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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
28 Apr 2026
As part of our ongoing exploration of cultures, traditions, and events celebrated across Aotearoa New Zealand and within our own school community, we warmly invite you to join us for a shared school breakfast.
This weekend marks the opening of duck hunting season, a date recognised by some of our Southland families. While not all members of our community take part in this tradition, it provides a valuable opportunity for us to come together in a way that is inclusive and welcoming to everyone.
Instead of focusing on the event itself, we are using this time to strengthen connections within our school by hosting a cooked breakfast on site. This is a chance for students, staff, and whānau to gather, share food, and enjoy a relaxed start to the day together this coming Friday (May the 1st).
We would love for families to drop in, whether for a quick bite or to stay and connect with others.
We look forward to seeing you there!
Good afternoon,
The long weekend hasn’t brought the best weather, but yesterday certainly made up for it with some beautiful conditions. Our Hillside students represented us incredibly well at the ANZAC service. Speaking and even getting up in front of a crowd of around 120 people is no small feat, and they did us all proud.
Week 2 Happenings:
Monday 27 April
Tuesday 28 April
Wednesday 29 April
Thursday 30 April
Friday 1 May
Looking forward to Week 3:
Enjoy the rest of your long weekend.
Ngā mihi,
Ms Wilson
Good afternoon,
Wow, the end of the holidays already! How did that happen so fast? I’m sure some of you are looking forward to getting back into routine and having your children back at school, while others (like myself) may be dreading the return of lunchbox-making and getting everyone out of bed on time. For some reason, once school starts, it always seems harder to wake them up!
A huge thank you to all the families who came along to our working bee or helped out on other days, it is truly appreciated. As a small school, we rely heavily on our wonderful community spirit, as we are not funded for a caretaker position. Once we get on top of the grounds, maintenance should be minimal, and just two working bees a year will likely be enough.
Week 1 Happenings:
Looking ahead to Week 2:
Enjoy the rest of your weekend and I look forward to seeing all of those smiling faces tomorrow.
Kind regards,
Ms Wilson
Just a reminder that we have our school working bee tomorrow. We’re also looking for someone who can take away green waste at the end of the day, please let me know if you can help with this.
A huge thanks to Angus McIntyre, who came in during the first week of the holidays to mow the lawns and start tidying up the boundary edges,much appreciated!
There’s a lighter workload now, but still a bit to get through. Jobs for tomorrow include:
• Tidying up the hothouse
• Cutting back bushes at the front of the classrooms and around the archway
• Weeding the archway gardens
• Weed eating along the boundary fence (so the mower can access these areas)
• Mowing lawns around the hall area and the front of the classrooms to get them shorter for ANZAC Day and in areas the council lawnmower cannot reach (if anyone has a lawn mower they can bring, that would be great. I’ll bring mine as well)
• Tidy up and remove the tree branches and mess in the long grass by the paddock gate
• Burning off dead weeds in the driveway by the hall (adult job – burner provided)
• Sweeping the driveway (kōwhai leaves, etc.)
• Sweeping the entrance area and clearing leaves
• Checking the carpark and school grounds for nails (there are quite a few around)
• Sweeping under the verandah in front of the classrooms
Please remember to bring in some tools to help with the above jobs if you happen to have them, gardening gloves too.
Sausages and iceblocks provided afterwards as a thanks.
Thanks in advance for your help, we really appreciate everyone pitching in!
Good morning,
It seems that autumn has arrived after all the lovely mild days and evenings we’ve been enjoying lately.
How strange it feels to be typing “Week 10” already! This term has certainly flown by. At the same time, it does feel like a full 10 weeks for some of our students, and many are ready for a well-deserved break and reset.
Week 10 Happenings:
Wednesday 1st April:
Thursday 2nd April:
Looking forward to Term 2:
Again, thank you all for a great first term. Hopefully you enjoy the rest of your weekend.
Kind regards,
Ms Wilson
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