Principal's message

Dear Parents and Guardians,

On behalf of our KGV learning community, I would like to take this opportunity to wish all our students, parents, and community partners a wonderful winter vacation, Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year.  

As we move towards the end of this calendar year, I cannot help but look back over what has been a unique and challenging time. Overwhelmingly it has been such a pleasure to have our students back at school again for a whole term! This is the first time our current Year 9 and 10 students have experienced KGV as somewhat ‘normal’. Our Year 7 students have made a positive start to school life at KGV and are already starting to build confidence and presence at our school. Generally, our students have shown such resilience as they have reintegrated into the campus and created and renewed relationships with peers and staff.

We sincerely thank all our parents and guardians for their support and understanding as we have adapted and adjusted to full-day schooling. Our KGV staff have been incredibly determined to care for and engage our students and maximise student learning and belonging.

A shout-out to our Year 11 and 13 students, who we know will spend some time preparing for their upcoming Mock exams over the break. This is a reminder that Term 2 begins for all students on Monday, January 9.

I hope all our families get to spend quality time together over the school break. I feel very privileged to be the Principal of KGV and be part of this wonderful community. 

Happy and safe holidays.

Mark Blackshaw,

Principal, KGV School

Year 11 Message

We hope you enjoy some rest and family time over the break. Please encourage your child to do some regular study so they feel they are making progress, but to balance this with rest, exercise and family time.

The Year 11 mock exams will run immediately after the CNY break. You can access the exam schedule here and see the rules and regulations for exams here.

Looking further ahead, you can see dates for the final (I)GCSE exams here.

A pdf summary of assessment results and units of learning for term 1 of Year 11 is available in Lionel. In the app, tap [ Lionel 2 VLE > CCF > open the Progress Checks drawer ]

Year 7 Message

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

We made it! The end of a very busy term. We are so proud of our Year 7s and their resilience and ‘can-do’ attitude, which we saw right up to the end of term. Nightingale and Upsdell students yesterday demonstrated their KGV spirit as they battled against the cold and the rain to complete their Challenge Week Coasteering and Kite Making activities. 

Now it is time for all Year 7 students to have a well-earned rest and to enjoy themselves over the next few weeks. We have lots planned for Term 2 and Term 3, so it is important that students take time to relax and get ready for the new challenges and opportunities of the next term.

On behalf of the entire Year 7 team, we would like to thank you all for your support and communication with us over the last term. It has been a pleasure getting to know so many of you and supporting your child, our student through their KGV Transition. 

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you all. See you again on Monday 9th January 2023, where we will start the term on Week 2.

The Year 7 Team.

Year 12 Message

We wish all of our Year 12 students and their families a happy holiday for the next three weeks and look forward to seeing all of our students again on Monday, 9 January. 

Year 13 Message

Please see below our Year 13 Mock Exam timetable commencing Monday, 9 January and finishing on Friday, 20 January. A reminder that IB classes will be suspended during the Mock exam period.

Year 13 Mock Exam Timetable January 2023

Wishing all of our Year 13 students a happy Winter holiday over the next 3 weeks and look forward to seeing you all in January.

Year 8 & 9 Message

Now it is time for all Year 8 & 9 students to have a well-earned rest and to enjoy the break with family and friends. We have many exciting learning opportunities planned for Term 2 and Term 3, so it is important that students take time to relax and get ready for the new challenges and opportunities ahead.

If you have been fortunate to secure tickets to HK Ballet's performance of 'The Nutcracker', look out for KGV’s Katie Chen (09U06) who is performing in the role of ‘Jockey’. We wish Katie all the best in her ballet performances. 

We wish all families a happy holiday and we look forward to seeing all of our Year 8 & 9 students on Monday, 9 January.  

Year 10 Message

We wish all families a happy holiday for the next three weeks and look forward to seeing all of our Year 10 students again on Monday, 9 January. Please encourage your child to spend a small amount of time over the break consolidating their notes so they feel organised and prepared for term 2.

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 personalised, small group session on a Friday morning to chat with the Principal, Mark Blackshaw, on various topics or areas you would like to discuss.

Our upcoming sessions will be on
Friday 13 January 2023, 1:30-2:15 pm.
Friday 3 February 2023, 10:30-11:15 am
Friday 17 February 2023. 10:30-11:15 am

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

Thanks to our outstanding House Captains who have led our students this year.  You have been amazing at organising teams for the events, getting student names in and more! 

Thanks also to our Heads of House who have guided our students and supported house activities in 2022. 

Thanks to the PE Department who have played a huge role in supporting the Swimming and Sports Galas. 

The results are in: 

KGV Interhouse Cup Winners 2022

1st Upsdell

2nd Rowell

3rd Crozier

4th Nightingale 

We look forward to starting a new Interhouse Competition in January 2023. 

After what has been an incredibly busy term 1 for CAS Activities, it will be great to see the same amount of interest for the term 2 programme. 

There are still a number of CAS activities with space that started in term 1 which will continue into term 2 so make sure the students sign up. Allocation is happening early in the first week back after the Christmas break, so please see some notes about what happens next:

• Students can sign up for Term 2 activities starting at 8am on Monday, December 12th right up until midnight on Sunday, January 6th, 2023. Term 2 activities start the week of January 16th, 2023
• For any activities that are oversubscribed, the system will randomly allocate students.
• Students/parents will receive an email/App message informing you if you have been successfully placed 
• If students are not allocated, they will remain on the wait list and be notified when a space becomes available
• Here are a number of our popular paid activities for term 2 
  • Baking Term 2 on Mondays (Mon 2:15-3:45)
  • Baking Term 2 on Tuesdays (Tues 3:30-5:00)
  • Guitar for All Levels Term 2-3 (Mon 2:15-3:15)
  • Rock Band Term 2 (Thurs 3:30-4:30)
  • Golf for All Levels Term 2 (Thurs 4:00-6:00)

Fees for the above activities are listed in the description, you will be notified on how to pay the provider to secure the spot. 

Remember to check the KGV CAS Activities website for all things related to the activities program (https://www.kgvcasactivities.com/). Information about signing up, withdrawal, allocation and parental approval click here.

Finally, I would like to thank parents for your support with allowing students to take part in the CAS program. I would also welcome any feedback or suggestions you have to both improve the CAS program by identifying particular activities that you would like to see offered at KGV.

Dean Beard

CAS, Service Learning and Activities Coordinator

Claire Luo and Bernice Chou, both Year 12 students, took part in the 2022 Youth Ambassador Asia-Pacific Programme run by the ITS Foundation in conjunction with UNITAR. They were amongst 34 Ambassadors graduating from a tough ten weeks of learning with a hybrid pitch event at the Microsoft Experience Centre at Cyberport in Hong Kong with participants and audience dialling in from Japan, Singapore, and Afghanistan. There were 34 exciting ideas by youth to address a range of social issues in the context of the SDGs.

Young people have much to contribute in promoting peace and security, human rights, and sustainable development in all corners of the globe. The United Nations recognises this in its Youth2030 Strategy and aims to engage with and support young people to create a more peaceful and sustainable world.

Reflections from KGV Representatives:

Claire Luo

The UNITAR ambassadorship program led by ITS education provided us with a comprehensive education on not only relevant sustainable development goals but also in all-rounded skills such as public speaking. Many sessions included international guest speakers situated in Tokyo and Hiroshima - Japan, Ghana, India, and Geneva - Switzerland. The most valuable takeaway was undoubtedly acquiring a new and clearer mindset on how to solve modern day problems. We learnt how to frame problems and ideate solutions in a logical and pragmatic manner, identifying the stakeholders involved in the process and how to satisfy a conflict of interest.

Our project circled around providing a broader UN-based SDG education to students in Hong Kong who may benefit from this opportunity. We identified the primary relevant SDG as sustainable cities and communities, as we recognise that access to SDG education promotes awareness and in turn, societal and environmental externalities. This will then contribute to reduced turnover and consumption and is a key example of how we can use advocacy to power change. In the time coming, we hope to make this pitch into a reality by optimising partnerships and developing sufficient background to launch this project

Bernice Chou

It was an honour to be nominated for the 2022 Youth Ambassador Asia-Pacific Programme led by UNITAR and the ITS Foundation. During the weekly workshops, I got to listen to lots of inspiring speeches given by different pioneers of the sustainability and AI industry. We learnt about different VR applications and the Metaverse and how these could be utilised to create a sustainable solution to a problem. At the end of the course, we had to make a pitch about an issue that we wanted to tackle. I placed my focus on creating an organisation to educate underprivileged children in Hong Kong about first aid and public health. My goal now is to officially establish this organisation and start preparing our first aid course. Overall, this was a very rewarding experience, and I also made many friendships along the way. I would like to thank my teammates and all the staff involved that made this program possible. Lastly, a big thank you to Mr Beard for his help along this journey!

Careers & H.E. Guidance

Our email address: careers.office@kgv.edu.hk. Please email us if any assistance is needed during the holidays.

Best wishes to a wonderful Christmas and New Year from the KGV Careers Team!

KGV Careers Website is another platform where we share information and resources on higher education, scholarship, external events, enrichment programmes and many more.

Year 13

• Close communication with HE Counsellors. Apart from keeping to internal deadlines, students should work closely with their HE Counsellors and keep informed of their HE applications. Any missed communication may result is a delay in providing necessary support for applications, which may result in missed offers.
• Student official full names are used on school transcripts. We would like to ask parents to check that their children’s official full name in the school record matches that on their identity documents. This is especially so when students are known in school by their preferred names which may not be their official names. Unmatched names may cause difficulties with university offers.
• Google Classroom. All resources for Y13 higher education applications are available via Google Classroom, including internal deadlines. Students should look out for announcements & reminders to ensure they are keeping their paces with applications.
• Application Status & Offers. The Careers Team is busy processing applications for our Y13s. Students should have regular communications with their HE Counsellors on their application status.

KGV School References

The KGV Careers Office is coordinating all references for students. KGV School has a closed reference policy. School references are treated with the strictest confidentiality and are sent only to the institution that makes a request. Students and their families do not get to see their school reference.

Reference for Y13s’ higher education application: All current Y13 students have a school reference in place as one of the support school documents. There is no need for students to make a request. Students should work closely with their H.E. Counsellor for their applications.

References for non-higher education purposes, including potential exit, summer school, scholarship, etc.: Parents should inform the Careers Office by email, providing purpose and contact for sending the reference. The normal lead time for teachers to work on school references is 4-6 working weeks.

University Events on the KGV Careers Calendar

Highlight of upcoming events:

ESF University Fair 2023 (more details will be available closer to event dates)

2 Feb: ESF University Fair: Europe
9 Feb: ESF University Fair: Asia/Australia/New Zealand
16 Feb: ESF University Fair: North America

Hong Kong
21 Dec: CUHK Knowledge Enrichment Programme

U.K.
Dec various dates: U of Bath lecture series & application webinars
Dec, various dates: U of Manchester Virtual Masterclasses
Various dates, Dec 2022 & Jan 2023 : Cambridge: Foundation Year Applicant Support Programme
Starting 31 Jan: Think Cambridge 2023 Webinar series

Canada
15 Dec: Toronto Metropolitan University (aka Ryerson) Webinar: How to Apply
12 Jan: SFU Applicant Workshop for Students Studying Outside of Canada
13 Jan, 20 Jan, 2 Feb: UBC Web Session – Last Minute Application

Europe
10 Jan: Bocconi University Open Classes for High School Students

KGV Careers Team