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!
Please see information from Austin ISD below regarding the recently launched Learning At-Home Website.
As the community comes together, Austin ISD is providing learning activities for you and your students while we are away from the classroom. The district has created this Learning At-Home website, complete with online courses and recommended learning resources for all grade levels. First and foremost, we want to ensure that our students are healthy and safe as we continue to connect as one AISD family.
Meals During School Cancellations: Austin ISD Food Services will prepare and provide 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. AISD is working in collaboration with the Texas Department of Agriculture. Click HERE for further information.
Virtual Care for Kids: Due to the threat of COVID-19 and the growing need for medical care, Virtual Care for Kids is making every effort to expand care to children across the state to help prevent the spread of the virus. In addition to waiving all copays for telemedicine visits, all self-pay visits will now be discounted to $50. Patients with Medicaid will be offered FREE or low-cost telemedicine visits. Click HERE for more information.
Austin ISD’s school-based mental health partner, Vida Clinic, is now offering teletherapy services to the entire Austin ISD community. These services will allow adults and students to access quality mental health services right from their own homes. To schedule an appointment, click HERE or contact our Vida Clinic Care Team at 512-518-2209 or by email at vidacare@vidaclinic.org.
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
March 16 – 20
SPRING BREAK – NO SCHOOL
March 26th
Principal Coffee – CANCELLED
Incoming Kindergarten Playdate – POSTPONED, we will keep you posted
April 3rd
Dillo Dads Meeting, 7:45am, Room 108
Hill Health Fair – POSTPONED, we will keep you posted
April 6th
CAC Meeting, 3:15pm, Hill Library
April 7 – 8th
STAAR Testing (4th and 5th grades)
April 8th
Hill Campus Architectural Team Community Meeting #4, 6:00 pm, Hill Cafeteria
April 9th
Parent Orientation on the AISD Human Sexuality and Responsibility Curriculum, 5:30pm, Hill Library (please note new date!)
April 10th
NO SCHOOL
April 11th
Hill School Garden Workday, 10:00am – 12:00pm
April 13th
International Reading Week (please note new date!)
April 14th
Kindergarten Orientation, 9:00am, Hill Cafeteria
Hill Child Care Open Registration begins
April 15th
Individual Spring Pictures (please note new date!)
April 16th
Parent Workshop: Executive Functioning Skills, 7:45 – 8:45am, Hill Library
Hill Heritage Fashion Show, 6:00pm, Hill Cafeteria (please note new date!)
April 17th
No Place for Hate Dress up Day: Peace, Love, and KINDNESS – Wear Tie Dye
Spirit Night, Cordovan Art & Pottery Parlor, 6:00 – 9:00pm
*PLEASE NOTE: Many dates are continuing to change, we will try to keep you as up to date as possible. You can also check our Facebook and Instagram pages for up to date information on PTA events.
Principal Drummond will send out an update to the community prior to students returning to school on March 23rd as the situation with COVID-19 evolves. Please continue to refer to Austin ISD and the CDC sites for daily updates and the most current information.
Hill Elementary is a blue ribbon school located in Northwest Hills in Austin, Texas. It serves the communities of Northwest Hills, Great Hills, Lakewood and Jester Estates, near the greenbelts of northwest Austin.
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