Dear Parents,

We have reached the end of the 2019/20 academic year and what a fitting sendoff it was.

HFS End of Year Assembly

As is now custom at HFS we ended the year with a celebration of learning that has taken place over the course of the term as well as awarding students for their good character and academic performance. Congratulations to Olivia Walker-Hutchison, Ryan Kirkland, Léo Chaudet, and Dayeon Lee for being deserving recipients of the HFS Citizenship Award this term. You truly embody the values which we hold dear at HFS. Congratulations must also go to Jisika Philip, David Song, Jeremy Philip, and Theo Fatet for your fine academic performance this term. I have no doubt that you will keep up the good work as you enter your next year of studies.

It was an extra special ceremony this time as we had the pleasure of seeing the fruits of the students’ hard work in putting together their international group projects. All of the presentations were outstanding and I was blown away by their creative performances.

A special message of congratulations to Leigh-ah Cho Duggan on her graduation from Year 9. We wish her all the best of luck and happiness as she enters the next phase of her schooling career. Well done to our FS 2 students for also making it to the next step of their learning journey as they prepare to enter Year 1 next year.

On a sad note, we bid farewell to Dayeon Lee and Chris Roussos as they depart HFS. We have enjoyed having them at HFS and wish them nothing but adventure and delight on the next leg of their learning journey. We would like them to know that, should they return, they will always have a place at HFS.

Taekwondo Summer Camp starting on Monday 20 July

A friendly reminder of the UNESCO Taekwondo Summer Camp that starts on Monday 20 July. The school gate will be open at 9:45 am for you to drop off your child and the lesson will start at 10:00 am and run until 12:00 noon. Please remember to pack a water bottle and ensure that your child wears sports outfit and long sweat suit trousers are recommended. Students will be barefoot during the lesson. Parents should collect their children promptly at 12:00 noon. It promises to be a fun and rewarding initiative.

Farewell Ms. Nurse

It is with a heavy heart that we bid farewell to Ms. Nurse. She quickly made herself a well-liked member of the HFS community and her warm, friendly presence in the halls of the school will be missed by all. Ms. Nurse, we thank you for this year that you have spent teaching the Year 1-2’s and music to all the HFS students and hope that you have enjoyed your time at HFS. I wish you luck and happiness wherever you may land.

New School Year Calendar and Class Structure

The 2020/21 academic year will commence on Monday 24 August, with induction for new students being on Friday 21 August. Please click here to see the Academic Calendar for 2020/21.

The class structure for next year will be:

• FS 1 – Year 1 : Ms. McClellan
• Year 2 – 3 : Mr. Kearney
• Year 4 – 5 : Mr. Green
• Year 6 – 9 : Mr. Dunn

I am looking forward to what the new year holds in store for the school and am confident that we are ready to face any new challenges that the new year may bring. Thank you for your continued support and I hope you have a safe, healthy and enjoyable summer break.

Mr. Keareny

Dear Parents,

As we complete the final week of the term, we have been fortunate to have had a week of pleasant, warm weather. These are the items of news that I would like to share with you at this time.

Term 3 Student Progress Reports

I am very pleased that the term 3 student progress reports were sent out to parents today. The reports provide a breakdown of your child’s learning progress throughout this term, including information from any assessments that they might have taken. On Monday 13 July, student workbooks will be sent home for you to see the work that they have been doing this term. Please review them 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.

Parent Teacher Conferences on Thursday 16 July 

Parent Teacher Conferences will take place on Thursday 16 July from 09:20 to 3:30 pm. This term’s Parent Teacher Conferences will be conducted online through Google Meet. To secure your interview slot, please ensure that you have signed up by clicking on and completing this online sign-up sheet by Tuesday 14 July. A gentle reminder for parents to inform the admin office if they require a laptop to access the interviews. School laptops will be sent home with the students on Wednesday after school if parents have requested one. Please ensure that you can access and use Google Meet before the day of the conferences. Click here for an instruction guide. A link for your child’s class will be sent out on the day and parents are asked to only click on the link at their scheduled interview time. Thank you for your cooperation in this regard.

Two-week Taekwondo Summer Camp from 20 to 31 July 

A friendly reminder that HFS will be hosting a free two-week Taekwondo Summer Camp at the school during the summer break from 20 July to 31 July. The lessons will be taught by two fully qualified English-speaking Taekwondo experts and will take place from 10:00 to 12:00 Monday through Friday. Since the school is closed we are unable to provide a bus to and from the school during the summer camp. The instructors will give a demonstration at the assembly on Monday.  If you would like your child to participate in this initiative, please click here to complete the sign-up form. Responses must be submitted by Tuesday 14 July. I look forward to this exciting and rewarding initiative.

End of the Year Assembly on Friday 17 July

On Friday 17 July HFS will hold its end of term assembly. This time it will be very special since we are combining the students’ International group projects with the assembly proceedings. The program will include the international project presentations, a selection of work presented by each class, the Commendation and Citizenship Award for this term as well as the FS 2 and Year 9 Graduations. We will also sadly bid farewell to those leaving HFS. The assembly will run from 1:40 to 3:30 pm and is open to students of HFS and their parents.

For the school dance that is scheduled for 5:00 pm, Students will be dismissed at 3:30 pm and doors will open at 5:00 pm. Parents are asked to kindly refrain from parking in the open square. Parking will be available in the parking tower for the duration of the event. HFS will provide a parking coupon from the school office when you leave.

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

Mr. Kearney

Dear Parents,

As the end of the academic year approaches there are still a number of significant events that will take place at HFS before the school closes for summer vacation. These are the newsworthy items that I would like to share with you this week.

HFS Sports Day

The weather was cloudy and cool today, perfect for us to hold our annual sports day to celebrate fun, fitness and healthy competition. The activities were an exciting mix of class and team games and the students had a great time taking part in the games. Unfortunately we had to stop the games as the rain came. I would like to thank the parents who came to be spectators for the event and everyone who worked so hard to make the event possible, especially Mr. Dunn and the student council and our judges and scorekeepers Leigh-ah and Chris – Well done everyone! The winners will be announced in the assembly on Monday, but since we had such a great time everyone came out on top. Enjoy these pictures from the day’s excitement.

Two-week Taekwondo Summer Camp from 20 to 31 July

We have been recently approached by UNESCO International Centre of Martial Arts (UNESCO ICM), an umbrella organization of UNESCO, who have been running Martial Arts Open School programmes around the world from 2017, teaching Taekwondo or Taekkyeon (a traditional Korean martial art) to young people. As a result of our discussion with UNESCO ICM and courtesy of the organization, HFS is going to organize a free two-week Taekwondo Summer Camp at school during the summer break from 20 July to 31 July. The lessons taught by two fully qualified English-speaking Taekwondo experts will take place from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm Monday through Friday.

Everyone who signs up will receive a UNESCO logo emblazoned Blue T-shirt, a pencil container, a pen and a notebook and those who complete the two-week lessons will receive a certificate of completion as well as a Taekwondo belt. I must add that this event can only take place if we have a minimum of 15 participants and that UNESCO ICM’s staff will take pictures of our students taking martial arts lessons for their promotional purposes. Please let us know whether your child will join the Taekwondo Summer Camp by Friday 10 July. Fill your child’s name on the sign-up form by clicking here.

Online Parent-Teacher Conferences on Thursday 16 July

On Thursday 16 July we will be conducting the parent-teacher conferences for this term. This is a vital opportunity for parents to converse with their child’s teacher and discuss their child’s learning progress as well as any concerns that they might have. This term, as we did during our E-Learning program and to ensure a safe and healthy school environment, the meetings will be conducted online via Google Meet. The conferences will take place throughout the day, starting from 09:20 am and running until 3:30 pm to allow parents enough time to collect their child from the bus stop in the afternoon. To reserve your time-slot and if you require the school to provide you with a laptop please click here and complete the online sign-up sheet. To ensure that you know how to use Google Meet please click on this instruction guide. Shared Google account and Google Meet link are included in that as well. Parents are asked to only log-in to the meet at their allocated time. You are welcome to contact the admin office for support. Please ensure that you are familiar and able to log-in to Google Meet before the day of the interviews to minimise disruptions on the day. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation with this initiative.

• PTC Sign-up Sheet ☞ Click here
• PTC Instruction Guide ☞ Click here

HFS School Dance on Friday 10 July

As has become tradition over the last few years, we will bring the year to a close with a school dance. The event will take place on Friday 10 July from 17:00 to 18:30 pm at the HFS school hall. Put on your dancing shoes and practice your moves for what promises to be an enthralling end of year celebration. The event is open only to students of HFS and their parents and a juice and snack will be provided, courtesy of the HFS Parent Teacher association. We thank them for their kind and generous assistance in making this event happen. I look forward to seeing you there.

HFS Yearbook Orders Due Today

As we bring the year to a close it is important to reflect on everything that made 2019/20 the year that it was. Mrs. Andersen has designed and crafted a fantastic yearbook that is a collection of all of the memories of this past year. This is a gentle reminder that orders for this yearbook are due today to allow enough time for printing. Please complete your orders by clicking here and filling out this online order form. The PTA has generously sponsored a discount for each student’s first copy and the cost is only 20,000 Won (43,000 Won for each copy thereafter). Please send payment to the admin office. I have already ordered my copy and I do hope you order your copy of this treasure trove of your child’s memories of this year at HFS.

Finally, it is understandable that students may have to leave HFS as their family’s time in Korea comes to an end. if you are certain that your children will be leaving HFS at the end of this year, please inform the admin office by Friday 10 July. While we understand that your journey at HFS may reach its end we will certainly be sad to see you leave.

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

Mr. Kearney

Dear Parents,

The end of the academic year is rapidly approaching as the rainy season arrives. These are the newsworthy items I would like to share with you this week.

Actions in Response to Chris’s accident on the Futsal Field

While HFS deeply regrets that the accident occurred, Chris Roussos has returned to school for a few days this week and was in good spirits as he continues to recover from his accident. He is showing such remarkable resilience and fortitude as he still completes his learning.

In response to this incident, HFS has been in constant contact with Mr. and Mrs. Roussos, even having Miss Yeo drive the family to the hospital in Busan on different occasions this week. Immediately after the accident, the school approached the Hanmaeum center and had them modify both gates on the futsal field as well as adding large, clear warning signage in English and Korean with a picture and also explaining to all students in an assembly to stay clear of the gates.

Regarding the safety standards at HFS, we have approached the Ulsan Metropolitan Office of Education (Ulsan MOE) asking if they would conduct a safety inspection. They, however stated that the approval that they gave to our facilities in 2018 would be valid for the duration of our stay at these premises. They further extended this stamp of approval again in 2019. We also received a certification of safety from the Council of International Schools (CIS) during an inspection of our premises in 2019 stating the same. Furthermore, HFS has certificates, pertaining to fire and electrical safety on our school premises, which HFS has submitted to the Ulsan MOE during the process of their safety inspection, which we passed.

To further show that we do indeed prioritize safety at our school, we have initiated our own internal safety inspection protocol. All staff have been instructed to thoroughly check and identify any potential safety hazards that may be present so that we may take immediate action towards resolving or correcting them. This is an ongoing and permanent initiative happening throughout the year to ensure that such an incident is not repeated. I do hope that these swift actions on the part of the staff at HFS reflect our commitment to keeping the students safe while at HFS.

Book Character Dress-Up Day

What a sight it was to behold as the students donned creative outfits for our Book Character Dress-up Day yesterday. I am always astounded at the creativity in the design of their costumes. Well done to Maximos Kopanas, Lisa Fatet, Reyansh Chandel, and Jeongwoo Seo for being selected as the most creatively dressed students in their classes. At HFS we firmly believe in encouraging reading and we hope that this fun event goes some way in stimulating our students to read, read, read.

Sports Day on Friday 3 July

On Friday 3 July from 09:30 to 11:30 HFS will hold its annual school sports day. The student council, under the guidance of Mr. Dunn, has planned some creative and competitive team and class games and activities that are sure to be entertaining while also observing proper social distancing protocols. If you would like to watch the games please join us on the futsal field between 09:30 and 11:30 for a fun morning of fitness and sport. Should rain be forecast on the day then the event will be cancelled.

2019/20 HFS School Yearbook Orders

I am pleased to announce that the 2019/20 HFS School Yearbook has been completed and I must thank Mrs. Andersen for graciously donating her time and offering her expert design skills in creating the yearbook. It is a treasure trove of memories from what has undoubtedly been a tumultuous year for everybody. The HFS PTA has generously agreed to subsidize every first copy ordered per student so the cost of your first copy will be 20,000 Won. Any additional copies ordered over and above that will cost 43,000 Won each. There is a preview copy at the office for you to view to decide if you would like to own one or more. Orders must be made before Friday 3 July and orders can be placed by clicking on and completing this form. Parents are asked to send payment for the number of books they order to the admin office.

HFS School Dance on Friday 10 July

Based on the survey sent in last weeks’ newsletter it is clear that the majority of parents favour having a school dance as our end-of-year function as per tradition. The results showed 73% in favour of HFS hosting this event. I would like to remind all parents that this will be a private function, open only to students of HFS and their parents. The event will be held on Friday 10 July from 5:00 pm to 6:30 pm and it promises to be a fun and entertaining way to bring the year to a close. The student council will plan the music and dance activities as well as helping with the decorations. I look forward to seeing you there.

PTA Meeting on Tuesday 30 June

We will have our final PTA meeting on Tuesday 30 June from 3:35 pm in the school cafeteria. Please join us as we discuss the planning for the sports day and school dance and reflect on the year that is almost behind us. The PTA is and always has been a valued institution in schools and I look forward to seeing you there.

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

Mr. Kearney

Dear Parents,

After my absence, it is great to be back at the school and in the classroom. Thank you to all for the kind messages and well wishes. I am also pleased to report that Chris Roussos was discharged from the hospital yesterday and is well on the road to recovery. Chris, you are a brave and strong young man and everyone in the HFS community is thinking of you and hoping for your speedy recovery.

These are the items that I wish to share with you in this week’s newsletter.

GL Assessment and Year 6 & 9 Checkpoint Next Week

As we approach the end of the academic year we must gauge the learning that has taken place over the year. This week the F2 – Y9 students successfully completed the GL assessment tests and next week the year 6 and 9 students will do the Cambridge Checkpoint exams. The GL assessments are the leading provider of formative assessments to UK schools, overseas ministries and British, bilingual and international schools worldwide. The Cambridge Checkpoint exams reflect the highest standard international assessment and are used and respected by educational establishments around the world. I have no doubt that they have been well prepared for their tests and I wish them the best of luck for these assessments.

Book Character Dress-Up Day on Thursday 25 June

In the name of fun and promoting reading, HFS will have our annual “Book Character Dress-up Day” on Thursday 25 June since we were unable to hold it while E-Learning was taking place. All students are encouraged to dress up as a literary character from their favourite book on the day. (I must remind parents that face masks are still to be worn even if not part of their costume). I look forward to seeing the creative costumes that the students can come up with and each class will vote for the best dressed person in their class. It should be a lot of fun.

Scholastics Book Club Due by Thursday 25 June

Still on the topic of reading, I am happy to share with you the link to the HFS Scholastic Book Club Special. If you would like to order books for your child at a greatly reduced rate, please click here to see what the HFS Scholastic Book Club has on offer. A percentage of sales will go to a worthy cause; Since, for every $1 you spend on this month’s Book Club, our school will earn 20¢ in Scholastic Rewards. Please place your order online by 25 June 2020. Thank you for your support with this fantastic initiative.

HFS School Sports Day on Friday 3 July

On Friday 3 July between 09:30 and 11:30 am HFS will hold the school sports day. The HFS student council has been hard at work planning games that observe the correct social distancing guidelines while still being fun and competitive. If you feel that your child should not participate in the day’s fun and games, please inform the admin office by Tuesday 23 June. It promises to be a morning of exciting activities and competition and parents are encouraged to come and spectate.

Survey on the Year-End School Dance Due by Tuesday 23 June

Finally, as has come to be a tradition at HFS, we close the school year with a special event and in the last few years this has been in the form of a school dance. In the age of Covid-19, however, we must consider social distancing guidelines and for this reason we would like to gauge the feelings of all the parents of the HFS community regarding whether or not hosting an end of year school dance is preferred. We have designed a single question, yes/no survey for you to complete to see if we should go ahead with planning this event. Please click here to complete the survey by Tuesday 23 June. Should the majority favour not going ahead with the school dance, an alternative event will be arranged. Thank you for your cooperation in this matter.

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

Mr. Kearney

Dear Parents,

I am pleased to begin by mentioning that the school has started to chug along with everybody on board, thanks to cooperation and understanding of our school community. I would appreciate your continued support to ensure that we will be able to successfully complete the rest of our journey together for the 2019-2020 academic year. This week also, I have some news to share with you.

Get Well Soon, Chris

Unfortunately, one of our Y3 students Chris Roussos sustained an injury while playing during the lunch break yesterday. Our staff immediately took him to a hospital in Busan with his mother. He had surgery last evening and is currently recovering at the hospital, where he will remain for about a week. Let us join in wishing him a speedy and complete recovery.

Mr. Kearney to Return to School next Monday 15 June

Released from hospital on 8 June, he has been recovering at home. He is in good health and ready to come back next Monday 15 June. I am confident that he will lead the school forward with full energy and stamina. I would like to thank all the staff for working closely together to pull through the challenge. I would also like to thank our ESL teacher Mr. Baker and the substitute teacher Mr. John English who have given their best to provide quality teaching for our Y3’s and 4’s, and, last but not least, our parents for their kind support and understanding.

Return of the Whole School

Our students enjoyed the first week after return of the whole school. At the Assembly on Monday, they discussed and shared thoughts on the core value “confidence”. It is great to see that our students are adjusting fast to the new normality brought on by the novel coronavirus and are learning how to work together and overcome challenges with inner confidence. We hope they will keep it up until 17 July, the final day of the current school year, and beyond.

PTA Meeting on Tuesday 16 June

Mr. Kearney would like to invite you to a PTA meeting on Tuesday 16 June at 3:35 pm. He wants to share ideas with you about items such as yearbook contribution from the PTA fund, scholastics book order and the end-of-the-year function. Your participation in the meeting would be much appreciated.

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

Paul Eungsoo Kim

Executive Board Member

Dear Parents,

Summer is already here with daytime temperatures rising into 30s Celsius. It seems as if the school were awakening to brilliant rays of the sun after a long slumber. I have both good and bad news to share with you this week.

Mr. Kearney’s Hospitalization and a Hiring of a Substitute Teacher

As for the bad news first, although he is in a stable condition, Mr. Kearney will likely have to stay at the hospital by the end of next week to ensure full recovery. The good news is that we have succeeded in recruiting an experienced substitute teacher to teach our Y3’s and Y4’s: Mr. John English from the UK. He will be teaching our students from Tuesday until Mr. Kearny returns. As such, ESL lessons will resume next Wednesday.

I am also pleased to report that our students including the Y3’s and 4’s who came back last Wednesday are adjusting quickly to school life after a long absence. It is so obvious that they are enjoying in-class learning in the company of their classmates, while observing the school’s Covid-19 protocol such as wearing masks all the time, maintaining physical distance and washing hands as often and thoroughly as possible. Upon returning to school, Y3’s and 4’s also put their knowledge and skills to test in GL Assessments in Math, English, and Science from Wednesday to Friday.

Y 5-9 to Resume In-class Learning from Monday 8 June

Y5-9 students will be the last batch of students returning to school next Monday, completing the three-stage re-opening of the school. The day will mark the return of the whole school after unprecedented closure of more than three months. Welcome back!

In connection with the Y5-9’s coming back to school, this morning the admin office sent an email to guide their parents. This is a gentle reminder for them to read and follow the guidance.

The Snow Queen at the Dongrami Theater

Meanwhile, while the school was closed, Dongrami Theater staged a production of “The Snow Queen” featuring our students. Well done to Theo, Seongyun, and Dhanya for confidently performing their roles in the show! It is always a great pleasure to see our students display confidence and creativity in front of an audience.

We will hold down the fort in the absence of Mr. Kearney. We would appreciate your kind understanding and moral support for the school in these difficult times.

On a different note, the coronavirus has subsided to a manageable level in Korea and with the weather being sunny with attractive beaches nearby and green foliage all around, getting out with sunglasses on would naturally be very enticing. However, while doing so, be wary of the virus and stay safe and healthy. Take care.

Paul Eungsoo Kim
Executive Board Member

Dear Parents,

I am pleased to have the sound of a clamor of little voices around the school building this week as the F 1-2 and Year 1-2 students returned to in-class learning. The students have shown great resilience in adapting to the new schooling situation and I am happy to report that the short week went ahead without incident.

Year 3-4 to Start In-class Learning from Wednesday 3 June

 On a similar note, the Year 3-4 students will be returning to school from Wednesday 3 June to resume their in-class learning. I would like to include this reminder to parents to return the school equipment and resources with their child on the day. The bus will be operating as normal in the mornings and afternoons, so please be at the bus stop with your child at the regularly scheduled time for the bus to collect them. Please also ensure that your child is wearing a face mask for their first day of school. Masks are mandatory for all staff and children and, upon arrival at the school, HFS will provide 2 reusable fabric masks for your child which should be taken home and labeled clearly with their name. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation in this regard.

Learning Materials Delivery for Year 3-9

 This afternoon HFS will deliver learning materials with the school bus for Year 3-9 students for next week’s online learning. The school bus will depart the school at 3:45 pm and follow the afternoon school bus route and schedule displayed below. Please be at your designated stop at the scheduled time to collect your child’s learning materials.

1. Hyundai Foreign School     3:45 PM
2. Santevill 115 – 111     3:47 PM
3. E Pyeonhan 103 – 115     3:56 PM
4. Prugio 110 – I Park 107     3:58 PM
5. Ulsan College Back Gate     4:03 PM
6. Bangeojin Foreign Apartment     4:15 PM
7. SMS Residence     4:22 PM

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

Mr. Kearney

Dear Parents,

I am pleased that HFS will be reopening for in-class teaching in its first stage next week. While we are facing a challenging and unprecedented situation in terms of how we approach schooling, I would like to assure all parents that the staff at HFS are well prepared in dealing with this “new-normal”. I am certain that if all the protocols are adhered to, we should overcome this trial by working together.

Disclaimer Regarding Reopening of the School

In last week’s newsletter, the HFS Covid-19 Protocol for Reopening the school was outlined and a hardcopy was sent to parents. I do hope that you have taken time to familiarize yourself with the procedures and measures that were explained in the notification. HFS requires all parents to read and agree to a disclaimer regarding the measures that will be put in place to ensure that the school is a safe and hygienic place of teaching and learning for all. Please click here to complete the form and submit your response by no later than Tuesday 26 May. Thank you for your cooperation in this regard.

FS 1-2 and Year 1-2 to Start In-class Learning from Wednesday 27 May

The school has been far too quiet until now and I will be happy to see the school once again be active with early years and year 1-2 students from Wednesday 27 May. The school bus will be in operation in the morning and the afternoon as per the regular schedule. If you have signed up for your child to take the school bus but prefer not to use it for any reason, please inform the school admin office. Parents are reminded to send all material and equipment to school with their child on the first day of learning to use in class. The school will provide students with 2 sealed, reusable facemasks but parents are required to send their child to school with a face mask until students can receive their allocated masks. Parents must label the masks clearly with their child’s name after receiving them on the first day so that no student uses another child’s mask.

Learning Materials Delivery

This afternoon HFS will once again send the silver school van to deliver learning materials for next week’s online learning. The van will depart the school at 3:30 pm and follow the regular school bus route. Please be at your designated stop at the scheduled time to collect your child’s learning materials.

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

Mr. Kearney