Frequently Asked Questions

The start and end times for the 2019-2020 school year are:

Note: Please DO NOT enter the Hillsborough Campus more than 10 minutes before your student’s division arrival/dismissal time as that will negatively impact traffic.

No, campus hours of operation for the Hillsborough campus (Lower and Middle Schools) remain the same as last spring: 
7:00 am – 8:00 pm Monday–Friday
9:00 am – 5:00 pm Saturday, Sunday

Both Middle and Lower School parents will use the Upper Loop to drop off students. As you approach the Upper Loop, Nueva security staff will direct you and help with traffic flow. Please pull up to last car in the loop and do not let students exit cars until you reach the end. Please follow the same procedure for the staggered pickup. Thank you for following the instructions of our security staff.

So that traffic can move quickly on Skyline Blvd, please turn right safely as you exit campus. If you need to go south, please use the Trousdale onramp to 280.

Please DO NOT enter the Hillsborough Campus more than 10 minutes before your student’s division arrival/dismissal time as that will negatively impact traffic.

We value the safety of our students as our first priority. We ask that you give drop-off and pick-up your full attention, refraining from using your cell phone during this time.

During arrival and dismissal times, 7:40-9:00 am, 2:45-4:00 pm, we require all cars to TURN RIGHT to exit the Hillsborough campus. For safety, we need to keep vehicles moving on and off Skyline Boulevard smoothly. To this end, during these times we will have two lanes entering campus and one right-turn lane exiting campus.

For those going south, the preferred route is to TURN RIGHT onto Skyline to exit the Hillsborough campus and take the 280 Trousdale onramp to go south. This may add approximately 6 minutes to your commute time.

Alternate route: TURN RIGHT onto Skyline, Right onto Butternut, Right onto Macadamia, Right onto Skyfarm, Left onto Skyline to get to Black Mountain Road 280 onramp. This may add approximately 4 minutes to your commute time.

*Reminders:
Please obey traffic laws and make safe driving your priority. Please refrain from cell phone use during this time.

In consideration of our neighbors and traffic safety laws, please DO NOT make a U-turn on Skyline, Butternut Drive, or other local Hillsborough streets.

Mansion lot access is limited to deliveries and emergency vehicles only until August, 2020.

Lower School students dropped off between 8:20–8:45 am will be escorted to and from the Upper Loop to their classrooms by Nueva faculty. Parents dropping their students after 8:30 am are asked to park in the South Parking Lot and walk their children to class. Escorts will not be available after this time as teachers are beginning their lessons for the day.

Yes, you may park in the South Parking Lot, or in the field parking lot to walk your child to class.

Yes, there will be golf carts available to help transport boxes, supplies, materials, and humans as needed to the Mansion. 

Yes, all classrooms will be open and staffed beginning at 8:10 am for both Lower School and Middle School for soft start times to the day. Any student arriving before 8:10 am should go directly to Before-Care located in the Library. Before-Care begins at 7:30 am. 

If you need to pick up your student early, please contact your division assistant in advance to make the necessary arrangements. To avoid being caught in the afternoon dismissal process, please pick up your students by 3:00 pm. 

Parents can park and walk to pick up their student from class early for occasional appointments, lessons, trips, etc., or parents can arrange to meet their student at the office of the division head. 

No, After-Care pickup will not be affected. Enrichment, and start times for parent events will be 3:45 pm to avoid congestion.

Yes, the morning buses will arrive by 8:10 am. The afternoon buses will depart at 3:35 pm. Lower school students who ride the bus or have siblings in the Middle School will be dismissed at 3:20 pm.

No, our athletics field is fully accessible.

Yes, access to the garden will not be disrupted.

Nothing will be disturbed in the cafe until April 2020. Lunch service will continue as usual until then.

We began building Phase 1A on the Hillsborough Campus in April 2019, focusing on student-centered facilities. 

• New Environmental Center (E-Lab) will usher in new opportunities for scientific teaching by bridging indoor and outdoor learning and fostering design thinking in environmental science and stewardship. Similar to our I-Labs, this space will enable first-of-its-kind, student-driven curriculum for every grade, providing the ability for real-world problem solving.
• Café Expansion will include a full-service kitchen, patio, and additional space to host large community gatherings.
• Elevated Walkway will connect new Environmental Center and expanded Café.
• New Center for the Humanities inspired by treehouses will provide indoor and outdoor learning spaces where all grades preK-12 can explore subjects ranging from literature to philosophy, linguistics, history, politics, archeology, geography, and more.
• Lower Meadow Field will incorporate a new sports field with artificial turf and new paved, ADA-compliant walkways for better access to our beloved garden and tree forts. 
• New Sport Court to replace the former environmental center portable.

We are currently building Phase 1A of the Hillsborough facilities improvements. The Environmental Center, expanded Café, and elevated walkway are scheduled for completion by the summer of 2020 with the Center for the Humanities and Lower Meadow Field to follow. 

We have raised $57.5 million to date thanks to leadership donations from our community.

No, the tuition increase addresses our operating costs. The improvements to both campuses are being funded completely by the ongoing capital campaign.

In October, 2018, the Board reviewed plans to determine how best to move forward with construction. It became clear that starting construction on the San Mateo and Hillsborough campuses simultaneously would be too disruptive for day-to-day operations and teaching. The San Mateo facilities will open in August 2020. Based on the funds donated to date, and reviewing all plans, the Board elected to start construction on the Hillsborough campus in April, 2019.

Yes, the new buildings will all stay within our LEED Gold certification.

We will make sure that a class will not be interrupted through this construction phase. The construction schedule will be arranged to minimize noise distraction as much as possible. As with the last campaign, teachers can integrate the campus construction into the curriculum where it is appropriate, and students will learn about architecture, design, and construction as it happens. 

Yes, safety is of the utmost importance. Beginning mid-April, there will be fencing to contain the construction and protect students, faculty/staff, and parents. Nueva has conducted background checks on all construction workers assigned to this project, and workers will use separate restroom facilities from students. We have also hired additional security detail to help with traffic flow and safety. 

Some of the improvements will require us to remove trees; however, we have committed to replacing every one tree removed with two new trees in order to preserve and extend the beautiful natural habitat across the Hillsborough Campus.

No, the Mansion was upgraded and seismically retrofitted during the last capital campaign, although new paint and carpeting will be changed as needed. 

Since the Northern California wildfires last fall, Nueva has invested in air purifiers for each classroom. The HVAC systems in the new buildings will be for heat only to maintain our LEED Gold certification. We are working with the design team to come up with an alternate air intake system that would utilize proper ventilation filters for use on days when the air is highly unhealthy.