Newsletter- 14/08/19
Kowloon Junior School’s latest newsletter is available to read now.
Dates for Your Diary
Tuesday 13 August First day of 2019/2020 school year
Monday 2 September ‘You Tell Us’ Meetings – No school
Friday 6 September PTA AGM and Mid Autumn Festival Evening
Thursday 12 September CPD – No school
Monday 30 September CPD – No school
Tuesday 1 October National Day – No school
Friday 4 October Day before Mid-Term Break – FULL Day Classes
7 – 11 October Mid-Term Break
31 October & 7 November 3 Way Learning Conference
12 – 15 November School Photo
Friday 15 November Bingo Night
Friday 13 December Last day of term – Half day (finish at 12pm)
16 December – 3 January Term Break
Monday 6 January First day of Term 2
Dear Parents,
Welcome again to 2019/20 our year of sustainability and literacy.
A special welcome to all of our new families in 2019/20.
We had a delightful morning welcoming the students back on Tuesday together with our new Year 1 families and their children. Already, our children are stepping up to the mark as leaders, with a group of Year 6 student leaders, launching our 2019/20 staff only day, welcoming staff and challenging the staff regarding sustainability! Here is an important video that accompanied their challenge. It is worth watching!
We welcome new staff that included three classroom teachers, two teachers in our music department, one teacher in our Chinese Department, and nine new and returning Educational Assistants on Monday. The new staff have had a very carefully planned and positive transition to KJS and are well set up to start the year. I know your children will be enjoying their first few days if the visits I have had to classrooms are an indication.
With our priority of safety and learning as we start the new year, once again we commit to keeping communications up to date if we note any risk to student safety due to the situation in Hong Kong. Below you are requested to update your personal contact details on Gateway. This is an essential component of ensuring your child’s safety.
From a sustainability perspective a reminder of the “Real Foods” goal of children being provided with healthy, wrapper free food in reusable containers. From a literacy perspective, we encourage you to start the year by reading to your children daily and ensuring they have non-technology reading time before they sleep each night. Children who eat and read well are more successful at school!
When welcoming the new parents, I did make some suggestions about how to support children in the challenging times we find ourselves in. It is important to note that feelings of uncertainty, anxiety about the future may be caused when hearing the news about events in Hong Kong and other places. Our children may be affected by such news and it is important that parents are aware of ways they can help their children manage, should this happen.
Parents can help provide opportunities where feelings can be discussed within a safe context, as well as maintaining a sense of normality, routine and calm. Supporting children will enable them to process and manage their feelings and build resilience.
The following suggestions may be helpful:
- Reassure children that they are safe and are genuinely valued by the adults around them.
- Let children know that it is alright to be upset. All feelings are OK, but not all behaviours.
- Maintain a normal routine and spend time listening to what your children need to tell you.
- Emphasize resilience. Focus on the child’s competencies, in terms of their daily life. Help them see
they have many strengths to help them cope if feeling anxious or upset.
- Create opportunities for strength building. Be aware of your child’s strengths, the activities your
child is good at and encourage them to take part.
- Provide opportunities for children to share their feelings. Consider books or artwork that will
allow opportunities for discussion or expression of feelings. Sharing worries or feelings with other
family members reduces a sense of vulnerability and isolation and raises optimism and self esteem.
- Provide opportunities for physical exercise. Exercise is valuable in developing natural chemicals
in the brain to help us cope with feelings such as shock or worry.
- Monitor media/ news that your child might see. The media and social media will report on some
extreme behaviours which could upset your child. It is also important to ensure that adults and older
children are mindful of the conversations they are having that could upset younger children.
- Communicate any concerns with school. If you have any worries or concerns about your child’s
emotional behaviour please let the school know. There will be things the school can do to help.
- Look after yourself. A time of stress can mean less energy and more potential for illness for you, as
well as others. So please take care of yourself.
If you have any concerns about your child, please do get in touch with your child’s class teacher. You can also get in touch with the school senior leadership team who will be able to listen to you and advise you further in need.
Have a great week and do contact us if you have any queries.
Kind regards
亲切的问候,
सधन्यवाद
Neill O’Reilly
Principal
School Buses and Private Cars
In order to ensure that drop-off and pick-up times are smooth and safe, and to avoid irate neighbours, please be reminded that the area outside the main school gate should be left free for the school buses to park. There is plenty of room further down the road to drop off your children. Thank you in advance for your cooperation.
Bringing in and Collecting Children
Parents please be reminded that school gate is open at 8.00am in the morning, and children must be collected from school by 3.00pm. If your child participates in after-school activities at KJS, he/she must be collected immediately when the activity is finished. If you are delayed in collecting your child, you must call the school. If for any reason you have to drop your child earlier than 8.00am or have to pick up your child after 3.00pm on a regular basis, approval from the Principal is required.
Student Absence
Parents are asked to contact the school office before the start of school if a child is absent. If the school office does not get notification from you, the School Nurse will call your family home.
This year, to streamline communication with parents, a new function on Gateway to report absence is introduced (see below). You are strongly encouraged to try this new function.
Residential Address Update
If your family has moved or changed residential address or contact details over the summer, please be reminded to update accordingly on Gateway, especially for Year 6 children, as transition to Year 7 will be processed according to current residential at the time of application. You are required to upload address proof when making the change, which includes 1) a stamped copy of tenancy or a current government demand for rates bill, and 2) a utility bill or bank statement.
Message from the Nurse
Parents please be reminded to log onto Gateway and update your child(ren)’s ‘Emergency Contact’ information. This should be the contact details of designated caregivers other than yourselves, for example a helper or grandparents. We will always try and contact parents first, but when this is not possible it is imperative we have another option.
Extra-Curricular Activities (After School or Lunch Time)
This term’s activities will open for registration at 1pm on Friday 23 August 2019. Details will be posted on Gateway on Wednesday 21 August.
Junior Baking Class – Term 1
PTA Update
Welcome back to another great year at Kowloon Junior School!
We met with the Year 1 parents yesterday and received lots of positive interest in PTA and taking an active role on the committee this year.
PTA Membership fees for this year will be collected during the payment for Term 1. Fees are at $600 per family this year.
Please fill out the PTA Membership forms using this link to keep us informed of your current contact details.
If you are interested in being a Parent Representative for your class or if you would like to take on an Executive Position on the committee, please do let us know via the form. We also need lots of volunteers at events so please let us know if you would like to help.
Our first PTA Meeting of the year will be held on Tuesday 27 August 2019 at 4:30pm in the School Library.
We would like to request parents, who are interested in representing their classes at meetings, to please attend.
We will discuss the appointment of Executive Committee positions as well.
Our AGM and celebration for the Mid-Autumn Festival will be on Friday 6 September 2019. Further details will be released shortly.
School uniforms are available at the PTA shop. The order forms can also be accessed using this link https://www.kjs.edu.hk/uniform-order-form/.
Hope the children have a wonderful first week at school.
Thank you.
Kind regards,
Saloni Melwani
Chair, PTA
Student Success
The celebration of student success will channel to our Facebook page. You can find the school’s Facebook here. Please keep the photos and stories coming of our children shooting the AAROW’s of Success!
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.
- If you do not wish to receive our newsletters by email, you may contact the school office at office@kjs.edu.hk to opt out. Our newsletters will still be accessible on our website https://www.kjs.edu.hk/kjs-news/.
- In accordance with our Personal Data Handling Policy, Kowloon Junior School and English Schools Foundation may place your child’s photos, name, school work, activities and accomplishments in our newsletters or other publications (including but not limited to our websites and social media sites). If you would like to opt out, please email the school office at office@kjs.edu.hk.
