Newtown

As an expat we joined this school last October and was so impressed with the leadership and administration at the school. The first grade teacher has been very patient and communicates on where my child was needing help. My son looks forward to going to this school every single day and that shows that this team is doing a good job.

I went to this school from kindergarten-5th grade and I loved it. I am now in 7th grade. Many of the kids were nice and respected others. Some of them were disruptive but the teachers handled it well. The lessons were mostly made in a fun way so that It didn’t feel boring. We could also have partners which helped others. We even got to do fun lessons on days like Halloween, like making cookies that look like cells. I had a great experience and recommend this school!

The teachers and staff are great! Academics are great, school environment and culture are great, and the children love this school. Our son has just finished 5th grade at Hillside after starting there in Kindergarten. He was not the easiest of students. He has mild autism, which they recognized and found appropriate ways to help us, without ever blaming or shaming us. When he was younger, he could get overwhelmed easily and had poor emotional regulation, which could seem scary at times, and yet they never overreacted. They always responded in compassionate ways that took into account the needs of our son balanced with the needs of the other children. As our son related, he knew he was "well-known, and not always for the right reasons." All the while, the teachers and administration communicated well with us as and developed strategies to help our son. They always shared what they thought best and listened to our feedback. We never had to ask them to do more, and in fact, suggested several times that they could reduce the level of extra support they were willingly offering.Early on, I was a bit taken aback at an event where the principal greeted our son by name, until I noticed he was greeting *all* the children by their names! Last week, all of his teachers celebrated his growth during his time there. I was teary-eyed all through the promotion ceremony. We knew before kindergarten that our son would be a handful, and were turned down for admission by several private schools that we thought might be better-suited for him. I am so glad that we ended up at Hillside - I cannot image that any school would have done better.This is an excellent school that cares deeply for the students who attend there. Highly recommend.