Dear Parents,

We have come to the end of Term 2 at HFS and, while there will be no break as we proceed into Term 3, I am pleased at how all members of the HFS community – parents, students and staff – have all worked together during this challenging term to make it a success. We will continue straight into Term 3 from Monday 27 April as per the revised academic calendar and planner. These are the newsworthy items that I wish to share with you this week.

Online Parent Teacher Conferences Successful

I am pleased to report that the online Parent teacher conferences went smoothly yesterday. The initiative was a resounding success. Thank you to Miss Yujin, our Assistant School Manager, for making it possible. I am sure it was a valuable opportunity for you to discuss your child’s learning progress with their teacher. Thank you to all the parents who took the time to meet with the teachers.

End of Term Assembly Today at 2:30 pm

Despite the unique situation in which we find ourselves, we will still go ahead with the end of term assembly as is custom at HFS. The assembly will take place via Google Meets and proceedings will commence at 2:30 pm. Please feel free to participate in the meeting with your child since we will be handing out awards and commendations, viewing a showcase of students’ work and making some important announcements. I look forward to sharing this unique experience with you.

Click here to join our end of term assembly at 2:30 pm.

Learning Material Delivery Today

Once again, the HFS silver school van will do the rounds this afternoon delivering materials for next week’s E-learning. The van will leave at 3:30 pm today and follow the regular school bus route. Please ensure that you are at your scheduled stop at the prescribed time to receive the necessary materials for your child’s learning.

Buddha’s Birthday on Thursday 30 April – No Online Learning

Thursday 30 April marks an important religious and cultural holiday and as such HFS will be closed on that day. There will be no online lessons or classes for the day. Please enjoy the holiday with your family.

Farewell to Angela

On a sad note, HFS is bidding farewell to Angela Heesoo Jin. In the time that she has been at HFS she proved to be a diligent and capable student, quickly cementing her place in the HFS community. Angela will be joining a Korean school for the next step of her learning journey. We wish her luck and happiness as she embarks on her next adventure and would like her to know that, should she return, she will always have a place at HFS.

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

Mr. Kearney

Dear Parents,

As the weather slowly warms there are a number of noteworthy items that I must bring to your attention this week.

Survey to Reopen School on Monday 27 April

 While the E-Learning initiative has been a great success, HFS strongly believes that in-person teaching and learning in a school environment has the greatest benefit for your child’s education. We would like your support in our plan to reopen the school for regular lessons on Monday 27 April.

Please click here to complete the survey indicating your support for HFS to open on Monday 27 April. The results will be submitted to the Ulsan Metropolitan Office of Education. Your assistance with this endeavor is vital and greatly appreciated. Please complete and submit this survey by Monday 20 April, thank you.

The number of coronavirus cases gets lesser each day and the situation looks promising but, to alleviate any concerns, HFS will still be vigilant and adopt the strict protocols listed below to ensure that HFS is a safe and hygienic place of learning for all.

• The school bus will be sanitized but will operate as normal with each student’s temperature being checked before they get on the bus. Any student whose temperature reading is beyond 37.5 Degrees Celsius will not be allowed to board the bus for the safety of other children. We apologize for the inconvenience caused by the newly instituted temperature check at the bus stops, but we would appreciate your understanding and cooperation for the safety of all children. They will also be given drops of hand sanitizer as they board. HHI will conduct fumigations of the bus in the mornings before anyone boards and once everyone has gotten off in the afternoons.

• Hanmaeum center will be closed until further notice minimizing contact between students and members of the public. HFS will enforce its own procedures of sanitizing stair railings, elevator railings and buttons and other public points of contact at multiple times throughout the day.

• HFS strongly encourages all persons to wear protective face masks and as such will provide students with two face masks each on Monday 27 April to be worn at all times while at school. Students will be responsible for their face masks which will be labeled with their names. Due to the shortage of face masks any further masks required by students must be provided by parents.

• HFS will increase the temperature checks to two times per day – in the morning before entering the school and again during lunch break before going out to the field. If a student is seen to have a consistent temperature reading of above 37.5 Degrees Celsius, parents will be notified to collect them from the school.

• Proper distancing protocols will be enforced in every classroom, in the cafeteria as well as when lining up.

• Teachers will spend time in class ensuring all students are aware of the best methods of practicing good hygiene, from washing of hands thoroughly and frequently, avoiding touching one’s face and being wary of coming into contact with infected surfaces and also taking careful steps when coughing and sneezing to ensure the wellbeing of those around them.

With these measures in place, HFS is confident that safe, healthy and effective teaching and learning can take place. Thank you for your support in this regard.

Parent-Teacher Conference Sign-ups

The Parent-Teacher conferences will take place on Thursday 23 April via Google Meets. Thank you to those who have already completed the online form to secure a meeting time with your child’s teacher. These interviews are a vital opportunity to meet with your child’s teacher to discuss their learning progress. If you have not done so, please click here to complete the form to book a meeting time. The dates must be finalized by Tuesday 21 April to allow sufficient time to prepare. Thank you for your cooperation in this matter.

Term 3 Reports and Learning Material Delivery

The Term 3 progress reports will be sent out to parents on the school van on Friday 17 April along with the learning material delivery for next week’s online classes. Please review the report and mention any concerns you may have to your child’s teacher in the Parent-Teacher conferences next week. I am sure you will be pleased with your child’s learning progress throughout this term, despite the circumstances.

• 3:51 PM Bangeojin Daiso
• 3:56 PM Bangeojin Foreign Apartment
• 4:04 PM SMS Residence (At the main gate of the SMS building)
• 4:13 PM Prugio 203
• 4:18 PM E Pyeonhan 103 – 115
• 4:44 PM Sangtevill 115 – 111

Term 2 Final Assembly on Friday 24 April at 2:30 pm

We will have a unique final assembly this term. It will be conducted via Google Meets on Friday 24 April from 2:30 pm to 3:30 pm. We will still be giving out the academic commendations and citizenship awards as is custom, so please ensure that your child participates in this celebration of all the hard work that has been put forth throughout this term. I look forward to what promises to be a special event.

Welcome Olivia!

Finally, it gives me great pleasure to welcome a new student, Miss Olivia Walker-Hutchison, to our FS 1-2 class. She and her family have recently arrived from the UK and HFS is thrilled to have them as part of our community. Welcome to HFS, Olivia. I know your time here will be full of adventure and delight.

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

Mr. Kearney

Dear Parents,

I hope you continue to stay healthy and well as we weather this ongoing coronavirus situation. These are the newsworthy items I would like to share with you this week.

HFS E-Learning Programme Resumed

I am pleased that teaching and learning has resumed this week in the form of online lessons. The teachers have done an excellent job in adapting their classes to the online environment. Well done to the students for actively participating and continuing with their learning and a big thank you to parents for assisting and making this possible. Please enjoy these pictures from some of the E-learning this week.

Learning Material Delivery

We will once again send out the HFS school van to deliver material for next week’s E-learning today. The silver school van will leave the school at 3:30 pm and follow the regular morning school bus route and stops. See the schedule below. Please be at your stop ready to collect the material for your child. There will be another delivery for the following week in the afternoon on Friday 17 April.

3:51 PM  Bangeojin Daiso
3:56 PM  Bangeojin Foreign Apartment
4:04 PM  SMS Residence
4:13 PM  Prugio 203
4:18 PM  E Pyeonhan 103 – 115
4:44 PM  Sangtevill 115 – 111

Farewell to Elif

I am always saddened when members of the HFS community depart. This week we must unfortunately bid farewell to Elif Karaçorlu. Elif and her family have returned to Turkey. We wish her luck and happiness in the next step of her journey and would like her to know that, should she return, she will always have a place at HFS. Please enjoy these memories of her time at our school.

Parent Teacher Conference Sign-Up Sheet

Despite the school moving to E-learning, we will still go ahead with the parent teacher conferences on Thursday 23 April. This is an important opportunity to converse with your child’s teacher and discuss their learning progress throughout this term. I am pleased that we will be doing these conferences online despite the current circumstances. The meetings will take place throughout the day on Thursday 23 April but teachers will still assign learning material to keep your child occupied while the conferences are in progress. Please fill in the time slot of your choice by clicking here and completing this form. Once a slot is booked it cannot be overwritten and slots will be selected on a first-come-first-served basis. Thank you for your cooperation in this regard.

That is all for this week. Do stay safe and healthy and thank you for your continued support.

Mr. Kearney

Dear Parents,

I hope that you are faring well and have had the opportunity to see the cherry blossoms in bloom.

Firstly, I am pleased to welcome a new member to the HFS team. Mr. Kevin Baker will be joining us as the ESL Teacher from next week.

Welcome, Mr. Baker. We are glad to have you at HFS.

HFS will be launching its E-Learning program on Monday 6 April at 09:00 am. Please ensure that your child is ready and logged in for class to begin as it would normally be scheduled. Also note that, while your child is participating in lessons from home, they can be seen on the computer’s camera, so do take care to ensure that they are properly clothed while doing E-Learning.

HFS will deliver materials and resources essential for learning in the silver school van to the school bus stop in the morning on 6 April, and in the afternoon on 10 and 17 April. Please be there to collect the packages. The term 3 invoices will also go out with the delivery. If you are unable to be there to collect from the bus stop, please contact the admin office to make an arrangement to collect the necessary items from the school.

I am pleased to mention that the HFS library will be open in the afternoons from 3:30 pm to 4:30 pm in lieu of after-school club activities. The library will also be open during the scheduled class library periods for parents to bring students to exchange books. The times are:

• Year 1-2 Monday 2:30 – 3:30
• Year 3-4 Tuesday 1:30 – 2:30
• FS 1-2 Thursday 11:30 – 12:30
• Year 5-9 Friday 11:30 – 12:30

Please return books that you have borrowed before taking new ones.

For those who are unsure of how to navigate the Google Classroom and Google Hangout Meets platform, Miss Yujin has created a fantastic, step-by-step guide to take you through the process. You can view it by clicking here. Should you have any other technical issues please contact the admin office by email:  admin@hyundaiforeignschool or phone the admin office at 052-252-2851. If that is unsuccessful in solving the issue, you are welcome to drop by the school office for further assistance or a replacement laptop or tablet will be provided.

Finally, it gives me much joy to report that the trees planted by our Global Warming Committee in Term one are thriving. A small ray of sunshine in these challenging times.

Take care, keep safe and remember to wash hands frequently and follow social distancing guidelines so that this crisis can pass sooner rather than later.

Thank you for your continued support and have a wonderful weekend.

Mr. Kearney