Welcome back to all Year 9 pupils and parents. Â
I hope that everyone has had a restful summer break and that you were able to enjoy the fabulous Hong Kong weather.Â
To those families who were fortunate enough to travel, welcome back and hopefully the time in quarantine wasn’t too stressful.
To our new students and families: Welcome! We are very excited to have you join us at Discovery Bay International School. Â
As Head of Year, it is my role to support, encourage and monitor our students to ensure progress is made. I expect them to maintain high standards of behaviour and enthusiasm for their learning as they move forward with new and exciting challenges. I will strive to foster a positive atmosphere within the year group, where all pupils feel valued and understand our joint responsibility for developing their academic, emotional and social skills so they can fulfil their potential and go on to be successful young adults.
As an experienced member of staff, I am aware of how difficult it can be at times; I want you to know that we are here to help and ensure your child achieves and excels.Â
As a parent/carer you also play an important role in the education of your child, and your encouragement and involvement can help a child excel. Your thoughts and views on how we can all work together in a meaningful way are always welcome.Â
Our tutor team this year is:
| 9D | Fiona Mak | [email protected] |
| 9B | Susanne Clark | [email protected] |
| 9I | James Kane | [email protected] |
Our team is fantastic and will get to know all of the students very well; this will, no doubt, help ensure that the students’ transition into Year 9 is smooth.
This is an important year for our students as they embark on their options for IGCSE and BTEC courses.Â
The dates for the options process will be as follows:
Thursday 15th September 2022 – Making the Most of Year 9 Information Evening
Tuesday 20th September – SLT interviews with students (an opportunity for guidance and support to assist our students)
29th September -Year 8&9 Report Information SettingÂ
Friday 7th October 2022 – Initial Options Choices Open
Friday 14th October 2022 – Initial Options Choices Close
Monday 14th November 2022 – Parents’ Options Evening
Tuesday 15th November 2022 – Final Options Open
Thursday 24th November 2022 – Final Options Choices Close
Wednesday 7th December 2022 – Final Options Letter sent home
As our students are entering into Year 9, they are expected to be growing in independence as they progress through the school. Each student will have a diary that must be used; they are required to write down the homework set and the date it must be handed in, alongside other key dates such as tests and coursework due dates. Parents are asked to sign these weekly, and tutors will be checking diaries too. This is another line of communication between students, parents and tutors that we will be actively using this year.Â
Attendance at school is always important. Students are encouraged to attend all lessons as the content for each subject is increasing. If your child is to be absent from any lessons, then please ensure that you fill in the JotForm here (this can also be found under the ‘Parent Information’ section on the Hub) so that no follow-up action is taken. Students are also expected to contact each teacher for catch-up work; it is the students’ responsibility to do this for every lesson missed.
Building on from last year, students will, in the first half-term, be setting SMART targets for each of their subjects after a conversation with their teachers. These targets will be reflected upon throughout the year in one-to-ones with their tutor teachers and are there to help focus and inspire our students. Weekly targets will also be set in the students’ diaries, and parents may wish to have a conversation with their children about these too.
Key dates for this term:
- Year 7-9 Report Information Setting – 7th September
- Student Target Setting in subject lessons: Wednesday 14th September 2022 – Friday 23rd September 2022
- Making the Most of Year 9 – Options Process, Report Guidance and Target Setting: Thursday 15th September 2022
- Provisional dates for school photos – late September tbc
- Short Reports Published – Tuesday 11th October 2022
Lunchtime reminder
To accommodate the Education Bureau guidelines about students’ eating arrangements at lunchtime, we will have to return to having two sittings, with set year groups having their lunch at certain times.Â
The first sitting will be from 1.30pm – 1.50pm and will be for students in Years 7, 8 and 10.
The second sitting will be from 2pm – 2.20pm and will be for students in Years 9,11, 12 and 13.
Year 9 students will be eating their lunch in the canteen between 2pm and 2.20pm.
Uniform reminderÂ
As you know, students are expected to adhere to the uniform requirements of the school, including wearing black shoes and not having unnaturally coloured hair. The full uniform list can be found on the Hub under ‘Parent information’ and under ‘Uniform and Stationery’ in the student diary.Â
1:1 Tutoring
Students and tutor teachers will begin meeting for their 1:1 sessions from Monday 5th September. Tutors will create and share a timetable for these sessions with students. These sessions are incredibly important and valuable for many reasons and attendance is, of course, compulsory.
Finally, if you have any questions, your first point of contact is your child’s tutor. They may then contact me if required, and of course, you are also welcome to contact me for urgent matters. We are here to support your child in terms of their academics and wellbeing and look forward to enjoying a positive and productive year.
Tracey Smal
Head of Year 9