Dear Parents and Guardians,

I hope that you are all well. We have been advised this week that the resumption of face-to-face classes can begin on Tuesday, 19 April 2022, and will be based on a half-day schedule. For us at KGV, this will mean that we will complete at least 4 out of the 5 lessons each day at school, with students leaving at the beginning of the lunch break. We are still awaiting information from the EDB before we can finalise the specific arrangements and finish time. We plan to communicate this before the Spring vacation. 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 have the option to return to full-day classes when 100% of staff members and 90% of students have received 2 doses of the Covid-19 vaccine. Exemptions are provided for students according to medical reasons. 100% of KGV staff are vaccinated however, we have not yet reached the 90% target for students. Many year levels are getting close and are over the 80% level. Reaching the 90% level will provide the school with the option to return to full-day schooling. Please use this form to submit the vaccination certificate if you have NOT uploaded any vaccination certificates, or if you can upload evidence of the 2nd dose for your child.

If you are unsure if you have uploaded the vaccination certificate, please do not worry. If we do not have a record of a certificate or we need the 2nd dose certificate, then you will receive an additional email reminder today!

This week we met online in an open forum with parents of Year 11 and Year 13 students, as we outlined our planning for the upcoming exams. It was a good opportunity to hear and understand their thoughts, concerns and ideas. The resumption of face-to-face school in April has further confirmed the likelihood that the IBO and (I)GCSE exams will proceed. We know our students and teachers have been working hard together over a long period of time to prepare for these exams.

As we transition to another phase and work to welcome students back to school, we will continue to ensure we do all we can to promote the safety of our students and staff, and to maximise learning continuity and progress. All our staff truly appreciate the support you are providing ‘your child, our student’ in this period of online learning, as we transition back to face-to-face learning.

We are excited and relieved to be getting our students back at school. The positive social, emotional and wellbeing impacts of getting back to school and connecting with peers and staff cannot be underestimated.

Have a good weekend.

Stay safe.

Year 7 Message

Dear Parents and Caregivers

This week we learned that we will be back to face-to-face learning following the Easter Break! The Year 7 Team cannot wait to see our students and welcome them back to KGV School.

We are busy working on preparations for our return and will have details out to parents over the course of the following week.

If you and your family are currently out of Hong Kong and plan to stay out for some/ all of Term 3, please look out for an email from KGV explaining how we plan to support your child through this period. Please let us know if you are out of Hong Kong and did not receive an email from us.

For those of us still in Hong Kong, please make sure you have sent through the confirmation of all vaccination doses (1,2 and 3). As per the HK Government regulations, we need 90% of our students and staff to have at least 2 doses. Please use this link to upload your child's vaccination details.

Thank you and have a lovely weekend.

The Year 7 Team

Year 8 Message

Dear Parents and Caregivers

This week we learned that we will be back to face-to-face learning following the Easter Break! The Year 8 Team cannot wait to see our students and welcome them back to KGV School.

We are busy working on preparations for our return and will have details out to parents over the course of the following week.

If you and your family are currently out of Hong Kong and plan to stay out for some/ all of Term 3, please look out for an email from KGV explaining how we plan to support your child through this period. Please let us know if you are out of Hong Kong and did not receive an email from us.

For those of us still in Hong Kong, please make sure you have sent through the confirmation of all vaccination doses (1,2 and 3). As per the HK Government regulations, we need 90% of our students and staff to have at least 2 doses. Please use this link to upload your child's vaccination details.

Thank you and have a lovely weekend.

The Year 8 Team

Year 9 Message

Dear Parents and Caregivers

Yet again students really impressed us with their motivation and enthusiasm towards their project, particularly the way you are managing to effectively collaborate virtually. The main focus of the morning was to give students a chance to reflect on their progress so far and consider how they really can take meaningful ACTION. We also asked them to consider risks and plan a contingency for their proposed ACTION.

With the current situation and uncertainties surrounding when normal life resumes we expect students may be limited during some/all of May which is the month we were asking them to "take action". With the social distancing recommendations in place we have advised students that many forms of direct action may be challenging and instead should be developing plans for taking action via advocacy or through indirect action.

Students will need to spend some time over the next couple of weeks completing some of the tasks and preparing for the next follow up day, to be held on Friday 22nd of April

This week we learned that we will be back to face-to-face learning following the Easter Break! The Year 9 Team cannot wait to see our students and welcome them back to KGV School.

We are busy working on preparations for our return and will have details out to parents over the course of the following week.

If you and your family are currently out of Hong Kong and plan to stay out for some/ all of Term 3, please look out for an email from KGV explaining how we plan to support your child through this period. Please let us know if you are out of Hong Kong and did not receive an email from us.

For those of us still in Hong Kong, please make sure you have sent through the confirmation of all vaccination doses (1,2 and 3). As per the HK Government regulations, we need 90% of our students and staff to have at least 2 doses. Please use this link to upload your child's vaccination details.

Thank you and have a lovely weekend.

Year 9 Team

Thanks to all of our Year 13 parents and students who attended our information session on Wednesday evening. We very much appreciate your feedback and support as we strive to achieve the best possible outcomes for each and every student in Year 13.

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

Wishing you a great weekend.

We are delighted to announce that Kunal Panjabi (12N26) and Rheana Dhusia (12C22) have been duly elected as President and Vice-President of KGV Student Council for 2022. Our Year 12 and 13 team would like to congratulate Kunal and Rheana and we very much look forward to working with them in their new roles.

Year 12 Term 2 summaries are scheduled for release one week after Spring break, 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 next week, to allow for a change in subjects to be asynchronous.

Wishing you a great weekend.

We have one more week until the Spring break. Year 10 students are juggling a number of assessments at the moment as units of learning come to a close. A summary of grades will be shared on Friday, 22 April. 

You will be keen to know the arrangements for returning to school after the break on Tuesday, 19 April. We will share these with parents and students as soon as we are able to.

We have one more week of online learning before the Spring break. After the break Year 11 students will return to school for one week before starting their study leave on Friday, 22 April. This timing is similar to previous years. At this stage, it looks like lessons that week could be face to face in school.

In some subjects, students will be completing the syllabus and preparing to focus on revision, some subjects will require the week and perhaps a few online lessons to ensure all material is covered.

Once study leave begins, students will be able to access their teachers during their regular timetabled lessons if they need any assistance with their revision. This will be in place until the exam for each subject.

There are a number of questions about exams and how they will be managed this year. We ran a parent Q&A session on Thursday afternoon to share everything we can about exams for 2022. Access the slides from the session here.

Please keep an eye on your child for signs of tiredness or anxiety and help them manage the next few weeks as we prepare for exams to begin.

Careers & H.E. 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.

So far, we’ve taken our Y12s through an HE Refresher, UK&HK Personal Statements & UK Applications.  Students are reminded to attend other H.E. presentations that are scheduled on upcoming Wednesdays at lunch break. Presentation schedule & Zoom links have been sent to all Y12s.

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.
- 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 at Bath
- 8 Apr: University of Bath Engineering Taster Lecture 1

Hong Kong
- 26 Mar: CUHK Programme Taster Fair
- 30 Mar: Lingnan University Virtual Open House

Europe
- Various dates in March: Les Roches Masterclasses
- 26 Mar: Franklin University, Switzerland Virtual Open Day

Australia
- Various dates in April: Charles Darwin University webinars

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.

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.

Key Dates

Mon 28 Mar Monday Only P2 and 5 swap (live on Lionel)

Fri 1 Apr Last day of Term 2

Tues 19 Apr First day of Term 3

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 to guide parents on how to 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, 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.

Activities and Personalized Virtual Backgrounds to fundraise Orbis!

Orbis has been providing free eye screening and treatments all around the world, enabling equal access to proper health care, especially in developing countries. These are transformative services many rely on. Orbis has been facing many unprecedented challenges and disruptions of plans due to the coronavirus outbreak. As one of the four school charities, it is within our abilities to support those who are suffering from eye-related conditions. 

We have planned fun activities for tutor time throughout the week of 28 March to the 1 April! Tutors may refer to these Slides.

Donate $20 to get a customized virtual background! We would be beyond happy to receive any additional donations. Every $1000 donated enables 2000 free visual acuity tests to be performed: 75% of eyesight related problems can be prevented through these screenings! You’re always welcome to donate more for the charity! We hope to see a lot of virtual backgrounds this week

Refer to the payment guide and the order form here.

Should you have any questions, feel free to email wanc21@kgv.hk.

We look forward to your support!

Best regards,

The Orbis Team

Biodiversitude, is a group of Y12 KGV students trying to teach scientific theory in a simple way, to help others understand climate issues. 

As a group of students passionate about science, especially in regards to living things and their interactions, Kristen Wong, Pihu Agarwal, Vianca Ng, Maya Hatter, Ling Shan Lam and Jennifer Pun educate others on the consequences of human actions on food chains.

Biodiversitude's interview was published by a renowned website in the United States. Read their interview here