22 September

  • For this Week
  • Senior Leadership Conference – Reflections
  • Professional Reflection & Development (PRD)
  • Committee of Teachers Update
  • Staff Calendar

Morning everyone, 

Another typhoon 🙈, possibly a super typhoon, is heading our way this week. Thank you all for the videos you’ve contributed to our resource bank. Your efforts help us stay prepared and ensure continuity of learning for our children. 

For This Week

  • Monday – Thursday: K2 Mid-Autumn Activities with Parent Volunteers
  • Tuesday: Lunch ALL Staff Meeting – Safeguarding + Mandatory Reporting
  • Friday: Admission Play-Visits in the Resource Room (AM)

Senior Leadership Conference – Reflections

Thank you for your support during our absence at the senior leadership conference, especially with the sudden typhoon day on Friday.

I wanted to share some reflections from the conference.

We had the chance to hear from a range of inspiring speakers, including ESF alums who have gone on to achieve remarkable things, such as winning the Olympic Gold. Vivian Kong's sharing reminded me that learning from failure and always striving to improve is a mindset we want to nurture in both children and adults.

One highlight was listening to the CEO of Higher Ground Australia, Rod Field, who hosts the ESF Limitless Programme. He spoke about the importance of intentionally curating "space, time and contrast", providing safe and inclusive learning communities where students are encouraged to make mistakes, learn together, and feel a strong sense of belonging. This really resonated with me, especially as it mirrors the work we do every day at Hillside. I was invited to share my reflections on a panel, and it was encouraging to have our early years approach recognised and appreciated by colleagues from across the group.

Dr Kevin Lau, an ESF alum who built a successful medical business in Hong Kong, spoke about leading through uncertain COVID times and the importance of adapting as circumstances change. He challenged us to consider how we move from simply using “artificial intelligence” to developing “authentic intelligence” - reminding us that technology can support our work, but our human connections and insights remain at the heart of what we do.

A clear message came through all speakers: growth, trust, and the right environment are key to success—whether in business, sports, or education. I left the conference feeling affirmed about the direction we’re taking at Hillside. Our work to build a caring, supportive community for children and for each other is valued, and I’m proud to be on this journey with you all. Thank you for your ongoing commitment to making Hillside such a special place. 🦄

For more about the conference, please visit this Yammer post.

Professional Reflection & Development (PRD)

You may have seen the Oracle PRD mentioned in the recent HR newsletter.
We know professional learning and development will continue across the year, especially as we engage with the Observable Impact framework.

Looking ahead, I’d love to hear from you:

  • What are you most excited about this school year?
  • Is there anything you need to help keep a good balance between work and personal life?
  • Are there new skills or areas you want to focus on (e.g., IB, personalisation, inclusion, or other interests)?
  • What support or resources would help you reach your goals?

Teachers: Please use this link to schedule a check-in session with me any time before the end of October. https://calendly.com/audrey-tang  

EAs: We will set a later date and arrange cover for your check-ins as in the past. However, if you have any urgent questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out sooner. You don’t need to wait for a formal PRD session to share feedback or raise concerns.

Committee of Teachers Update

The Committee of Teachers is a consultative forum that advises our CEO, Belinda Greer, on a range of important topics, ranging from educational vision and curriculum to ESF culture and policies. Brenda is Hillside’s rep this year, and her responsibility as the link between the school and ESF is to ensure you are kept informed about the decisions and policies that affect us. 

Following last week’s meeting, here are the slides that outline where ESF is now and its Vision 2030. To support ESF’s priority areas of belonging, engagement, and personalisation, the following shows the initiatives spearheaded by the Education Team this year.


Upcoming Dates
Please check our internal calendar below. We might forget to remind everyone of odd dates. We will continue to add events as soon as they're confirmed. Here's the full 2025/26 Calendar.

Thank you!