Welcome back.
A warm welcome back to all our students, students and staff after a well-deserved Christmas break. I would like to take this opportunity to welcome you back to Term 2 and to wish you a slightly belated Happy New Year. I hope that you were all able to enjoy a restful break, and it has been wonderful to see the Year 9 students return to school ready for the new term.
Celebration of achievements in Term 1Â Â
Despite the restrictions, there was much to celebrate in Term 1, and the highlight for me was the Discovery Presentations given by members of Year 9. The effort, time and teamwork demonstrated during these projects were fantastic to see, and Mrs Prabhu, who oversaw the Presentations, was really impressed too.Â
The Year 9s chose projects based on sustainability, school issues, STEAM or anything of their own interest. So they have tried to become ‘experts’ in the specific topic.Â
This was the first time year 9s were doing this in a normal school situation. They have struggled with various issues like teamwork, long-term focus and time management, priorities and questions in the project, and their reflections at the end. Many have struggled with video editing and presentation skills. So it has been a huge learning process for many of them. We have tried to shift their focus more on the process rather than the end product. The final product was amazing, and all should be very proud of their achievements. Â
Many of our students took part in the FOBISIA Maths competition. With around 40 schools around Asia participating in this, our students did exceptionally well.Â
Special congratulations go to:
- Sun David Year 9 Silver
- Lam Kayin Year 9 Bronze
- Chan Thalia Year 9 Bronze
- Phoebus Aiden Year 9 Bronze
1:1 Tutoring
1:1 tutoring continues each morning, and your child’s tutor will have informed them when to attend. This provides an opportunity for the tutor to discuss any difficulties, provide support or just get to know their tutees better.
House EventsÂ
With the level of restrictions currently in place, we are not able to run a full House event programme. However, there are a number of competitions coming up or already started. Developing a chant, slogan and logo for each house is the first competition this term. I have already seen some excellent contributions from Year 9 students and encourage all to get involved and have an impact. We hope that over the coming months, we can begin to have more House Event opportunities for all students.
Review of target settingÂ
The start of the term is also a great opportunity to review the student-led SMART targets. Building on what they achieved last term is important, and by setting their own targets, students tend to be more motivated to strive towards them. It is important that these are realistic, and I will be discussing them with students in the coming weeks.
Lunch arrangements
To accommodate the Education Bureau guidelines requirements about students eating arrangements at lunchtime, we will have two sittings when children are in school, with set year groups having their lunch at certain times. Students will need to eat their lunch in either the Canteen, Globe or Sports Hall in year group bubbles: Year 9 will be eating from 1.55–2.15pm in the Sports Hall.
Uniform/hair reminder
I would like to take this opportunity to remind all students of the expectations of uniforms. Particular reminders are that students have plain black school shoes and keep their hair as one, natural colour.
Key Dates:
Wednesday 16th February 2022 – Reports Published
Thursday 28th April – Year 9 Strength and Target Reports Published
Thank you for your continued support with the Year 9 students. They have settled into Term 2 with renewed focus, determination and passion, which I hope will carry them through to the end of the year.Â
If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Kind regards
Tracey Smal