Dear Parents and Guardians

Earlier today I participated in a Google Meet with a group of KGV parents, who kindly attended our Friday Feedback session. It is quite empowering to hear from our parents and to appreciate the commitment they make in supporting ‘their child, our student’. It is a  really challenging time, with many of our young people concerned about what is happening in Hong Kong and around the world. The support our parents provide is crucial in maintaining the wellbeing, and sense of belonging for our students. Parenting is never an easy job, and under the current circumstances, I thank you all for what you are doing. We are all imperfect parents, and do our best to support our young people. 

It has been a busy week working through the latest announcements from the HKSAR Government, regarding proposed changes to school holidays, in light of the compulsory testing arrangements.

I would like to reinforce:

• Our CEO Belinda Greer is working hard with us to safeguard the summer holiday dates

• Our commitment to do all we can to minimise any disruption to learning

• We are expecting some clarity regarding the proposed changes to holiday dates and what it means for ESF KGV, across the course of next week. We again commit to update you as information comes to hand.

• We are still expecting exams for Year 11 and 13 to continue, and we are working with our students to make sure they are as ready as possible. 

• We are also making sure that we collect the evidence required from students, in case the exams do not proceed

In challenging times, strong communities support each other and pull together. I know our staff have an unrelenting resolve to support our students, parents and each other, in the weeks and months ahead. Please reach out to us if you have any questions, or need any support.

Stay safe and have a good weekend.

Kind Regards,

Principal, KGV School

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

This week has really forced us to dig even deeper into our resolve and work together to ensure our students try to focus on their learning and not worry about what is happening in Hong Kong, as well as on a global scale. We cannot thank you enough for your support whilst we navigate these ever-changing times.

Next week, Mr. Turner and I will meet Year 7 students to talk through the goal setting and focus on feedback we would like them to engage with over the coming weeks. We will keep you updated every step of the way as we look to increase student agency in seeking feedback and identification of effective learning habits.

A reminder that next week is Week 1, and Monday has Period 4 and 5 switching, to allow for a change in subjects to be asynchronous. 

Look after each other and I hope you get the opportunity for a walk in the sunshine this weekend.

The Year 7 Team

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

This week has really forced us to dig even deeper into our resolve and work together to ensure our students try to focus on their learning and not worry about what is happening in Hong Kong, as well as on a global scale. We cannot thank you enough for your support whilst we navigate these ever-changing times.

Monday is our Year 8 Learning Review, starting at 2.30 pm. The appointment system has now closed to allow staff to plan effectively for your meetings. A reminder that the links you need will appear in the ESF App/ LIONEL 2/ appointments. Click on each of your appointments and the code displayed will take you to your child’s teacher. We are looking forward to connecting with many of you on Monday.

A reminder that next week is Week 1, and Monday has Period 4 and 5 switching, to allow for a change in subjects to be asynchronous. 

Look after each other and I hope you get the opportunity for a walk in the sunshine this weekend.

The Year 8 Team

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

This week has really forced us to dig even deeper into our resolve and work together to ensure our students try to focus on their learning and not worry about what is happening in Hong Kong, as well as on a global scale. We cannot thank you enough for your support whilst we navigate these ever-changing times.

This week our students had a very productive session with Mr. Beard and the Service Advisers engaging further with their Community Project. The focus of the day was for students to refine their thinking and begin to consider the action their wish to take. The students: 

• Reflected on team strengths and their ideas so far

• Delved deeper into their research (secondary)

• Considered the four types of service and what might work for them

• Considered some form of primary research that could help further their research for the project.

A reminder that next week is Week 1, and Monday has Period 4 and 5 switching, to allow for a change in subjects to be asynchronous. 

Look after each other and I hope you get the opportunity for a walk in the sunshine this weekend.

The Year 9 Team

Our Year 10 students have really been remarkable during this week of uncertainty and worrying news. We will continue to communicate with them. For now, classes are running online as normally as possible so please help your child to stay focused and positive about their studies.

The Year 10 Learning review is scheduled for Tuesday, 15 March with bookings opening in the system next Friday, 4 March. We are hopeful this will go ahead as planned.

Uncertainty over exams and the nature of lessons over the next few weeks is a cause of real anxiety for students, parents and teachers. Please do all you can to help your child focus on attending lessons and preparing for external exams. Encourage them to talk to their teachers and tutors if they are worried.

We are working across ESF and are meeting with the GCSE exam boards and EDB so we can make the best decisions and support our Year 11 students and families as best we can.

We will share information with you as soon as we can.

If you would like to ask questions of the Edexcel exam board, there is a parents and students suggestion/question form here.

Our Year 13 students continue to impress our teachers with how they have been coping with our return to online learning.

Our Year 13 BTEC students have continued to make progress with their completion of necessary units.

Mr. Blackshaw, Mr. Wightman and I met online with the IBO yesterday and have been told that, at the moment, the IBO is planning for IBDP examinations to take place in Hong Kong this year.

If there is any change in their decision, I will of course notify you straight away.

A reminder that our Monday timetable has a Period 4 and 5 swap, to allow for a change in subjects to be asynchronous.

Wishing you a great weekend.

Our Year 12 students continue to impress teachers with how they have been coping with our return to online learning.

Due to our whole school assembly this week, we have had to postpone our Year 12 assembly which we hope to have next week. Our House Captains and Prefects have put a huge effort into making sure we can continue to stay connected as a community during these extremely challenging times.

A reminder that our Monday timetable has a Period 4 and 5 swap, to allow for a change in subjects to be asynchronous.

Wishing you a great weekend.

Trial: Parent Weekly Newsletters to be made available in different languages.

Starting this week, parents will be able to access an audio recording of the weekly newsletter in Mandarin, Korean and Hindi. These audio recordings will be available to parents by the Monday following the issuing of the newsletter. Please click here to access where the recordings will be stored. This is a new initiative and we are very much in a trial stage. If you have any feedback on how we could improve, or indeed could offer a translation service for us in another language, please email me at carole.beer@kgv.edu.hk.

School reference (non-higher education purposes) (Link to policy on Lionel)

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 references for higher education applications are done in a separate process.

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 HE Counsellors are continuing the 1-1 meetings with our Y12 students. The meeting is an opportunity for students to discuss their post-KGV plans and intentions. Students have received their appointment details. They need to complete a questionnaire at least 48 hours before their meeting to facilitate a meaningful and constructive conversation with their H.E. Counsellors. Parents are reminded that students will be individually online with their own H.E. Counsellor during these one-to-one conversations, please reach out to the Careers Team (careers.office@kgv.edu.hk) if this is of concern.

Details of the Yr 12 HE presentation series will be released to the Yr 12’s during tutor time on the 9 March.

Summer/Enrichment Programmes
Many tertiary institutions are accepting applications to their summer programmes. Check this link for ideas.

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 Mar: Unifrog Webinar: Explore Computer Science & AI for Students
- 4 Mar: Unifrog Webinar: Explore Art – Performing Arts & Creative Media
- 5 Mar: UnivAssist WebFair – East Asia & SEA

U.K.
- 7 Mar: UCAS/Discovery
- 8 Mar: World Class Study in London Virtual Event: Engineering
- 9 Mar: World Class Study in London Virtual Event: Medicine
- 10 Mar: World Class Study in London Virtual Event: Law

Europe
- Various dates in March: Les Roches Masterclasses
- 12 Mar: Utrecht University Bachelor’s Open Day
- 17 Mar: Bocconi University Open Class for High School Students: Economics & Sustainability
- 19 Mar: Tilburg University Online Bachelor’s Open Day

Other Asia
- 26 Feb-5 Mar: National University of Singapore Online Open Days
- Macao Institute for Tourism (IFTM) Free Online Winter Camp

KGV Careers Team

Teenage Addictions and Substance abuse

2 March 2022
6:30-8:00pm
Online workshop

We have invited Kely Support Group to provide their expert knowledge in the area of youth addictions and substance abuse. 

This talk will provide basic knowledge on drugs, smoking (cigarettes, e-cigarettes, and cannabis), and alcohol including its risks, recommended guidelines, and legality. It will share how to improve empathy and encourage parents to become positive role models for their children and provide techniques on having candid communication.  There will also be harm reduction techniques and resources on help-seeking channels.

There will be an opportunity to ask questions at the end of the talk.

To attend please register here.

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

Remarkable story

Congratulations to Gemma and Kobe for winning an international debate competition organised by IPDC and SeeChange. Gemma was also the winner of the 3rd Speaker Award.

Gemma and Kobe's Mum says that being one’s remarkable is even more important in these challenging times, as it gives us a boost of positivity and confidence (especially when we pull through as a team, when learning is less traditional).