Dillo Details

Ipad Distribution for Pre-K through 2nd Grade Students:  All families are encouraged to request a district-provided Ipad to utilize during virtual learning this fall, as it will be setup to support our platforms (any Ipad or laptop will still be able to access the learning still). You must request this technology prior to going for pickup! This Technology Request Flyer can support you. Once requested, you can take the given QR code or your student’s ID to Anderson High School at these three dates/times:

7:30 a.m.–1:30 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 28
2:00 p.m.–7:00 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 31
7:30 a.m.–1:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 1

Chromebook Distribution for Grades 3-5:  Families who need a Chromebook can now go to one of the Computer Curbside locations to pick up a device still. A large shipment of Chromebooks is expected next week. Any laptop or PC will be able to access the online curriculum for these grades. Like Ipads, you need to request online prior to pickup! Use this flyer for curbside support.

Pick up: Monday- Friday 9:30-3:30 Crockett High School (5601 Menchaca Rd) or the Performing Arts Center (1500 Barbara Jordan Blvd.)

Austin ISD is excited to announce the release of the AISD mobile app!  The app provides a central place for AISD news, quicklinks and message notifications.  Download it from your preferred app store or visit austinisd.org for more details.

iPiano is offering an online after school keyboard club.  Click here for more details.

Dear Hill Community,
As we wrap up another busy week of preparing for a successful year, we are so excited to welcome our teaching staff back next Tuesday! I want to again take the time to give a huge Dillo Cheer to all of our dedicated educators who have worked hard all summer to learn and begin building their platforms to support our students. In the upcoming week, our teachers will participate in campus and district level professional learning focusing on supporting our students instructionally and emotionally as we prioritize reconnecting with our kids.

We also want to welcome Dr. Stephanie Elizalde to Austin ISD as she was named superintendent officially this week. She has been a great listener so far as she gets to know our different school communities. We look forward to working closely with her in the years to come to ensure our district and school continue to evolve and support all students to be successful, lifelong learners.

Earlier this week, a revised Reopening Plan for AISD was shared through email with all families. It describes the current, comprehensive plan for remote learning but also describes safety protocols for everyone once students are able to return to on-campus learning. Please know that this is a living document that may be updated further based on guidance. Hill School will also ensure families have campus-specific information prior to returning for face to face learning.

Part of the Reopening Plan refers to the new Austin ISD app that we are excited for our community to begin using. Once the opportunity for face to face learning begins in the fall, this app will be very handy as families will be able to self-screen their students as described. Search “Austin ISD” and check it out! We anticipate utilizing this more and more in the future as it continues to evolve. It is a great resource for announcements and calendar updates right now.

In case you missed it, you can view recordings of our first Parent Technology Training focused on our BLEND and Seesaw platforms. Please know that as part of our preparation for the school year, teachers will walk parents through their virtual platforms during our Virtual Meet the Teacher event that will be presented through Zoom. More details on that will be coming soon as our staff reports back to work. Please also check out the BLEND Parent Tour as another great tool to further support your knowledge and practice leading up to September 8th.

One note that sparked discussion during the Parent Technology Training for Seesaw was if parents should all go ahead and request an Ipad for their student(s) to utilize at home. Our innovation coaches explained that the district-provided Ipads will come loaded with applications and updates that will allow students to more easily navigate the learning.Therefore, they are encouraging all families of Pre-K through 2nd grade students to go ahead and request the district Ipad. Please use this Technology Request Flyer to support you in making your request. Also know that your technology at home will still support the learning, though, in the interim! They encouraged parents to use Google Chrome for the best experience with BLEND and Seesaw. For our 3rd-5th grade students, any laptop or PC will support those grade levels so requests can still be based on need at home using the same flyer above. Our assistant principal, Myra Josey (myra.josey@austinisd.org), is our school contact if you have questions or need assistance on requesting district technology. The district is optimistic that technology distribution of Ipads will begin for Hill the week before school begins. I will update our community next week with dates once that is confirmed.

Beginning this upcoming week, we will ensure that we do a weekly Principal Check-In from now on so you have the most up to date information. Days and times may need to vary a bit as we can’t be sure of our upcoming schedules leading up to the start of school quite yet. We will provide more details on scheduling, events in the weeks leading up to school, and the best ways to find the different supports you may need. Our next Principal Check-In will be this Thursday, August 20th, at 11:00 am. You can complete this Google Form for questions we can look to answer that others may have as well. Here is the virtual Zoom information:

Join Zoom Meeting 
Meeting ID: 819 2489 9778
Passcode: dillos

Lastly, we want to let everyone know that we plan to have teachers reaching out to families to let them know who their teacher(s) will be on Wednesday, August 26th. A virtual Meet the Teacher event will then follow prior to school beginning. We plan to announce more exact details on date and time during our Principal Check-In next week and in our communication to the community.

That was a lot but thank you for reading! We hope with these detailed notes and our weekly virtual check-ins from now on, you will feel confident you have the information needed to begin a successful school year. Have a wonderful weekend!

Principal Drummond

Please join Principal Drummond for a virtual Check-In THIS THURSDAY, August 20th at 11:00am.  In order to help us prepare, you are invited to complete this Google Form to submit your top questions you currently have. Thank you for helping us to make this Principal Coffee as useful as possible for our families.

Join Zoom Meeting
Meeting ID: 819 2489 9778
Passcode: dillos

A BIG DILLO CHEER to all of the amazing volunteers who worked hard on Friday to ensure a smooth Dillo Pickup Day!  We appreciate you!!!

In case you missed Dillo Pickup Day:
School Supplies:  If you have pre-ordered Sprout School Supplies, please contact the school office during the week (512-414-2369) and they will help you with gathering your box of supplies.

Yearbooks:  The yearbook committee will work to get yearbooks to those that have still not picked up.  Please contact yearbook@hillelementary.com for more details.  Yearbooks are also still for sale on the marketplace!

Merchandise/Spirit Gear: The merchandise committee will work to get all orders to those that have still not picked up their items.  Please contact hilltshirts@hillelementary.com with specific questions.  You will have another chance to pre-purchase merchandise in the coming weeks, so stay tuned for details!

Due to current circumstances, we will be doing a drive-thru DILLO PICKUP DAY in front of the school THIS FRIDAY, AUGUST 14th in order for you to pick up the typical items we would offer during Open House.  Please note, no items will be for sale during this drive-thru.

DID YOU PRE-PURCHASE ANY OF THE FOLLOWING?  If so, Friday is the day to grab your goods!

• Marketplace merchandise (Headphones, Yard signs, Decals)
• Spirit gear (Hats, T-shirts, Kolder Kaddy or Stickers)
• 2019-2020 Yearbooks
• Sprout school supplies

Also plan to bring your LIBRARY BOOKS TO RETURN!

In order to respect our neighbors and to better control traffic, we ask that you plan on attending during one of your student’s time slots.  If you cannot arrive during your given slot, that’s ok – come any time between 10:00am – 4:00pm THIS Friday, August 14th!
Suggested time slots: 
PreK, K, & 1st:  10am – 12pm
2nd & 3rd:  12pm – 2pm
4th & 5th:  2pm – 4pm
*or any of those time slots if it better suits your schedule

MAKE A SIGN TO HELP THE LINE!  In order to help the flow of traffic, please plan to make a sign like the one below to place on the windshield of your vehicle.

Dear Hill Community,
It was great seeing many of you for the second time this summer on Thursday at our Principal Check-In that is linked here. For those who were not able to attend, we discussed draft scheduling as we are currently working through the process with our grade level teams, updates on the next few weeks, and answered thoughtful questions from the community you may have as well.

As you have probably heard by now, the beginning of school just changed greatly with the AISD School Board meeting on Thursday where our trustees voted to move the first day of school to September 8th. This delays the beginning of our school year for students by three weeks. Our teachers will now begin their contract year on August 18th to begin planning and preparation for the fall. Please know our staff will work very hard during this time to ensure we are ready to provide enriching virtual experiences to our students while also building connections with our Dillos and families prior to school beginning. We acknowledge the hardship this puts on many of our families as virtual learning is possibly extended as well. For now, you can anticipate the first four weeks of school being all virtual. Please reach out to us for supports you need so we can best assist you as the crucial educators at home. We appreciate all of our stakeholders and the work you are doing for our students.

With the September 8th start to school, we will push back the “posting” of class rosters and sharing of finalized schedules with the hopes to have both of these communicated to all families the week of August 24th. We will publish those dates soon as our calendar and work schedules become more concrete. We do plan to move forward with several events this upcoming week we hope you can join us for:

Parent BLEND/Seesaw Training (Tuesday, August 11th, at 4:30 pm):  We are excited to offer all of our Hill parents and guardians the opportunity to have our district technology department lead you through the basics of BLEND and Seesaw, the two learning platforms we will be primarily using this year. The goal is to support our parents so they can best support their learners.
Join Zoom Meeting
Meeting ID: 896 2991 8080
Passcode: dillos

New Parent Night/ Pre-k & Kindergarten Back to School Night (Thursday, August 13th, at 5:00 pm):  We want to welcome all of our new Hill families to learn more about Hill, our staff, and our traditions. The first 30 minutes or so will be for all new Hill families. After this introduction, we will have all of our incoming Pre-K and Kindergarten families stay on for introductions and information pertinent to those grade levels. We encourage you to bring your questions as well so everyone feels ready for the first day of school!
Join Zoom Meeting
Meeting ID: 830 0630 0645
Passcode: dillos

Dillo Pickup Day (Friday, August 14th, from 10:00 am- 4:00 pm):  This is an opportunity to pick up your Hill marketplace merchandise, Spirit Gear, 2019-20 Yearbooks and Pre-purchased Sprout school supplies.

We also want to keep everyone updated on our staffing for this school year. Melanie Brown, one of our amazing 4th grade teachers, has left Hill to focus on family. We want to thank Melanie for her years of service to our families and wish her the best of luck. We are excited to announce that Erin Bostick will be joining our 4th grade team as a language arts and social studies teacher. Erin most recently served as a certified teacher and long term substitute on our 4th grade team in the spring, and we are happy she is now joining our staff full time. In our office, we are happy to announce we have added Linda Glass to our team as a new clerk. She brings years of customer service and administrative experience with her and is ready to support our Hill community.

You can plan on another Principal Check-In being announced for the week of August 17th to keep everyone updated on the newest information and to listen to our families. I hope to see some of you in person for the Dillo Pickup day during my shift! We appreciate all of our volunteers who are making next week possible. Have a beautiful weekend, Hill community!

Principal Drummond

In case you missed the Principal Coffee on Thursday, click here to view the video.