9 September

  • For this Week

  • Early Years Connect - September issue

  • Going Home Time

  • Flu Shot

  • Digital Communication & Data Privacy Update

  • Wellbeing PD: Tension & Trauma Releasing Exercises (TRE)

  • Staff Calendar

I hope everyone was okay and safe from the typhoon. Our building survived the storm with only a few leaks, as expected. Please check your class areas, as it might take a few days for any residual seepage to appear, and let Jaz know of any further damages.


For this Week

Monday: School tours after school @4:15pm; please kindly set up your classrooms before leaving

Tuesday: No staff meeting; Visitors in the morning from ESFC, Chloe Pollack (Head of Curriculum) & external consultant Cale Birk (Observable Impact)

Monday - Thursday: K2 Chinese volunteers 

Friday: Mid-Autumn Causal Dress Day


Early Years Connect - September issue

It’s been a while! Feeling inspired to put some thoughts and learning on paper to share with you all. This month, we explore:

  • Reflecting on how children develop self-identity and the impact of community
  • An education research round-up from 2023-24 (including results of recent smartphone bans and how AI harms learning?!)
  • Ways to quiet a rambunctious class 
  • The Zen app - who knew toggling switches would be so calming?

Check out the September issue here.


Going Home Time

Please stay onsite until all your children are accounted for - i.e., all the buses are gone, and we've confirmed that any walkers left are indeed walkers. We might need your assistance when there could be a potential mix-up or to help locate a child. 

If you are in a rush to leave for an appointment, ask colleagues for assistance and be mindful that some children or parents are still in the foyer. Thank you for your understanding on this. 


Flu Shot

The flu season is approaching, and ESF has arranged an onsite Flu Vaccination Program for all ESF full-time and part-time staff and dependants. The flu shot will take place on Friday, 4 October, from 1150 to 1250 in the G/F office. Please complete the 2024 Flu Vaccination Registration Form on or before Sunday, 15 September 2024. Staff members and their dependants receiving onsite injections must fill in the Declaration Form before the vaccination and submit it to the onsite nurse.


Digital Communication & Data Privacy Update

As previously mentioned, ESF is drafting a new policy that includes guidance for using digital communication and handling parent/ student data within schools. The draft is coming to its final stage, and we will soon need to review the use of WhatsApp.


The aim is for all digital communications that relate to the business of ESF, and its schools should only use digital software applications that are an approved part of the ESF ecosystem. Typically, this will mean an email account provided by ESF or any system accessed through ESF Assembly. Any system not part of the ESF ecosystem should not be used for communications. For example, this would include messaging apps such as WhatsApp or social media platforms such as Instagram, X, Facebook or LinkedIn.


The plan is to move ESF schools onto Google Chat, so we will explore its functionalities and discuss them with you once we have more guidance. In the interim, please remember that WhatsApp comms should not involve any personal data, i.e., student name, photos, or videos. 


Similarly, Zoom will be going soon as the ESf licence expires in 2025, and Google Meet will likely be the replacement option.


Wellbeing PD: Tension & Trauma Releasing Exercises (TRE)

Emma Saunders, an ex-Hillside parent, is keen to share her Tension and Trauma-Releasing Exercises (or TRE®) knowledge with our community. 


"TRE is a practice that uses a series of exercises to activate a natural tremor in the body that assists in releasing muscular patterns of stress, tension, and trauma. When the vibrating mechanism is activated, the body is helped to return to a state of balance, which in turn calms down the nervous system. There is evidence to highlight that stress is both psychological and physical, and TRE helps people on a journey of letting go and really listening to the body."


Here’s a link to her website with further information: www.creativecalmTRE.com. Please let me know if you are interested, and we can explore the possibility of running some training sessions if we have enough interest.


Upcoming Dates

Please check our internal calendar below. 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 2024/25 Calendar. 


Thank you!