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

16-20 October: K2 Parent-Teacher Conferences

23-27 October: Mid-term Break (No School)

30 October: ESF-wide CPD (No School)

31 October: Dress Casual Day

1 November: Parent Webinar: Play & Agency (Details below)

1 & 2 November: K1 Discovery Dome

21-23 November: IB Evaluation Visit

Dear Hillside Families

I can't believe we are halfway through Term 1 already. Thank you to everyone involved in the parent-teacher conferences these two weeks. I have heard some positive feedback from parents, and I hope you found them useful and that you come away with plenty of information about how your child is progressing and what the next steps and priorities will be for them as they continue on this term.

Please take note of the few upcoming dates after the mid-term break. The first school day (Tuesday, 31 October) following the break will be a Dress-up Day (not necessarily Halloween-related). Then, we have an upcoming parent webinar on play (Open Play) and how you can support your child at home. Please take a look at the details below. 

We wish you all a safe and enjoyable mid-term break.

Warm regards
Audrey

Your child's Who We Are Unit of Inquiry report is now available for viewing. Please refer to the graphics below to access your child's report. When viewing the report, we invite those parents interested in contributing by adding your comment in the "parent response to learning" box.

K1s

We are pleased to invite parents to join your child’s school learning in school after the October term break. Both storyteller slots and Open Days for Term 1 are now open for sign-up. Please look out for a separate app message that includes a sign-up sheet for your class. You may revisit the webinar on parent participation to learn more about what to anticipate.

We look forward to seeing you at Hillside soon!

K2s

It’s great to see parents come in for the first round of storytellers! Term 1 Open Play slots are also now available for sign up. As usual, please look out for a separate app message that includes a sign-up sheet for your class. 

How does the Open Play programme support learner agency? (for K1 & new K2 families)

1 Nov @1pm

In the session, our PYP Coordinator, Brenda Yuen, will talk about Hillside’s Open Play programme and how it supports your child’s self-efficacy and agency in their learning. Join us to learn more about our curriculum and some ideas on extending opportunities for your child to exercise agency at home. 

Zoom link [Web Link] 

Dress-up days are a great opportunity to express ourselves, so we would like to invite all the children to join us for a Dress-up Day (not necessarily Halloween-related) on 31 October. Children can come to school on this day dressed as a character that they enjoy. Costumes do not need to be elaborate or detailed – just something fun (and safe) for the children to wear. The children will be enjoying some fun and games within their own class. However, due to health and safety (with allergies) and sustainability reasons, please do not send any goodie bags, sweets or treats.

The Hong Kong Education Bureau (EDB) announced the new Student Grant Scheme. The government's Student Grant Scheme applies to every student attending a Secondary, Primary, or Kindergarten school in Hong Kong, making them eligible for a HK$2,500 grant payment. This scheme applies to ESF and all of our schools. Click here to see the information from the Education Bureau (EDB). 

By way of highlighting, here are the procedures:

• For parents who applied for the grant last year (returning K2 families), EDB will issue a Hillside-specific form (Form B). Please refer to the App message on Monday for distribution details. 
• For parents applying for the first time, or if your child has just joined our school this academic year (K1 families or any brand new K2 families) - Please download the blank EDB form here (Form A) and print it out.

Once the form is completed and signed, submit the original copy of the completed form to Hillside by Friday, 20 October 2023. If you are returning the completed form via your child's school bag, please send a message to let us know, as it can easily be missed.

Parent Handbook
Inclement Weather Arrangements
School Uniform