27 Nov
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For this Week
IB Eval Feedback
Student Support Services
Vision and Hearing Screening
K1 Admissions 14 December
Early Years Connect - Nov issue
15 December
- Staff Calendar
Morning all! I hope everyone had a restful weekend. Thanks again for all your hard work and contributions to the IB evaluation process. It's been a long time coming, especially having done it through the disruptive pandemic. I wanted to give a huge shout-out to Brenda for leading us through the IB evaluation. Your hard work and guidance have given us all the confidence to focus on the children without worrying about the complex process itself. Well done, team Hillside!
For this Week
K1 Shared Learning Week - Open Days (28-30 Nov)
Tuesday - Staff Lunch Meeting
Wednesday - incoming K1 Admissions (all day in resource room)
Wednesday - SSA Cathy visiting K2 ARP children.
Thursday - current K1 Admissions
Friday - Bradbury Night Market
IB Eval Feedback
Here's some initial verbal feedback received at the 'Exit' meeting with the IB PYP visiting team members. Anything mentioned is something we're doing over and above the requirement.
Opening comment:
- The whole community oozes authenticity (one conceptual word to describe the school), and the leadership style is very inclusive and authentic.
Purpose:
- We value IB education, from the choice of learning environment, resources within the school, and play-based child-centred approach.
- Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) permeate and frame the entire school.
- Caring, responsive, and effective communication throughout our community
- Living the learner profile, it's in our actions and who we are.
Environment:
- High level of vision and knowledge in implementing the programme.
- Lots of time for collaborative planning to respond to the interests and needs of the children ( i.e. BMLs, increasing number of Chinese teachers).
- 1 hour of open play is reflective of what we believe and in the interests & needs of children.
- Student support - student needs and learning outcomes drive our decision-making around resources.
- Evidence of learning all around the school.
- Social, and emotional wellbeing - have support in place both for students and staff. Values that come out are diversity, fairness, and a high level of trust.
- Strong parent participation and support - i.e. storytellers, OP participation.
Culture:
- Policies are consistent with the school mission and support school goals. We are living those policies.
- ATLs (learning skills)- children are actively involved in their own learning, i.e. independent inquiry, moving from one space to another.
- The way the learning is designed purposefully develops healthy relationships and caters to children's needs and interests.
- ATTs (teaching skills)- learning engagements and strategies especiallly during open-play. It helps children become thinkers and inquirers by critically analysing their situations during play.
- Teachers are really strong in helping children collaborate. The children are highly valued in school and are a part of the planning process.
- Assessment - teachers continuously provide feedback and feedforward in a timely manner.
Student Support Services
Cathy McSweeny, Adviser - Student Support Services, will be visiting on Wednesday, 29 November to continue observing our learning diversity students going through ARP. Her visit will be an opportunity for her to gain a deeper understanding of the students in their learning environment. As well as to understand their current strengths and stretches, and to provide advice. Please find more details about the observation process here.
Vision and Hearing Screening
Based on the feedback we received last year, we have taken into consideration the need to improve the scheduling of vision and hearing screenings. In response to this feedback, we have carefully planned the screenings to be conducted over Term 2 and Term 3, with the aim of spacing them out more effectively. The optometrist and audiologist have given us the below dates:
Vision screening (Term 2)
Friday 26 January 2024
Monday 5 February 2024
Tuesday 6 February 2024
Hearing screening (Term 3)
Thursday 25 April 2024
Friday 26 April 2024
K1 Admissions 14 December
The 14 December will be ESF-wide K1 Admissions Day (No school for existing children). We will hold play visits during the day in four classrooms. I will be going over the details with everyone next week. Here are some key themes:
- Four sessions (A, B, C, D)
- 4 staff per team: K1 teacher, K2 teacher, 1 SLT, 1 LET
- Please refer to the HSK Playvisit Guidance.
Teams:
Laura, Frankie, Jen, Ruty
Brenda, Robyn, Amy, Joey
Audrey, Dawn, Ammie, Michelle
Yammi, Sarah, Juliet, Yvonne
Class EAs are freed up from play visits, and we would ask you to start the end-of-term "tidying-up" process. Open cabinets, tidy items, and return them to their original/ designated place. (Everyone can help with this throughout the term, so minimise the need for big clear-outs.)
Early Years Connect - Nov issue
This month, we reflect on what values we hold as educators, consider the relationship between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, and learn how to use stop motion as a vehicle for storytelling! Click here to read the Nov issue of EY Connect.
15 December
As you know, wellbeing is an ESF-wide focus, and community building is a schoolwide priority. We've got some money allocated specifically for these initiatives, and we've now secured the Christmas wreath-making workshop. We will start the morning by coming together for some morning treats and thank our amazing cleaners before we break into the wreath workshop. We will also arrange some simple morning coffee (coffee and pastries); please feel free to add to it by bringing any treats.
It'll be a social and casual morning for all to relax and decompress after a busy term. As per previous years, we plan to finish before mid-day to avoid Bradbury traffic.
Upcoming Dates
Please check our internal calendar below, as we might forget to remind everyone of odd dates. We will continue to add events to the calendar as soon as it's confirmed. Here's the full 2023/24 Calendar
Thank you!
