Dear Parents and Carers,

I hope you are doing well, despite the unusually cold weather this week. As we move beyond this short cold spell, students will return to the usual school uniform from Friday 26th January.

This week has been an action packed one, with our students enjoying such a wide range of rich learning experiences. Amongst many events happening, the Year 9 students had the opportunity to engage with a range of charitable organisations as they got started with their Community Project. This is a key aspect of our MYP programme where students take action as part of service learning, and certainly embodies our school values of courage, honesty and empathy. It was also great to see so many parents join the Music and Media IDU exhibition on Thursday, providing the Year 7 students the chance to showcase their learning and demonstrate their skills.

Looking ahead, we are rapidly approaching that special time of year with Chinese New Year in only two weeks time. With this in mind, please note that we break for CNY at 12 pm on Thursday 8th February with students returning to school on Tuesday 20th February. 

Thank you for your ongoing support and have a wonderful weekend.

Best regards,

Mark Poulsum

Year 12 & 13 Message

Our Year 12 students were informed at assembly that their Year 13 Challenge Week will be based locally in Hong Kong and the surrounding area. This is to ensure that all students have the opportunity to experience a blend of academic and social activities throughout the week. Activities will range from outdoor trips to mental health & wellbeing sessions alongside catch-up and academic interventions where deemed necessary to support our students with their BTEC, IBCP and IBDP journeys.

For our Year 13 students, please note the following important dates coming up with more information to follow regarding KGV Graduation:

Year 13 Official Last Day – Wednesday 10th April (students may still come in for tutorials and to complete BTEC units of work).

Year 13 Graduation Ceremony – Thursday 30th May (KGV Hall)

Year 13 Graduation Dinner – Friday 31st May (Hotel Icon)

Wishing you a great weekend.

Year 10 Message

Year 10 students will receive a Semester 1 summary that will show all grades received since the start of the year and the Current Attainment Grades (CAG) given by their subject teachers. This will be sent to parents before the Lunar New Year break.

We made allowances for warm non-uniform clothing to be worn this week. From Monday, please remind your child to be back in proper uniform please. If they are feeling the cold, encourage them to wear layers underneath their uniform. 

Year 11 students are out for one more week with mock exams, so our Year 10 students have their tutors all to themselves.

Year 11 Message

Year 11 students have completed their first week of mock exams. There is one more week, finishing on Friday February 2nd. The mock exam schedule is here.

We will publish a mock "report" after the Lunar New Year. This will outline the grades received from the mock exams and give personalised advice on what to work on leading up to the final exams starting in late April.

We want students to take these mock exams seriously so that the experience prepares them for their final exams, however, they must remember that these results are for feedback only and there is no need to get over-anxious about them. Making mistakes or not doing well in some areas of the exams will lead to useful feedback and learning.

During the mock exams, Y11 students only need to come to school for their exams. They should look carefully at the schedule and ensure they are here at least 20 minutes prior to the start time. They can also use our study facilities at any time if they wish. Students have been given an exam pass to gain entry and exit from the school. Full uniform should be worn when they are in school.

Students have been reminded of the procedures for mock exams and had a reminder about revision strategies and managing stress.

Year 7 Message

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

This week the cold weather has brought a mixture of celebrations as well as moments of reflection for our Year 7 students.

The highlight was definitely Thursday's Parent Session for half of our cohort. Students who have recently been studying music and media had the opportunity to present to parents and carers. They have been working on an interdisciplinary unit covering the skills mastered in these two areas. We are so proud of the work the students have produced, and we thank those of you who were able to come along and support us. 

On the flip side, we have had a couple of teachable moments in the week when students found themselves challenged either online or face-to-face in social situations. We have been dealing with a growing number of physical altercations, means moments and careless behaviours. We will continue to teach students the skills they need to be successful in a community, using our School Values of Courage, Honesty and Empathy. 

We would also like to ask for your ongoing support in these matters as well as your trust in us and the school, that we invest the time and energy needed for your children to work through a situation and come out the other side learning and growing. Working together as an effective home-school partnership will undoubtedly have the greatest benefits.

Drawing your attention to a few school messages;

1. We will return to normal school uniform on Monday now that the cold spell has come to an end.

2.  You will have received information regarding an online parenting session. We would recommend you sign up if possible. This session will be in Cantonese.

3. In this newsletter, you will see information about the Disconnect to  Reconnect Expectations, which we will be reinforcing fully after CNY. Please read and let me know if you have any questions.

4.  School finishes for the Lunar New Year Break on Thursday 8th February, 12 pm. This will be a dress casual day, Chinese New  Year theme.

Have a great week.

This week at school, the cold weather made its presence known, and we all felt its icy grip. 

Year 8 Options - The Lionel system will open for this from February 26th to March 3rd. Students can make their preliminary language choices for Year 9, including whether they want to drop a language and pick up Global Perspectives. Their Language and I & S lessons will give them subject-specific information. The option system will also include their Art choices, which do not need to be entered. They will confirm their Art choices in Term 3.

Drawing your attention to a few school messages:

1. We will return to standard school uniform on Monday now that the cold spell has ended.

2.  You will have received information regarding an online parenting session. We would recommend you sign up if possible. This session will be in Cantonese.

3. In this newsletter, you will see information about the Disconnect to  Reconnect Expectations, which we will fully reinforce after CNY.

4.  School finishes for the Lunar New Year Break on Thursday, 8th February, at 12.00 pm. This will be a dress casual day with a Chinese New  Year theme.

MYP Approaches to Learning (ATL) Focus for our Parent Newsletter: 

Thinking Skills - New Ideas

Does your child need to generate ideas or develop creative solutions in a group? This could call for a good brainstorming session. 

Your child can prepare some ideas at home for their group brainstorm. When they go to school, please encourage them to share as many ideas as possible with their group. When working in their group in class, they should listen to each other and build on each other's ideas. They should present the problem they must solve and write down everyone's ideas without judgment or criticism. 

Here are some top tips for your child to make the most of their next brainstorm:

1. Focus on the quantity of ideas rather than the quality. 

It might seem counter-intuitive initially, but the best brainstorms encourage people to think creatively and be inspired by others' ideas. It's best to gather as many ideas as possible first and narrow them down later. 

2. Welcome creative ideas and solutions. 

The crazier, the better! Although it might not seem practical at the time, encouraging divergent thinking can lead to innovative solutions that you would not have thought of otherwise. 

3. Build on ideas.

Feel inspired by someone's suggestion? Build on the idea to present your creative solution. 

4. Be inclusive. 

Consider calling on different people in turn to encourage quieter group members to share their ideas. Or if someone is hanging back in the group, brainstorm, asking specifically if they would like to contribute an idea. 

5. Take notes. 

Need to gather lots of ideas at once? Ask the group to write the ideas on sticking notes, then group the ideas according to underlying themes. You can then build on these ideas with a further written or verbal brainstorm.  

Additional Actions for Parents:

What two things can you encourage your child to do to improve their brainstorming? 

This week at school, the cold weather made its presence known, and we all felt its icy grip. 

Year 9 students had the opportunity to engage with various NGOs as they started their Community Project, an essential aspect of our MYP programme. They also enjoyed building their fieldwork skills during the visit to Stanley as part of their Individuals and Societies work. Please check in with your children about how the Community Project went for them and ensure they are clear on the next steps by getting them to explain it to you.

The Lionel system will re-open after Chinese New Year (February 20th – 25th) for Year 9 Options and students to confirm their IGCSE choices.

Drawing your attention to a few school messages:

1. We will return to standard school uniform on Monday now that the cold spell has ended.

2.  You will have received information regarding an online parenting session. We would recommend you sign up if possible. This session will be in Cantonese.

3. In this newsletter, you will see information about the Disconnect to  Reconnect Expectations, which we will fully reinforce after CNY.

4.  School finishes for the Lunar New Year Break on Thursday, 8th February, at 12.00 pm. This will be a dress casual day with a Chinese New  Year theme.

MYP Approaches to Learning (ATL) Focus for our Parent Newsletter: 

Thinking Skills - New Ideas

Does your child need to generate ideas or develop creative solutions in a group? This could call for a good brainstorming session. 

Your child can prepare some ideas at home for their group brainstorm. When they go to school, please encourage them to share as many ideas as possible with their group. When working in their group in class, they should listen to each other and build on each other's ideas. They should present the problem they must solve and write down everyone's ideas without judgment or criticism. 

Here are some top tips for your child to make the most of their next brainstorm:

1. Focus on the quantity of ideas rather than the quality. 

It might seem counter-intuitive initially, but the best brainstorms encourage people to think creatively and be inspired by others' ideas. It's best to gather as many ideas as possible first and narrow them down later. 

2. Welcome creative ideas and solutions. 

The crazier, the better! Although it might not seem practical at the time, encouraging divergent thinking can lead to innovative solutions that you would not have thought of otherwise. 

3. Build on ideas.

Feel inspired by someone's suggestion? Build on the idea to present your creative solution. 

4. Be inclusive. 

Consider calling on different people in turn to encourage quieter group members to share their ideas. Or if someone is hanging back in the group, brainstorm, asking specifically if they would like to contribute an idea. 

5. Take notes. 

Need to gather lots of ideas at once? Ask the group to write the ideas on sticking notes, then group the ideas according to underlying themes. You can then build on these ideas with a further written or verbal brainstorm.  

Additional Actions for Parents:

What two things can you encourage your child to do to improve their brainstorming? 

Parent Workshop

Are you interested to learn effective methods and techniques to create a happy parent-child relationship?

We are delighted to invite Dr. Chou Wah Shan - a former professor of Sociology and Psychology at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University and the University of Hong Kong, to give us a training session on Happy Parenting methods.
This session will be in Cantonese only, and if you are interested, please sign up on the Google form below.

Date: 22 February 2024

Workshop details: HERE

Sign in Form here

Deadline for sign up: 06 February 2024

The KGV fencing team recently competed at the ISSFHK championships. We had some great results across the day. Justin Liu was placed 5th in the boys sabre, while Wing wong was placed 5th in the girls foil. Eunis Tsui and Belva Cheung were placed 3rd in the girls sabre. The KGV girls team claimed 3rd place overall which is a great achievement! Well done to all our fencers.

Well done to Krish Butani and Rishan Shah who were selected for the Under 19 World Cricket Qualifiers (WCQ) Squad. As part of this squad they will have a tour to Malaysia and then will take part in the U19 WCQ in Bangkok from the 23rd Feb-6th March. Both boys have displayed outstanding commitment and effort towards KGV cricket and within their own club and so it is great to see they have been rewarded for their performances. We wish both boys all the best with their upcoming events.

Well done to our KGV equestrian team who participated in the HK interschool mini meet on Friday Jan 19th. The team competed well and achieved some great results.

Megan Ho was placed 1st and both show jumping and dressage for the introductory group.

Theo Lai placed 3rd for dressage and 1st for show jumping for the preliminary group while Timothy Ngai placed second in dressage and 2nd in show jumping.

The team now sets their sights on the Hong Kong Interschool Competition finals on March 1st. We wish them all the best!

CEMC Pascal, Cayley and Fermat Mathematics Contests 2024

The Pascal, Cayley and Fermat (PCF) Contests are 60-minute, 25 multiple choice question Contests that are a fun opportunity for participants to explore the potential of mathematics and their role in it – past papers may be viewed here: https://cemc.uwaterloo.ca/contests/past_contests.html#pcf

They are open to the following year groups:
Fermat - Year 12
Cayley - Year 11
Pascal - Year 10 and below*

*Students in Years 7 - 9 should look through the past papers linked above before deciding whether to enter this specific contest, or wait for the CEMC Gauss Mathematics Contests taking place in Term 3 this academic year.

These PCF contests will take place after school on Thursday 29th February. The entry fee is around $40HKD (depending on the currency exchange rate), which parents will be invoiced for through our school’s ePayment system. Detailed logistical information will be sent to participants around 1 week prior to the contest date.

If your child wishes to take part, please have them sign up on LIONeL by the 1st February 2024 deadline, and provide parental approval in LIONeL by the 5th February 2024 deadline.

School reference (non-higher education purposes) (Link to policy on Lionel)

The KGV Careers Office coordinates all our student references including exit & summer schools.

For students’ privacy, parents must give KGV their permission to release their child’s reference to a specific list of schools they are applying to. KGV only liaise directly with those schools with parents' permission.

To facilitate a smooth reference process, parents are suggested to contact the Careers Office (careers.office@kgv.edu.hk) with a list of institutions and names of teachers nominated to write references. Please allow at least 4-6 working weeks for teachers to work on school references. School references for higher education applications are done in a separate process.

If students are pursuing gifted and talented programmes outside of KGV, they should contact Mr. Krishin Hotwani directly.

KGV Careers & H.E. Team

Careers & H.E. Guidance

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

Year 13
- Universities have started sending out offers. Students are most welcome to chat with their HE Counsellors any time.

- If students plan to take a gap year after graduation, we would appreciate it if they can inform their HE Counsellors about their plans.

- In the coming months, we will be doing an exit presentation for students and parents highlighting important action points.

Year 12
- ESF University Fair on 2 Feb @ South Island School - KGV: 3.30pm-5.00pm. The Fair brochure is accessible via Student Bulletin or the ESF app. The Careers & H.E. Team will be taking our Year 12 students to the Fair by bus, leaving school around 2.45pm. Reminders were sent to students who are yet to have their parents to complete the consent form for attending the Fair. Students without their parent consent to attend the Fair will need to stay in KGV for Period 5 lessons as normal.

- Y12s’ 1-to-1 meeting with their HE Counsellors, starting week of 29 Jan. Sessions are being scheduled during students’ non-contact periods. Students should be receiving email with their individual appointments.

- Term 2 is when we start engaging our Y12s on post-secondary aspects, including presentations, individual 1-to-1 meeting with HE Cousellors, parents evening, etc. Stay tuned.

- Google Classrooms. Our HE Team has set up Google Classrooms for Y12 students for communication on higher education issues.

Enrichment/Summer Programmes
- Students may start thinking about their plans for enrichment/summer. Our Careers website has a page that lists known opportunities by region. Check this page for ideas.

- KGV does not take responsibility for the content or quality of external events and courses.

- If students need school references to support their application to enrichment/summer programmes, they should email careers.office@kgv.edu.hk. Our normal lead time for teachers to work on recommendations is 4-6 working weeks.

KGV Careers Calendar
Check our KGV Careers Calendar for known H.E. events. Some highlighted events are:

KGV is not responsible for the quality of any external events. All information is subject to change by event organisers.

2 Feb: ESF University Fair @ South Island School.

Visit @ KGV
22 Feb, after school: UCL, KCL & Imperial. Invitations to sign up for this visit will be sent to students and parents from Y10 and above soon.

Hong Kong
26-28 Jan: HKTDC Education and Career Expo

U.K.
Various dates: University of Cambridge Subject Masterclasses (Online)

Europe
3 Feb: Sciences Po Virtual Open Day (France)
13 Feb & 16 Feb: Carl Benz School Info Sessions (Germany)

U.S.A.
21 Jan: Johns Hopkins Whiting School of Engineer: Info Sessions & Event

KGV Careers & H.E. Team

Save the date: Thursday 1st February, 7:00pm.

Online google-meet link HERE

The Music Academy at KGV offers extension opportunities for our gifted and talented musicians, with a holistic programme that will allow them to reach their full potential.

In Year 8, KGV students normally choose three art subjects out of Music, Drama, Media, and Art (on a rotation). However, Music Academy students will only focus on Music for the year (they will not take drama, media, and art) to give them the opportunity to fully take advantage of the accelerated curriculum. 

Please complete this short form to express your interest in finding out more about the Music Academy pathway for year 8 (August 2024) FORM LINK HERE.

KGV MusicAcademy Info Presentation 2024

Please contact any music teacher for more information. 

Don't worry if you missed the beginning of Term 2, it's never too late to join our programmes and kick off your year with a fresh learning experience through our amazing activities. We offer Basketball, Swimming, Tennis, Football, Fencing, English, Spanish, Coding and more at KGV, Kowloon Junior School, Beacon Hill School and Australian International School. Check out the programme schedule here.

29 January - 2 February