CONTENTS
- Principal's Column
- Schoolwide News
- German International Stream
- English International Stream
- Wellbeing Corner
- Highlights of the Week
Connect with GSIS
🏀 Led by Coach Tommy Vogel from ALBA BERLIN Basketball Academy, come and join us this Christmas holiday with our 4-day basketball camp where all skill levels are welcome! Improve your dribbling, shooting, decision making, and more. Plus, each participant gets an ALBA BERLIN T-Shirt, official camp certificate, and a chance to win ALBA BERLIN prizes! Register today.
🗓️ Date: 27 - 30 December 2023
📍 Venue: Lower Building Sports Hall (L401), German Swiss International School, 11 Guildford Road, The Peak, Hong Kong
For more information and registration, please visit docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfAqhThpHyK6T8s9mlkzoBKdB6THz11yRNzyyBCDOKLySmv4A/viewform
#GSIS #GermanSwissInternationalSchool #InternationalSchool #HongKong #EducationalExcellence #GSISEasterCamp @albaberlinacademy.asia
GSIS Gazette – Issue #84
9th September 2022Principal's Column
Dear School Community
Now that the second full week of classes has taken place, it already feels like we are in the middle of the semester. When I walk through the corridors of the school and pass by the classrooms and take a quick peek into the classroom activity, I see our great student body working intensively and motivated on new academic fields under the guidance of the outstanding teaching staff. The engaging faces of the teachers and the satisfied faces of the students always motivate me in my work.
The bus transport slowly finds the right track
Especially in the last few days, I have been repeatedly approached with organisational problems regarding bus transport. Together with our bus organisation team, we strive to support the parents in each individual case to the best of our ability when there are problems between parents and bus companies.
I have a lot of sympathy for the individual families where the bus transport has not been organised as desired. The goal for me and the bus team is to look ahead and find solutions. In the majority of cases this has already been done, in the remaining cases interim solutions are being sought or worked out and in some individual cases more work around needs to be accomplished. Be assured that we are mediating between the legitimate interests of the parents and the bus company Synergy with a great effort.
Our greatest interest is to ensure school attendance in a problem-free and sustainable manner.
Pandemic or Endemic - A hopefully ending story
A different challenge has again arisen from the infection situation. - As you all know, the infection numbers have reached the second highest level on record in Hong Kong. Fortunately, the authorities are much more relaxed about the situation, but there are still restrictive regulations that we have to abide by. The decision to temporarily send Year 11 to online learning was a very difficult one for us. The decision was based both on internal as well as objectively presentable arguments, which were driven to ensure the future teaching of Y11 and all other students. The Y11 is now back at school and the chain of infection seems to have been broken for the time being.
I sincerely hope the official transition from pandemic to endemic in Hong Kong will be made soon. Nevertheless, as with any other disease, we will take maximum precautionary measures to protect our school community without compromising the right to education.
In any case, it is wonderful to be part of a school community full of solidarity and a positive future perspective. We must never forget that a little distance and a little reflection help a lot to come to a more positive perception.
With this in mind, I look forward to the rest of the school year!
With best wishes for Mid-Autumn
| Dr Dirk Bennhardt Principal |
Schoolwide News
Chief Administrative Officer's Update
Dear Parents
It is great to see our buildings becoming live after the arrival of students and staff. The first three weeks have been challenging due to some COVID-19 cases in the school community and issues with school bus service. Our staff have been working hard to manage and overcome the challenging situation, particularly the bus service. We will continue to look after the well-being of our community.
Please see below some important information:
- School Fee Invoices
Please note that after the completion of the first phase of deployment of the school’s ERP system, all school fee invoices are dispatched through emails as per the school records. You are requested to check your emails. Should you find anything not in order, please inform the Finance Department.
- New Vaccination Requirements for ECAs/ AAs
The EDB has revised the vaccination requirement from 2 to 3 doses for students to participate in ECAs/AAs. With effect from 1 October 2022, students with less than 3 doses of vaccination will not be able to participate in ECAs/AAs.
However, students aged 5 to 11 who have received two doses of BioNTech vaccine and students with prior COVID-19 infection who are not required to take the third dose of vaccine are exempted from this new condition.
To ensure that the school can offer ECAs/AAs to all students and run the school as normally as possible, we strongly encourage parents to get their child(ren) fully vaccinated as soon as possible.
The kindergarten parents may also consider taking advantage of the vaccination programme for children under 5 years.
Parents are requested to update the vaccination records of their child(ren) on Veracross once their child(ren) is (are) vaccinated.
- Traffic Arrangements
Thank you to the parents who have been following the school traffic guidelines. Traffic in the morning is generally working fine except for a few parents/drivers who drop off children at the non-designated drop-off on Mansfield Road. It causes a traffic jam and raises safety concerns for children as they need to cross the road without assistance in the absence of a zebra crossing.
On Friday, 2 September 2022, it was observed that many drivers/parents arrived at Guildford Road earlier than the school dismissal time and caused a massive traffic jam extended to Magazine Gap Road. Police have warned that if it continues they will stop parents’ cars from coming to Guildford Road before 1.30 pm on Fridays, which means parents will have to drive their cars all the way to the Peak to make a u-turn.
Parents are requested to follow our traffic wardens’ instructions for safe and smooth traffic flow in the morning and not drive to Guildford Road before 1.30 pm and 3.30 pm from Monday to Thursday and before 1.30 pm on Fridays.
Your support and cooperation will be much appreciated.
 Jaspal Singh |
Parents Committee Corner
Welcome back to School everyone!
We are all looking forward to a year where we can hopefully meet you all in person and start celebrating the occasions that are so special to our school community. And for that, we need your help - the success of the Parents’ Committee depends on the many generous and multi-talented volunteers who help bring our school community together. We need you more than ever this year!
Christmas Bazaar Planning
We are hoping to kick off the festivities with our much-loved Christmas Bazaar in November, and would love as many parents as possible to get involved with the planning and execution of this wonderful event. If you would like to contribute your time and skills in any way, please come meet us for a chat at our next coffee morning.
Date: Friday 16th September
Time: 9:30 - 10:30 am
Venue: GSIS Cafeteria, 6th Floor, Middle Building
Please do RSVP at parentscommittee@learning.gsis.edu.hk, so that we can get an idea of numbers. If you can’t make the coffee morning, but would still like to get involved, please email us at the address above, and we will be in touch.
English Book Club
We would like to welcome parents and teachers into the GSIS English Book Club as we kick off the school year with our first discussion group in September. Please contact Ali if you are interested in joining us: Ali.Taylor.Keller@gmail.com.
German Book Club
Next week we will resume the German Book Club and would like to invite everyone who is interested. We meet monthly in a relaxed atmosphere and would be happy to welcome new faces. We are currently reading "The Song of the Crayfish" and will be watching the film. Please just write us an email: nstaack@learning.gsis.edu.hk.
| Parents Committee |
Registration for the 74th Hong Kong Schools Speech Festival 2022
Dear Parents
Registration is now underway for the 74th Hong Kong Speech Festival. We realise that a number of you may wish to register your son/daughter for the Festival and as registration can only be done through the school, we are very happy to support this.
In view of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, corresponding anti-pandemic measures have been introduced by the Government according to its risk levels, such as the restrictions on the opening and numbers of persons allowed in the performance venues, and the implementation of the Vaccine Pass. The Association decided and announced in May 2022 to continue the following special arrangements for this year’s Speech Festival (2022) so that schools, teachers, parents and students have ample time to make preparations:
- Only Solo / Duo classes would be held
- All classes would be held by “Video Submission Mode”
Further details and guidelines can be found on the HKSMSA website: www.hksmsa.org.hk/en/speech-festival/hong-kong-schools-speech-festival-english-speech
This year, the HKSMSA will be accepting online applications only (replacing the old paper application process). Please use the below links if you wish to enrol your child/children. Please complete the link/s the latest by Tuesday, 13 September 2022. Due to the strict deadlines set by the Hong Kong Schools Music and Speech Association, entry forms will not be accepted after this date. Our accounts team will invoice you separately for the class fee/s once enrolment has closed.
Links:
Years 2-7/K01-K06 (Primary 1 to Primary 6 in the Hong Kong school system):
- English – https://asas.hktedu.com/hksmsa/10703/28597#front
- Chinese - https://asas.hktedu.com/hksmsa/10703/28677#front
Years 8-13/K07-K12 (Primary 6 to Lower 6th Form in the Hong Kong school system):
- English- https://asas.hktedu.com/hksmsa/18094/28679#front
- Chinese - https://asas.hktedu.com/hksmsa/18094/28678#front
Entrants should refer to the below table when completing their application form/s:
| Hong Kong School System | GSIS Equivalence | |
| Primary 1 | Year 2 | K01 |
| Primary 2 | Year 3 | K02 |
| Primary 3 | Year 4 | K03 |
| Primary 4 | Year 5 | K04 |
| Primary 5 | Year 6 | K05 |
| Primary 6 | Year 7 | K06 |
| Form 1 | Year 8 | K07 |
| Form 2 | Year 9 | K08 |
| Form 3 | Year 10 | K09 |
| Form 4 | Year 11 | K10 |
| Form 5 | Year 12 | K11 |
| Lower Sixth form | Year 13 | K12 |
Information about the Speech Festival, including the different classes available and their respective fees, is available online at:
www.hksmsa.org.hk/en/speech-festival/hong-kong-schools-speech-festival-english-speech/syllabus
Specific questions regarding classes should be directed to the Speech Festival Association (2761 3877).
Note: We will announce the registration for the 75th Hong Kong Music Festival at the end of September 2022.
Best Regards
|
Simon Misso-Veness DEPUTY PRINCIPAL - HEAD OF ENGLISH INTERNATIONAL STREAM |
University Guidance: Upcoming Events (External)
The following events are suitable and available to all students and parents of students in Y10-Y13 and K09-K12:
HK: THE SHAW PRIZE LECTURES
On Thursday 29 September The Shaw Prize Foundation will pay tribute to six Laureates at the Shaw Auditorium of The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. For another year, the ceremony will be held in a virtual format with no live audience for safety reasons and all laureates will receive their awards in their home countries. The Shaw Prize is an international award to honour individuals, regardless of race, nationality, gender and religious belief, who are currently active in their respective fields and who have recently achieved distinguished and significant advances, who have made outstanding contributions in academic and scientific research or applications, or who in other domains have achieved excellence.
The Shaw Prize Lectures 2022
Friday 30 September
Three lectures (Lectures on The Shaw Prize in Astronomy, Life Science and Medicine, and Mathematical Sciences) given by the respective Laureates will be hosted by universities in Hong Kong online at different time slots to facilitate participation.
Please see this link for the official programme for lectures which may be of interest.
www.shawprize.org/news/the-shaw-prize-2022-award-ceremony-will-be-held-online-on-29-sep-2022
If you are interested in participating in the online lectures, please register online.
HK: HONG KONG UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
HKUST Information Day 2022
Saturday 5 November
Clear Water Bay Campus
HKUST is resuming physical Information Day this year.
Please stay tuned with https://join.hkust.edu.hk for details and pre-registration.
NETHERLANDS: 29 DUTCH HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS
Virtually Orange 2022
Sunday 30 October 1:00pm-5:00pm CEST (8:00pm-12:00am HKT)
Save the date for the best and most comprehensive virtual event of the year for students considering studying in the Netherlands. This year 29 Dutch higher education institutions will be in attendance - all ready and waiting to chat with students in a very user-friendly online fair platform. There will be a general Study in the Netherlands session by our friends at Nuffic, and lots of wonderful booths to visit to have live discussions, download brochures, watch videos and more.
More details are coming soon, please save the date!
SINGAPORE: INFORMATION SESSIONS WITH SG UNIVERSITIES
Singapore International School (HK) will be co-hosting admissions information sessions with Singaporean universities for SISHK and IB students in Hong Kong.
Nanyang Technological University (NTU) Virtual Session
Tuesday 4 October 5:00pm-6:00pm HKT
Nanyang Technological University has been appraised as one of the world's Top Young Universities with competitive programmes across a wide array of disciplines. NTU offers programs in the areas of business, humanities, arts, engineering, medicine, science, and social science. Hear from NTU Office of Admissions team on admissions, scholarships and financial matters, student life, accommodation, and much more. You will also have the opportunity to hear from a professor from the College of Engineering to share some insights with you!
National University of Singapore (NUS) Information Sharing and Q&A
Monday 21 November 5:00pm-6:00pm HKT
NUS offers programs in the areas of business, social sciences, humanities, law, sciences, engineering, health sciences and computing.
Singapore University of Science and Technology (SUTD) Information Session
Monday 28 November 5:00pm-6:00pm HKT
Established in collaboration with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), SUTD seeks to nurture technically-grounded leaders and innovators in Architecture and Sustainable Design, Design and Artificial Intelligence, Engineering Product Development, Engineering Systems and Design, and Information Systems Technology and Design, to serve societal needs.
Hear from SUTD on how the university empowers their students to design, innovate and build a better world through a world-class, design-centric education in a hands-on and collaborative learning environment.
Zoom link: https://sutd-edu.zoom.us/j/98205868467
Meeting ID: 982 0586 8467
Passcode: 2p9JQ!p5
Virtual Meet Up with Singapore Management University (SMU) Admissions Team
Tuesday 6 December 5:00pm-6:00pm HKT
Come join the SMU Admissions Team to find out what makes SMU a “Different University" with an educational curriculum "designed for an unpredictable world". The session will also cover topics such as the SMU pedagogy, the admissions requirements and application procedures, as well as the plethora of opportunities for SMU students to develop their skills both inside and outside of the classroom. We will also talk more in-depth about your programme of choice and answer any specific questions you may have.
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
UK: NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY
NCH London Essay Competition 2023
Northeastern University London is inviting competition essay entries from students who are currently in their penultimate year of secondary education (equivalent to Year 12 in the English education system). Our selection of essay titles engages across a broad range of humanities and social sciences topics and we look forward to receiving entries from talented and intellectually curious students who show passion and academic potential in the humanities and social sciences. We welcome entries from students located anywhere in the world.
For details about prizes, essay titles, rules and registration, please click here. The deadline for entries is Monday 16 January 2023 1:00pm GMT (9:00pm HKT).
UK: UNIVERSITY OF WARWICK
Undergraduate Exploration Day
Monday 12 September 2:30pm-5:00pm HKT (Registration at 2:15pm)
4/F, Bauhinia and Orchid Room, Marco Polo Hongkong Hotel
No. 3 Canton Road, Harbour City, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon
Format: Face-to-face event (social distancing rules applied and pre-registration is required)
This event is for Year 12 and 13. We will first have a presentation of Introduction of Warwick, followed by departmental sessions. We are covering six departments and will have academics to introduce the courses (most of them will present live virtually). We will also have current students in person to share their experiences. It would be a fantastic opportunity for students to hear from seniors who have been in their position.
Participating departments:
- Department of Politics and International Studies
- Department of Psychology
- Department of Statistics
- School for Cross-Faculty Studies – Global Sustainable Development
- School of Law
- Warwick Business School
UK: HULT INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS SCHOOL
Hult Future Leaders Challenge 2022 – London
Teams of high school students from every corner of the globe will participate in 10 weeks of ideation, teamwork, and challenge-based learning with a live client brief from multinational consumer goods company Unilever.
Winning team members will each receive a 10,000 GBP scholarship each academic year to Hult International Business School to be used the year after they graduate from high school.
Here’s what you and your team need to do:
- You’ll need a team of 4-6 students
- You’ll need to decide on a team name for the challenge
- Team members must be juniors or seniors in high school
- After the registration deadline, you’ll receive an email from Hult inviting you and your team members to attend the live challenge launch event online with Hult professors and Unilever – then the challenge really begins!
Registration closes on 28 September. For more details and application click here.
USA: UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER
Virtual Information Session
Wednesday 28 September 7:00pm-8:00pm HKT
Please register here.
We will send you a confirmation email with all the details and a link to access the event virtually.
INTERNATIONAL - CIALFO STUDENT FESTIVAL
12-30 September 7:30pm-10:00pm HKT
Every Monday, Tuesday and Thursday
This series of virtual events from Cialfo connect students and counselors with university representatives from 40+ popular universities worldwide through the 16 sessions and learn about various topics under the categories College Application, Curriculum, Campus Culture, and Career Exploration.
Please use the QR code from the attached image for more information and registration.
RECORDING OF A PREVIOUS EVENT
The University of Cambridge, Johns Hopkins University, and the University of Toronto have partnered to showcase the opportunities for undergraduate students at three of the world’s best universities.
Highly Selective Admissions in Canada, the UK and the US
Tuesday 6 September 7:00am EDT (7:00pm HKT)
To view the recording of this webcast, please click here.
 Claire Wilkins |
 Beatrice Ugolini |
German International Stream
Kindergarten Corner
Dear Parents
We have completed the first two weeks of school, and the children have settled in well, are most familiar with the daily routine and have built and fostered new friendships.
Library
This week, most classes have begun borrowing library books. Take the opportunity to familiarise yourself with the library plan and the library rules shared via email with every family at the start of this week.
Online Parents' Evening & KPR Election (Thursday, 15 September, from 4.30 - 5.30 pm)
Information regarding the above event was emailed to all families, and we look forward to your participation. If you have not received the email, please contact our Secretary, Ms Banach: PFL_Secretary@gsis.edu.hk
Wellbeing Week (19 till 23 September)
Our teachers and school Counsellors have created age-appropriate interactive activities for Wellbeing.
May your long weekend be filled with fond memories spent with family and friends as we celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival.
 Sophie Burdel |
 Eileen Mah |
Departmental News and Announcements
No updates / announcements this week
Primary Corner
Dear Parents,
This week we started with our parent's evenings and the KPR elections. I am very thankful that we can hold this evening in person in school. Thanks to all the parents who already have and will volunteer as class representatives (KPR).
RAT/ Temperature Results
Thanks to all the parents who upload their RAT and Temp information in time - every day before 7:00 am.
If you miss it we will call you to confirm the information, if we can’t reach you by 8.00 am. The students will be brought to the nurse and have to wait there.
We also want to remind you if you send an Email about sick leave to mention the reason for the sick leave shortly. Our nurse closely monitors any diseases to inform you of a possible peak in any of the classes.
Communication Covid Positive Cases
So far, you had received nearly daily reports by email when we had positive cases. From this week, you can find this information on the Veracross Parent Portal.
This information will be updated daily, and we recommend that you check this list daily, so you can be more vigilant if there is a case in our class.
We wish you all a very happy Mid-Autumn festival.
 Priska Erni |
 Beate Weinhardt |
Departmental News and Announcements
No updates / announcements this week
Looking for what's been going on in class this month?
Secondary Corner
Departmental News and Announcements
No updates / announcements this week
English International Stream
From Head of Stream
Dear Parents
Socrates’ Parable of The Three Sieves
One day, wise old Socrates was walking down the street, when all of a sudden a man ran up to him "Socrates! I have to tell you something about your friend who . . ."
"Hold on a moment," Socrates interrupted him. "About the story you're about to tell me, did you put it through the three sieves?"
"The three sieves?" The man asks "What three sieves?"
"Let's try it," Socrates says. "The first sieve is the one of truth, did you examine what you were about to tell me if it is true?" Socrates asks.
"Well no, I just overheard it," the man says.
"Ah, well then you have used the second sieve, the sieve of good?" Socrates asks "Is it something good that you're about to tell me?"
"Ehm no, on the contrary," the man answers.
"Hmmm," The wise man says "Then let's use the third sieve, is it necessary to tell me what you're so excited about?"
"No not necessary," the man says.
"Well," Socrates says with a smile "If the story you're about to tell me isn't true, good or necessary, just forget it and don't bother me with it."
This parable also works well as a guide and a filter for WhatsApp, Telegram and most other social media posts.
Discovery Week 2022
Planning is nearly complete for this year’s Discovery Week and we aim to share the website that outlines all the opportunities the week after next.
Years 7 & 8 will take part in specially designed class trips with the support of the fantastic staff at The Hutong. Their activities will include selections from hikes through history, kayaking, visiting an urban organic farm, coasteering and an escape game; these dynamic shared experiences will ensure students and staff develop lasting memories. I will write to families next week with further details of the trips including an invitation to an online meeting with our trip providers.
Students in Years 9, 10 & 11 will have a choice of a range of Hong Kong trips from kitesurfing to baking and from pottery to box fitness as well as a host of activities in school from basketball with ALBA Berlin to woodworking, Chinese handicrafts and a stock market simulation.
The focus for Year 12 will be on service learning and students have the option to engage independently with a Hong Kong based NGO, continue with their primary school mentoring programme or take part in the Silver Expedition of the HK Award for Young People.
Year 13 will be in school completing Group 4 laboratory work, preparing for upcoming university interviews and completing internal assessments.
Feeding HK
Over the past two weeks, I have had the pleasure of working with a group of Year 9 and Year 12 students to support their initiative in launching a food drive for Feeding HK. This is a registered charity that aims to fight hunger in Hong Kong by seeking to reduce the amount of food that is being sent to the city’s landfills as well as raising awareness about food poverty and food waste. Every day, they collect surplus nutritious food from different businesses and in turn, provide food to those most in need in HK.
The students will prepare a campaign in school and on social media around World Food Day on 26th September and will be collecting food donations and household items from 2nd October.
Staple foods: rice, noodles, cooking oil, flour, oats as well as canned food
Household items: soap, toothpaste, sanitary items, blankets
We look forward to your generosity in supporting some of Hong Kong’s most disadvantaged communities. Further details to follow!
With best wishes for the mid-Autumn Festival and a relaxing long weekend with your family.
| Simon Misso-Veness Deputy Principal / Head of English International Stream |
Kindergarten Corner
Dear Parents
We have completed the first two weeks of school, and the children have settled in well, are most familiar with the daily routine and have built and fostered new friendships.
Library
This week, most classes have begun borrowing library books. Take the opportunity to familiarise yourself with the library plan and the library rules shared via email with every family at the start of this week.
Online Parents' Evening & KPR Election (Thursday, 15 September, from 4.30 - 5.30 pm)
Information regarding the above event was emailed to all families, and we look forward to your participation. If you have not received the email, please contact our Secretary, Ms Banach: PFL_Secretary@gsis.edu.hk
Wellbeing Week (19 till 23 September)
Our teachers and school Counsellors have created age-appropriate interactive activities for Wellbeing.
May your long weekend be filled with fond memories spent with family and friends as we celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival.
|
Sophie Burdel |
Eileen Mah |
Departmental News and Announcements
No updates / announcements this week
Primary Corner
Dear Parents,
Thank you all for taking the time to join our ‘Meet the Teacher’ / KPR elections this week. We hope you enjoyed ‘meeting’ the teachers and learning a little about the learning planned for your child this year.
An additional thank you to the parents who have volunteered to represent their classes as KPR or Deputy KPR. We look forward to working closely with you in the coming year.
The slides shared by the teachers during the meeting will be shared on the year group Google Sites next Week.
Curriculum Presentations - save the date!
Our next opportunity to share information about learning in the Primary department will be on September 21st when we will hold our Curriculum information sessions for languages (German and Mandarin). Further details and meet links will be shared with you next week.
Expectations of work when children are sick
We have a number of children who are at home for longer periods due to isolation orders. In these circumstances, our guidelines for providing work are outlined below:
- Any learning assigned will be asynchronous - Live lessons will not be available
- Children who are unwell are not be expected to complete any schoolwork - they need time to rest and recover
- Children who are feeling well may complete work - the teacher may assign some essential tasks that children in school will also be working on - there would be nothing in addition to the regular class assignments.
- Any work will be shared on the usual platform for the year group (Seesaw Y1 and Y2, Classroom Y3 to Y6). For our younger students it may be more appropriate to share by emailing parents, your class teacher will let you know what works best.
We do want to emphasise that children who are unwell are really not expected to complete any school work. The priority is their recovery.
Uploading RAT results to Veracross
We would like to remind you that it is an EDB requirement that children take a RAT test every day and that the results of this are uploaded via the parent portal by 7am. The vast majority of parents are doing this and we really appreciate your support in ensuring that the children have a smooth start to their school day.
For the few families that have not yet got into the habit of uploading the results in time, please help us by setting yourselves a reminder - we have to take children out of classes if we do not have confirmation of a negative result and we would really like to avoid this disruption to their learning.
Reporting Covid Positive Cases
In the last weeks you have been receiving emails with information about the number of positive cases in the school. To reduce the number of emails you receive and to streamline the process, we will now provide this information on the Parent Portal.
Finally we would like to wish you all a very happy Mid Autumn Festival, enjoy the festivities and the holiday on Monday. We look forward to seeing your children in school again on Tuesday.
 Donna Morley |
 Eleanor Cowling |
Departmental News and Announcements
No updates / announcements this week
Looking for what's been going on in class this week?
Secondary Corner
I hope that you have had a good week and are looking forward to the start of the ECA programme next week, after the long weekend.
Please see below for a few notes/reminders
KPR Evenings
Thank you to all of the parents who attended the KPR meetings earlier this week, and especially thank you to those parents who volunteered to act as KPRs for this year. The KPR system is a valuable mechanism for parent representation and for parent’s voices and opinions to be heard and accounted for in the decision making of the school.
You may read more on the KPR system on page 45 of the GSIS House Rules (link) and, should you need to, you can find the presentations from the various KPR meetings here.
Parent-Teacher Meetings
Our first formal Parents Information Day is in November for Y07-11 and at the start of December for Y12-13. More information on these events will be sent closer to the time. At present, we are unsure as to whether these meetings will be on-campus or online, with the former obviously dependent on the regulations in place at the time of the meeting.
If you do need to contact your child’s teachers in the meantime, we are always willing to talk to parents. An email to your child’s class or subject teachers will usually be sufficient to answer most enquiries, but if you would like to meet with a particular teacher, you may avail of our teacher consultation times, summarised here. If you are requesting a meeting, we would be grateful if you could include the reason(s) for said meeting in your request email.
Homework Timetables (Y07-9)
The now updated homework timetables for junior years may be found in this folder (also available via Veracross).
Homework is a valuable part of the learning process, but we do not wish to over-burden students with work outside of school. Tasks are intended to be short ones, reinforcing or expanding upon in-class learning. If your child is finding that homework is taking too long, or is causing undue stress, please reach out to their class teacher.
Test Schedule Y07-11
Our usual plan of tests and exams may be found here. (N.B. there is a separate document for Y12/13, circulated to students by Mr Wray).
Tests do form an important part of our academic programme which leads to public exams in Y11 and Y13 and thence to University applications. However, we have stringent rules around the number and frequency of tests and students must regard class tests and so on as part of their learning journey and not as endpoints in themselves. Becoming over-anxious around tests is counterproductive and absolutely unnecessary. In the main our students perform very well on such assessments, but everyone makes mistakes at times, and parents are strongly advised to avoid adding to the pressure by overly focusing on percentage scores and so on. Students should learn from tests, not for tests. Short, regular review sessions in the lead-up to tests are far more productive than long sessions of cramming.
If you or your child has any problems around tests, the child (in the first instance) should discuss with their subject teacher.
RAT tests and temperature checks
To repeat a former post, please could all parents ensure that the RAT and temperature check is done every morning prior to leaving for school, and that the results are logged through our Parent Portal (Veracross). If the early morning is inconvenient, you may do the test, check and log the evening before (but after 8pm).
We realise that this is onerous, but it is required by the authorities. If students do not have their daily record submitted, they do miss a significant part of lesson 1 whilst we go through the checking process. This is not ideal for students or staff. In the case of regular and repeat non-submission, we may have to call parents to ask that you come and collect your child from school (meaning they miss a day of school). Hopefully this will not be necessary.
 Ken Stevenson |
Departmental News and Announcements
No updates / announcements this week
Wellbeing Corner
Mid-Autumn Festival - Being Thankful
Mid-Autumn Festival - Being Thankful
The Mid-Autumn Festival takes place on the 15th day of the 8th month of the Chinese calendar on the night of the full moon. This year it falls on Saturday, 10.09.2022. It marks the end of the harvest season and brings families together to express gratitude, pray for happiness, wealth and fertility, and admire the moon in its full glory.
Let us take this opportunity to be grateful for the time that we were able to enjoy with our loved ones during the long holidays, so that we now can start the new school year recharged with fresh energy.
Although most of the traditional the Mid-Autumn Festival festivities and rituals cannot currently take place, there are plenty of colourful alternatives:
- Grab a lantern and head to one of Hong Kong's many beaches
- Admire the lantern decorations in Victoria Park, Tai O or Lee Tung Avenue in Wan Chai, for example
- Make your own lantern at PMQ's Mid-Autumn Amazing Crafts Workshop: www.klook.com/en-CA/activity/75065-hk-75065-creative-workshop-fest-pmq-2022
- Watch the moon from a rooftop terrace
- Go on a night hike
- Bake and eat moon biscuits together
Have a great long weekend!
Your School Counsellors
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Team der Schulsozialarbeit(School Counsellor Schulsozialarbeit)
