Dear Parents

It has been a week of change across Hong Kong, with the shifting of all Kindergartens and Primary schools to online learning from today. We appreciate that many KGV parents also have younger children, and this EDB decision will have necessitated some readjustment to home and work arrangements.

In light of these developments and the emerging COVID 19 situation, we have reinforced our safety messages and procedures to students and staff at KGV, specifically in terms of mask wearing, social distancing, hygiene and eating arrangements.

We have also been working with staff to ensure that we are ready to pivot to any combination of online learning, if any new directives come from the EDB over the weeks ahead. We are confident that we can quickly adapt and ensure that learning can continue for our students. Our teachers are all confident in the use of online learning tools and strategies, and are committed to do all they can for our students.

However, for the moment we are continuing to enjoy face to face learning and having our students on campus each day. We have been able to risk assess and modify a number of our planned teacher-run and KGV located (CAS) activities. It has been great to see our students participating in a range of activities, as we start the new Term 2 CAS activity programme. Students and parents can see which activities are running or postponed, via the ESF App diary and the student summary page on Lionel. If you have any specific enquiries, please contact the CAS Team, either Mr Beard (dean.beard@kgv.edu.hk) or Ms Ip (scarlet.ip@kgv.edu.hk).

I would like to commend our Year 13 students who have been working hard this week, completing their IB Diploma Mock Exams. They have engaged strongly over the past months preparing for this practice opportunity and feedback. I know our teachers are keen to mark the papers and analyse the results. This will strongly inform the individual support for students moving forward, as well as the teaching and revision programmes in the lead up to the final IB Diploma exams in May. Also, best of luck also to our Year 11 students who start their IGCSE Mock exams from Monday next week.

Enjoy the weekend

Mark Blackshaw

Principal KGV

Year 11 students are out now for Mock exams, so Year 10 students have more time with their tutors. Over the next few weeks we will be working closely with students who have academic data that raises concerns. You can access your child's academic data through the CCF link in the app and by expanding the overview drawer. The grades you see are Current Attainment Grades and are your best indicator of progress in that subject. If you have questions on the overall progress of your child, please contact the tutor. If you have questions about their progress in a specific subject, please contact the subject teacher.

Year 10 students will all be participating in Relationship and Sexuality (RSE) lessons, in term two. These will occur in the weekly PSHE lessons and be taught by a team of committed, knowledgeable staff.
RSE is a core element of student wellbeing and holistic development which builds knowledge, skills and behaviours to empower young people to make positive, safe and responsible choices. RSE focuses on respect for oneself, and others. It combines the biological, social and emotional aspects of sexuality education. This helps create a positive social climate, one which is open and inclusive.
Nine lessons have been planned of approximately 60 minutes. Students will have one each week. Lessons will be underpinned by a focus on strong, positive, empathetic relationships, and topics will include:

• How to stay safe and create fulfilling relationships
• How to seek and give consent, methods of contraceptives and protect against STI's
• Navigate digital safety and romance

 Please help us to maintain uniform standards by reminding your child to wear their tie and school fleece, jacket or jersey when it is cold.

Year 11 students are now on study leave until the LNY break. They will sit their mock exams starting on Monday. Please remind them to be organised, get to school on time and to wear proper uniform. Access the mock exam timetable here and see the presentation about mock exam procedures here.
We are watching the COVID situation closely and will do everything we can to ensure the mock exams can go ahead

Mock exam results and feedback from teachers will be shared after the LNY break. A full summary of results will be available by 18 February. The week after that, students will be asked to confirm their option choices for Year 12.

We would like to remind all of our Year 12 students of the need to wear your mask at all times when moving around our school campus.

When eating or drinking, students need to be stationary and seated and then masks need to be put on immediately after eating or drinking.

Wishing you a great weekend.

Mock Exams continue next week for our Year 13 IB students. Students are reminded that full school uniform is required during the Mock exam period.

A reminder also that IB classes resume as normal next Friday 21 January.

The Year 13 IB Mock Examination timetable is available to view on the link below.

Year 13 Mock Timetable

Wishing you a great weekend.

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

Thank you to those parents who were able to attend yesterday’s parent session looking at MYP assessment. We had nearly 200 parents at the session! It was wonderful to be able to share our reporting system with you. For those of you who were not able to attend, the link to the session can be found here and a link with the answers to the parents questions at the end of the presentation can be found here. As discussed by Mr Turner, our MYP Coordinator, we are keen to work alongside parents to see how we can further improve our reporting systems for you. If you would like to join us, and haven’t already signed up to be part of these discussions, please email Mr Turner at rowan.turner@kgv.edu.hk . We will look to hold our first session immediately after the Lunar New Year break.

Advance notice for our upcoming Year 7 Learning Review. This will take place on 10 February and the booking system will be open to parents at 6pm on Wednesday 26 January. Meetings with the teacher will be held online and appointments will be made through the ESF App. I will send specific details regarding the sign up in next week’s newsletter.

Please can you talk to your child about their Year 7 MYP Learning Journals. We will require all Year 7 students to have their Learning Journals with them in all lessons following the Lunar New Year break. These journals are full of MYP useful information and vocabulary. If your child has lost their Learning Journal, please can you let their tutor know.

The situation around CAS Activities is constantly changing. We are striving to offer as many activities as possible whilst remaining safe and within COVID guidelines. To check whether your child’s activity is continuing, please check the student summary page or the ESF App diary feature. If there is a change, the activity name will have been edited to include either: ONLINE or POSTPONED. No change will mean the activity should continue to take place.

Have a lovely weekend.

The Year 7 Team

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

We will soon be asking students to make provisional option choices around their language preferences for Year 9. Students have essentially three options;

1. They can continue with their current language courses.

2. They can drop their European language and concentrate only on Mandarin,

3. They can drop a language and pick up a Global Perspectives course. Please click here for more information on this course. Students will receive information on this next week.

Please speak to your child about their thoughts and preferences for next year. We will ask students to make a provisional decision in the week beginning 24th January. This will take place in their language lessons. Students will have the opportunity to change courses later in the year, but we would appreciate you giving this some thought in the next week, to enable us to make the most informed decisions on groups needed for language study for Year 9.

The situation around CAS Activities is constantly changing. We are striving to offer as many activities as possible whilst remaining safe and within COVID guidelines. To check whether your child’s activity is continuing, please check the student summary page or the ESF App diary feature. If there is a change, the activity name will have been edited to include either: ONLINE or POSTPONED. No change will mean the activity should continue to take place.

Have a good weekend.

The Year 8 Team

Year 9 Dear Parents and Caregivers,

Year 9 Students will be engaged in Community Project work next Wednesday 19 January. Please take some time to read Mr Beard’s item in this newsletter. As the teacher in charge of the Community Project, he will highlight the aims, objectives and outcomes of next week’s session.

Following the Lunar New Year break, we will be asking Year 9 students to confirm their option choices. Please click here for a reminder of our timeline and quick access to our options information. Deadline for options confirmations is the end of the day (midnight) on Thursday 10th February. Please check the App message sent out today from Mr Tranter for more information. In the meantime, please talk to your child about their option choices.

The situation around CAS Activities is constantly changing. We are striving to offer as many activities as possible whilst remaining safe and within COVID guidelines. To check whether your child’s activity is continuing, please check the student summary page or the ESF App diary feature. If there is a change, the activity name will have been edited to include either: ONLINE or POSTPONED. No change will mean the activity should continue to take place.

Have a great weekend.
The Year 9 Team

Careers & H.E. Guidance

ESF University Fairs, January 2022

It is mandatory that all Y12 students sign up to at least one event, but of course we hope students will attend all countries they are considering.

The first Fair Day took place on 13 Jan for universities in Europe & UK. Y11 and Y13 students and families who are interested in the Fair can refer to the Student Bulletin for registration details. Please do not share with anyone outside of the KGV community:

Day 2 (20 Jan 2022) – Asia & Australia (incl. HK)

Day 3 (27 Jan 2022) – N. America

A poster of the events is attached.

Timing of talks are still being confirmed and will be updated on the registration sites. We understand that there can be clashes as there is so much information available. We would suggest families to prioritise or adopt a “divide and conquer” strategy. You can always pop back to ask questions if you miss a talk that you’d like to attend.

The list of attending institutions on the registration sites are changing as many universities are yet to complete the registration on the website. We would encourage families to create an account for each event they’d like to attend, but check back to create a schedule a couple of days before the actual event day.

Parents are reminded that with the online fair, students could be having a one-to-one conversation with a university representative unsupervised. If this is of concern, please attend the event with your child, and of course a student can leave the Zoom meeting at any point they wish.

Any problems with registration, please email: support@maialearning.com

Y13 Higher Education applications
Communication between students & their H.E. Counsellors are key. This is especially so when application deadlines for many institutions are fast-approaching. Submitting an application without informing the H.E. Counsellor in advance may result in missed relevant documents to support applications. Students are reminded that they MUST inform their H.E. Counsellors of applications they are making, to ensure that supporting documents are sent in time.

Y12 1-1 H.E. meeting
The H.E. Team will be meeting Y12 students individually after the CNY break to discuss students’ post-KGV plans and intentions. Emails with appointment details (during students’ non-contacts) went out to individual students today. We are also planning a Y12 parent information session after CNY. Parents will be informed once the date is confirmed. Stay tuned.

School reference (non-higher education purposes)
The Careers Office coordinates all KGV student references including exit & summer schools. All requests should be directed to careers.office@kgv.edu.hk. Please allow at least 4-6 work weeks for teachers to work on school references. School reference for higher education applications are done in a separate process.

External Events
Our Careers Calendar lists many university events. Refer to the Calendar for event details and registration links. Some highlights in the coming weeks:
General

- 1-5 Feb: Unifrog Webinar Series: Skills Development,

U.K.
- 17-20 Jan: UK Unifest 2022 Week 2
- 19 Jan: University of Warwick: Virtual Taster Session
- 24-28 Jan: University of Nottingham – International Virtual Open Week
- 9 Feb: Queen Mary, University of London Webinar: Student Finance

Europe
- 15 Jan: Bocconi (Italy) Virtual Open Day
- Hanze University of Applied Sciences, Groningen: Study & Live in the Netherlands

Australia
- 20-21 Jan: University of Technology Sydney Info Days

Japan
- Ritsumeikan University: How to Apply to the English-medium Bachelor Programs

KGV Careers Team

Mon 17 Jan Year 11 Mocks Start, Year 13 Mocks continue

Wed 19 Jan Year 9 Community Project starts

Mon 24 Jan Year 11 Mocks continue

Fri 28 Jan MYP summaries released

Fri 28 Jan CNY Assembly, 1/2 day finish, Dress Casual

Dear Year 9 Parents

Year 9 students will soon embark on this year’s Community Project. This is a service learning project where students will be working in small groups to develop awareness of needs in various communities leading them to take appropriate action. Students will consolidate their learning from the MYP through the Community Project by engaging in sustained, in-depth inquiry leading to service as action in the community. 

Following the completion of their action, the students will produce a 15 minute presentation that will reflect on the learning and the skills they have developed. Throughout this project students will complete a process journal that will generate a record of their learning and will be supported by their tutor who will be the group supervisor.

I have linked below some documents to give you further information:

• Timeline
• Parent Information slide deck 
• Student Handbook
• ACTION Highlights 2021

To support your child during the development of their Community Project, it would be great if you could occasionally spend a couple of minutes asking them what is going well, any difficulties they have and how they might overcome these challenges asking your child to show you their Process Journal

Finally, we appreciate that the parent community at KGV has a wealth of knowledge and expertise in a diverse set of fields. Once students have started their project we would really like to be able to offer students access to mentors who could help guide them through this process. Past themes of student projects have fallen in the following categories; Animal Welfare, Environmental, Medical/Disease and Social Welfare. Parent involvement could be advising the groups through email or holding small meetings at one of the breakaway follow up days. If you are willing to volunteer yourself for this, then please could you contact me directly. 

We are looking forward to seeing how the projects develop and will be in contact with further information in due course.

Kind regards

Dean Beard

CAS & Service Learning Coordinator

King George V School

Hong Kong

Friday 25 February 2022, 10:30am

We are committed to supporting our parents through their journey at KGV, therefore have created several opportunities for you to engage with the school.  ‘Feedback Friday‘ is one such opportunity for you to engage in a personalized, small group session on a Friday morning, to chat with the Principal, Mark Blackshaw on various topics or areas you would like to discuss.

Sessions will run online from 10:30am to 11:15am, and are limited to 15 parents.

Our upcoming session will be on Friday 25 February 2022.

Once you sign up for a session/s, a link will be sent to you closer to the time of the meeting.

If you would like to attend this or other sessions this term, please sign up on this form.

For enquiries contact Kiran at kiran.budhrani@kgv.edu.hk

Sodexo Service

For next week menu, please view in the attachment.

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

Session 4 - Friday 14 January 2022

Today we held the fourth session of our ‘Feedback Friday with the Principal’, with Principal Mark Blackshaw, Vice Principal Carole Beer and our PTSA Chair Purvi Shah. We thank the parents who attended the session to discuss matters of concern to them.

Update:

Covid situation - As the Covid-19, particularly the Omicron variant has spread in Hong Kong recently, the EDB has suspended all primary and kindergarten schools, this includes ESF schools, with effect from today, Friday 14 January. This arrangement will be until the Chinese New Year holidays.  ESF primary schools have transitioned to  online learning today.  However, all secondary schools are not affected, at this stage.

KGV has reinforced our health and safety arrangements of our students and staff.  CAS activities have been risk assessed with this deemed safe in the current climate continuing. 

At present we are enjoying face to face learning. Should the situation worsen, we have contingency plans in place, should it be necessary. The options include a range of half day to full online contingencies.  All plans are driven by our goal to continue learning and the safety of our students and staff.

Y11 and Y13 mock exams are scheduled from 10 January up until Chinese New Year. There were concerns as to whether the mock exams will be affected by the situation.  This week we proceeded with the Y13 exams as scheduled and intend to continue in the weeks ahead.  Y11 mock exams start on Monday 17 January.  We will continue with our schedule, unless we are directed otherwise by EDB.

There was a discussion regarding vaccinations being offered in Hong Kong to younger children below 12 years. Parents can be assured in terms of staff, 100% of KGV have been vaccinated. 

CAS enrolment concerns were expressed.  Some students who applied for activities were not able to successfully enrol.  The CAS department will look into this and contact individual parents regarding this. The CAS department has streamlined the random selection process and the waitlist process. 

The Y9 Community Project will start soon, for more details please refer to the Community Project message on this newsletter.

KGV Lai See packets
KGV School is excited to bring back the beautifully embossed KGV Lai See packets for Lunar New Year.

Handing out Lai See Red packets during Lunar New Year is a symbol of well-wishing and to bring good luck. This year, why not use our newly design Red Packets, now on sale – $30 for a pack of 20.

Please fill in the form here (https://forms.gle/nvkkkkfSmZyFaTJz7) to reserve your packets and make your purchase by paying cash at the Reception during office hours.