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

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:

• Miss Poole in. 

Wednesday 5th August:

• Miss Poole In. 

Thursday 6th August:

• Central Southland Open Night for our Year 8 students. 4pm, starting with principal's address at 4:15pm and then tours following. 
• Mrs Horrell in. 

Friday 7th August:

• Mrs Horrell in.
• Bible in Schools in the afternoon. 
• 2:30pm School Assembly. 

Looking forward to Week 4

• Maths Week
• Whole School Speech competition on Friday, starting at 9:30am. 

Looking forward to seeing all our lovely students tomorrow. 

Thanks, 

Sarah

 

31 Jul 2026

Friday the 11th of September. 

29 Jul 2026

Good afternoon, everyone,

Just a quick update that if you're trying to contact the school office, the phone won't be regularly staffed for the rest of this week and all of next week.

If you need to get in touch, please leave us a voicemail (we check these regulary), send us an email, or, if it's urgent, feel free to call me directly on 027 339 0332.

emails:

principal@hillside.school.nz

Sidney@hillside.school.nz

Jo@hillside.school.nz

Please note that text messages aren't the best way to contact us, as we receive them inconsistently due to poor reception.

Thanks so much for your understanding.

Sarah

26 Jul 2026

Good evening everyone,

An extremely late update for next week, my apologies, team!

I hope you've all managed to keep warm over the weekend. It was certainly exciting to wake up to a dusting of white on the ground. While the snow is always a beautiful sight, I know it also brings extra challenges and work for many of our farming families. We hope everyone has stayed as warm as they could. 

Week 2:

Tuesday 28th July

• Board meeting at 6pm in the library, all welcome. 

Friday 31st July

• Bible in Schools in the afternoon
• Assembly 2:30pm (A bit later with Bible in Schools on)

Looking forward to Week 3:

• Nothing at this stage, but will update you if this changes. 

We look forward to seeing all the smiling faces tomorrow.

Thanks, 

Sarah