13 Dec 2017

Newsletter- 13/12/17

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

 

 

Dates for Your Diary

 

Thursday 14 December                                        3:15pm Farewell afternoon tea in library for Karen Thomas

Thursday 14 December                                        Y5 & Y6 Sports Day

Friday 15 December                                             Term ends at midday

Monday 8 January                                                 First day of Term 2

Friday 19 January                                                  School Disco

 

Dear Parents,

The warmest of seasons greetings to you,

 

As we come to the end of the first year we can see by looking back through the newsletters and Facebook that we are indeed shooting the AAROW of success for every child at KJS. Our children have Achieved by making progress with their learning, they have developed Agency their own learning goals, self assessment and through camps and other experiences, they are growing as Respectful learners caring for self, others and the environment, they have Opportunity to learn in a range of places, in different ways, with different people, through the arts, the outdoors, academic challenges and to be critical and creative thinkers and finally their Wellbeing has been enhanced through a positive and joyful learning environment. I am so thankful to the team at KJS that make all of this possible.

 

Farewell Ms Thomas 🙁

This week we farewell Ms Karen Thomas. It has been an honour and privilege to get to know Ms Thomas and to work alongside her over the last five months. Karen has such a heart for children and their learning, such a passion for KJS, the staff, children and community and an incredibly deep knowledge of teaching and learning. Her influence will be felt for quite some time and she will be sorely missed. I know the staff, School Council, PTA, community and children all wish Karen the best as she relocates to the UK.

 

A Christmas wish…

As we break for Christmas I encourage you to take advantage of the opportunity to enjoy family and especially your children. Record those special moments on your video camera on your phone but also feel free to put away the devices (I know this sounds scary) and be present with your child giving them your undivided love and attention. Enjoy the special moments when they are young and full of the wonder of life. I am a father and a grandfather, I have four children, and one grandson. My oldest child just turned 29, my youngest 21 and my grandson 5. My second child, Jamie, would have been 27 in October however he was killed in a tragic car accident just short of his 18th birthday. I am so thankful Jamie was a young boy before the overwhelming influence of the digital media age and we could be present in the moment without the interruption of texts, Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Wechat, work calls etc. I miss the fact I cannot spend special days (in fact any day) with him, however I did spend many, many quality moments with Jamie, just being present, doing things together, playing, laughing, exploring the outdoors, reading snowboarding, sailing, windsurfing… Time with your children is something you can never get back after the fact. Do have a wonderful time being present and building memories with your family over the Christmas break.

 

Thank you to the many parents who have been so supportive of myself and KJS this term, I could not have asked for a warmer welcome! We look forward to seeing you in the new year.

 

Kindest regards and seasons greetings

 

亲切的问候,

सधन्यवाद

Neill

Principal

 

 

 

PTA Update

Special PTA Meeting for December 2017

Thank you to everyone who showed up for our special PTA meeting yesterday.  We honoured two people who have worked hard to make the PTA committee what it is today.

Karen Thomas was showered with thank you messages from the present and past committees.  It was so nice to see parents whose children have already graduated from KJS at this event.  This is a real indication of the parent community we have.

Sheila Gridley, our outgoing Treasurer, was also honoured for her work with the PTA and her continued guidance with finances.

Thank you Karen and Sheila.  While we still have Sheila on our committee as a Teacher Representative, we will miss Karen and wish her every success in her future endeavors.

 

School Lunches

The lunch orders for January can be placed from 15 December 2017 onwards.  Please be assured that we have been working on ironing out the issues we had with cancellation of orders.

 

‘Red and Gold’ School Disco

Our annual school disco will be held on Friday 19 January 2018.  Tickets have been selling out fast at the PTA office.  Don’t forget to purchase your tickets if you haven’t already.  Ticket purchase forms can be filled in here.

 

Remember to come dressed in a touch of red and gold for this fun-filled school event.

School Fair

We are grateful to have received some amazing sponsorship and prizes for the fair.  Thank you so much.

Your continued support helps us create successful and memorable events.  The sponsorship received this year has been truly generous.

Currently we are collecting items for the Auction and the White Elephant Stall.  If you have things you would like to donate, please let us know at the PTA office.  Also note that due to safety protocols, we cannot accept items that are damaged.

We will be having a book sale at the fair.  If you have books in good condition that you would like to donate, please approach one of our PTA Administrators and they will help you.

Don’t forget our fair will take place on Saturday 17 March 2018.  We would love to see your family and friends there.

 

Volunteers

We are looking for volunteers for the disco and the school fair.  If you would like to help, please do let us know.

 

Thank you.

 

 

Lost and Found

There are quite a lot of jackets, jumpers, water bottles, recorders, trainers, hats, and other items that have been put in the Lost & Found Corner for a while. Please send your child to the Lost & Found Corner which is in the lift lobby on G/F and check if they have lost these items in school. All these items will be disposed of after Friday 12 January 2018. Please check with the school office if you or your child have lost some valuable items such as necklaces, earrings, etc.

 

 

Student Success

Momoka (4K) participated in All Hong Kong Karatedo Youth Game 2017 in this school term and she won 2nd Runner Up in Girl Junior Kata Age 8-9 section. Momoka would like to share this achievement with the KJS community. Congratulations Momoka!

 

 

Arya (4L), Sofia (4L), Chesney (4L), Siu Wan (3P), Khloe (3A), and Agnes (3A) participated in Hong Kong Girl Guides Campfire Fun, they were involved in activities such as learning to tie a reef knot, nature walk, tracking signs, first aid basics, and singing campfire songs. They would like to share this experience with the KJS community!

 

Arya (4L) and Ashwin (3D) earned their yellow belt for self defence and Krav Maga, they would to share this achievement with the KJS community.  Congratulations Arya and Ashwin!

 

Ethan (3D) had great fun taking part in the Ronaldo Academy Football U8 Tournament, held in Sai Kung last Saturday 2 December. After several exciting matches, Ethan and his “Dragons” teammates eventually earned bronze medals. Congratulations Ethan!

 

Sophia (5H) performed at the 69th Hong Kong Schools Speech Festival Competition. She received a merit certificate for both Solo Prose Speaking and Solo Verse Speaking competitions. Sophia would like to share this with the KJS community. Congratulations Sophia!

 

Gustav (3C) participated the 47th International Children’s Art Exhibition 2017 organised by the Foundation for Art Education, Japan and he was awarded the Bronze Award. He would like to share this happy moment with the KJS community. Congratulations Gustav!

 

Harshitha (5C) participated in the Multi Talent competition held by the Indian Arts Circle on 10 December and won the first prize in the children’s 6-10 age group category for her dance performance. Congratulations Harshitha!

 

Esme (2B) participated in 69th Hong Kong Schools Speech Festival on Saturday. She achieved the Champion in the Solo Verse Speaking (ages 5-7) group. She would like to share this good news with school. Congratulations Esme!

 

ESF and Other Notices

4th International Zhou Youguang Cup Chinese Talent Show

To better promote Chinese Culture and to strengthen Chinese education amongst Hong Kong’s youngsters, we are going to hold the 4th  Zhou Youguang Cup Chinese Talent Show in April, 2018. We also aim to use this event to showcase young Chinese learners’ talent and to offer them a platform for communication.

Please click here to watch a video about last year’s Chinese Talent Show, and click here for more detail about this year’s show and registration.

 

 

ESF 50th Anniversary Commemorative Book

To mark ESF’s half-century, we are publishing a commemorative book: ESF The First 50 Years. This volume will chronicle the ESF story, highlighting key events over the last 50 years. It will also celebrate the successes and contributions of our students and staff, both past and current.

The book will be published in November 2017. Place your online order NOW at http://www.esf.edu.hk/50th-book/

Enquiries: 50book@esfcentre.edu.hk

 

 

Disclaimer:

Kowloon Junior School, English Schools Foundation and its affiliates shall take no responsibility for any activities, events and services that are organised by other organisations or individuals and are mentioned in our newsletters..