Dear Parents and Guardians

I hope that you are all well. Understandably, there has been an increase in enquiries from parents regarding the current COVID situation in Hong Kong, and what it may mean for returning to school for all students after the upcoming vacation, and also for our scheduled Year 11 and 13 exams. 

I hope the following points provide some clarification moving forward:

The safety of our students and staff has always been, and always will be the key priority at KGV and across ESF. The HK Government has recently communicated the possibility of students returning to school for face-to-face lessons in the weeks after the upcoming Easter vacation. We are working on different planning scenarios if this approval is gained from the EDB. The requirement that all staff and visitors to the school (including parents) will need to be vaccinated will continue. At this stage, there is no requirement for students to be vaccinated to attend school.

Thank you to all parents who have uploaded their vaccination results via our Google Form here. We are pleased to share that over 90% percent of our students from Year 8-13 are vaccinated. We would encourage our parents of Year 7 students to update their child’s vaccination record here.

We are concerned about the impact this extended period of online learning is having on our students, especially in terms of decreased social interaction, playtime and time outside to exercise, etc. We encourage our parents to consider balancing the risks of COVID and the need for students to move and exercise and have managed time outside of their homes. We appreciate that the current situation is causing some increased stress in students and in families generally. A reminder that there are a range of parent support sessions and resources available. Please see the list below:

Events:

• Promoting children's self-regulation during the pandemic (24 March) 

• Strengthening family wellbeing during the fifth wave of COVID (30 March) 

• Preparation before iGCSE and IB exams

• Click the link for a range of strategies based on the five ways to wellbeing. 

Resources

• As a clinical psychologist, Andrew Fuller works with many schools and communities in Australia and internationally, specialising in the wellbeing of young people and their families. Andrew has recently been running workshops with ESF parents and teachers. He has resources available on his website https://andrewfuller.com.au/ 

• 14 Day Quarantine Wellness Kit from HKU 

  English - https://wellcation.csrp.hku.hk/ 
  Cantonese https://wellcation.csrp.hku.hk/tc/2/ 

• Lions Clubs International District 兒童心理指南 COVID-19 Caring for Children with COVID-19 A Psychological Guide  

Thank you again for your support during this challenging time. Please reach out to us if you have any questions or concerns.

Stay safe.

Kind Regards,

Dear Parents and Guardians

I hope that you are all well. Understandably, there has been an increase in enquiries from parents regarding the current COVID situation in Hong Kong, and what it may mean for returning to school for all students after the upcoming vacation, and also for our scheduled Year 11 and 13 exams. 

I hope the following points provide some clarification moving forward:

• The safety of our students and staff has always been, and always will be the key priority at KGV and across ESF

• We expect the Year 11 and Year 13 exams to proceed and students in the examination years will be allowed into KGV to take the IGCSE and IB exams. We strongly encourage our students to keep preparing and studying for the exams.

• Like in all years, there are processes in place with the Exam Boards to provide a grade for students if they are unwell or cannot attend exams due to isolation or other factors

• In the years that our students have been able to sit exams, they have done very well. Our students have worked hard with teachers to cover the course content, and the IGCSE and IBO exams signal the conclusion of a two-year period of study, which has been designed specifically as a combination of coursework and examinations.

• Strong results from these exam based courses provide an important gateway for students as they move onto university and/or employment

• We will continue to monitor the situation and work with the Exam Boards to do all we can to ensure all students have the opportunity to achieve the best results that they can, for the courses.

We are offering a session for Year 11 and Year 13 parents regarding the arrangements and what we know at this stage regarding the upcoming exams. Please register here for the Year 11 session at 4 pm on Thursday, 24 March, and for the Year 13 session at 3.30pm on Wednesday 23rd March.

Thank you to all parents who have uploaded their vaccination results via our Google Form here. We are pleased to share that over 90% percent of our students from Year 8-13 are vaccinated. We would encourage our parents of Year 7 students to update their child’s vaccination record here.

The HK Government has recently communicated the possibility of students returning to school for face-to-face lessons in the weeks after the upcoming Easter vacation. We are working on different planning scenarios if this approval is gained from the EDB. The requirement that all staff and visitors to the school (including parents) will need to be vaccinated will continue. At this stage, there is no requirement for students to be vaccinated to attend school.

We are concerned about the impact this extended period of online learning is having on our students, especially in terms of decreased social interaction, playtime and time outside to exercise, etc. We encourage our parents to consider balancing the risks of COVID and the need for students to move and exercise and have managed time outside of their homes. We appreciate that the current situation is causing some increased stress in students and in families generally. A reminder that there is a range of parent support sessions and resources available. Please see the list below:

Events:

• Promoting children's self-regulation during the pandemic (24 March) 

• Strengthening family wellbeing during the fifth wave of COVID (30 March) 

• Preparation before iGCSE and IB exams

• Click the link for a range of strategies based on the five ways to wellbeing. 

Resources

• As a clinical psychologist, Andrew Fuller works with many schools and communities in Australia and internationally, specialising in the wellbeing of young people and their families. Andrew has recently been running workshops with ESF parents and teachers. He has resources available on his website https://andrewfuller.com.au/ 

• 14 Day Quarantine Wellness Kit from HKU 

  English - https://wellcation.csrp.hku.hk/ 
  Cantonese https://wellcation.csrp.hku.hk/tc/2/ 

• Lions Clubs International District 兒童心理指南 COVID-19 Caring for Children with COVID-19 A Psychological Guide  

Thank you again for your support during this challenging time. Please reach out to us if you have any questions or concerns.

Stay safe.

Kind Regards,

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

The Year 7 students continue to impress and amaze me with their ongoing commitment to online learning. Seven weeks of online learning are done, and students are still doing their best out there and we are receiving excellent feedback from tutors and teachers.

This week’s Year 7 assembly focused on students being able to identify and record one piece of feedback/ feedforward from each of their subject areas. Students have been given a form to complete, showing targets for each subject area. Tutors will support students in target setting during tutor time. It would be great if you could sit down with your child and get them to talk through their targets for each subject area.

We also recognised two students in the Year 7 assembly. Gabriella Cagliarini (R04) and Zoe Schneider (Ro4) were selected by Mr. Blackshaw to be student ambassadors at a recent parent webinar. Gabriella and Zoe spoke eloquently, confidently and with good humour around their experiences of joining KGV this year. Well done to these students!

We hope you are using the summative calendar sent to you at the beginning of this term. We would love to hear your feedback on this and whether summative are landing when they should and your child is able to cope with the demands. 

Next week, we will be switching Period 5 for Period 2 on Monday, to account for the Period 5 asynchronous period. 

Have a lovely weekend

The Year 7 Team

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

The Year 8 students continue to impress and amaze me with their ongoing commitment to online learning. Seven weeks of online learning are done, and students are still doing their best out there and we are receiving excellent feedback from tutors and teachers.

This week’s Year 8 assembly was a real celebration of student achievement across the term. Ms Beer and Mr Tranter spoke highly of Year 8 students and the way they were living our KGV values of honesty, courage and empathy. We are all having to cope with a lot at the moment, whether this is our own family experiences of COVID or it is listening to the conflict going on at an international scale, our students have access to a lot of worrying and stressful information. Please take time to speak to your time about what they are reading and what they have questions and concerns about. We are here to help. Please reach out to your child’s tutor if you have any questions or concerns and we will help your families in any way we can.

Next week, we will be switching Period 5 for Period 2 on Monday, to account for the Period 5 asynchronous period. 

Have a lovely weekend

The Year 8 Team

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

The Year 9 students continue to impress and amaze me with their ongoing commitment to online learning. Seven weeks of online learning are done, and students are still doing their best out there and we are receiving excellent feedback from tutors and teachers.

This week’s Year 9 assembly was a real celebration of student achievement across the term. Ms. Beer and Mr. Tranter spoke highly of Year 9 students and the way they were living our KGV values of honesty, courage and empathy. We are all having to cope with a lot at the moment, whether this is our own family experiences of COVID or it is listening to the conflict going on at an international scale, our students have access to a lot of worrying and stressful information. Please take time to speak to your time about what they are reading and what they have questions and concerns about. We are here to help. Please reach out to your child’s tutor if you have any questions or concerns and we will help your families in any way we can.

Thursday next week, the students will engage further with their Community Project. This time, they will consider how to take meaningful action, plan an effective advocacy campaign, plan contingencies and then update their proposal for action. Please ask your child how they are going with the project, ask to see their process journal and talk about how, even just a small action, will have a tremendous impact in such uncertain times.

Next week, we will be switching Period 5 for Period 2 on Monday, to account for the Period 5 asynchronous period. 

Have a lovely weekend

The Year 9 Team

Thank you to all the parents who joined our teachers for the Learning Review on Tuesday afternoon. I hope it was helpful and you have some action points to follow up with your child.

In assembly this week we highlighted the importance of academic honesty, particularly when so much work is being done remotely and introduced Eco week that will run as a school theme next week.

There are only two weeks of classes before the Easter break and we are all waiting for announcements from the government about what will happen following the break

Until then stay safe and be well.

Many Year 11 students completed their oral examinations this week. For European languages these have been held online for the first time and will count towards final grades.

In our assembly this week we discussed the importance of academic honesty and the consequences of dishonest behaviour in assessments. We understand that being online may prompt some students to think about this, but reminded them that the outcomes remain as serious as ever. We hope that none of our students will place themselves or us in an awkward situation that may affect their grades. 

At this stage, all GCSE exam boards are indicating they wish to proceed with exams and we are continuing to work to prepare students for those exams. We will host a parent session for parents who have questions about exams next Thursday. Please use this signup form to register if you would like to join us.

Study leave is currently in the calendar to begin one week after Easter. Students will definitely return for classes following the Easter break, however, we have not confirmed an exact study leave date and will communicate a decision on this when we can.

We are hosting an information session for our Year 13 parents on the upcoming examination arrangements next Wednesday, 23 March at 3.30 pm. Please register for the Year 13 session.

A reminder that our Monday timetable has Period 2 and 5 swap for the next 2 weeks, to allow for a change in subjects to be asynchronous.

Wishing you a great weekend.

With two weeks left until the end of term, we are hopeful that our Year 12 students can resume face-to-face learning after the Easter break.

Year 12 Term 2 summaries are scheduled for release one week after Easter, but data is available live in the CCF system as assessments and grading are completed.

A reminder that our Monday timetable has Period 2 and 5 swap for the next 2 weeks, to allow for a change in subjects to be asynchronous.

Wishing you a great weekend.

School references

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.

Careers & Guidance

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.

The first of the Yr 12 HE presentation series took place on 16 March.  Students are reminded to attend other H.E. presentations that are scheduled on upcoming Wednesdays.

Careers 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:

U.K.
- 22-24 Mar: Oxford & Cambridge Student Conference
- 24-25 Mar: University of Oxford Student Webinar: An Overview
- 30 Mar-22 Apr: University of Cambridge Subject Masterclass Series for Y12 students
- 1 Apr: University of Bath Parent Event: Supporting your child – Finance, funding & budgeting atBath
 

Hong Kong
- 18-25 Mar: HKAPA Arts Project A Asrit is for All Workshop
- 19 Mar: CityU Undergraduate Open Day
- 26 Mar: CUHK Programme Taster Fair

PRC
- 22 Mar: PRC Universities Student & Alumni Sharing Session  
 
Europe
- Various dates in March: Les Roches Masterclasses
- 19 Mar: Hanze UAS, Groningen Webinar
- 19 Mar: Tilburg University Online Bachelor’s Open Day
- 26 Mar: Franklin University, Switzerland Virtual Open Day

Canada
-  19 Mar - Queen’s University – Meet Queen’s

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

KGV Careers Team

Key Dates

Mon 21 Mar Monday Only P2 and P5 swap (live on Lionel)

Fri 25 Mar Friday Feedback with the Principal 

Fri 1 Apr Last day of Term 2

Tues 19 Apr First day of Term 3

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.

Introducing Financial Literacy in the Digital Era

Tuesday 29 March 2022
6:30-8:00 pm
Online webinar

Our keynote speaker, Shivani Hemnani, will present this talk on how parents can introduce the concept of financial literacy to teenagers in the current digital era. With the rise of digital payment systems and e-banking systems, there is much talk around whether approaches towards introducing financial management to children and young adults should be changed. 

She will explain how to empower children to build confidence that would allow them to make sound financial decisions that are in line with their goals and values.

Shivani is the founder of "Know Your Wealth”, a financial literacy initiative founded in Hong Kong, with the mission of developing financial acumen in children and young adults in line with their needs, personal goals, and moral values, which are also essential to character development.

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

Hong Kong Young Writers Awards 

The annual writing competition was on again! This year’s theme was Mogao Grottoes, better known as Caves of a Thousand Buddhas. Everyone had to do some solid research before they even started, and all these young writers met the challenge head on!

Christine Chiou Y10 , Michelle Chung Y09, Summer Guo Y10, Yerin Kang Y08 , Dhairya Shah Y10, Amy Wen Y09, Kasper Wu Y08, Ran Zhao Y12 and Rou Zhao Y10.

An extra well done to the students who received Honorable Mention: Christine Chiou, Michelle Chung, Summer Guo and Dhairya Shah.

Excitingly, we had three students who were Shortlisted in their categories: Kasper Wu, Ran Zhao and Rou Zhao.

Even better still, one student won in their category and attained the title of Hong Kong Young Writer 2022.

Ran Zhao

Thank you everyone for sharing your writing! What a wonderful way to show that creativity is still alive and kicking!

KGV students entered the UK Polar Network Flag competition. The purpose of the competition is to celebrate the Antarctic Treaty and the collaboration across the world from global scientists. The students were asked to design a flag because Antarctica does not have one. Well done to Ariel Suen in Year 9 for being chosen as the winning flag for KGV! The beautiful design by Ariel was hand crafted and is being celebrated by Scientist Georgia Watson in Antarctica.

Congratulations Ariel a well-deserved achievement!