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Nau Mai Haere Mai Ki Te Kura o Hillside

Welcome to Hillside School

Nestled on the hill in the rural township of Browns, just 9 kilometres from Winton in Southland, Hillside Primary School enjoys a stunning outlook across farmland towards Otapiri Gorge and the Hokonui Hills. Our unique setting provides a peaceful and spacious environment where children can learn, grow and thrive, surrounded by the natural beauty of the Southland landscape.

Hillside is a full primary school catering for students from Years 1 to 8. Our two classrooms provide focused learning environments for Years 1–4 and Years 5–8, supported by a well-resourced library in our third learning space. As a small rural school, we are proud of our strong family atmosphere, where every child is known and valued. Our small class sizes allow us to personalise learning, respond to individual needs, and nurture each student’s pathway.

We are committed to preparing our learners for life in a global and ever-changing world. We hold high expectations for our students and work closely with whānau and our wider community to ensure learning reflects shared values, priorities and aspirations. Our students are also fortunate to have access to 1:1 devices, supporting digital fluency and enhancing learning opportunities.

At Hillside Primary School, community connection, personalised learning and high expectations combine to create a place where children truly thrive.

We warmly welcome visitors to come and experience the Hillside difference for themselves. We welcome your questions and look forward to having you become part of our Hillside whānau.

Sarah Wilson

Principal

What's happening at Hillside Primary School?

Upcoming Events in August

Wed 19

Round Two Speech Competition 10.00am

19 Aug 2026

Thu 27

Daffodil Day held early

27 Aug 2026

Fri 28

Polyfest 12:40pm

28 Aug 2026

Latest Notices

Term 4 - Week 5

16 Aug 2026

Good afternoon,

Another weekly update, I feel these seem to be coming along faster as the year progresses. I hope you are all managing to soak up some of those great sunrays outside this weekend.

Week 5:

Monday 17th August:

We welcome Susan, our new teacher aide.

Tuesday 18th August:

Whole school lunch together. Lunch this week: Nachos, a slice (made by students) and some fruit.

Wednesday 19th August:

Round 2 Speech competition held at Hillside in our library. Year 5 and 6 students start at 10am. Year 7 and 8 students start at 11:15pm. Good luck to Esme and Lance who are representing us.

Friday 21st August:

Bible in Schools at 1:25pm
Assembly at 2:30pm in the library.

Looking forward to Week 6:

Tuesday 25th August - CSC Production Dress Rehearsal at CSC for the whole school at 11am. (permission slips out this week)
Thursday 27th August - Early Daffodil Day - dress as yellow and a gold coin donation for the cancer society.
Friday 28th August - Polyfest performance at 12:40pm. This will be most of the day in town. - We have a couple of seats on the bus for adults, please let us know if you wish to join us on the bus.

Hopefully you all have a wonderful Sunday afternoon,

Sarah

Polyfest uniforms

14 Aug 2026

Polyfest is not far away, and everyone is practising with enthusiasm and getting very excited!

Next week, could all boys please bring a pair of plain black shorts for their Polyfest uniform. These need to be at school no later than Friday 21st August.

Thank you for your support! We can’t wait to see everyone performing!

Term 3 - Week 4

9 Aug 2026

Good afternoon,

I hope you’ve all had a wonderful weekend. For those who are flat out in the busy season, I hope you’ve managed to find a little time to pause and have a breather along the way.

This week, we’re going to do something a little different and have lunch together as a whole school, simply because we can! On Monday, some of our students will help prepare the food, and then on Tuesday we’ll all sit together around the tables, chat and enjoy the meal we’ve made.

It’s a great opportunity for our students to be involved in the whole process, following instructions, using measurement skills, working together and developing those important practical life skills.

If it all goes smoothly, I’d love for this to become something we do regularly. It would be fantastic to see the students develop this further and, eventually, make use of produce we grow at school to create meals together.

A little bit of learning, a little bit of teamwork, and a whole lot of fun!

Week 4:

Monday 10th August:

Miss Poole is away, so it will be one class for the day. Between Nadia and myself, we will keep the mornings as much as normal as we can with the split.
Math Week - Challenges during school time all week to have a bit of fun.

Tuesday 11th August:

Miss Poole is away, all students in one class for the day with Nadia and myself.
Whole school lunch - Macaroni Cheese, rice bubble slice, and fruit. Please still send along morning tea, and lunch too if your child won't eat this.

Wednesday 12th August:

Miss Poole away and Mrs Horrell is in today to take the Juniors.
Thursday 6th August:

Friday 14th August:

School Speech Competition starting at 9:30am. Attached is the run sheet for the morning. If students are sick/away the timing will change slightly.
Bible in Schools at 1:25pm
No assembly this week.

Looking forward to Week 4

Cluster Speech Compeition for the students who make it through to the next round. This is being held at our school from 10am. Heddon Bush, Lochiel, Hedgehope and Limehills will be joining us.

Thanks,

Sarah

Speech-Run-Sheet-2026.docx

Term 3 - Week 3

2 Aug 2026

Good evening,

Another weekend has flown by already! I feel like this year is racing past far too quickly.

Over the next little while, we'll be sending out a number of surveys, including one about our Health and Physical Education curriculum, as well as others relating to our school's future direction and values. Your feedback is incredibly valuable and will help shape the decisions we make for our school community.

To make things as easy as possible, the surveys will be available in both paper and electronic formats, so you can complete whichever option suits you best.

Thank you in advance for taking the time to share your thoughts. Your voice is an important part of helping us continue to grow our school.

Week 3:

Monday 3rd August:

Nadia is away this week still, so please leave voicemails, or flick us an email, as the office is rarely manned at the moment. In an emergency phone 027 339 0332.
Mrs Horrell is in, as I have two meetings on today, so I will be backwards and forwards.
Miss Poole in.

Tuesday 4th August: