Please click to download the 2024/25 Hillside Calendar. You can also access the school calendar via the ESF App.

11 December: Hillside Family Event, Last Day of Term for Children (Separate App Message)

12 December: ESF K1 Admissions 2025/26 (No School)

13 December - 5 January: Winter break (School Holiday)

6 January: First Day of Term 2

Dear Hillside Families

We recently welcomed Lisa Burman, an author, advocate, and consultant on playful literacy in early years education, to Hillside. During her visit, Lisa had the opportunity to explore our learning environment and engage in meaningful discussions with our PYP Coordinator, Brenda Yuen.

In her recent blog post, Lisa praised the rich, open-ended, and playful opportunities we offer our children. She highlighted how our learning spaces reflect the identity and thinking of the children, rather than just the educators, emphasising the value of 'lovely messiness' as evidence of active learning rather than simply "pretty spaces." Please refer to the section below to learn more about the correlation between curiosity and academic success.

She also gave a special shout-out to our authentic calendar practices, which are used meaningfully by the children. Lisa noted that we are moving beyond traditional daily calendar routines that lack relevance and are instead embracing ways to involve children in authentic numeracy experiences in their world.

It's wonderful to receive such positive feedback and recognition for our efforts to create a stimulating and engaging environment for our young learners. Click here to read her full post.

Thank you for your continued support in fostering a love for learning at Hillside!

Warm regards
Audrey

Last week, I shared my thoughts on the importance of skill-based learning versus traditional knowledge-based learning and why we prioritise play-based inquiry learning in our curriculum.

As we delve deeper into play-based inquiry learning, I want to highlight the significant role of curiosity in our children's academic journey. When children are curious, they naturally engage more with their environment, ask questions, and seek answers, all of which are crucial for effective learning. This intrinsic motivation enhances their critical thinking skills and helps them retain information and develop resilience in the face of challenges.

To support this spirit of curiosity at home, here are a few suggestions:

1. Encourage Questions: Create an environment where questions are welcomed. When your child asks about the world around them, take the time to explore those questions together, fostering a sense of wonder and discovery.
2. Explore Together: Engage in activities that allow for exploration. Whether it's visiting a museum, gardening, or simply observing nature, these experiences can spark curiosity and deepen their understanding of various concepts.
3. Promote Play-Based Learning: Encourage play that involves problem-solving and creativity. Building with blocks, engaging in role-play, or conducting simple science experiments can all fuel curiosity and critical thinking.
4. Model Lifelong Learning: Share your own interests and curiosities with your child. Let them see you exploring new topics or hobbies, reinforcing the idea that learning is a lifelong journey.
5. Create a Question Jar: Have a dedicated space where your child can drop in their questions throughout the week. Set aside time to discuss these queries and research answers together, turning learning into an enjoyable family activity.

By fostering curiosity, play and inquiry, we are preparing our children not only for academic achievement but also for the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead. We can cultivate a love for exploration and learning that will serve them well throughout their lives.

Thank you for your participation in last Friday's fantastic Shared Learning Day. We hope it was a wonderful experience for our families, and I appreciate all the effort that went into making it a success.

We received lots of positive feedback from parents, many of whom expressed their gratitude for the invitation. It was a joy to see so many of you engage in the activities and gain insight into what the children are learning and how they experience learning through these hands-on opportunities.

It was evident that our dedicated teachers and EAs put a great deal of thought into every aspect of the day. Their commitment to creating meaningful learning experiences is truly commendable.

Thank you once again for your support and for being an integral part of our Hillside community. We look forward to sharing more experiences with you in the future!

ESF is seeking student artwork to celebrate the Year of the Snake for a Lunar New Year card and school displays. Please submit here by 4pm on Thursday, 9 January, 2025.

This was a very important session to help our carers support the children's social communication and play skills. Thank you to all those who were able to join. Brenda has kindly prepared this 1-page "handout" for our community. Please feel free to share it with other family members (grandparents/ domestic helpers). You can access the video recording via this video LINK or the slides HERE. We value your thoughts and feedback and would greatly appreciate you giving us some time to fill out this survey. Your input will help us to plan future parent sessions.

We cordially invite all families to join us at our Hillside Winter Picnic on Wednesday, 11 December. It will be an informal social event as it's the first social community gathering with all the families. We want to provide an opportunity for families to mingle and enjoy the time together. We will run two separate sessions for the morning and afternoon classes.

The logistics:

• We will meet all families directly at Repulse Bay Beach. 
• 9:30-11:15am (morning classes) and 12:30-2:15pm (afternoon classes)
• Meet your class teacher by your class picnic area (in front of all the restaurants)

What to bring:

• Wear your choice of festive colours and comfy clothing
• Water and a light snack
• A picnic mat
• Buckets and spades
• Sunscreen and sunhats
• We plan to run a bake sale on this day, with all proceeds contributing to enhancing the children's excursions and learning experiences (e.g. paying for the sports day venue in February). Please bring some small cash to support this fundraiser. 

Please complete the trip eNotice to confirm your attendance. You can access the Gateway eNotice via the ESF App, and see a "new eNotice to fill in now."

We are looking forward to seeing you all!

The Quarry Bay School PTA is excited to invite our K2 community to the Winter Fayre on Friday, 6 December, from 5:30-8:30pm. This is the biggest event of the school year and promises to be a fun-filled evening for the whole family. There will be a carnival atmosphere with games, food stalls, and loads of fun on the school grounds. It's a great opportunity to interact with other parents in the ESF community.

Date: Friday, 6 December

Time: 5:30pm to 8:30pm

Location: Quarry Bay School, 6 Hau Yuen Path, Braemar Hill Rd, North Point

Parent Handbook 
Inclement Weather Arrangements
NEW School Uniform
Pre-loved Uniform Swap
Please contact kinder@hillside.edu.hk for any general enquiries.