Dear Parents and Caregivers,

I hope you are all well, and enjoying some of this cooler weather that seems to have arrived all of a sudden. It is great timing for our upcoming Challenge Week, and also other planned events such as our School Cross Country race. A few points and reminders from me below:

• We are very much looking forward to the 97th KGV Speech Day Award ceremony to be held next Thursday, 28 October. The main event is an online production to be streamed live from 7 pm. Due to COVID 19 restrictions, we are holding a small ceremony at school from 6 pm for the main prize winners and their parents. We will hopefully return to a large-scale face-to-face celebration next year. 

• I am pleased to announce that years 9 to 13 have all reached the 70% vaccination threshold. This means that students in this group will be able to access more flexible lunch arrangements at school. Students in Year 7 and 8 will still need to eat in designated areas. We will also be reverting to one lunch break after Challenge Week.

• We only have a week to go before Challenge Week, and we are focusing our attention on making sure students and parents are fully briefed and ready for the week. Please visit the Challenge week website to find the emergency contact phone number for the week and all information specific to your child’s activity. For Year 7 parents, hopefully, you have all viewed the Year 7 Parents Challenge Week Presentation which Carole Beer put together for you. If you haven’t seen this yet, please go to https://youtu.be/uefAou9uiZ0. This presentation should answer any questions you have, but please email carole.beer@kgv.edu.hk should you have any other queries or concerns. I encourage all parents to have conversations with your child this week to make sure they are ready to make new friends, push themselves a little out of their comfort zone and, most importantly, have loads of fun.

• We are continuing with our commitment to inclusivity and equity as we strive to make sure all students feel a sense of belonging and connection to our school. Parents are integral to the work, as we work in partnership to support our young people. You may wish to attend the online parent session next week, with a focus on LGBTQ+ and inclusion. Here is the registration link

• Winter uniform starts on the 15 November. The only difference from the summer uniform is that now all students need to wear a tie. We have adequate stocks of our senior tie, however, the new uniform supplier is still producing the tie for Year 7 - 11. We will let you know when the new stock is available.

Finally, just another reminder of our adjusted holiday dates for the year ahead.

Christmas Break 2021: Will be reduced from 3 weeks to 2 weeks. The last day of Term 1 will be Friday, 17 December 2021 and Term 2 classes will start on Monday, 3 January 2022.

Easter Break 2022: Will remain unchanged. The last day of Term 2 will be Friday, 1 April 2022 and Term 3 classes will start on Tuesday, 19 April 2022.

Summer Break 2022: Will be increased from 6 weeks to 8 weeks. The last day of Term 3 will be Friday, 24 June 2022 and classes for the academic year 2022/ 2023 will start on Tuesday, 23 August 2022.

Have a great weekend.

Kind Regards

Mark Blackshaw

Principal, KGV School

Year 13 Message

Dear Year 13 Parent, Guardian or Student,

We would like to thank those students who gave feedback to Mr Blackshaw during yesterday's ROAR session, held at lunchtime in the GLT.

We will be having an assembly with all of our Year 13 students early next week to go over each of the points raised in the ROAR session. 

Please see the following 2 links for the letter and relevant webpage for Challenge Week, which runs from Monday 1 November to Friday 5 November inclusive.

Year 13 Challenge Week 2021: Confirmation for Local Activities

Y13 Challenge Week Webpage

Wishing you a great weekend.

Dear Year 12 Parent, Guardian or Student,

A reminder that Challenge Week is coming up, beginning Monday 1 November to Friday 5 November inclusive.

We ask that our Year 12 students please keep an eye on the bulletins and emails from their Challenge Week activity leaders over the course of the next week.

Wishing you a great weekend.

We have one more week until Challenge Week. Please make sure you know what your child is doing for Challenge Week and are able to access the webpage for that activity. Students will have a meeting during tutor time on Tuesday to finalise all arrangements and inform them of itinerary, locations, equipment and expectations. 

Next week we will include Year 10 students in an assembly about option choices for subjects for Year 12. Year 11 students are making these option choices now and we want Year 10 students to know about the process that is still ahead of them and understand why it is important to work towards good grades and the kind of decisions they will need to make in the future.

The school cross country is Tuesday period 3 for Year 10. This will be a chance for our runners to excel and for everyone to engage in some exercise

We have one more week until Challenge Week. Please make sure you know what your child is doing for Challenge Week and are able to access the webpage for that activity. Students will have a meeting during tutor time on Tuesday to finalise all arrangements and inform them of itinerary, locations, equipment and expectations. 

Next week we will run an assembly about option choices for subjects for Year 12 to support students in understanding the process and knowing where they can seek help or advice.

Year 7 Message

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

With only a week to go before Challenge Week, we are focusing a lot of our attention on making sure students and parents are fully briefed and ready for the week. Hopefully you have all viewed the Year 7 Parents Challenge Week Presentation which has been created for you. If you haven’t seen this yet, please go to https://youtu.be/uefAou9uiZ0. This presentation should answer any questions you have, but please email carole.beer@kgv.edu.hk should you have any other queries or concerns. Students will attend a meeting on Tuesday, 26 October where staff will run through the details of the week with them. Please have conversations with your child this week to make sure they are ready to make new friends, push themselves a little out of their comfort zone and, most importantly, have loads of fun.

Some notices for your attention;

• As a school we are committed to our Inclusions and Equity agenda. Parents are integral to the work we want to continue to do in this space. Please consider signing up for the parent session next week with the focus on LGBTQ+ and inclusion.

• Following Challenge Week, we will be returning to one lunchtime session. We have met the EDB requirements and have 70%+ of our students in Year 9-13 completing vaccinations. These students can now use the full school facilities for lunch. Year 7 students, however, will continue to eat snacks in their tutor time sessions and lunch in a designated eating area. 

• Monday, 8 November, during Period 1, all students will complete our annual “Your KGV Experience” questionnaire. This is the second year students will complete this questionnaire and we are looking to see the progress we have made in the Inclusion and Equity space.

• We will be looking to transition into our winter uniform in the week beginning 8 November. Students during this period can opt to wear the school tie. All students must wear the school tie from Monday,15 November, as part of our winter uniform.

• During 8 November, we will focus on our new school value “empathy”. Tutor time sessions will ask students to reflect on their values and how they link to KGV values.

• Monday, 15 November - Friday, 19 November is KGV Pride Week, where we celebrate all students and show our support to our LGBTQ+ community.

Have a great weekend

The Year 7 Team

Dear Parents and Caregivers

With only a week to go before Challenge Week, we are focusing a lot of our attention on making sure students and parents are fully briefed and ready for the week. Students will attend a meeting on Tuesday 26 October where staff will run through the details of the week with them. Please have conversations with your child this week to make sure they are ready to make new friends, push themselves a little out of their comfort zone and, most importantly, have loads of fun.

Some notices for your attention;

• As a school we are committed to our Inclusions and Equity agenda. Parents are integral to the work we want to continue to do in this space. Please consider signing up for the parent session next week with the focus on LGBTQ+ and inclusion.

• Following Challenge Week, we will be returning to one lunchtime session. We have met the EDB requirements and have 70%+ of our students in Year 9-13 completing vaccinations. These students can now use the full school facilities for lunch. Year 8 students, however, will continue to eat snacks in their tutor time sessions and lunch in a designated eating area. 

• Monday 8 November, during Period 1, all students will complete our annual “Your KGV Experience” questionnaire. This is the second year students will complete this questionnaire and we are looking to see the progress we have made in the Inclusion and Equity space.

• We will be looking to transition into our winter uniform in the week beginning 8 November. Students during this period can opt to wear the school tie. All students must wear the school tie from Monday 15 November, as part of our winter uniform.

• During 8 November, we will focus on our new school value “empathy”. Tutor time sessions will ask students to reflect on their values and how they link to KGV values.

• Monday 15 November - Friday 19 November is KGV Pride Week, where we celebrate all students and show our support to our LGBTQ+ community.

Have a good weekend.

The Year 8 Team

Dear Parents and Caregivers

Thank you to those parents who attended the ‘live’ options session on Monday. Apologies to those of you who were not able to attend due to our 100 max participant on google meet. Hopefully you have had the opportunity to watch the recording (which can be found at the link here). A reminder that students will be making their preliminary option choices during tutor time on Monday 8th November. Please click the link here to access the subject choice information and to see how you and your child are supported through the process. 

With only a week to go before Challenge Week, we are focusing a lot of our attention on making sure students and parents are fully briefed and ready for the week. Students will attend a meeting on Tuesday 26 October where staff will run through the details of the week with them. Please have conversations with your child this week to make sure they are ready to make new friends, push themselves a little out of their comfort zone and, most importantly, have loads of fun.

Some notices for your attention;

• As a school we are committed to our Inclusions and Equity agenda. Parents are integral to the work we want to continue to do in this space. Please consider signing up for the parent session next week with the focus on LGBTQ+ and inclusion.

• Following Challenge Week, we will be returning to one lunchtime session. We have met the EDB requirements and have 70%+ of our students in Year 9-13 with double vaccinations. These students can now use the full school facilities for lunch. Year 9 students, however, will continue to eat snacks in their tutor time sessions, alongside the Year 8 students. At lunchtime, students will be free to use the canteen and other normal eating spaces.

• Monday 8th November, during Period 1, all students will complete our annual “Your KGV Experience” questionnaire. This is the second year students will complete this questionnaire and we are looking to see the progress we have made in the Inclusion and Equity space.

• We will be looking to transition into our winter uniform in the week beginning 8 November. Students during this period can opt to wear the school tie. All students must wear the school tie from Monday 15 November, as part of our winter uniform.

• During 8 November, we will focus on our new school value “empathy”. Tutor time sessions will ask students to reflect on their values and how they link to KGV values.

• Monday 15 November - Friday 19 November is KGV Pride Week, where we celebrate all students and show our support to our LGBTQ+ community.

Have a good weekend.

The Year 9 Team

Do check our Careers Calendar which lists many university events, some of them are specific for ESF students. Refer to the Calendar for event details and registration links. Highlights of events in the coming weeks:
U.K.
- 23 Oct: University of Bath – Bitesize Bath: Talk & Tour
- 23 Oct: University of Essex 2021 Open Day
- 25-29 Oct: University of Warwick Virtual Open Days
- 26 Oct: The Medic Portal Webinar – How Will Medical Schools Interview in 2021-22
- 28 Oct: Royal Holloway, U of London: Online Open Day
- 4 Nov: University of Cambridge: At-Interview Assessments Session
- 4 Nov: City, U of London – Online Q&A session for international students
- 10 Nov: University of Cambridge: preparing for interview: Arts & Humanities

H.K.
- 27 Oct, 13:30: HKUST School of Science visits KGV + Prof. Angela WU (KGV, Class of 2000) to share her experience
- 23 Oct: CityU HK Virtual Info day
- 23 Oct: HK Baptist University Virtual Info day
- 26 Oct: HK Joint Info Session :RISD, MICA & Parsons
- 28 Oct: CUHK Info Session (for ESF students)
- 30 Oct: EdUHK Virtual Info Day

U.S.A.
- 24 Oct: UC Berkeley Virtual Open House
- 27 Oct: Hear from Bates, Davidson, Oberlin & Occidental Colleges
- 28 Oct: Discover USC Virtually
- 29 Oct: US Northeast Public Universities – Preparing You to Apply
- 29 Oct: Columbia University – International Students Q&A Chat
- 6 Nov: Gateway to the Golden State (Claremont McKenna College, Santa Clara University, UC Davis, UCLA, and USC) hosted by ESF

Canada
- 23 Oct: University of Waterloo Virtual Tour
- 28 Oct: Art & Design Universities Canada: Online Undergraduate Info Sessions
- 2 Nov: UofT: Webinar for Prospective Students
- 2 Nov: A Day in the Life @SFU
- 3 Nov: UofT: Application Workshop

Europe
- 25-29 Oct: Jacobs University Virtual Open Week
- 31 Oct: Paris College of Art & National Portfolio Day – Undergrad Virtual Session
- 6 Nov: Tilburg University Virtual Open Day

Australia
- 6 Nov: University of Sydney: Meet Sydney Virtual info Session

Japan
- 6 Nov: Study at Osaka University virtual session

Mon 25 Oct - Week of Interhouse Cross Country 

Tues 26 Oct, 6.30pm - PTSA Parent Talk: Let’s talk about LGBT and Inclusion! 

Thu 28 Oct, 7.30pm - Online Speech Day 2021

Mon 1 Nov - Challenge Week 

The next KGV Inter-House event is Cross Country, starting next week (week beginning 25th October). This year students can decide on race day which course they will do – the Competitive course or Fun Run course. Both courses are on the KGV site and much shorter in distance than our usual Cross Country courses (Fun = 1km / Competitive = 2km).

Please see the Year group timetable below:

Tuesday 26th October

Period 1 - Year 12

Period 3 - Year 10

Thursday 28th October

Period 1 - Year 7

Period 2 - Year 9

Period 3 - Year 8

Lunchtime (1:25pm - 2:25pm) - Year 13

Tuesday 9th November

Period 5 - Year 11

Please click on the links below for more information:

Cross Country timetable: Year Group timetable

Race Day Instructions and Tips: Instructions and Tips

Course Maps: Fun and Competition course maps

Lionel course page: https://lionel2.kgv.edu.hk/course/view.php?id=3224

I look forward to seeing everyone getting involved in House Spirit next week.

Ms Pinder

Session 2 - Friday 22 October 2021

We held our second Feedback Friday session this morning with twelve parents, along with Principal Mark Blackshaw and Vice Principal (Y7-9) Carole Beer. 

Mr Blackshaw updated on the following:

• Challenge week - is scheduled on Monday 1 November to Friday 5 November- Y7-Y12 students will participate in local activities and Y13 will follow an academic program.  

• Vaccination update - 70% of our students ranging from Y9-Y13, have been vaccinated with the Covid-19 vaccinations.  This allows for more flexibility with lunchtimes and other activities.

• There was a presentation for Y7 Challenge Week on Thursday 21 October.  This was recorded and will be shared.

• The winter uniform changeover will take place after challenge week starting on 15th November.  The only difference between the winter and summer uniform is the addition of a tie.  

We discussed the winter uniform purchasing process.  You may explore the schooluniform.hk website to find our winter items as well as process orders. There are two sections in this website where you can find KGV uniform.  For stock held at the PTSA shop, you can visit this section, PTSA shop stock.

For items unavailable here, please visit the ESF supplier section of the website for our new range.  Here you will find the ESF Fleece jacket, Sweater and Windbreaker as items for outerwear.  Trousers can be found in the sale section.  Girls may wear plain navy or black tights/stockings beneath their skort, we do not stock these.

There was discussion on assessments.  It was explained that formative assessments are low stakes assessments which provide parents with feedback on their child’s progress, in a particular unit of each subject.  The feedback provided through Lionel to parents indicates next steps for students and informs teaching strategies for teachers. At the end of the unit/semester a summative assessment is conducted which provides a final grade for that semester. 

The school shared that there is a RTI data day, which is an opportunity for tutors to discuss each student within their tutor group. The aim is to check on progress across all areas and reflect on feedback.  

We will explore the opportunity for a lionel and CCF session for those who would like to know more about navigating and understanding our Virtual Learning Environment.

Some Y7 questions were answered;

• Y7 tutor groups have between 17-19 students each

• Daily home learning app messages to parents are for parent information only, not for student action. Students already have their own log.

• Y7-Y9 students are not placed into sets for subjects

WIN sessions are ‘What I Need’ sessions built into the timetable of Y10-11 students taking single and double science. These are supervised, focus sessions which are flexible and spent on the needs of individual students.  Students commit to at least two focus areas, which can be an area of catching up or specific needs.  

Thank you to all our parents who joined us today. Our next session will be on Friday 19 November 2021. Sign up to attend. 

Techni Photo (Student school photos) order forms for students have been distributed.

There are 2 ways to make the order:

1. Order online (Instruction printed on the back of the order form)

2. Submit the order form at reception. 

We will collect the form from 21 Oct to 29 Oct. We encourage parents to order the photos online to prevent any delays in orders.

Thank you.

Sodexo Service

For next week menu, please view in the attachment.

Please charge up your Octopus Cards with credit before coming to school.

Year 7 students investigated the Microclimates around different areas of the school
Before the holidays, Year 7 were tearing up a storm around the KGV Campus in their Individuals and Societies lessons! Students have been learning about Microclimates and the man-made factors that can influence the weather, and are also honing their ATL Skills by designing an inquiry to conduct experiments at various locations around the school building. Students took to the turf to measure some different aspects of weather that will test their predictions, and after half-term break, they will be presenting their findings in a mini-report to assess the Middle Years Program (MYP) Assessment Criteria A and B. We are looking forward to seeing what they have found out soon!

As the weather gets cooler, you may want to purchase outerwear for your child to keep warm. Please refer to this document for our uniform requirements.

The only difference between our summer and winter uniform is the addition of the KGV senior/middle school tie.  We will inform you when the ties are ready for purchase, in the meanwhile feel free to purchase outerwear for your child to keep warm.

You may explore the schooluniform.hk website to find our winter items. All purchase will also need to be processed through this website. You will find two sections where you can find KGV uniform.  For stock held at the PTSA shop, you can visit this section, PTSA shop stock. Puffer Jackets, Sweaters, Baselayers, Midlayers, Trackpants, Leggings, Trousers  and Long sleeved blouses/shirts in limited sizes, can be found here. 

For items unavailable here, please visit the ESF supplier section of the website for our new range.  Here you will find the ESF Fleece jacket, Sweater and Windbreaker as items for outerwear.  The supplier's Lai Chi Kok outlet is open on Saturdays from 10am-2pm. You can visit them to purchase your items. 

Girls may wear plain navy or black tights/stockings beneath their skort.  We do not stock these.

For enquiries contact Tiffany at the PTSA shop at ptsa.shop@kgv.edu.hk

Parent Talk - Let’s talk about LGBT and Inclusion!

Tuesday 26 October 2021
6:30-8pm
Online (zoom)

It seems that every day we hear more about sexual orientation and gender identity. For many parents, trying to get to grips with what it all means can be a real minefield.

As a parent you may have understandable questions or concerns if you think that your child might be lesbian, gay, bi and/or trans (LGBT+). As adolescents, children may be questioning or experimenting with their identities. Sometimes, these are transient periods, but some may be long-lasting. They may also have friends who also have LGBT+ identities. How do parents navigate these issues and be more LGBT+ inclusive?

This workshop aims to give an introduction on LGBT+ concepts, using your privileges, giving you tips on what to do if your child is coming out/questioning, and how to use LGBT+ inclusive language. Some other questions we’ll consider

·         What do you do when you first find out that your child is gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender?

·         Why is my child gay?

·         Should I take him/her to therapy?

·         Why did my child wait so long to tell me?

·         How to reconcile with your religion?

·         How to support your child who may be queer/questioning?

While we can’t promise to explain everything, we can suggest some ways to help parents to support their children through what can be a sensitive and stressful time.

 Please sign up here if you wish to attend.

Enquires contact Kiran Budhrani, Engagement Manager, kiran.budhrani@kgv.edu.hk

“A school pupil questions the case for nuclear power ”… a thought-provoking opinion piece feature in in the Opinion page of the Financial Times.

Read the full article here.

We are pleased to share a good news that Momoka Kobayashi (Year 8) participated in the All Hong Kong Karatedo Youth Game 2021 and she won 2nd runner up for Girl Kumite (Sparring) Age 12-13, and got 4th place in Girl Katam (Demonstration of movements) Age 12-13.

In the difficult environment of this few years, she has continued to maintain tough training and her motivation, finally her hard work has borne fruit. Congratulations! Well Done Momoka!