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

20-23 February:  K2 PTCs

3 March: Hillside Family Event (Next week!)

14 March: K1 School Photo Days (Details below)

15 March: K2 School Photo Days (Details below)

17, 24 March: Vision Screening (Details below)

31 March: Staff Meeting Day (No Classes)

3-14 April: Spring Break (School Closed)

17 April: Term 3 Commences

9 May: Parent Webinar - Why Sleep Matters

2 June: K2 to Y1 Transition Day

12-15 June: Save-the-date for K2 Celebration of Learning

Dear Hillside families

Thank you to those who have completed the stakeholder survey. We have started to review your comments, and one common feedback was on the various communication platforms. This is something ESF, as a foundation, is reviewing and working to streamline the communication channels that would meet the needs of all stakeholders. In the interim, some parents have asked about keeping/ flagging/ forwarding App messages and also the timing of the push notification setting. Please review this Parent Guide to customise your settings.

As a follow-up to the recent stakeholder survey, we would like to review our various methods of keeping parents informed of their child's progress and development throughout the year. We value your thoughts and feedback to support us in continuing to reflect and improve our practices. This will help us find a good balance between the various methods of info sharing. It's a very short survey (5 minutes), but focuses on feedback. We greatly appreciate you taking the time to fill out this survey. We thank you again for your input!

Warm regards
Audrey

We would like to provide you with a Parent-Teacher Conference (PTC) opportunity to meet with Yammi Lao Shi (your child's Chinese teacher) in March as part of transition support to Y1. Sign-up slots are now available here, you will have a choice of 3 Fridays (a mix of morning and afternoon time slots). Zoom appointments are about 10 minutes long for each child. Please appreciate that these are the dates when we have arranged cover for teachers, and we would like to keep to them as much as possible. Outside of these scheduled PTCs, K1 & K2 families are always welcome anytime to directly reach out to Yammi Lao Shi at yammi.cheng@hillside.edu.hk with any questions.

We are looking to provide opportunities for parent volunteers and participation in shared learning days; please stay-tune for upcoming sign-up sheets in the coming weeks. Also, as our teachers are planning upcoming school events, please note the following dates in your diary.

Last week of February: K1 Curisoity Kids Incursion (Please refer to earlier App Messages).

Mid March: K2 Tai Tam Nature Walk. (It will take place duing normal school hours. Parent volunteers are not required. Individual class dates and details will be provided by the teachers shortly.)

14-15 March: School Photos (details below)

17, 24 March: Vision Screening (details below)

17-21 April:  K2 Beach Clean up (We will ask for parent volunteers to help us on this trip; please look out for upcoming App messages.)

12-15 June: Save-the-date for K2 Celebration of Learning

Both K1 & K2s have embarked on their third Unit of Inquiry! Please head to the class blog to view the post. To jump straight to the video overview of the unit, here are quick links to K1 How the World Works and K2 Sharing the Planet.

We are delighted to, once again, be able to launch our series of ESF Parent Webinars. Over the next few weeks, we will be bringing you together with panels of experts to learn about - and discuss - issues that impact on our students and their families.

Seminars are offered on a first-come, first-served basis - so please do sign up today.

Seminar One: Healthy Habits for the Tech-Connected Family
Tuesday, 28 February, 6 - 7 pm
An informative and practical webinar for families looking at the latest trends and topics in technology and how to get the most out of their devices and time online.
Register here

Seminar Two: Supporting Conversations About DEI With Your Child
Wednesday, 22 March, 6 - 7 pm
This webinar will provide an introduction to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) and highlight the value of nurturing a conversation about this topic at home.
Register here

Seminar Three: Becoming a Strategic Learner - Executive Skills
Wednesday, 26 April, 6 - 7 pm
The webinar will cover executive functions (EF) and ways in which you can help your child to be a strategic learner. Topics will include task initiation, planning, and time management.
Register here

Seminar Four: Pathways to Post-Secondary Education
Wednesday, 10 May, 6 - 7 pm
This webinar aims to share observations about how students shine at different developmental stages - and how to nurture them in their growth towards living a happy, successful life.
Register here

Seminar Five: Neurodiversity: Including all
Tuesday, 6 June, 6 - 7 pm
This webinar will provide a balanced perspective on issues surrounding diagnosis of learning difficulties and developmental disorders such as dyslexia, autism, ADHD and dyscalculia. The webinar will also explore current thinking and psychological research related to learning and mental health diagnoses in the education setting.
Register here

If you have any questions, feedback or ideas, please email parentpartnerships@esfcentre.edu.hk.

Parent Webinar: Developing Language Skills (and the impact of Covid)

Thank you to the parents who attended this webinar. To recap, Joice Almeida is a Paediatric Speech and Language Therapist and a specialist in the field of Feeding Therapy. 

The key topics Joice covered:

• Receptive Language development from 2 to 5 years 
• Expressive language development from 2 to 5 years
• Pragmatic skills development 
• Red flags for speech and language delay
• How covid has affected children's language development and pragmatic skills
• Parents strategies how to support language development

Please click to access the recording and handout from this webinar. 

We have scheduled Peter Inglis, a professional photographer, to come on 14-15 March 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 14 March - All K1s
Wednesday 15 March - 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 photo shoot. 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 photos hoot. 

Hillside has arranged for an optometrist to visit our school for Vision Screening. This important screening is available to all children and we encourage you to register. Optometrist Suzan Salnikow will visit on Friday 17 and Friday 24 March 2023. Suzan runs a children’s and baby’s optometry clinic at The Matilda International Hospital. The fee is $300.

Ten aspects of vision are screened, please see the attached information sheet. Reports and receipts will be distributed after the screening, together with further advice if needed. 

Registration is via this Eventbrite link [Web Link]

The requirement for students of primary, KGs and special schools (including boarding sections) to undergo daily RAT before going to school will be maintained until 15 March 2023. For the arrangements thereafter, EDB will review the situation and make timely announcement.