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18 Nov 2020

Newsletter- 18/11/20

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

 

Dates for Your Diary

17 – 20 November                              School Photos

Monday 23 November                        Return to school full days 8:30am – 2:30pm

Tuesday 24 November                       5:00pm Reporting 2020/21 Workshop (Improving our reporting systems)

Tuesday 1 December                         5:00pm Literacy (Reading & Writing) Workshop

Friday 11 December                           Last day of term – Half day (finish at 12pm)

14 December – 1 January                   Term Break

Monday 4 January                              First day of Term 2

 

 

Dear Parents.

We have wonderful news! We finally have approval for a full return to school commencing next week, Monday 23 November. This will be the first time since January 2020 since we have had all children on site for full days and we are ready! The school has completed a comprehensive plan that allows children to attend full days with eating their lunches at school and then continue learning in the afternoon.

Commencing Monday 23 November, we will revert to full days with details as follows:

  • School day will revert to 8:30am to 2:30pm (soft start commences 8:00am);
  • Children will eat lunch in two dedicated spaces with special dividers to ensure children can eat safely. Years 1-3 will eat in the hall and Years 4-6 on the 4th floor dedicated space;
  • Children will eat in the dedicated spaces in silence and in year groups (maximum 150 children at any one time);
  • Children must bring in lunch from home that can eat and manage without any support from adults;
  • Eating areas will be cleaned between each year group;
  • Children will continue to have a supervised morning movement area and time;
  • The school day will conclude at 2:30pm due to the shortened lunch time with collection for walkers in the same space as at present;
  • We will continue to utilise our 3M’s for Success to ensure safety for all;
  • The CHP will continue to guide and direct the school regarding URTI. Although we will be in full return to school mode, there may be times where classes are suspended and revert to distance learning for a number of days (which is why it is essential that you have the ESF App).

In 2019/20, the school evidenced successful management of lunch eating with well developed strategies. We will now implement these same strategies to allow us to return to full days in 2020/21 with 900 children. Timetables and supervision schedules have been created to manage each year groups movement to, eating in and moving back to classes from designated eating areas.

We look forward to having the children back in school and enjoying a move toward ‘normal’ school.

Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any queries regarding return to full days.

 

URTI and Class Suspensions

We currently have three classes suspended by the CHP due to URTI (no new cases today). I want to reiterate the suspension is because parents are doing the right thing by keeping children home if they are unwell. The CHP reviews our daily absences and when we reach the threshold for the amount of children absent with two or more URTI symptoms, a class may be suspended at the instruction of the CHP.

Please do not contact the school seeking numbers of children absent in a class or symptoms of children as this information will not be provided to individual parents. We will manage the health and wellbeing of staff and students and will take advice and direction from ESF and the CHP. Where classes are open for face to face learning, this is because it is safe to do so. Where classes are suspended, this is because we have been instructed to suspend even when the sick children are at home and only well children are in school. As we continue to monitor and respond to cases of URTI in school, please be reminded that your child should only return to school once they are 48 hours free of symptoms, without the aid of medication.

 

Farewell Ms Sheila Gridley

We will farewell Ms Gridley this week and over 8 years of dedicated work with KJS. Ms Gridley has had an incredibly positive influence on the school with her dedicated work as an EA, her passion and energy in leading the PTA, and her positivity and humour as a colleague and team member. We will miss Sheila as she returns to the UK with her family and we wish her all the best for the future. Given Ms Gridley’s work with the community via the PTA, we wanted to acknowledge her contribution to the wider KJS community.

 

Kind regards

亲切的问候,

सधन्यवाद

Neill O’Reilly

Principal

 

 

Yearly Fee Collection

To streamline fees and provide a sustainable solution to technology demands, we will continue collecting a lump sum from each child.  Please click here to download a copy of the newsletter.

 

 

Library News

Author Visit Book Order Forms

On 12 & 13 November, the Year 4 children had the opportunity to meet with the author of The Green Dragon, Ms. Suzanne Younan.  Suzanne shared her journey with the children on how she was inspired to write her book to educate children to make changes in their daily lives to reduce plastic pollution in Hong Kong. Illustrations and the story are set in Hong Kong and children are able to make the connection after reading it.

This is a great book that can be purchased even if you’re not in Year 4 as the message resonates with everyone. Books sold for $120 each or $220 for two. Subsequent books are $100. Great for the upcoming holiday season. Here are the book order forms. Please look at the KJS Virtual Library for more details.

 

 

ESF and Other Notices

73rd Hong Kong Schools Music Festival (2021)

Entry forms for the 73rd Hong Kong Schools Music Festival (2021) are now available (click here ).  Parents who wish their children to participate in the Festival must return the completed forms together with the entry fee in cash, to the school office by Friday 20 November, 2020.  Late applications cannot be processed.

Please also write your child’s name and class on the top right hand corner of the entry form.  For further details on Rules & Regulations and Syllabus, please visit the official website http://www.hksmsa.org.hk

 

 

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:
  1. 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.
  2. 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://kjs.edu.hk/kjs-news/.
  3. 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.