Hillside Avenue Highlights

 

Dear Parents and Carers, In this edition of the Hillside Avenue Highlights, I would like to focus on the school community. There are three topics in particular that are at the forefront of my mind due to recent events and future plans; Safety in schools (lockdowns), Child safety at drop off and pick up times, Shared vision for the school. Yesterday afternoon we ran a ‘staying safe in school’ drill to practice what we would do if there was some external danger. After the incident that happened at Thorpe St. Andrew School a few weeks ago, school safety is naturally at the front of many people’s minds. I can assure you that our drill went very smoothly. The children were sitting quietly on carpets with doors locked and windows shut. The school was calm and everyone was safe. Thank you to the staff and children for making it so successful. We all know that the local roads are busy at the beginning and the end of the school day. This is true of roads around schools all over the country and can be a source of stress for some due to finding parking places, maneuvering around and worrying about being late for school. I would like to say thank you to all parents who park a few minutes away and walk the last bit, including using the car park at the Merchants of Spice and other suitable locations. Whilst this might be a difficult problem to solve, we can all be mindful of the safety of children at each end of the day so that they all stay safe. This week the office shared a link to a survey. This is my attempt to gather the views of all members of the school community regarding our shared vision for the future. There has been a school here for almost 90 years, and I would like to take the opportunity of this milestone to clarify what we are all aiming to achieve together. Early results suggest that parents' views align well with my own, which is a great start to the process. The survey will be open until the end of the Easter holidays and I will share results and a clear vision in the Summer term. Please let me know what you think.

 

Happy Easter all!

 

Notifications/ Reminders:

Comic Relief - Red Nose Day It was lovely to see so many children supporting Comic Relief on Friday and wearing red. So far we have raised £193. If you still wish to donate please do so via the JustGiving page which has been set up; JustGiving page for donations

 

Music Lessons If your child is in year 2 - 6 and is interested in learning to play either the piano, violin, cello, woodwind, guitar, drums or trumpet please let the office know and we will put them on the waiting list.

 

FRIENDS Newsletter - please see the separate newsletter from Friends of Hillside with important dates of upcoming fundraising events. Thank you

 

Dates for the Diary

April 2026

Mon 13th - staff inset day

Tues 14th - summer term begins

Thurs 23rd - Casma choir event

Mon 27th - Year 3 Eaton Vale trip

 

May 2026

Mon 4th - bank holiday

Wed 5th - class photos

Mon 11th -14th Year 6 SATS

Fri 15th - Friends summer disco

Fri 22nd - finish half term break 3:15pm

 

Advertisements

● FREE Dental Screening 0-11years - please click here for further details on the flyer ● Futsal Club ages 6 - 12 - please see the separate attachment with details of a new club run by PAV Funball Academy

 

● ESKA Karate - please see flyer for details on activities over the Easter holiday

 

● Easter Art Club@ art4youth, Carrow House King Street. click here for details on their flyer

 

● T2T Easter Brochure - Broadland DIstrict Council Big Norfolk Holiday Fun - please click here for brochure with details on how to book

 

● Young Carers - The Benjamin Foundation & Community Sports Foundation have set up a free club for young carers - please click here for further details

 

● Free Pond Dipping at NWT Thorpe Marshes - on the last Sunday of every month. See flyer for details

 

● Shrumpshaw Fens - Easter activities please click here for further details

 

● Could you foster? Nexus Fostering is seeking compassionate individuals and families to become foster carers Please contact us on 0800 389 0143 or email Leanne at leannea@nexusfostering.co.uk.

 

● Broadland Community Awards 2026 - For more information and to nominate please visit our website, Broadland Community Awards | Broadland and South Norfolk

 

● Broadland Family Hub - Free Easter activities - click here for more information. ● Girlguides - Rainbows Sprowston has space for girls age 4-7 - please click here for information

 

Dear Parents and Carers,

Attendance at school is really important and is something that we really prioritise at Hillside Avenue. Coming to school every day and on time is not only good for a child’s academic success and progress, but it also supports  their wellbeing and wider development too. At school we know that some children can face real challenges about coming to school every day and that the reasons for not attending can be complex and take time to work out. What we want to do is to work with children and families to remove the barriers that prevent attendance at school so that every child can flourish in their time with us. Sometimes this is in the form of a chat with the class teacher, maybe a letter from the school office or a meeting with the Headteacher. All of them are intended to be supportive as we work together to support high levels of attendance at school. Our FAQs answer some common questions about attendance. They can be found here.

Our latest initiative is getting started this half term. Lots of children have good attendance but don’t always attend 5 days a week. To encourage full weeks of attendance, a whole week of attendance is going to lead to one entry into the attendance prize draw at the end of term. The more whole weeks a child attends for, the more chance that they will win a small prize in the attendance assembly at the end of term. For those that find it hard to attend, getting an entry in the draw will mean a lot and might lead to a nice treat too. This is all about positivity around attendance. Thank you for your support. 

This is a blog from the Department for Education which highlights the main issues, some really interesting statistics (if that is your sort of thing) and some information about what they are doing to promote high attendance in schools (https://educationhub.blog.gov.uk/2025/08/why-school-attendance-matters-and-what-were-doing-to-improve-it/) 

Mr Hutchinson

 

From the school log:

 

15th March 1965 - AD fell whilst ascending the corridor steps and hit his mouth. His mother took him to the Jenny Lind Hospital, and subsequently had two front teeth removed. I hope that AD did not suffer too much when he lost his front teeth 61 years ago. This entry does remind us that moving sensibly and carefully around school is very important. Even though it can be tempting to move quickly around the school with our wide corridors and inside/outside spaces it is really important that all children walk in school to prevent accidents like this. Thank you for supporting this from home. 

 

Notifications/ Reminders:

 

Comic Relief - Red Nose Day on Friday 20th March 

Children are invited to wear red on this day (red noses can be worn) to support the charity.  The school has set up a JustGiving page for donations to Comic Relief please click on the link below

JustGiving page for donations

 

FRIENDS Pre‑Loved Uniform Sale – Monday 23rd March, 3:00pm

We’re delighted to announce our next Pre‑Loved Uniform Sale. Thanks to the incredibly generous uniform donations we’ve received this year, we currently have a very large amount of stock.  Please come along and take a look - 3pm on the playground.

 

 

Music Lessons
If your child is in year 2 - 6 and is interested in playing either the piano, violin, cello, woodwind, guitar, drums or trumpet please let the office know and we will put them on the waiting list.  

 

 

 

Hilldale Breakfast and Afterschool Club

Hilldale welcome all children from Hillside Avenue Primary Reception to year 6

They currently have vacancies, if interested please contact Sue or Linda at Hilldale15@yahoo.com or alternatively register at Hilldalebreakfastafterschoolcluc.ipalbookings.com

Or please come and visit anytime

Breakfast 7:45am until 8:45am (breakfast included) £7

After school 3:15pm until 5:45pm (snack provided) £14

 

 

 

Parking outside school

We know that parking close to schools at the beginning and the end of the school day is a problem at most primary schools. Hillside Avenue and School Avenue are fairly narrow roads with lots of houses on, and therefore there are lots of driveways too. 

When parking in the local area, could all parents please consider the access needs of local residents as having your driveway blocked - if only for a moment - can be a cause of frustration and upset. 

Thank you for your support.

 

Dogs on School Grounds

This is a polite reminder that dogs are not permitted on the school grounds.  Thank you for your understanding. 

 

 

 

 

T2T Easter Brochure - Broadland DIstrict Council Big Norfolk Holiday Fun - please click here for brochure with details on how to book 

 

Young Carers - The Benjamin Foundation & Community Sports Foundation have set up a free club for young carers - please click here for further details 

 

Norwich Swan Swimming Club - learn to swim courses - please click here for further information

 

Norwich Penguins - have Splashdown Intensive Swimming Courses over the Easter holidays, please see their website for further details.  www.norwichpenguins.co.uk

 

Free Pond Dipping at NWT Thorpe Marshes - on the last Sunday of every month running from April to September.  See flyer for further details 

 

 

 

 

                   Please follow us on Facebook and on Instagram too.

        

                                                       #itshappeningathillside 

 

      Link for facebook page Facebook page       Link for Instagram page  Instagram page