We started Anti-Bullying Week 2023 with Odd Socks Day, to celebrate our differences and recognise that everyone’s unique. We talked about seeing ourselves in a positive way and being proud of how we’re different to others. We went on to think about the importance of the words we say, that we mustn’t say unkind or untrue things about anyone, and the danger of media stereotypes which can allow untruths to get hold of our thoughts. The theme was ‘Make a Noise About Bullying’ and we hope that children will feel confident to speak out against stereotypes, speak up about wrong things that are said or done, and speak to an adult if they become aware of someone being unkind to someone else.

Our Year 5 children and staff have begun their adventure on Residential this October! The children were super excited to set off and started the activities with settling in to the house and dorms and having team-games together in the sunshine. More information on the visit features on the Gallery here.  https://www.hillsideavenue.org/y5-residential-visit-october-2023/

Children from Y1 to Y6 joined together for our 2023 Harvest Assembly. Singing three songs about water along with traditional Harvest singing, Father James shared a message about the importance of water for the harvest, for those in need around the world, and for our own lives.

The assembly was a wonderful occasion with superb singing and thoughtful, attentive children - and many thanks for all the donated food which will go to the Norwich Food Bank.

As part of their volcano learning, Year 3s have been busy making and testing their own volcano models. This created huge excitement and enthusiasm for science and experimenting with chemical reactions, as well as reinforcing the learning the children had done about rock layers, volcano shape and structure and surrounding vegetation - all of which featured in their models. Some 'vegetation' was even destroyed in the 'lava flow', just like might happen in real life!

Our amazing new climbing frame was installed this week! The climbing frame will be ready for use from Monday onwards. The climbing frame has been paid for with a sizeable contribution from Friends of Hillside along with grant funding. Many thanks to the Friends - the children will get so much out of this!

It was so much fun to watch being installed I thought I'd make a quick time-lapse to share, which you can watch here in the gallery.

Our new Reception children have got off to a flying start with their 'Wheely Fridays'! It's great to see how they are developing their balance, coordination and physical skills as they make the most of the big space on the playground. Many thanks to Reception parents for supporting with their children's  bikes and scooters for this weekly event!

Wonderful singing, acting and story telling from our Musical Theatre club - a superb end to the school year!

Thank you to the Friends of Hillside for hosting the spectacular Hillfest summer fair. With a musical theme to follow the school's musical traditions, the school field was alive with maypole dancing from the Reception children, live music from across the school, circus workshops, bouncy castles and much more! A great community event for everyone.

Getting the whole school performing this year's Sing Up songs brought a real sense of belonging and togetherness. We also sang out in the school grounds with the children in the choir, with live music from guitars and percussion adding to the richness of the performances. The children sang 'Blossom out' in the school woodland, and 'Dreams across the ocean' around the pond. Well done everyone - we look forward to seeing our recordings as part of the international DigiChoir video!

Two days of activities, sports and outdoor challenges with camping under canvas in between... it's amazing how different the school feels when you're staying overnight for a Y4 adventure! Heavy rain overnight added to the excitement of being in the tents, and everyone had a great time.