Interim Principal's Message

Dear Parents and Guardians,

I hope you are well and have enjoyed a good week. After my first few days at KGV, I can reflect on what a truly remarkable place it is. The positivity, dedication and excellence that shines throughout the KGV community has become immediately apparent to me, and I am truly appreciative of the warm welcome that I have received.

One of many highlights has been the launch of the Interdisciplinary unit of learning (IDU) for our Year 8 students. They have been using the lens of English and Science to consider how to move KGV forward as a sustainable campus, and have come up with a whole range of amazingly creative ideas. The students have benefited from a range of keynote speakers and guidance from their teachers to help them develop expertise on issues of sustainability, as well as building the skills necessary to support their projects. The Y8 students will continue to work on this in the coming weeks, and I am looking forward to them pitching their ideas to senior leaders in November. Our approach to the IDU upholds the spirit of the MYP by developing authentic learning opportunities by creating the opportunity for students to take action. A key element of our commitment to the MYP curriculum. A big thank you to the English and Science teams for their outstanding collaborative work in creating this opportunity. 

Looking ahead to next week, it is Odd Socks Day on Tuesday. This event is linked to World Mental Health Day, and reflects our commitment to mental health awareness as part of our Wellbeing programme. I am sure this will prove to be a good opportunity for our community to reflect and focus on the importance of mental health as a universal right.

Have an enjoyable weekend and let’s hope the weather is kind to us!

Kind Regards

Mark Poulsum

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

This week we have been working with students and helping them arrange themselves into tent groups for Challenge Week. We have been extremely proud of the kindness and inclusivity shown by students to ensure all students have 'tent buddies'. Next week we will continue to use tutor time to talk through other Challenge Week matters e.g. packing your bag for camp, preparing yourself for a night away from home etc.

I have copied below the information sent last week for your easy reference. I wanted to highlight that C1, C2, N1, N2, R1, R2, U1 and U2 tutor groups will camp over on Tuesday night and the other eight tutor groups will camp over on Thursday night. I have asked the external provider to provide meal details as I know some parents are concerned about food and how the company will cope with dietary requirements

Parent Information for Challenge Week

1. Recording of online Parent Session
2. Copy of the MIDYIS and Challenge Week Powerpoint
3. Packing List for Camp
4. Medical form which needs completing ASAP for our Challenge Week Provider

For information, the two campsites we will be using are;

• Hok Tau campsite - https://maps.app.goo.gl/rWKpQHALLUYBgP836
• Chung Pui campsite - https://maps.app.goo.gl/JETnXSLLckYG5bwo8

Have a lovely weekend.

The Year 7 Team

The Year 12 and 13 team would like to thank our Year 12 and 13 students for leading and supporting our work in trying to ensure all of our students feel safe throughout our campus.

We appreciate that our students need space to socialise and relax, as well as study in an environment that is conducive to learning.

We are working with our student leaders and our Principal, Mr Poulsum, to try and achieve this aim, whilst making sure all of our community feel listened to and respected.

Wishing you a great weekend.

Following the long weekend, Year 10 students have continued with Science assessments this week. Year 11 have been receiving their results and I have had some constructive conversations with students about how they will act on the feedback they are receiving.

The next two weeks before half-term are very busy. Year 11 have an introduction to Year 12 courses and subjects next Thursday and Friday, we have our final Challenge Week meeting for all students and interim reports will be published to parents by Friday, October 20th. The interim report will provide feedback from subject teachers on how your child is approaching their learning in class.

This week's highlight has been Year 8's fantastic two days of group work, alums and parent guest speakers, and senior student presentations to support their Year 8 Interdisciplinary Unit (IDU) with the English and Science Departments. The subject of the IDU is Environmental Activism: Bringing a Sustainable Change to KGV. Through the IDU, each group of three or four students has identified an area of improvement within KGV linked to a particular UN SDG. Over the coming weeks, they will use their knowledge of sustainability from Science and persuasive language from English to produce a 5-minute presentation to a judging panel. 

Congratulations to Kobe Wong from 09N05, who played the piano piece “Air No. 3 from Suite” by Hopekirk in our Year 8 & 9 Assembly on Thursday.

We welcomed our KGV Interim Principal, Mr Mark Poulsum, during our assembly. Mr. Poulsum asked our Year 8 & 9 Students to focus on three grounds for success: 1. Engage daily, 2. Develop and maintain healthy habits and routines; 3. Be kind to themselves and others. Mr. Poulsum also reminded the students that they must always wear our KGV Uniform with pride, including tucking their shirts in. 

At the Assembly on Thursday, students were presented with the ESF Substance Misuse Policy and the prohibited items list. Hence, they know the policy, school expectations, guidelines, and procedures. You can see a summary of the key points here . Thank you for supporting our efforts to keep our students and community safe. 

Your child would have brought home the Student Grant Form for you to check and complete.  Your child should return this form to reception once completed by the deadline, Friday, October 13th. 

Tuesday 10th October is World Mental Health Day. The KGV community wears odd socks yearly to celebrate Odd Socks Day. This presentation contains more information Odd Socks Day 2023. Our Wellbeing Prefects and Ambassadors will have a stall outside the GLT selling socks on Monday (break + lunch) and Tuesday (break only).

MYP Approaches to Learning (ATL) Focus for our Parent Newsletter: Self-Management Skills. Self-Esteem and Self-Confidence

Being a student requires a healthy sense of self-esteem and self-confidence. Students develop these attributes by believing in their worth and value. If they don’t believe in themselves, how can anyone else? 

It is perfectly natural for your child to doubt themselves sometimes. This is why they need to find a balance between using their strengths and developing areas they perceive as weak. 

Your child should be aware of roadblocks that prevent them from having healthy self-esteem and self-confidence. 

Things your child should look out for in themselves:

• A reluctance to try new things

• Losing their assertiveness and presence

• Feeling that their best isn't good enough

• Focusing on unimportant and irrelevant things

• Becoming temperamental and thinking inconsistently 

• Preferring to be alone more than usual

As soon as your child notices any of the above, they should tell their team (see notes from last week). Their team will help them develop strategies to overcome any roadblocks. 

Some proactive things your child can do are:

• Motivate themselves through positive thinking and self-talk

• Display their achievements: awards, certificates, medals, work that has achieved good grades, etc. These will remind them of what they have achieved so far and inspire them

• Imagine themselves achieving a Personal Best, then use that feeling to inspire their efforts

• Accept compliments because they deserve them

• Set goals and celebrate achieving them with their team

• Surround themselves with people who are positive and only want the best for them 

• Each week, think of and try one new thing that will help build their confidence in something they need more confidence in doing e.g. join a team to meet new friends. 

Additional Actions for Parents:

Ask your child what two things they will do to improve their self-esteem and self-confidence. 

Have a great weekend.

Congratulations to Kobe Wong from 09N05, who played the piano piece “Air No. 3 from Suite” by Hopekirk in our Year 8 & 9 Assembly on Thursday.

We welcomed our KGV Interim Principal, Mr Mark Poulsum, during our assembly. Mr. Poulsum asked our Year 8 & 9 Students to focus on three grounds for success: 1. Engage daily; 2. Develop and maintain healthy habits and routines; 3. Be kind to themselves and others. Mr. Poulsum also reminded the students that they must always wear our KGV Uniform with pride, including tucking their shirts in. 

At the Assembly on Thursday, students were presented with the ESF Substance Misuse Policy and the prohibited items list. Hence, they know the policy, school expectations, guidelines, and procedures. You can see a summary of the key points here . Thank you for supporting our efforts to keep our students and community safe. 

Your child would have brought home the Student Grant Form for you to check and complete.  Your child should return this form to reception once completed by the deadline, Friday, October 13th. 

Tuesday 10th October is World Mental Health Day. The KGV community wears odd socks yearly to celebrate Odd Socks Day. This presentation contains more information on Odd Socks Day 2023. Our Wellbeing Prefects and Ambassadors will have a stall outside the GLT selling socks on Monday (break + lunch) and Tuesday (break only).

 MYP Approaches to Learning (ATL) Focus for our Parent Newsletter: Self-Management Skills. Self-Esteem and Self-Confidence

Being a student requires a healthy sense of self-esteem and self-confidence. Students develop these attributes by believing in their worth and value. If they don’t believe in themselves, how can anyone else? 

It is perfectly natural for your child to doubt themselves sometimes. This is why they need to find a balance between using their strengths and developing areas they perceive as weak. 

Your child should be aware of roadblocks that prevent them from having healthy self-esteem and self-confidence. 

Things your child should look out for in themselves:

• A reluctance to try new things

• Losing their assertiveness and presence

• Feeling that their best isn't good enough

• Focusing on unimportant and irrelevant things

• Becoming temperamental and thinking inconsistently 

• Preferring to be alone more than usual

As soon as your child notices any of the above, they should tell their team (see notes from last week). Their team will help them develop strategies to overcome any roadblocks. 

Some proactive things your child can do are:

• Motivate themselves through positive thinking and self-talk.

• Display their achievements: awards, certificates, medals, work that has achieved good grades, etc. These will remind them of what they have achieved so far and inspire them.

• Imagine themselves achieving a Personal Best, then use that feeling to inspire their efforts.

• Accept compliments because they deserve them.

• Set goals and celebrate achieving them with their team.

• Surround themselves with positive people who only want the best for them. 

• Each week, think of and try one new thing that will help build their confidence in something they need more confidence in doing, e.g. join a team to meet new friends. 

Additional Actions for Parents:

Ask your child what two things they will do to improve their self-esteem and self-confidence. 

Have a great weekend.

Dear Parents and Students,

Greetings from KGV, hope everything is going well!

The Lion Yearbook 2022-23 is ready for pick up, for those who have ordered, at the KGV Reception.

Our office hours during school days are:

Monday – Thursday 7.45 am to 5 pm

Friday 7.45 am to 4 pm

If you have any questions, please email Ms Chan.

Thank you for your support.

9 - 13 October