Click to download the 2021-22 or 2022-23 Hillside Calendar. You can also access the school calendar via the ESF App.

17-18 May: School Photos

18 May: ESF Parent Webinar: 'Raising Kids to Thrive in an Online World'

27 May: ESF Transition Day (K2-Y1)

13-16 June: K2 Graduation (Early plans, details TBC)

24 June - 22 August: Summer Break

Dear Parents

I hope you all had a relaxing long weekend past. By way of reminder, the weather forecast for this week indicates that some heavy rain and thunderstorms are likely to affect Hong Kong over the next few days. So please take note of our inclement weather arrangements available on our website. 

We continue to be amazed at their adaptability and resilience. They have not skipped a beat and have jumped right back into the different units of inquiry. I can see the children are more confident and inquisitive, especially when they are outside in the new playground and exploring nature (all kinds of insects!)

With F2F classes resuming, we would all agree the priority is to maximise face-to-face time with the children. Therefore, we will not schedule any formal Parent-Teacher Conferences (PTCs) just now. However, please do not hesitate to reach out if you have any questions about your child's progress and learning. There is no need to wait for a formal PTC. Instead, please reach out to your child's class teacher directly so that we can work together to meet your child's needs.

Kind regards
Audrey

We have scheduled Peter Inglis, a professional photographer, to come on 17-18 May to take photos of children in school. We have worked with Peter in the past, and he has been fantastic with the children. Peter has a selection of puppets and tricks and lots of patience to make the children smile. The children are now developing their confidence and personalities; I’m sure there will be many fun sessions throughout the day.

Four classes are scheduled for each day:
Tuesday 17 May - All K1s
Wednesday 18 May - All K2s

Due to the pandemic, Peter will only be taking photographs of individual children and siblings. Therefore, we will ask for a collage format for class photos. 

Please note each child will have their face mask off momentarily for their individual photoshoot. However, everyone else around will be keeping their face masks on and socially distanced. Please inform your child’s class teacher in advance if you DO NOT wish for your child to participate in the photoshoot. 

The ESF transition plans are well underway for our K2 families. We believe all primary schools have been in touch with their new Y1 families about induction plans. Collaborative conversations between the kindergarten and schools will be taking place over these next few weeks.

Familiarisation will occur on-site at the primary school for a short time during the day, with parents accompanying their K2 child to the primary school. A warm reminder: All visiting parents must confirm a negative RAT test ahead of entry to the school and sign in at the school using the Leave Home Safe App.

On health and safety, we notice some children (and adults) are getting lots of insect bites out in the playground. We are incredibly fortunate to have a large outdoor play area that backs onto a lovely natural green space at Hillside. However, this does mean mosquitoes and midges will be around. This tends to get worse as the weather gets warmer.

We work with an exterminator year-round, including weekly fogging out in the playground, drains, and other common breeding grounds. We also have mosquito-repelling lantern and industrial fans, but we highly recommend that everyone apply insect repellent before school. Sometimes natural repellents don’t last as long as chemical products, so we must reapply. Roll-on ones are very child-friendly, and we noticed children could manage this independently. You can also apply repellent to clothing rather than directly to the skin. We’ve observed some bites have penetrated through clothing!

We’ve also reported this to the authorities (FED & EDB) and requested them to increase pest control in our area. I understand that they have set up a gravid trap in the area to monitor the index.

We also have child-safe insect repellent at school to spray the children when they play outside. However, some children are more susceptible than others and can develop very itchy red lumps around the bites. We will apply an ice pack at school for these children to help reduce the swelling.

ESF understands the continuing difficulties faced by parents and caregivers in Hong Kong due to Covid-19. As part of our commitment to support families during this challenging time, we are offering a grant of $1,600 for each student which will be credited into the student fee account in June 2022 and included in the June 2022 statement. 

Parents who pay for their child’s tuition fees for June 2022 and opt-in via the ESF Parent App from 5-16 May 2022 are eligible for this grant. If you have multiple children at ESF, you should complete the form for each child in each school.

Please note, that if you do not opt-in by Monday, 16 May 2022, then we will have to treat this as an opt-out.

In addition, if your financial circumstances have seen significant change, ESF has a Financial Assistance Scheme (FAS) to provide financial support.

For more information, please visit our FAS website.