Author: Stacie Raterman

Thanks to an extension of the current USDA meal waivers, breakfast and lunch will again be free to all students during the 2021-22 school year. If parents currently have funds in their child’s Meal Account and would like to move that to the child’s General Account so they can purchase snacks or a second entrée, please call or email Lisa Wiley at the Foodservice Office lisa_wiley@hboe.org, 614-921-7493. Parents can also request to move funds from one or more children to a sibling’s account. If your child has a significant sum of money in their Meal Account, and you would prefer not to transfer to the General Account, you can request a refund instead of a transfer. Any refund must be a minimum of $20. Be sure to include the name of the child or children, the school building(s) they attend, and their student ID numbers. 

The Hilliard City School Board of Education has asked David Stewart to be the next Hilliard Superintendent.  Mr. Stewart has been serving as the Deputy Superintendent for the South-Western City Schools for the past eight years.

The selection is the result of a national search conducted with the assistance of the Educational Service Center of Central Ohio.  There were multiple applicants, along with a targeted search of several others, including superintendents.

Board of Education President Lisa Whiting said in the end, Mr. Stewart proved himself to be the best choice for Hilliard.  “Our community told us they wanted a Superintendent with a proven academic track record and who knows the Hilliard Community,” she added.  “David fit the profile of what our community, staff, and board were looking for.  We are excited to bring him on board.”

David served as the Principal of Darby High School for four years.  In 2008 he was tasked with opening Bradley High School.  As Deputy Superintendent in South-Western, he has a proven track record of driving academic excellence and a passion for working with staff, students, and families.

Mr. Stewart has a Bachelor’s degree from Miami University and a Master’s in Education Administration from Ashland University.

“It is an honor to have been selected by the Hilliard Board of Education as the next superintendent of this outstanding school district,” said Stewart.  I am excited to get to work developing relationships with the committed staff and talented students.  Creating partnerships with our parents and community members will be a top priority.  Hilliard is an excellent district, and I look forward to supporting our work to prepare our students for what’s next.”

The Board of Education anticipates a July 1 start date.

During this last school year, students have experienced various modes of learning–hybrid, remote, and now all-in. To keep students learning, reading, and connecting, book clubs were a hit for both Susan Cook, a 5th-grade teacher at Brown Elementary, and Ashley Lambacher, media specialist at Memorial Middle School. The two friends chatted in January about other creative and meaningful ways to connect students through book clubs.

Over the last 4 weeks, students from Memorial Middle School and Brown Elementary have been participating in book clubs using Zoom, Flipgrid, and Canvas to connect, talk, and collaborate with one another. Each book had the theme of “overcoming obstacles.” For the last book club meeting, students were able to meet each other in person for a pizza celebration outdoors. When asked what they liked best about this collaboration, 5th-grade students shared, “the Memorial students were respectful to us and made us feel like we were a part of something- like we belonged…. they asked questions that made us think from a different perspective.” The middle school students said, “it was fun to be mentors because I wanted them to help them love books as much as I do, they were excited to talk about the characters and this made it engaging and fun.”

The best part, the students built caring relationships with one another around quality books. We’re hopeful that next school year these collaborations will extend into other content areas and buildings.

We were notified today by the Schottenstein Center that all graduates will have access to four graduation tickets. We know this is different than earlier communication, and we understand the frustration this might cause. Working within the COVID safety protocols laid out, this is the only option to be able to host our graduation ceremonies at the Schottenstein Center. We will have a live stream available for family and friends who are unable to attend in person.

The window to reserve tickets is Wednesday, May 12 at 10am through Sunday, May 16 at 11:59pm.

Each family will be sent a link to reserve their four tickets next week. You will need your student’s ID number to access the tickets. You can find the ID number on HomeAccess.

All Graduation information will be available on our Class of 2021 Web Page. If you have problems reserving the tickets during the reservation window, you should call guest assistance at 1-800-GOBUCKS.

Each student will receive one free parking pass from their school, with the ability to buy extra passes during a presale.  Parking details will come from your principal.

 We are excited to be able to offer our families this experience. We appreciate your understanding as we continue to navigate this pandemic.

The commitment to the Online Academy for next school year has changed.  Students enrolling in the Online Academy for 2021/22 must commit for:

• One semester at a time for 6-12 students
• Half the year for K-5 students (Elementary students who return to in-person learning for the second half of the year are not guaranteed their home-school, although that is the goal.)

As a reminder, we will still be asking for the commitment the week of April 5-9.  The district will email all families details on how to enroll in the Online Academy if that is what you choose for your student.  If this impacts a change in your secondary student’s schedule, you should email the school counselor to ask questions and make changes.

We appreciate the feedback from our families as we adjust and adapt during the commitment process.

Due to returning All-In Together on March 15, some of our bus routes and times may be changing.  We encourage all parents to check their student’s busing information.

You can click here to confirm your schedule.  You will need your student’s ID number and birthdate.