Every year, the vast majority of Hillside PTO’s budget is spent on our Cultural Arts programming. With the support of Hillside parents, Hillside PTO funds five grade-level assemblies, three all school assemblies, and a week-long artist residency program. Please take a few moments to explore examples of the wonderful programming Hillside kids have enjoyed in the past. Then, watch our website’s home page for announcements of upcoming events – and be sure to subscribe to our Hillside Highlights email newsletter!
Grade Level Assemblies, 2019-2020
Hillside kindergartens delight in Carol Spacht’s portrayal of Mother Goose while getting a playful lesson in letter-sounds and phonics. January 10, 2020
First graders learn the science behind fascinating weather phenomenon and even get to make their own cloud with The Franklin Institute’s traveling science show. December 3, 2019
Hillside’s second grade rings in Chinese New Year with a huge celebration, featuring paper cutting with Master Cheng, shadow puppetry with Hua Hua Zhang, and a lesson in Chinese character writing. January 28, 2020
Our third graders get a visit from Cliff Wright-Sunflower–the “Bee Man”— and his honeybees, learning a ton about bees but also about ecosystems and the importance of environmental stewardship. June 1, 2020
Finally, Hillside fourth graders receive one last visit from Carol Spacht–this time as Martha Washington–who this year, for the first time, will bring along her husband, General Washington.
January 30, 2019
All School Assemblies, 2019-2020
Our grade-level assemblies are Hillside traditions and, generally, don’t change from year to year. However, our all school assemblies are new every year. This year, as part of American Education Week–November 11-15, 2019–we present Cello Fury. In the Spring, the Academy of Natural Sciences will bring their “Bad Reputations” program, which features animals with–you guessed it!–bad reputations to Hillside. Cello Fury will play on November 14, 2019. The Academy of Natural Sciences will be on campus April 2-3, 2020.
Artist in Residence “Theme” Week
This Spring, Walnut Street Theatre will be our artist in residence group, offering every Hillside student the opportunity to experience the thrill of live performance.