Click to download the 2023-24 Hillside Calendar. You can also access the school calendar via the ESF App.
1 September: Parent Webinar: Hillside's Chinese Programme (Details below)
21 August: First Day of School (All K2s)
21-25 August: K1 Induction Period
28 August: Full session for K1 children
Dear Hillside Families
We hope you all had a lovely summer! We are very excited to welcome your family into the new academic year.
We will normally send a weekly newsletter on Wednesday afternoon via the App messaging system, but for this first issue, we will also share it by email in case some families are yet to set up their ESF App.
The first few weeks back are always busy and have their highs and lows, but we are all here to support each other! As I've shared during the recent Parent Welcome Zoom, a strong home-school partnership is the key to the children's success, so let's work together to create a joyful and supportive learning environment for our children! As the saying goes, "it takes a village to raise a child"!
We look forward to welcoming your family next week.
Warm regards
Audrey
Principal
As we welcome new families, we also have a few new Educational Assistants (EA) joining our team this year. A special welcome to the following colleagues joining the Hillside community:
Thank you again for taking the time to join us in the Parent Welcome Zoom. We hope it was helpful.
Please find a copy of the presentation HERE. You may also access the recorded webinar HERE.
Some parents have asked for storybooks on separation anxiety. Please find a few suggestions below:
The Invisible String by Patrice Karst [Web Link]
The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn [Web Link]
Wimberly Worried by Kevin Henkes [Web Link]
Llama Llama Misses Mama by Anna Dewdney [Web Link]
Bye Bye Time by Elizabeth Verdick [Web Link]
A warm reminder, if you drive your children to school, please do not park in front of the Hillside or Bradbury exit gates. Please keep in mind parking etiquette and that we are in a school zone. Be swift, and no unnecessary honking. Parking will always be problematic, given our location and limitations on Stubbs Road, and we thank you in advance for your cooperation with this request.
Arrival:
All walkers (non-bus children) will enter via the front "walkers stairs."
New K1 families, please wait in the foyer during the first week. Our staff members will bring you up to the classroom in small groups.
All bus children will alight the buses in our playground and access the back "bus stairs."
Dismissal:
K2 walkers will use the "walkers stairs" for pick-up now they are older.
K1 walkers will be collected in the foyer. Please note that the little ones will take longer at the start of the school year, so we will commence the dismissal process slightly earlier and bring the children down class by class. We request your patience and follow our staff's instructions.
Please also be reminded to show your child's digital pick-up card (sample attached) at pick-up time as our staff are still learning to recognise all the families. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.
Please note that Hillside is a nut-free school. Please do not allow any food that contains nuts or traces of nuts to be brought into the school premises. We have children with severe nut allergies, so all at Hillside must abide by this rule.
Snack is optional. If you feel snacking is unnecessary for your child, there is no need to pack a snack. Baby yoghurt drinks might be an alternative option instead of a full snack.
In preparation for the start of school, we encourage parents to download or refresh the ESF App (IOS, Google Play) as soon as possible. All school-wide messages will be sent via the App starting from September onwards. Please follow the instructions in this Parent Guide HERE to download the app.
The ESF App is the one-stop app for all ESF schools and multiple children featuring quick and easy access to the below information:
We will progressively enhance the use of the App. However, we encourage parents to contact us directly in the first instance via traditional channels such as direct email, phone and face-to-face conversations. These are vital to sustaining meaningful engagement and will likely receive a more timely response. With this said, we ask for your understanding as the teachers will be fully engaged in-person with the children. They are less readily available to reply to emails during the school day, and with 48 families (from AM & PM), it could take much longer to go through all the communications. If there is anything urgent that you need the class teacher to know, please call reception, who will help pass on the message.
Hillside's Chinese Programme (Especially for K1 families and anyone new to Hillside)
Friday 1 September, 1pm
What does learning Chinese as an additional language look like in the early years? Join our Chinese Team for a Q&A session on what Chinese Learning looks like here at Hillside and how you can support connections between your child's learning at school and home.
Zoom link: [Web Link]
We have received several requests for a PDF version of the Parent Handbook. Due to the dynamic nature of the document, the parent handbook is a "live document" that undergoes regular updates to ensure that it reflects the most accurate and up-to-date information. By providing you with a link, you can bookmark it or save it to your browser's favourites for quick access, and we can ensure that you always have access to the latest version. It allows us to make immediate updates and revisions whenever necessary, ensuring that you receive the most current information at all times.
Thank you for your understanding and cooperation. If you have any further questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to reach out to us.