Panda Class Blog - 18th June 2025
We can't believe this is our final blog post, as we mark the end of Term 3. It has been a fantastic K1 year! We have loved teaching your children and are so impressed by all they have achieved!
We look forward to seeing you tomorrow for our Art Day! The children are welcome to express their unique style and personality through their own outfit choices!
The Pandas are showing they are ready and raring for a summer holiday, and also that they're ready to embrace their new learning adventures and journeys in K2! Thank you for supporting them, and us, every step of the way!
Some of our Panda friends are leaving Hillside, so we'd like to take this opportunity to say: it's not goodbye, but see you soon, and please stay in touch with us, we will miss you!
The children have been very resilient with our open play plans due to the weather (heat and rain), and have adapted to the changes well! We've been enjoying marbling in the Frog Class, finding fossils with paintbrushes in the sandpit, and making patterns in the Monkey Class using coloured cubes.
The Panda class has hosted splatter painting (inspired by Jackson Pollock), as well as numicon art - mixing number skills with artwork!
We've also been able to do some bigger movements indoors, such as Yoga Stories and Music and Movement.
Outside, the seesaw and slide have been very popular, as has the gross motor spinner and obstacle course. Some of the Pandas have also enjoyed small world play and construction involving vehicles and foam blocks in the undercover area. Football has been a great activity for many, and we are delighted to see so many enthusiasts! The water tray has been a super way to cool down and play, too.
Each class has successfully filled up our kindness jars, so we made chocolate chip cookies as a celebration of their achievements! The children have been displaying kindness daily, and it has been wonderful to see their understanding of kindness develop over the course of the year.
Our class circle times have included creating our own stories using the following books as prompts:
We have also been reflecting on what a busy and fun-filled year we have had and discussing what we have learnt along the way. We started this by looking at photos from our very first few weeks of the academic year, and we are all surprised by how much we have achieved!
Please see the upcoming dates extracted from Hillside's weekly newsletter for your reference.
Here are our class photo albums for you to view:
Panda Class AM & Panda Class PM
Our Spotify Album is Here.
We are so excited to celebrate the end of K1 with Water Fun Day next Thursday, 26th June (the children's last day of school in K1), and we also look forward to seeing many of you for our Art Day tomorrow, Thursday, 19th June!
We wish you all a super Summer holiday, safe travels, and happy new adventures ahead!
Best regards,
The Panda Team
Last Day of School - Water Fun Day (26 June)
To celebrate the end of the school year, we are bringing back a favourite event: Water Fun Day! We will have lots of fun water activities in our outdoor area for children to splash and play. There will also be indoor activities for those who prefer to stay dry.
What to Bring and Wear:
- Please have your child come to school already wearing their swimming costume.
- Apply waterproof sunscreen and mosquito repellent at home.
- Pack a towel, a change of dry clothes, and a plastic bag for wet items.
- Children should wear water shoes or trainers (no socks, please).
- You can also pack goggles and a small water toy/soaker (no buckets).
- Please do not send children with jewellery or fancy hair accessories.
- Most importantly, please label everything clearly!
As we near the end of the school year, we will begin taking inventory of all books in the library. Please remember to return all library books to school by this Friday, 13 June. Returning the books on time will help us efficiently organise and update our collection for the upcoming school year.
If, by any chance, you are unable to locate a book, we would greatly appreciate a book donation in lieu of the missing one. Your support will contribute to maintaining a well-functioning library for all students to enjoy.
With unexpected rainstorms in the forecast, we kindly remind all families of our weather policy to ensure the safety and well-being of all our children.
Please also ensure that your contact information is up-to-date so we can reach you in case of an emergency. In the event of a Red/ Black Rainstorm, the school buses will not operate as per ESF policy, and all parents will need to arrange to collect their children from Hillside.
The weather can be unpredictable during these months, with the possibility of rainstorms, typhoons, and other weather events. In the event of severe weather, we may need to modify our school day to ensure the safety of our community. Our policy follows the guidelines set by the relevant authorities (EDB and HKO), and we will monitor the weather conditions closely and keep parents informed of updates via the ESF App messaging system.
When: Wednesday, 25 June 2025, 1pm
Where: Zoom link here.
We invite parents and caregivers to attend this upcoming webinar led by ESF Educational Technology Coach Anna Kuiti.
This workshop helps parents promote healthy technology habits and effectively manage their children's device use during the break. We will explore:
Strategies for creating personalised family media agreements
The importance of finding a healthy balance for device use
How to collaboratively build positive tech habits
All attendees will receive access to a dedicated online portal after the session, where they will find practical tools, how-to videos, and the opportunity to revisit the workshop content at their own pace.
2025/26 Calendar
As the HK government has gazetted the public holidays for 2026, please find attached the final 2025/26 school calendar (LINK).
Please note that there will be a separate orientation schedule for K1s and K2s for the first week of term. The first day of school for K2s is scheduled for Monday, 18 August; we will share more details with parents before the summer.
NEW Learning Management System - ESF Hub
We have some exciting news! From August, we will be one of the pilot schools to have a new and improved IT system for our school. The new Learning Management System is called the ESF Hub , which includes two software programs, Toddle and Sentral, and it will replace the current ESF App.
This new ESF Hub will help us with:
- Communicating with families
- Planning teaching and learning
- Sharing school reports
- Organising PTCs, trips and activities
- Reporting absences
- Updating health information
- Changing busing preferences
We want to make sure you know how to use the new system. We'll share more details in the coming weeks to ensure everyone feels comfortable with the change. We believe this new system will be a great help for you and your children.
We have put together some frequently asked questions here (LINK). Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions.
K1 to K2 Transition
The first official school day for K2 will be Monday, 18 August. We'll have some welcome events the week before. As we mentioned last week, we'll try to keep children with groups of their K1 friends while also making sure each class has a good balance.
To help our current K1 children get ready for K2, we're creating a webpage with useful information. We're also planning a time for K1 children to meet their new K2 teachers and classmates and to see their new classrooms before the summer holidays. We'll share more details soon.
Getting Ready for August: Key Dates
We want to help everyone prepare for the new school year. Here are some important dates for August:
- 13-14 August: "Getting to Know Your Child" Meetings (All Families)
- This is a chance for you to meet your child's new teacher.
- You can share important information about your child with us.
- 15 August: K2 Family Meet and Greet (K2 Families)
- K2 children and their families can visit Hillside together.
- You can see the K2 classrooms and meet the staff.
- Monday, 18 August: First Official School Day for K2 Children
- K1 Children: Staggered Start
- To help K1 children settle in, they will start in smaller groups.
- We will share the exact dates and times for K1 children soon.
We will send more specific details about the timetable for each class once all plans and staffing are confirmed. Thank you for your patience.
Here's the final 2025/26 school calendar (LINK).
We know the start of a new school year is exciting and busy. We'll keep you updated with all the information you need. Thank you for your continued partnership!
ESF Art Exhibition 2025: A Celebration of Generations
Join us in celebrating the talent and imagination of our amazing students at the upcoming ESF Art Exhibition 2025. This year’s exhibition explores the theme Generations, inviting students from across our 22 schools - from K1 to Year 13 - to reflect on the people who shape our lives. Through painting, sculpture, mixed media and more, our children will create work that celebrates connection, continuity and the creativity that links one generation to the next.
Where: Exhibition Hall, Hong Kong City Hall, 5 Edinburgh Place, Central.
When: 19 - 22 June (10am until 7pm daily) and 10am - 4pm on 22 June.
Who: Everyone is welcome, and admission is free.
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