Dear Hill Community,

We hope all of you going trick-or-treating tonight stay safe and have a lot of fun! We have a lot of smaller updates this week for you to be aware of. One is a reminder that this Tuesday, November 2nd, is our annual Sock Hop dress-up day! While we are not holding an on-campus event, we invite all students and staff to wear 1950’s themed clothing as is the Hill School tradition. Also be sure to stop by Top Notch for your food that afternoon which will help support our school!

Attention Hill Virtual families and students who need picture make-ups/retakes: Our fall picture day for you is Wednesday, November 3rd from 8:00am-9:00am if you are interested. Virtual families can check in at our front doors upon arrival. For our on-campus learners, it will be taken care of by our staff. Please use this link to register and prepare for Wednesday!

We are putting out a call to all interested Hill families to share a bit about their culture during one of our assemblies this year! We are hoping to update our Monday assemblies to be “College, Career, and Culture”-focused. The task would be to create a short video or even presentation that could be done live on Zoom, sharing how your family celebrates their culture. It could be traditions of any kind or other ways you want to highlight your unique story. Please email jack.drummond@austinisd.org if you are interested. We would love to showcase our diverse community in this impactful way!

Coats for Kids, sponsored by the Junior League of Austin in collaboration with Austin ISD, is so excited to provide winter coats to students across the district! Along with Jack Brown Cleaners, KVET and KVUE, The Junior League of Austin will provide more than 30,000 coats to Central Texas children. To receive a coat, AISD students who qualify for free and reduced-price lunch services can register by filling out this form in English or Spanish. No documentation is needed. The form will close on Friday, Nov. 12. Coats will be delivered to AISD campuses before Winter Break.

We have received some questions on how to electronically access student report cards as paper copies no longer come home from school. Here are the report card instructions for parents/guardians. You can email hill@austinisd.org with any questions.

Have a wonderful Sunday!

Principal Drummond

Dear Hill Community,

We are excited to wrap up a very busy October this week. As a reminder, we do not wear Halloween costumes to campus at Hill School. Thank you for keeping all costumes, masks, etc. at home this week. We will give more information when the time comes on our book character dress-up day we instead celebrate later in the year.

We also wanted to let you know we will begin transitioning all students into our lunch room beginning this week or early next week. We first want to acknowledge the amazing lunch volunteers who supported our outdoor lunch area so far and made it possible. With colder weather coming and a continued bee/wasp issue that is not getting better, we feel this is the best thing to do while still being safe. Classes will still be spaced apart from each other as they have been to avoid close-contacts between classes. The change will be that rather than being able to skip every other seat, we will now utilize each seat at a table. Plexiglass will still be in place as an added layer of protection. Students will still mask once done eating. We feel very good about this plan, the timing of it, and the need to implement this based on our other safety concerns outside right now. Please know that as with everything this year, we will monitor and adjust as needed throughout the rest of the year.

We wanted to alert you to a community-wide event sponsored by the Austin chapter of Hadassah you are all invited to. This event is open to the full community. They will be hosting a 90 minute, virtual panel discussion with 2 child psychologists and a child psychiatrist. It will be mostly solicited Q&A and really the panelists discussing their thoughts on the questions amongst themselves. It can be COVID related, or not. The event is free but one can make an optional $10 donation. This is intended for ANYONE who works with children–parents, teachers, caregivers, grandparents.

We are also sharing the following notice to parents on Special Education from TEA. It gives updates and some information for families to support understanding of the program.

Have a restful Sunday, Friends!

Principal Drummond

Dear Hill Community,

The first week of November has come and gone. We are now 10 school days away from a holiday week! There is a lot going on at Hill School these next two weeks.

We first want to thank all of the military veterans in our school community and beyond for their service as Veterans Day is this Thursday, November 11th. We will hold a special virtual assembly for our students on Thursday with a guest presenter and more as we celebrate this important day. We are also showcasing our Honor Wall, an annual tradition, with photos of many veterans throughout our families. Thank you to our volunteers who made this possible.

Our next Principal Check-In is this Thursday, November 11th at 3:30. This will be a virtual meeting. We will update everyone on campus happenings and leave time for any questions you may have.

https://austinisd-org.zoom.us/j/82974955069?pwd=cWlQKzZnQXp3V3FuOG9rK21aN0JjZz09
Meeting ID: 829 7495 5069
Passcode: 663300

AISD wants to let all families know about upcoming Dual Language is for Everyone: AISD Virtual Dual Language Workshops. Interested in learning more about Dual Language programming? Whether your child currently participates in Dual Language or you’re exploring options, we’ve got you covered. Choose a date:

• Monday, Nov. 15, 6–8 p.m.
  Join via Zoom: https://bit.ly/DLNOV15
• Saturday, Dec. 4, 10 a.m.–noon
  Join via Zoom: https://bit.ly/DLDEC4
• Wednesday, Jan 12, 6–8 p.m.
  Join via Zoom:https://bit.ly/DLJAN12

Each event will include workshops facilitated in English, Spanish, Mandarin and Vietnamese. You can check out these flyers for more information.

The Annette Strauss Institute for Civic Life at The University of Texas at Austin is conducting a research study about parental and family attitudes on topics in education. Parents and guardians are invited to complete the 8-minute online survey by December 10, 2021. Participation is completely voluntary, and all answers will be anonymous. Information and the survey link can be found here if you are interested.

We appreciate you all. Have an excellent week!

Principal Drummond

Dear Hill Community,
Thank you for making our teachers feel special and recognized this past week! As we continue to wind down the year, your support and partnership mean so much. We are now ready for one of our busiest weeks of the year with STAAR upon us!

Our 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders will be taking the STAAR math assessment this Tuesday and the reading assessment this Wednesday. 5th graders will also be taking the science assessment on Thursday. Thank you for ensuring that your student reports to campus by 7:45 am on those days. We will anticipate heavier traffic as normal due to virtual students reporting back for testing. For more information, please refer to the grade level letters all families of those grade levels were emailed last week on 4/28. Please remember that if your student is virtual and just coming for testing, we will plan to release them to you at the front of the school in the car line at 12:45 pm. For all of our current in-person students, dismissal will happen as normal. Don’t forget those water bottles, plenty of snacks, and a good night’s sleep. We are proud of the progress our students have made this year and know they will do their Dillo Best!

The Health and PE Department has been revising the K-2 Human Sexuality and Responsibility curriculum for the 2021-2022 school year; the current curriculum is more than 12 years old. Parent feedback is important to guide this work. This year, principals are holding community meetings to invite our PreK-2nd grade parents to learn about the HSR policies, K-2 revised curriculum, and how parents can take the survey. The Hill community meeting for this information will be on Tuesday, May 18th at 3:30 pm via Zoom. More information will follow in our next letter to the community.

Zoom Meeting Link
Meeting ID: 915 9771 2112
Passcode: 103064

5th Grade Families: Please mark your calendars for two end of the year events during our last week of school. On Wednesday, June 2nd at 4:00 pm, we will hold a 5th grade car parade to kick-off our celebration of our outgoing Dillos. The following day (the last day of school) we are excited to bring back the special tradition of our 5th grade graduation walk. This will begin at 2:15 and parents will be able to view as part of it will take place outside. More information will follow as we get closer to the events themselves.

This is your final reminder to participate in the virtual open house process and to take the survey to give input on the construction of an Austin Woods sidewalk. We appreciate the members of our CAC who discussed this at our Monday meeting. We had community input from a representative of most of our Austin Woods neighbors who shared with us that their preference is option 2 out of the survey choices.The consensus from our campus advisory council was that options 1 and 2 created the safest route to school, which is our goal. We wanted to provide you with this context but know that in our large community, we value your individual opinion during this open house process. The survey will close this Friday.

Be sure to encourage your 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders to get plenty of sleep and exercise this week so they feel their best for our STAAR testing week. Eat those “Go” foods! Have a fantastic week, everyone.

Principal Drummond

Dear Hill Community,
In a year like no other, we want to recognize our incredible educators during Teacher Appreciation Week! We are so lucky at Hill to truly have the best teachers from coast to coast. Thank you all for celebrating them this week and letting them know how much they mean to us. Look for an email from our homeroom parents on how we are celebrating each day this week in their honor.

In a separate email today, we are sharing a staffing update with our community for the 2021-2022 school year. As always, we will continue to update everyone as we continue to prepare for the fall semester.

As we now have about 75% of our students back on campus, thank you all for being as safe as possible during arrival and dismissal to campus. If you are driving, thank you for being mindful of crosswalks and remembering you should never turn left to enter the car line. It is actually illegal with a sign posted. If you are walking or biking to school, please do not travel through traffic unless you are safely at a crosswalk looking both ways. As always, we want to create the safest situation possible for our Dillos.

Please see below on several notes from my last letter with reminders on the Austin Woods sidewalk open house process and Pre-K/Kinder Information forms. Again, let’s give our staff a big Dillo Cheer this week when you see them!

Principal Drummond

Notes from last week:
The Austin Public Works and Austin Transportation departments are now in the planning stage to construct a sidewalk on Austin Woods Drive between Mesa Drive and Tallwood Drive. The project team is evaluating four different sidewalk design options as part of their open house process. City staff is seeking feedback from our local and school community on designs/options. We encourage all parents/guardians to participate in the virtual open house process and to take the survey (which is at the bottom of the webpage). The survey is available until May 14, 2021. Your feedback through this process is so important as we continue to create safe solutions around our campus for our students who walk/bike to school each day.

Attention incoming Pre-K4 and Kindergarten parents/guardians: we encourage everyone to complete this Incoming Pre-K/Kinder Student Information Form to help us best place your Dillo for the next school year. These can be returned to our registrar at linda.glass@austinisd.org.

Dear Hill Community,
We hope you are having an excellent weekend so far. On campus, we wanted to update everyone that we now have around 630 students on campus each day, which is about 70% of our school population. Things are busy around Hill School!

Please join us this Thursday for our Anderson Vertical Team Community Conversation with our superintendent Dr. Elizalde. The district leadership team will be sharing information about the AISD 2020-25 Strategic Plan and 2021-22 budget process from 5:30p-6:30p. We encourage our Hill community to attend virtually and learn more about her vision for the district.

Also, this Tuesday (April 27th) the district wants to invite all caregivers to the following event: As we prepare for student learning next year, we are seeking parent and caregiver feedback about your experiences with school this year. Please join us for a zoom Focus Group on Tuesday, April 27th from 5:30-6:30. Spanish translation will be provided. Click here to access the zoom link for this meeting.

The Austin Public Works and Austin Transportation departments are now in the planning stage to construct a sidewalk on Austin Woods Drive between Mesa Drive and Tallwood Drive. The project team is evaluating four different sidewalk design options as part of their open house process. City staff is seeking feedback from our local and school community on designs/options. We encourage all parents/guardians to participate in the virtual open house process and to take the survey (which is at the bottom of the webpage). The survey is available until May 14, 2021. Your feedback through this process is so important as we continue to create safe solutions around our campus for our students who walk/bike to school each day.

Attention incoming Pre-K4 and Kindergarten parents/guardians: we encourage everyone to complete this Incoming Pre-K/Kinder Student Information Form to help us best place your Dillo for the next school year. These can be returned to our registrar at linda.glass@austinisd.org. Also on Thursday, we invite our incoming Pre-K4 and Kindergarten families to a special Principal Check-In just for you. We will have a short presentation, followed by a Q&A session with a teacher for each grade level available. We will begin at 4:00 pm. Here is the Zoom information:
Zoom Meeting Link
Meeting ID: 978 7190 4217
Passcode: incoming

Due to the unique demands placed on schools and teachers during the COVID-19 crisis for students attending both in-person and remotely, the Human Sexuality and Responsibility (HSR) unit will not be taught to students enrolled in grades Kindergarten through 8th during this spring semester. Parents will have access to resources at the following website.

We want to end this letter by celebrating and giving thanks to the following people who have done so much for Hill this year:
Volunteer of the Year– Hanna Curran
Parent Ambassador of the Year– Liz Neff
Partners of the Year–

• Austin Avenue
• The Fitness Center
• Levesque Plastic Surgery
• Loewy Law Firm
• Total Home Tech

These are just a few of our community volunteers and partners we celebrate as our year begins winding down. No matter what part you have played in making this year a success, know we appreciate you! Click here to find some updated construction pictures. Enjoy your day, everyone.

Principal Drummond

Dear Hill Community,
We hope everyone who attended enjoyed our Dillo Derby last night! We want to again thank Jessica McKay, Alexis Holder, and their entire army of volunteers/donors who made the event a huge success. Through this, our biggest fundraiser of the year, we will be able to better meet the needs of all of our students next year in so many different ways. Dillo Cheer for what was a fun night!

We are excited for the triumphant return of our Hill Dillo Camps this summer. Here is the information from our camp organizers:
During the first two weeks of June, our very own Hill teachers will lead one-week enrichment courses designed to integrate different curriculum areas and to be a non-traditional, multi-aged experience for students. The price of each one-week course includes all tuition and fees.  Camp hours are 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Session 1 runs June 7 – 11, 2021.
Session 2 runs June 14 – 18, 2021.
*Camps are chosen by a lottery system, so please prioritize your camper’s choice on the registration form. After completing the Registration Form, wait for confirmation of which camp you got, then families will need to create an account on School Cash Online and pay for tuition. After tuition is paid, families will receive a receipt via e-mail and that will serve as camp confirmation.  No changes are allowed after camp is paid.  Cancellations are accepted until May 3, 2021.
You can find all the details and sign up for camps here.

Don’t forget that this is the last week our Student Information Form will be open to help guide student placements with teachers for next year for our current K-4 families. For our incoming Pre-K and Kindergarten families, we are planning to have a special Principal Check-In focused on information for you on Thursday, April 29th at 4:00 pm. Zoom information and another reminder will follow this upcoming week.

Happy Earth Week to our entire community. We encourage everyone to contribute to the health of our Austin environment in celebration!

Principal Drummond

Dear Hill Community,
Dillo Derby week is upon us! This is your last call as we invite all of our families to join us Saturday, April 17th for a night of fun. It has never been easier to attend our Hill Hoopla fundraiser than this year as you can enjoy the entertainment in the comfort of your own home. Click here for more information and to purchase your ticket/basket. Remember that the money raised through this fundraiser benefits every student at Hill. Let the races and auctions begin!

It was such an amazing day Tuesday as we hosted many of our 4th grade virtual learners for the STAAR Writing Assessment. We had over 600 students back on campus for the first time this year! We are proud of the hard work they put forth and know they did their Dillo Best! We will provide more information in the coming weeks on our May assessment days.

For our incoming Pre-K and Kindergarten families who are interested, this is a reminder we are holding a curbside document drop-off day this Tuesday, April 13th. You can request, fill out, and turn in hard copies of the needed registration documents for next year. We can also photocopy needed documents for you if you don’t have the ability to scan and send. Just call ahead or buzz in at the front door that day! We still encourage completing all documents digitally but hope this can support our families who need this option. Check out our New Parent page on our PTA website for what is needed, tour information, and more.

Don’t forget that you have two weeks left to complete the Student Information Form to support your student’s class placement next year. There is guidance on the Google Form.

Have a wonderful start to your week, everyone!

Principal Drummond

Dear Hill Community,
We hope everyone is having a restful holiday weekend with your families. April is now upon us with a lot to update you on!

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 23rd if you are interested.

Tickets are on sale for our Dillo Derby fundraiser! This will be an amazing night, and we thank our volunteers who have been planning this fun event. Please visit https://one.bidpal.net/hillhoopla2021/welcome for all the information and to buy your tickets for April 17th. This is our biggest fundraiser of the year and your support means so much to our school and supports every student from supplies to staffing.

If you missed it this week, here is the recording of our special Principal Check-In focused on the STAAR assessments. A separate email went out to our 4th grade families with reminders for the Tuesday writing assessment. We are so proud of our Dillos and teachers. We know they are ready to shine!

For our incoming Pre-K and Kindergarten families who are interested, we will have a curbside document drop-off day on April 13th. You can request, fill out, and turn in hard copies of the needed registration documents for next year. We can also photocopy needed documents for you if you don’t have the ability to scan and send. Just call ahead or buzz in at the front door that day! We still encourage completing all documents digitally but hope this can support our families who need this option.

Please mark your calendars for Thursday, April 29th, for our Anderson Vertical Team Community Conversation with our superintendent Dr. Elizalde. The district leadership team will be sharing information about the AISD 2020-25 Strategic Plan and 2021-22 budget process from 5:30p-6:30p. We encourage our Hill community to attend virtually and learn more about her vision for the district.

Thanks for also noting that this Friday is a regular school day. We appreciate your patience Tuesday morning as we will be welcoming many 4th graders that day for STAAR testing. Enjoy your day and see you all Monday!

Principal Drummond

Dear Hill Community,
It was an amazing week of celebrating the love for reading at Hill School. Our author visit with Mr. Harpster for all of our Dillos was a huge success. This was just part of Hill’s International Reading Week, which is always highlighted by parents and guardians reading in their home languages to our students. Virtually this year, we had 7 different languages represented! We are also proud to present our Hill Heritage Showcase slideshow as part of our No Place for Hate initiative. Check out a special musical performance from some of our students led by our wonderful music teachers on the final slide. Thank you to the staff, volunteers, and participating families that made these celebrations of Hill’s diversity possible!

We wanted to ensure that all of our community members are clear on some calendar changes for April. Here is clarification for days that are either student holidays or changing from being asynchronous:

• This Friday, April 2nd: No School for Students (Staff Development Day)
• Friday, April 9th: Regular School Day for F2F/Virtual Learners (no longer asynchronous)
• Friday, April 23rd: Regular School Day for F2F/Virtual Learners (no longer asynchronous)

Thank you for noting these dates on your calendar. For our 4th grade students, we have our STAAR Writing Assessment coming up on April 6th. Information has been previously sent to 4th grade parents/guardians. For all of our families, we invite you to a special Principal Check-In this Wednesday, March 31st, at 4:00 pm. We will focus on STAAR testing, accountability, protocols, and answer questions you may have this year for our 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade STAAR assessments.
Zoom Meeting Info
Meeting ID: 958 9496 4191
Passcode: dillos

As we prepare for school picture day this Tuesday, please note that we will not be doing screening and entry at the North Portico that morning for our families who walk to school. All traffic will move through the front doors that day. Thank you for noting this change if you have a face to face learner.

Our 10 studio addition and new fitness space have made amazing progress since our last check-in. We appreciate our bond construction team putting together this Hill Community Modernization Update. We look forward to sharing more and more as we get closer to our end of summer completion date.

Friends, don’t forget that our Dillo Derby Dress-Up Day in anticipation of our Hill Hoopla annual fundraiser is this Thursday, April 1st! We look forward to seeing students dress in their Sunday best, maybe even a hat or bow tie, and put their best foot forward to support Hill. There is a rumor Mr. Drummond could arrive in seersucker…have a wonderful rest of your weekend!

Principal Drummond