Dear Parents,

We have passed the half way mark of term one and I am pleased to report that HFS is running swimmingly. The school will be closed throughout next week and reopen on Monday 4 November. I do hope everyone will enjoy a well-earned Autumn break before we kick-off with the second part of the term. These are the newsworthy items that I would like to share with you this week.

Scary Dress-up Day

What an entertaining day it was as staff and children dressed in their scariest costumes and enjoyed this fantastic fall holiday. Congratulations to Anna Julia for winning our spooky costume competition, your creepy outfit really gave me the willies. Well done to all the classes for creating frighteningly entertaining activities for the whole school to enjoy. An especially big thank you to all who generously donated sweet treats to our candy packs. The students are grateful and enjoyed them immensely. Thank you also to the ladies of the HFS PTA for volunteering to prepare the treat packs and assist with the school decorations. Your efforts truly made the event special and memorable. Please enjoy these photos from the day’s festivities.

Spelling Bee Finals on Wednesday 13 November

As an academic initiative at HFS, we have instituted a spelling bee competition for year 1 to year 9 students. It is a voluntary event but any student who wishes to participate must submit their name to their teacher and over the break, should study the list of words to prepare for the competition. In the first week back, teachers will conduct in-class competitions to narrow down the field to two or three finalists. On Wednesday 13 November, we will have our Spelling Bee Finals from 5:30 to 6:30 pm. We will follow the rules and guidelines of the Scripps Spelling Bee Competition, means that if a competitor spells a word incorrectly they are eliminated from the competition. I encourage students to take part in this fun and rewarding initiative.

* List of words
   – Y 1-2
   – Y 3-4
   – Y 5-9 

Year 3-4 School Trip to Ulsan Media Center

As part of our learning unit on News Reports, the year 3-4 students will enjoy a spectacular learning excursion to the Ulsan Media Center on Friday 8 November. They will prepare scripts and, under the guidance of professionals, see how a script is transformed from page to different media. It promises to be a rewarding learning experience and if you would like to have your child attend please click here to complete the online permission form. The trip will be during school hours and will not interfere with club activities on the day.

That is all for this week. If you are travelling over the break do take care, be safe and enjoy a well-deserved rest. Thank you for your continued support and to those celebrating Diwali, may this auspicious occasion light up your life with Happiness, Joy and Peace.

Mr. Kearney

Dear Parents,

We are rapidly approaching the half way mark of term 1 at HFS and we can see the Autumn leaves turning. I do hope you can find a place to enjoy the warm Fall colors of the season. There are a few items of news that I wish to share with you this week.

HFS Winter Show Solo Performances – Call for Participants

As per tradition, HFS will have its Winter Show in December at the end of term 1. I am pleased that students have been approaching me with requests to perform solo musical acts as part of the show. I have decided to make an open call to any students who wish to perform a musical number in the winter show. If you have been practicing an instrument and feel confident enough to perform a short 2-minute item in the show, please send an email and a video of you performing your piece to

admin@hyundaiforeighschool.com by no later than Friday 25 October. We will judge if it is appropriate to be included. I look forward to seeing your entries.

HFS Winter Uniforms Sent Home Today

I am pleased to report that the newly created HFS Winter uniforms were delivered and sent home today. Please check and make sure that you received the correct sizes. The uniform was designed to be both practical and stylish and can be worn from Monday if you feel the weather requires it. I am happy that the students can now be warm and comfortable in Winter while proudly wearing the HFS colours.

HFS Scary Dress-up Day Friday 25 October

On Friday 25 October we will have our annual Scary Dress-up Day. Students are encouraged to dress up on the day and each class will vote for the best costume. Parents are welcome to attend our class activities from 1:30 to 3:00 pm and that will be followed by a final school vote on who has the best costume so get creative in your spooky designs. Volunteers are also welcome to help to decorate our hall and library from 10:30 am to make the event special. I look forward to seeing you there.

No Sharing Food Policy at HFS

It has been brought to my attention that students have been sharing candy with each other. As you may be aware, this particular brand of candy is popular but we do have a policy of not sharing food at HFS. Passing bits of candy from hand to hand may cause sickness and we are concerned that with some of the students taking medication due to cold at the school these days, this kind of act can spread germs among the rest of the student body.  Let’s practice good health and hygiene at HFS.

That is all for this week. Thank you for your continued support and do have an enjoyable weekend.

Mr. Kearney

Dear Parents,

I trust that you had an enjoyable mid-week holiday. The weather was pleasant and It was a perfect day to be out and about in Ulsan. This being a short week means that there are only a few items to mention in this week’s newsletter.

PTA Meeting on Monday 14 October

We will have our next monthly PTA meeting on Monday 14 October at 3:35 pm. The PTA is a vital part of every well-run school and it is important for parents to be involved in the events and functioning of our school. Please join us on Monday at 3:35 pm in the HFS cafeteria if you would like to be a part of this ongoing initiative, I look forward to seeing you there.

HFS Global Warming Committee Clean-up

It brings me great joy to report on the efforts being made by our HFS Global Warming Committee in caring for the environment. The committee is a student initiative inspired by the efforts of activists such as Greta Thunberg who aim to do whatever they can to look after our environment. Yesterday the HFS students took a walk to the Myeongdeok Reservoir across from our school and worked hard cleaning up litter from around the area. Even this small action is significant in caring for our environment. I will keep you posted as to their future ideas and projects. Well Done HFS Global Warming Committee!

Trunk or Treat event on Sunday 27 October

If you would like to celebrate the popular holiday in October in a fun way, consider the 2019 Trunk or Treat event that is being organised by the coordinators of the WeHope charity group. The idea of trunk or treat involves a community coming together in a parking lot and decorating their cars in the spirit of the holiday so that children can trick-or-treat out of the decorated trunks of their cars. Children can dress-up, play around and trick or treat in safety. The 2019 Trunk-or-Treat will be on Sunday 27 October at Tongmyong University in Yongdang-Dong. Families who are interested in participating should inform Brian Girolametto by emailing him at Bgirolametto@hotmail.com. Anyone participating should arrive between 4:00 and 4:30 pm to have their car setup and stationary so that trick or treating can begin at 5:00 pm. It promises to be a fun event.

Parking Beyond Allotted Time at Hanmaeum Center

I must remind all parents who park at the Hanmaeum center square to drop-off and collect their child : the time period when our parents are allowed to park their car in the area is strictly between 08:30-09:30 am and 3:00-5:00 pm. The Hanmaeum center has generously extended this courtesy to us. Please do not park your car in the square outside of these allotted times, thank you.

Finally, thank you to all the parents who have generously donated sweets and candy toward our own Scary Dress-up Day event set to take place on Friday 25 October. The students are sure to be overwhelmed by the delicious treats in their candy packets. That is all for this week. Thank you for your continued support and do have a wonderful weekend.

Mr. Kearney,

Dear Parents,

It has been a short week and as such there are few items that need mentioning in this week’s newsletter. I hope that you all had an enjoyable Foundation Day yesterday and that Typhoon Mitag did not cast too much of a dampener on your holiday.

Farewell to Cortney, Nikolay and Margarita

It was a sad day on Monday as we bid farewell to Cortney, Nikolay and Margarita. They have been at HFS for a number of years and it is always sad to see members of our HFS community leaving. We wish them and the rest of the Florovskiy and Dykes families well on the next step of their journey. Thank you for the delicious pizza farewell treat and please know that, should you wish to return, you will always have a place at HFS.

School Winter Uniform Order Forms

Thank you to all who completed and submitted the order forms for the HFS Winter Uniform. Those orders have been placed and should arrive within the next few weeks. If you did not complete an order form, please do so as soon as possible so that you may receive a winter hooded jacket before the cold sets in.

HFS Parent Teacher Association

Thank you to the parents who kindly attended our first PTA meeting of the 2019-20 school year on Monday 23 September. It was productive and many ideas were shared regarding planning for upcoming events for the rest of the school year. I look forward to seeing you at the next meeting on Monday 14 October.

Scary Dress-up Day on Friday 25 October

Thank you to all who donated sweets and candy for our upcoming scary dress-up day event that is set for Friday 25 October. Please keep the candy coming in so that we may provide the students with fantastic treat bags. Start thinking about being creative and crazy with your costumes. I have some ideas for my spooky outfit that should be scary and fun.

School Closed on 9 October for Hangeul Day

Finally, the school will be closed on 9 October to commemorate Hangeul Day (Korean Alphabet day). The holiday marks the invention and proclamation of the Korean alphabet by King Sejong in 1446 and is an important milestone in Korean culture. I hope you can all enjoy the holiday.

That is all for this week. Thank you for your continued support and do have a great weekend.

Mr. Kearney