Dear Parents and Guardians

I hope you had a good week. We appreciate that there is a lot going on in Hong Kong and around the world, that will be causing concern for many. We have been doing our best to check in with our students. I know that talking about what is happening on social media and in the mainstream news, can be helpful. As teachers and parents, helping our students make sense of what they are seeing and hearing, can support their wellbeing and sense of safety.

It was positive to receive the news from our CEO Belinda Greer regarding the decision that online learning may continue for ESF school during March and April, and the calendar can remain unchanged. We are working now on plans for the likely Compulsory Universal Testing (CUT) period in the last week of this term (Monday 28 March - Friday 1 April). We are working with our teachers to ensure that in this week:

• learning continues and we look for ways to consistently connect with students across the week
• We provide resources and support for students to access learning, if they were to miss lessons for testing
• Provide ongoing support for our Year 11 and 13 students as they head into the vacation period, and planned IB and GCSE exams next term
• Keep the connection with students and support their wellbeing and learning needs.

Please be patient, and we will provide detailed arrangements once the CUT period is confirmed.

Additionally, we would like to acknowledge and celebrate International Women’s Day (IWD), planned for this Tuesday 8th March. It is celebrated in many countries around the world and serves as a day when women are recognised for their achievements.

The theme for this year is ‘Break the Bias’, and the IWD theme challenges us to imagine a gender-equal world:

• A world free of bias, stereotypes, and discrimination.
• A world that is diverse, equitable, and inclusive.
• A world where difference is valued and celebrated.

IWD coheres strongly with our inclusivity and diversity work at KGV and our School vision which states that We create a ‘school for one’, a place where each student feels that the school was created just for them. Through a lived experience, we all feel a deep sense of belonging, identity, and purpose.”

Part of the work at KGV is to ensure that we have conversations to deepen our understanding about bias, and how this can stand in the way of our students and learning community, in feeling that we are all truly seen, known, and heard. Our teachers will be engaging with students in tutor time this week to acknowledge IWD and the concepts of inclusivity and diversity. We will use this event as another opportunity to reflect upon and strengthen our resolve to make KGV an even better and more inclusive school for the students and community we serve.

Stay safe and enjoy the weekend.

Kind Regards,

Mark Blackshaw

Principal, KGV School

Year 7 Message

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

The highlight of my week was attending Tuesday’s Year 7 Zoom assembly. Mr. Turner worked with Year 7s on the notion of feedback and asked students to spend the week looking out for when teachers gave them feedback. They were then to record this feedback on a piece of paper, ready to take a picture of it and post it to Google Classroom on Monday. The students were so enthusiastic and all staff thoroughly enjoyed their positivity and engagement in the session! Well done Year 7s.

Well done too to our Year 7 Transition Leaders who are meeting our Year 6 students in a series of sessions over the next month. We are hoping they will make new friends and feel confident about their transition to KGV.

A reminder to parents to upload the vaccination records, appointment details when you have them. Please use this form to submit the vaccination certificate

If you are traveling out of Hong Kong and accessing online learning from abroad, please let us know the date you leave and your planned return dates.

Have a good weekend

Year 8 Message

Dear Parents and Caregivers

Thank you to those parents who were able to attend this week’s Year 8 Learning Review. We hope you found the conversations useful and they gave you the opportunity to praise your child for their progress over the past Term. 

A reminder to parents to upload the vaccination records, appointment details when you have them. Please use this form to submit the vaccination certificate

If you are traveling out of Hong Kong and accessing online learning from abroad, please let us know the date you leave and your planned return dates.

Have a good weekend

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

Students will engage further with their Community Project on Thursday 10th of March. The focus this time is for students to use what they have found out from their research and start devising their first ‘Proposal for Action’. I would recommend discussing with your child some examples that can be found on this link. These examples are from student groups across Hong Kong, working with an NGO Kids4kids on their Action for a Cause Youth Development Program.

A reminder to parents to upload the vaccination records, appointment details when you have them. Please use this form to submit the vaccination certificate

If you are travelling out of Hong Kong and accessing online learning from abroad, please let us know the date you leave and your planned return dates.

Have a good weekend

Our Year 13 BTEC and IB students are continuing to work towards the completion of units and component deadlines. Our teachers are committed to supporting all of our students and we encourage your son/daughter to reach out to one of us if they are struggling with any aspect at the moment.

IBO have written to all schools this week and stated that students sitting examinations is the best method to assess student capability.

EDB has informed ESF that the Hong Kong government is working to get society open again by 19th April. They are currently making provision for all exams to proceed.

We want to reassure our students and parents that we are working hard to ensure that none of our students will be adversely affected by the arrangements that are put in place. As we all know, these are uncertain times, but I will endeavour to share any updates in relation to the examinations as and when I get them.

A reminder that our Monday timetable has a Period 3 and 5 swap for the next two weeks, to allow for a change in subjects to be asynchronous.

Wishing you a great weekend.

Our teachers are committed to supporting all of our Year 12 students during this difficult time and we encourage your son/daughter to reach out to one of us if they are struggling with any aspect at the moment.

A reminder that our Monday timetable has Period 3 and 5 swap for the next two weeks, to allow for a change in subjects to be asynchronous.

Wishing you a great weekend.

The Year 10 learning review is scheduled for Tuesday, 15 March. It will be online so parents and students can join from different locations. 

The booking system opens at 6 pm tonight. Please take this opportunity to meet with the teachers of your child and explore the progress they are making and how we can work together.

In the App, tap "Lionel 2 VLE" and scroll down to the appointments icon.

Now we are entering our 7th week on online learning, please check with your child that they are keeping up with their emails, lessons and assignments and feel they are organised. Please share any concerns with your child's tutor so we can support them as well as possible.

We continue to talk with exam boards and monitor information coming from the EDB closely. Our clear advice to students is to keep working and revising in preparation for exams. 

Please check the option choices your child has made. Once they submit, you will receive an app message with a link to confirm you are happy with their choices. This should have happened earlier in the week.

Next week language orals will take place online. If your child studies a language they will have received time and instructions for their oral exam. I sent a message earlier in the week with more details about orals.

Please check in with your child to help them keep the uncertainty about exams and all the worrying news in HK and the world in perspective. We're all in this together and we are working hard on their behalf to get the best outcomes we can.

Stay safe.

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.

Careers Website
Our website is full of information on, summer/enrichment programmes, scholarships, careers & higher education resources, etc. Check this link for more.

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
- 5 Mar: UnivAssist WebFair – East Asia & SEA

U.K.
- 7 Mar: UCAS/Discovery
- 8-10 Mar: World Class Study in London Virtual Event: Engineering, Medicine & Law
- 9-10 Mar: Oxford webinar for students: Choosing course & universities
- 15 Mar: Loughborough University – Student Experience
- 17 Mar: University of Warwick: Just Ask: STEM Student Panels

Europe
- Various dates in March: Les Roches Masterclasses
- 10 Mar: SciencesPo Info Session for Secondary School Students
- 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

U.S.A.
- 14-18 Mar: US Consulate Education Connection Program

Australia
- 22 Mar: Charles Darwin University Live Info Session: International Students

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

KGV Careers Team

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.

Friday 25 March 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 March 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

Teenage Addictions and Substance abuse

New date - 10 March 2022
6:30-8:00pm
Online talk

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

Key Dates

Mon 7 Mar For Monday only, Period 3 and 5 swap (live on Lionel)

Mon 7 Mar Year 13 CAS Interviews start

Tue 8 - Fri 11 Mar IGCSE Oral Exams

Tue 15 Mar Year 10 Learning Review 

Our Remarkable Stories

The geography department is proud to celebrate the fantastic submissions we have received for the RGS Hong Kong Young Geographer of the Year competition. Students had to design a piece of art or photography based on four selected themes: Nature, Urbanscape, Critical Eye and People and Culture. The students have then explained the inspiration behind their entries. Every entry is a winner in our eyes! Below is one out of the many fantastic entries we have received this year. 

Here is Amy Ip's submission on Nature: