23 Jan 2017

Newsletter- 01/25/17

 

Kowloon Junior School’s latest newsletter is available to read now.

Help Needed
STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT
STUDENT OPPORTUNITIES
PARENT WORKSHOP OPPORTUNITY
Dates for your Dairy

 

 

Dear All,

It is wonderful to be back after a week away on recruitment. I have met some great teachers who will be an asset to Kowloon Junior School. Of course with every new recruit we have to say a very sad goodbye to well loved members of our team. This year Mr and Mrs Moxon will be leaving us to start a new adventure overseas after seven and six years respectively. Luke and Louise met at KJS so I know they will always remember their time with us, just as we will remember their years of dedication to the students and the school. We are also very sad to say goodbye to Mr Woodward who will be retiring from his position after twenty three years with us! Starting at KJS in 1989 and returning in 2001 after a few years in other schools Ken is part of the fabric of the school. After such a long time we have lots to be thankful for and we all wish Ken all the very best for the future.

Chinese New Year is nearly upon us. On Thursday we will have our Chinese New Year assembly at 9am. Parents of our performers are invited to join us. All students are welcome to wear Chinese or red clothing to celebrate the coming new year with us on this day. Please note that Thursday is a normal full day and after school activities will continue as usual unless parents have been informed otherwise by the club provider. We will start back at school on Monday 6th February.

This afternoon sixteen children and four parents took your generous donations to the children at The Hub. Your gifts were excitedly received and it was another wonderful opportunity for our community to make a difference to other people’s lives.

 

Finally I would like to offer my congratulations to Ms Pearson who is expecting her second baby later this year. I am just in the process of finalising the details of her maternity cover and will contact 4P parents directly as soon as this has been completed.

Wishing you a wonderful week.

Karen Thomas

Head of School

 

 

HELP NEEDED

We need some help to water our plants, trees and shrubs on 29 Jan, 30 Jan and 31 January! If you are able to volunteer we would be extremely grateful. Paul Melsom, our gardener will be free to talk to volunteers on Thursday. Please email Fion fion.sze@kjs.edu.hk if you are able to help out. Many thanks!

 

STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT

Belle won the championship with her friend in a jazz dance competition organized by the HK International Exchange of Artist & Culture Association. They participated in the children group for age 7-9.  Belle loves jazz dance and she was thrilled to win the trophy.  We are thrilled for you too Belle!

 

A big well done to Daniel who has won a bronze medal for maths and a gold trophy for performing piano on stage! What a winning week, Daniel!

 

Wun-Hey and his team Sparta Rotterdam were awarded the Bowl Winners (U10) in the Hong Kong Junior Football League held in Kowloon Cricket Club this month! Great job Wun-Hey!

 

A total of 7 KJS students took part in the 5th Chess Star Competition organised by the QBS PTA last weekend. There were close to 60 students from 9 different ESF primary schools in the tournament.

The KJS chess players included: Harold Kwong (6T), Sian Lee (4L), Sumukh Diwakar (4P), Alex Hon (3C), Niyati Khabiyq (3G), Jason Xia (2M) and Daniel Kim (2G). It was the very first time that Sian, Niyati, Jason and Daniel had participated in a chess tournament. They demonstrated great interest and put in their best efforts in the competition. Most importantly, they all enjoyed themselves!   After 6 rounds of games, Harold was 1st runner up in the upper primary division. Well done to all the team for a job very well done!

 

Congratulations to Jaden who participated in a swimming competition organized by his swimming club last week. Although initially rather hesitant to join he accepted the challenge –  and won bronze medals in both Boys 50m breaststroke and Boys 50m butterfly races! I am delighted to hear that Jaden was so courageous.

 

STUDENT OPPORTUNITIES

Last term, Justin Y6 and Sebastian Y3 took part in a weekly drama club in Tung Chung where they live.

Justin and Sebastian were part of a small play called “Pirates of the Caribbean Coast”. They had to learn their lines, how to say them so everybody could hear, as well as act some awesome pirate dance moves.

The highlight was two performances of for friends and family, with proceeds collected by the drama club (4Dimensions+) going to Save the Children. Well done boys, I am really impressed with your commitment to this worthy cause.

 

 

PARENT WORKSHOP OPPORTUNITY

Some of our children enjoyed a taster Kung Fu session run by the ESF Sports on Monday. Kung Fu lessons will run on Mondays from 6th Feb – 27th March at 3.15 – 4.15 in the school hall. The cost will be  $1840.

To register for ESF Kung Fu sessions please go to http://www.esf.org.hk/schedule-and-registration/searchresults.html?programme=SPORTS&programme=SPORTS&schools%5B%5D=KJS&term%5B%5D=02

Auditions for the Harmony Tree Summer Broadway Musical “Peter Pan Jr”  will be on March 12, 2017

at 10am (5-9yr) and 11am (10+ yr).

Auditions will be held by Ms Angie, a USA award-winning director at Harmony Tree Studio, 7/F Park Commercial Centre, 180 Tung Lo Wan Road

 

About Harmony Tree Studio

Since 2005, we have produced top-quality musical productions that achieved world-recognized theatre awards including “Treasure Island”, “The Wizard of Oz”, “Alice in Wonderland” etc.  For more details, please refer to www.harmonytree.com.hk

Should you have any questions or need additional information regarding our summer theatre production, please do not hesitate to contact us by email: mabel@harmonytree.com.hk, or Tel: 3102-8312. Thank you for your time and consideration.

 

Parents should note that the school has no affiliation with Harmony Tree Studio – we pass this information on as it came to us knowing that some of our students may relish the opportunity to perform.

 

PARENT WORKSHOP OPPORTUNITY

Guest Speaker, Dr. Loretta Giorcelli, OAM, Profession of Child Development & Special Education Sydney, Australia will be presenting to Parents & Educators in Hong Kong.

Dr Loretta Giorcelli, OAM, Professor of Child Development and Special Education Sydney, Australia. She holds a Bachelors Degree in Education, a Masters Degree in Education, a Masters Degree in Special Education and a Ph.D. (Linguistics and Communication Disabilities) from the University of Illinios (USA).

Dr Giorcelli trained as a primary/special education teacher in Queensland in the late 1960s and has taught profoundly deaf students with a range of disabilities, at pre-school, primary and secondary levels in segregated and integrated settings in both the United Kingdom and Australia. She worked as a teacher, consultant and school principal in Queensland and London schools before accepting a position as the NSW Director of Special Education and Equity Programs (Aboriginal Education, Migrant Education, ESL, Early Childhood Education, Disadvantaged Schools etc). She has also lectured at the tertiary level at the University of NSW where she established the Certificate of Learning Disabilities and the Certificate of Integration Studies. 

Dr Giorcelli has also worked as a consultant for the United Nations, a government adviser in Cyprus and for the Australian Government on overseas development projects in Papua New Guinea. She co-edited “Accepting the Literacy Challenge” (Scholastic) with Dr Alan Watson in 2000 and has contributed reviews and chapters to an extensive range of texts and monographs since 1979. From 2004 – 2007 she was involved in one of the largest national projects investigating the inclusion of students with disabilities in regular classrooms.

”The Critical Role of Parents in Developing Resilience and Coping Strategies in children and Teens”

 

Dr. Giorcelli will speak on the topic of resilience or “grit” and the role it plays in helping children and teens withstand the pressures of school, peers, and life’s ups and downs.  Her talk will explore the latest research on the role parents play in helping foster a child’s belief in their own ability to succeed – a skill especially important when learning or socializing present challenges.

Using the very latest research, Dr. Giorcelli will explore the parents’ role and the four “protective factors” which contribute to a child’s ability to cope with perceived adversity.

  • altering risk or the child’s exposure to risk
  • reducing negative chain reactions
  • fostering ongoing self-esteem and self-efficacy
  • the timing of creating opportunities for your child

Dr. Giorcelli will conclude by sharing a curriculum for the home to help nurture these protective factors. Parents will come away with a set of 10 practical strategies to promote the healthy development of resilience in children and teens.

 

Date:    9 Feb 2017 (Thur)

Time:     7-9pm

(6:30 registration & refreshments)

Venue:   The ISF Academy, Primary Libruary, 1 Kong Sin Wan, Pokfulam, HK

Cost:   HK$350 (non-member)      

To register: http://www.focus.org.hk/index.php?id=309

 

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY

25 January: Y1 Special Assembly 9am

26 January: Chinese New Year Assembly 9am

27 January – 3 February: Chinese New Year Holiday

6 February: Back to school

15 February: Maths Workshop for parents

13 March: Maths Week

17 March: ESF Choral Concert

18 March: KJS School Fair

18 March: School Fair

23 March: Student Led Conferences 3-6pm

24 March: Classes suspended for Student Led Conferences

27 March: KJS Music Concert

28 March: Y1 and Y2 Sports Day 9am

31 March: Term 2 ends at midday

 

We will inform you if there are any changes to these dates in the coming weeks.