sign up here to volunteer!

Starting Monday, January 23rd, Hill is raising money for the library of our sister school, Graham Elementary.  Students can bring cash, coins, and checks made out to Hill PTA and drop them in the Pringles can in their classrooms.  The classroom that raises the most money gets a popcorn party AND selects the books that go to Graham!  There will be two winners this year, one class from K-2nd and one class from 3rd-5th grade.

Save the date for Family Night on Friday, February 3rd from 5-7pm.  This is always a fun outing for families, and will be the last chance to shop at the fair.  Our talented music teachers, Ms. Herb and Mr. Williams, have arranged a musical performance by our students and we will have food from Stony’s Pizza.

Finally, E-Wallet is back again this year!  Sign up on our Book Fair Homepage to create an E-Wallet account for your child.  This allows your student to shop the fair without keeping track of cash.  Ruhi Bell is here to answer all of your questions about Book Fair, and you can reach out to her at bookfair@hillelementary.com.

Do you know a Graduating Senior who attended Hill? The Hill Elementary Alumni Scholarship was established in 2011 to honor Hill’s 40th anniversary. It is now called The Suzanne and Vincent Torres Hill Elementary Alumni Scholarship in honor of Mr. Torres and his wife, and their dedication to our school and the district. The goal is to recognize former students who have excelled in their academic endeavors, supported their community through service projects, and proven they possess a drive to further their education. By granting this scholarship, we encourage students to continue their academic endeavors beyond high school and hope to strengthen the relationship between Hill and its alumni. This year, one scholarship in the amount of $1000 will be awarded. Click HERE to access the application! 

Selection Criteria: Must be a graduating senior of AISD. Must have attended Hill Elementary School for at least 3 years. Must show involvement in community service. Must write a one page essay. 

We want to give a big Dillo Cheer to Owen Ellis whose Reflections entry, “Love in the Wild”, has advanced to state-level judging! This is a big achievement as nearly 60,000 students participate in the program annually and less than 3% of those advance to Texas PTA judging. We are proud he will be representing us at the state level.

Hope you had an excellent weekend, Hill Community!

Principal Drummond