Click to download the 2022-23 or the provisional 2023-24 Hillside Calendar. You can also access the school calendar via the ESF App.

25 April: Photo Day Rerun

26 April: Bradbury Student Musicians Visits K1

3 May: Faust Theatre Incursion K1s & K2s

9 May: Parent Webinar - Why Sleep Matters

2 June: ESF-wide Transition Day

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

29 June: Last School Day of Term

30 June: Summer Break Begins

Dear Hillside Families

Last week, I was fortunate to be invited to participate in an event hosted by the South China Morning Post (SCMP) focused on the future of education. The discussions centred around how we can shape education to better prepare younger learners for the challenges and opportunities of tomorrow.

I was on a panel to discuss the concept of a child-first approach to learning. This means putting the learner's needs, interests, and development at the heart of our teaching and learning process. The panel discussed the importance of understanding each child's unique strengths and abilities and creating an environment where they feel safe and supported in exploring their passions and interests. This all aligns with what we do every day at Hillside. 

The conversation reaffirms a quality Early Years Education will set children up for success in later life. One of our goals here at Hillside is for every child to have the opportunity to be the best that they can be. We want the children of Hillside to view the learning process as enjoyable, in addition to developing the attitudes and attributes to truly become 'Life-long learners' in an ever-changing world. 

With this said, we are very excited to be celebrating the K2 children’s achievements in a ceremony on Tuesday, 13 June. Please find further details below. 

Warm regards
Audrey

We are delighted to invite parents to join our K2 End of Year Celebration of Learning on Tuesday, 13 June. The children have developed new skills, made new friends, and grown in so many ways, and we are proud of all that they have accomplished. We look forward to celebrating with you and your child on this special day!

Please note the following details:

• To minimise the interruption to our regular programme, the celebration ceremonies will take place on Tuesday, 13 June, for all classes.
• It will take place at Hillside in two of the K2 classrooms. 
• Children should wear the Hillside Uniform for this event.
• Due to space and seating limitations, it would be appreciated if each child were accompanied by only (2) adult family members for this event.
• Please be reminded that we are unable to provide parking.

As it is a specially arranged day, children and parents will only attend during their allocated celebration time. Please note your timeslots below.

We appreciate that your child cannot catch the school bus for one of the journeys (to/from school); however, we ask for your understanding and assistance on this special occasion.

Hats are essential for outdoor play and on kindergarten excursions and therefore should be in your child’s school bag daily. Water is available for children at all times. Especially on sunny days, we strongly encourage you to apply sunscreen on your child before arriving at school. When the weather is too hot for outdoor play, our teachers will be advised, and indoor play will be rearranged to accommodate these times.

Hillside has a lovely big outdoor play area. However, this does mean mosquitoes and midges will be around. This tends to get worse as the weather gets warmer. If your child is susceptible to mosquito bites, we highly encourage applying insect repellent or patches on your child. To alleviate the problem of mosquitoes outdoors, a mosquito lantern and industrial fans are installed to keep the air circulating. Regular fogging is carried out weekly.

Please ensure the insect repellent is child-safe, especially menthol free, as we do have children with G6PD allergies in school. 

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.

K1 Term 3 PTC sign-ups are now available. Please look out for a separate app message with further information and make an appointment at your earliest convenience. You will have a choice of 2 days, appointments are about 10-15 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. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us on 2540-0066. These meetings will take place via Zoom, so please be reminded to Zoom from a quiet space to avoid poor audio connections. Please also note it will be a normal school day for the children as classes will continue as per usual throughout the PTC week.

A warm reminder to sign-up before the end of year (especially K2s!). 

K1s

K1 Open Day and storyteller slots for Term 3 are now open for sign-up. Please look for a separate app message that includes a sign-up sheet for your class. We are excited to invite parents that haven't had a chance to come in last term! 

K2s

We will be inviting parents in for another round of K2 Open Play volunteering in May-June. We will send out sign-up sheets closer to the time. In the meantime, storyteller slots are still available in Term 3 for sign-up. 

The ESF transition plans are well underway for our K2 families. All primary schools will be in touch with their new Y1 families about induction plans soon. In addition, collaborative conversations between the kindergarten and schools will continue these next few weeks. 

Please look out for an email from your feeder school for details on transition activities and the 2 June induction day. Familiarisation will occur on-site at the primary school during this day, with parents accompanying their K2 child to the primary school. 

Title: Why Sleep Matters

When: Tuesday, 9 May 2023, 12-1pm

Speaker: Bree Crockett is the Director at SPOT Children's Centre and a Paediatric Occupational Therapist. 

Is there anything more frustrating than bedtime protests, sleep delays, and nighttime wake-ups?

With over 18 years of clinical experience working with children, Bree will share her knowledge on sleep for children between 3-5 years old. The objectives of the talk:

• Learn facts about optimal sleep

• Understand what sleep issues are really about

• An approach that comes from an understanding of child development and separation

• Strategies to help your fearful child build resilience and coping skills. 

Please CLICK HERE to REGISTER in advance.