ESF Hillside International Kindergarten

🎶𝐋𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐌𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐜 𝐚𝐭 𝐁𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐛𝐮𝐫𝐲 𝐒𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐥✨

A big thank you to the Bradbury School performance teacher and students for welcoming us into their performance arts room and sharing such a wonderful musical experience.

The children had an amazing time listening to a range of instruments, including the piano, violin, electric guitar, and percussion drums. It was a rich and engaging way to bring our Unit of Inquiry, “𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐖𝐞 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐎𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐯𝐞𝐬,” to life.

The children were so inspired that they even enjoyed a little dance, expressing themselves through movement as well as music. 💃🕺

Through this experience, children explored how music can be used to express ideas and emotions, sparking their curiosity and creativity.

Thank you to our Bradbury community for inspiring our young learners once again. 💛

🎨 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 “𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐖𝐞 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐎𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐯𝐞𝐬” 𝐚𝐭 𝐇𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞 ✨

Our children have been fully immersed in their learning as they explore our Unit of Inquiry, “𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐖𝐞 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐎𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐯𝐞𝐬”

Through a wide range of art experiences, they are discovering different ways to share their ideas, feelings, and creativity. From painting inspired by artists such as Kandinsky and Jackson Po***ck, to creating sculptures influenced by Ugo Rondinone, the children are experimenting with colour, form, and technique.

They have also been expressing themselves through puppetry and storytelling, making their own puppets and creating original storybooks.

These experiences support children in developing confidence, imagination, and a deeper understanding that there are many ways to communicate meaning.

We’re so proud of the creativity and individuality our young learners are showing. 💛

📚 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤‑𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐃𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬‑𝐔𝐩 𝐃𝐚𝐲 𝐚𝐭 𝐇𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞

Our classrooms were filled with familiar characters as we celebrated our Book‑Inspired Dress‑Up Day. Children came dressed as a character from a favourite story and brought their books to share with their classmates.

This special day fosters a love of r𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 in a meaningful and engaging way. By stepping into a character’s role, children deepen their connection to stories, language, and imagination.

It was a joy to see the children confidently sharing their stories and celebrating their love of books together. 💛

🎨𝐀 𝐒𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐀𝐝𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐎𝐮𝐫 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 ✨

The ESF Communications Team has created a beautiful stop‑motion video capturing a very special experience at Hillside — our guest mural artist working alongside the children to create a brand new mural in our playground.

This collaborative project has been a wonderful opportunity for children to see creativity in action and to be part of the artistic process. The mural is not only a vibrant addition to our space, but also a reflection of our community, creativity, and shared experiences.

Thank you to our guest artist and the ESFC team for bringing this moment to life so thoughtfully. We’re excited for our community to enjoy this new space together. 💛

🎭✨ 𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐏𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐭𝐫𝐲 𝐚𝐭 𝐇𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞

Yesterday, we were delighted to welcome 𝐅𝐚𝐢 𝐅𝐚𝐢 𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐏𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐫 to Hillside for a special incursion.

This experience supports our children as they begin their final Unit of Inquiry, “𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐖𝐞 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐎𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐯𝐞𝐬.” Through the performance, children explored how stories and ideas can be shared in different ways.

Puppetry offered a rich and engaging way for children to experience 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐭𝐲, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠. It also inspires them to think about how they can express their own ideas, feelings, and imagination.

We look forward to seeing how this experience sparks creativity and expression as the children continue their learning journey. 💛

JoyfulLearning

🎉 Welcome Back, Hillside!

It’s been wonderful to welcome everyone back after the Spring Break — and we’ve jumped straight back into our learning and routines! 💛

We’re excited to share a glimpse of what K2 P.E. looks like. These sessions are a fantastic opportunity for our children to build confidence, develop coordination, and enjoy being active in a larger school environment.

It’s also a special way for our children to become familiar with Bradbury, strengthening the connection within our ESF community.

We’re looking forward to a joyful and engaging term ahead! 🌟

🌈 𝐀 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐄𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐓𝐞𝐫𝐦 𝐚𝐭 𝐇𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞 🐰

What a joyful way to end the term! Our children came to school dressed in their 𝐟𝐚𝐯𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬, filling Hillside with energy, laughter, and a beautiful rainbow of individuality.

This simple idea carries an important message — 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐞. Each child brings their own strengths, personality, and way of thinking. Together, these differences make our community stronger, richer, and more vibrant. 💛

Throughout the day, the children also enjoyed lots of Easter fun — from face painting and Easter egg hunts to making bunny rabbits and playing games with their friends. It was a day full of smiles, creativity, and connection.

At Hillside, we celebrate the unique strengths of every learner and the joy of being part of a diverse and inclusive community.

Wishing all our families a 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐚𝐟𝐞 𝐒𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐁𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤. We look forward to seeing you next term! 🌷✨

🌿✨ 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐊𝟐! ✨🌿

Our K2 children had a wonderful excursion to 𝐓𝐚𝐢 𝐓𝐚𝐦 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐲 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐤, where learning came alive in the great outdoors. With clipboards and nets in hand, they practiced their research skills by 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 the treasures of nature around them.

From ticking off plants and animals along the hiking trail to fishing for natural elements in the stream, curiosity was everywhere. Along the way, children shared discoveries with each other—like realizing that some “branches” stuck in the ground were actually 𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐭𝐬, and wondering whether big holes in the earth might be the work of a 𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐨𝐫 𝐛𝐚𝐝𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐮𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐰.
This adventure wasn’t just about exploring; it was about 𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐝𝐞𝐞𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝. 🌱💡🐾

✨ 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐕𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐒𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐲 – 𝐒𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐒𝐞𝐥𝐟‑𝐑𝐞𝐠𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 ✨

At Hillside, you may notice children pouring water, stretching dough, exploring slime, or investigating different textures. While this may look like “just play”, these sensory experiences are a very important part of learning.

We have been intentionally strengthening children’s ability to recognise and manage their feelings, energy levels, and reactions in healthy ways. Children need to feel calm and safe before they can fully engage in learning.

Sensory play provides a natural and developmentally appropriate way to practise these skills. Through sensory experiences, children are:
- Building focus and sustaining attention
- Managing frustration when things do not go as expected
- Regulating their bodies through repetitive, rhythmic movements
- Calming themselves through tactile exploration

These moments strengthen the brain–body connection and help children tune in to how they are feeling. Sensory play also supports language development, fine motor control (important for later writing), collaboration, and social problem‑solving.

Most importantly, it brings joy. When children feel emotionally secure and regulated, they are more confident to explore, take risks, and learn. 💛