Principal's message

Dear Parents and Guardians,

I hope you had a good week. On Monday, we welcomed our Year 9 students and their parents and guardians to the Year 9 IB Middle Years Program (MYP) Graduation.  The was also an opportunity to showcase student work through the MYP ‘Community Project’, which involves students working on a particular community issue to create action and a positive outcome.

The community project supports the aim of the MYP framework to develop active learners and internationally minded young people who can empathise with others and pursue lives of purpose and meaning. Some examples of the types of community projects our students engaged in included:

·   Teaching English to refugee children

·   Distributing food to homeless people

·   Helping and raising money for local dog shelters

·   Planting trees in the local community

·   Mental Health awareness campaigns

·   Environmental clean-up and recycling programmes

This is the type of learning that organisations like the World Economic Forum recommend in preparing our students for the future by:

·   providing an increased emphasis on creativity, critical thinking, problem-solving and skills relating to the development and use of technology.

·   placing greater emphasis on interpersonal and socio-emotional skills. This includes the ability to collaborate, coordinate and communicate effectively with others.

·   Creating a strong subject-based knowledge that students can apply in different contexts.

In short, the future of education lies in empowering young learners to embrace and develop their uniquely human qualities – those unlikely to ever be replaced by robots and technology.

End of Year Reports:

All students (Years 7, 8, 9, 10 and 12) will receive a comprehensive report in the last week of this term and Years 11 and 13 will receive their examination results. Our teachers have been working hard to write the reports, including an overall grade, a summary of the content and skills covered and personalised comments on what the students are doing well at and what they could do to take the next step.

This year we have also used some of the new AI assistant technologies to help us edit the reports and improve the quality and consistency of the comments. The feedback from our parents indicated that they are seeking the following from a KGV student report:

1.     What has the student been learning about learning?

2.     What overall grade did they achieve?

3.     What did they do well?

4.     What could they do to take the next steps in their learning progression?

The student reports will be emailed home in the last week of the term. We hope they provide comprehensive feedback on our student learning progress and how we can work together to support them on their ongoing journey of achievement and growth. 

Calendar

Please see attached the updated KGV Calendar for next academic year.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Ita6oD7kJuXfoWyCs7933hvUfxVPNWrx/view?usp=sharing

Kind regards,

Mark Blackshaw,

Principal, KGV School.

Year 10 Message

Assessments are largely completed now and Year 10 students can start to think about finishing this academic year and getting some rest.

The summer break will be a good time to continue to discuss potential option choices for Year 12. Over the summer you could be thinking about and discussing future pathways including universities and the range of courses they offer. All the feedback we get from employers is that they are looking for people who can collaborate, communicate, innovate and manage themselves while leveraging technology. These skills will come about when students are motivated and interested in their learning. So our recommendation for selecting courses is to go with your interests when there is a choice.

The four pathways we offer for Year 12 and details for each are available in Lionel. Use the Lionel menu to go to Courses > Senior School > Diploma transition

Year 11 Message

There are only two exams to go. It has been a marathon effort for our students and I am very proud of the way they have faced this challenge; smiling, with confidence and by supporting each other. Year 11 have shown a lot of character over the last two months.
Next week we have:
 - Monday at 3 pm Design Technology
 - Tuesday at 3.15 pm Food Technology

I hope they enjoy a very well-earned rest and recovery in order to return to Year 12 studies with enthusiasm and determination.

Year 12 Message

Our Year 12 Student Leaders have been busy this week organising House Assemblies ( Crozier & Rowell). We also held our Sports Awards assembly today to round off a week of celebrations and fun across our campus. Huge congratulations to our Year 12 winners!

With now just 2 weeks to go until the end of term, we are encouraging our students to engage with their subject teachers about what they need to revise and work through in order to hit the ground running in August, when they return to us as Year 13 students.

Wishing you a great weekend.

Year 8 Message

As we head into our final two weeks of the academic year, the Year 8 Students are working hard to complete assessments and end-of-year projects and participate in their last CAS activities. Their hard work and good habits do not go unnoticed. 

Developing good habits is an essential part of being a successful student. Students who establish good habits are more likely to achieve their goals and reach their full potential. Good habits include setting aside time daily for studying, staying organised, getting enough sleep, and eating a healthy diet. By making these good habits a part of their daily routine, students can improve their academic performance, reduce stress, and increase their overall well-being. With dedication and perseverance, our Year 8 students can establish good habits that will serve them well throughout their academic and personal lives. 

Your child, our student, has shown remarkable resilience and determination this year. Please encourage them to keep up the great work, and let's finish Year 8 on a high note!

On Wednesday, during tutor time, we held our KGV Sports Awards for Years 8 & 9. 

Congratulations to our Year 8 students who received Awards for Excellence:

• Cricket: Rishi Butani

• Cross Country: Alex Fisher, Rachel Xing

• Badminton: Emily Ip, Rossie Li

• Basketball: Krisha Uttamchandani, Chloe Chiu

Congratulations to our Year 8 Nominees for Sportsperson of the Year: 

• Rishi Butani

• Katie Lee

• Alex Fisher

• Rachel Xing 

• Khloe Yu

The Winner of Year 8 Sportsperson of the Year:

• Rachel Xing. 

Rachel has achieved incredible success in multiple sports, including swimming and athletics. She took first place in the 50-yard Freestyle and Backstroke events at the Swimming Gala and won the Interhouse Cross Country event, demonstrating her impressive endurance and strength. Rachel won the 400m, 800m, and 4x100m Relay events in athletics at the Interhouse Athletics meet. She also won the ISSFHK Cross Country Mini Meet and placed second in the main event while leading her team to victory in the C Grade Girls Age Group. Rachel set a school record in Interhouse Cross Country and qualified for the finals in the ISSFHK Swimming Championships. Rachel also competed in IH football, frisbee and rounders. Congratulations Rachel! 

Please note that Thursday, 22nd June, is a public holiday.

We hope that you have a great weekend.

Year 9 Message

We were delighted to have had the opportunity to host you for the MYP Graduation Ceremony and The Community Project. Through the Community Project, our students have honed their project management skills, utilised design thinking to solve problems, embraced responsibility and accountability, developed empathy towards others, and improved their ability to communicate and connect with community members. Thank you for being a part of this wonderful experience.

Please take a look at a video of the student's work here.

As this is the first year we have combined the MYP Graduation and the Community Project, we would like your feedback on how the afternoon worked and how we might improve this experience for next year. Please add your feedback here. 

We only have ten days until we go to Ocean Park. Our students are excited about this opportunity to celebrate! Senior Head of Year, Mr Tranter, will e-mail students and parents early next week with the final arrangements. Students were given these reminders in tutor class: 

• They must bring their student ID card on the day. 

• Anyone who wants to change how they go home from Ocean Park must let us know next week. There will be no changes allowed to this on the day.

On Wednesday, during tutor time, we held our KGV Sports Awards for Years 8 & 9. 

Congratulations to our Year 9 students who received Awards for Excellence:

• Athletics: Isaac Man

• Badminton: Alex Wong

• Basketball: Zac Ha, Ryan Smith, Edward Yang

• Beach Volleyball: Momoka Kobayashi

• Cricket: Aarush Sanghavi

• Cross Country: Poppy Worthington

• Football: Archit Pai, Georgio Cagliarini

• Swimming: Eunis Man, Poppy Worthington

• Volleyball: Momoka Kobayashi, Bianca Kwok, Claire Wu, Alex Wong

Congratulations to our Year 9 Nominees for Sportsperson of the Year: 

• Shubh Malik

• Emily Blackshaw

• Momoka Kobayashi

• Poppy Worthington 

• Archit Pai

The Winner of Year 9 Sportsperson Of The Year:

• Momoka Kobayashi

Momoka is a talented athlete with exceptional leadership skills and remarkable achievements in multiple sports. She captained the U14 Girls' Volleyball team to a championship victory in the ISSFHK competition and placed second in the HKSSF event. Momoka also led the Girls' Beach Volleyball and U14 Girls' Netball teams as captain, inspiring her teammates with her skill and determination. Momoka achieved impressive results in athletics, placing seventh in the HKSSF Girls Athletics 100m hurdles and taking home first place in the Long Jump and 100m hurdles events at Sports Day. She also secured second place in the High Jump event. Momoka's achievements boosted Nightingale’s results - a second-place finish in the Y7-9 IH Volleyball competition, her 13th-place finish in the Cross Country event and representing her house in IH frisbee. She has achieved all this on top of her heavy training load as a member of the Hong Kong Institute of Sport for Karate. Congratulations Momoka! 

Please note that Thursday, 22nd June, is a public holiday.

We hope that you have a great weekend.

Year 7 Message

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

The semi-finals of the Spelling Bee took place this week with the Grand Final taking place on Tuesday next week. Good luck to our 7 finalists and well done to all who have taken part so far. It has been wonderful to see the courage of those competing and the manner in which our Year 7 students have supported them every step of the way.

Next week you will receive an email from Olvia Pang who will be asking you to confirm the contact details for you and your child. Please can you action this asap to ensure we continue to have your correct details and can keep you updated with KGV news.

In the final week of term, we will be emailing again with all the information you need for the start of term, plus details of how to access the end of year grades and reports.

Wishing you and your families a good weekend.

Careers & H.E. Guidance

Our email address: careers.office@kgv.edu.hk.

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

HE Resources via Google Classroom for Y12 & Y13. All resources for higher education applications are available via Google Classroom, including internal deadlines. Students should look out for announcements & reminders. Y13s should ensure they are keeping their paces with applications.

Year 13

• KGV Final Transcript Collection Day: 7 July, 08.00-15.00 at the Careers Office.
• 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.
• 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 application status & offers. Any missed communication may result is a delay in providing necessary support for applications, which may result in missed offers.
• Official IB Diploma & BTEC Certificates: Look out for correspondence from our Exam Office.

Year 12

• Higher Education Presentation Series. We have covered: UK apps., Personal Statement, HK apps, Oxbridge, Medicine, Dentistry & Vet, USA apps, USA Personal Essay, Canada apps, Non-mainstream and UCAS setup. The last presentation of the series is on Summer Action Plan. Detailed presentation schedule is shared to all Y12 students via their H.E. Google Classrooms.
• Y12 – Parent presentation on Wednesday, 28 Jun (via Zoom). This session for our Y12 parents on how the Careers & H.E. Team supports our students and students’ action plan over the summer break. The meeting link will be emailed to all Y12 parents on the morning of 28 Jun.
• Talk by Cambridge Professor, 28 June. Professor Matthias Dörrzapf, Director of Scholarships & International Programmes at St. John’s College, University of Cambridge, is visiting KGV on 28 June. He has worked in a number of areas in Mathematics, including Representation Theory, Financial Mathematics & Theoretical Physics. He will be conducting a session sharing his expertise, on top of general admission, the Collegiate University, Opportunities at Cambridge & careers pathways.

KGV School References – All KGV students
The KGV Careers Office is coordinating all references (except extension/gifted & talented programmes) 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.

Planning for the summer?
If you are looking at enrichment programmes over the summer break, Our Careers website has a long list of programmes listed. That would be a good starter for ideas.

University Events on the KGV Careers Calendar list known H.E. events. KGV is not responsible for the quality of any external events. All information is subject to change by event organisers.

Highlight of upcoming events:

Unifrog Application Masterclasses, 20-27 Jun. Student login to Unifrog required.

H.K.
16-17 Jun: VTC Hospitality Fun day 2023
8 Jul: Summer Law Carnival by The University of Law

U.K.
23 Jun: U of Strathclyde Virtual Info Session
30 Jun-1 Jul: UCL Undergraduate Open Days (in-person)
5 Jul: UCL Virtual Info Session on BSc Information in Society (new course)
6-7 Jul: Cambridge Undergraduate Open Days
9 Jul, 20 Jul & 12 Aug: British Council Pre-departure briefing in summer

KGV Careers & H.E. Team

KGV Sporting Stories

C-Grade Gymnastics

The C-Grade Gymnastics team of Niyati Khabiya, Purvi Jain and Elena Von Kleist competed at the HKSSF competition. The team impressed and performed well over the various disciplines and ended up coming 2nd place which is a massive achievement in a very competitive sport. Well done to this team!

C-Grade Table Tennis

The C-Grade Table Tennis Team of Steffi Bedoucha, Zoe Fong and Alex Lee placed third overall at the recent HKSSF table tennis competition, an excellent result against many good players from Hong Kong. Well done to this team!

For 19 - 23 June