Summary of Hillcrest enrollment and wait-list procedures.... (letters should be in mail boxes today, +/-)

[Lawrence Busansky]

All, courtesy of Shannon Broome of the LRPC, a quick summary of procedures below. Key items are:

1. There were 58 applications for 40 slots, so there are 18 children on the wait-list.
2. If you have been wait-listed (copy of wait-list letter is attached), you do not need to rush down to the district office. You DO need to email Mike Bonino by March 20th (michael...@ousd.k12.ca.us) to confirm you want to stay on the waiting list. Mike can tell you your position on the wait-list. It will not be in the letter.
   
3. If you have been wait-listed and are already sure you are not going to send your child to Hillcrest, please let Mike know so that the district can act as quickly as possible to move people up in the wait-list and into any positions in the incoming class. 

Full description from Shannon below. Wait-list sample letter attached.

IMPORTANT:  If your child was not initially assigned a spot at Hillcrest, you will receive TWO letters.  One letter will tell you what your school assignment is and the second letter -- the "waitlist letter" -- tells you how to secure your post on the waitlist.  The district has generated an automatic waitlist for the redirects from Thornhill and Hillcrest to take spots if admitted students do not register or otherwise inform the district they have selected another school choice for their child.  This means that you must contact Michael Bonino to maintain your spot on the waitlist.  The letter they are sending to waitlisted families is attached to this email.  As it says, people can either email Mike at Michael...@ousd.k12.ca.us or visit the student assignment office at 2111 International Blvd.  Oakland, CA to reserve the spot that has been pre-assigned to you.  The waitlist has already been generated by a random process so how soon you contact him does not affect your sequence in the queue, except that you MUST do so before March 20, 2009, if you want to stay on the waitlist. 

If you fail to contact Mr. Bonino by March 20th:

(1) your child's name will be deleted from the waitlist;

(2) OUSD will treat this as a withdrawal of your application to Hillcrest; and

(3) OUSD will assume you are satisfied with your redirection school or are making another choice for your child. 

When you contact Mr. Bonino, he can let you know what your "current" spot is on the waitlist, keeping in mind that you could move up because others don't confirm their waitlist spot. 

As a kindness to your neighbors, if your child was admitted to Hillcrest but you are electing to go to a private school, all the people who have been placed on the waitlist would greatly appreciate it if you would let the district know as soon as possible.  This may be the difference between them needing to put down a deposit on a private school or not while they wait to hear if their child was admitted to Hillcrest off the waitlist.  It will also help OUSD in planning for admitting those who really wanted a spot at Kaiser and the families who are hoping to get in Kaiser if some Hillcrest neighborhood families are admitted off the waitlist to Hillcrest.