Students at Hillside Public School develop strong relationships with their peers and teachers in an environment where they are known and appreciated as a whole person, not just a student. These close peer relationships help our students feel safe and included, regardless of their differences. We are able to program lessons to meet the needs of individual students, while also encouraging all students to meet higher expectations.
With smaller numbers of students, hands-on learning at Hillside Public School is easy to organise and manage and the learning outcomes are great. There is much more freedom for collaborative student work and fun activities that bring learning to life. Every student participated in the painting of our Library mural which was finished at the end of last year. The design was based on a drawing of one of our Year 6 students. Each year new students will add his/her handprint to the mural.
It’s not just children and teachers who enjoy the benefits of small schools. Parents love the high level of partnership they experience. There is a real sense of community and ownership. Parent help is encouraged and welcomed. This year our P&C has planned a number of new and exciting activities involving the students in further enhancing their learning opportunities.
When class sizes are small, our teachers are able to know the academic strengths and weaknesses of each of their students better, and to tailor their instruction accordingly. Our teachers are able to know their students better at Hillside and we often have higher expectations for them. This year the school has utilised funding to employ extra teaching time to benefit all students. The teacher the student ratio this year is 1 teacher to every 8 students!
As a small school, Hillside fosters citizenship, leadership and social, emotional skills through increased student engagement. Students in small schools demonstrate and increase sense of personal responsibility, including feeling confident helping their peers, problem solve, resolve conflict and work in teams. All our senior students are actively encouraged to be great leaders and to model an example to the younger students. Our senior students are all Peer group leaders, sports leaders, library monitors as well as school leaders not possible for every senior student in larger schools.
When students feel safe, they are at their best. They learn better, they create better and they socially interact with others. Please contact the Hillside Public School Office on 02 9652 1459 to organise a visit to see the wonderful learning programs, meet our wonderful students and our dedicated staff.
