Principal's Message

Dear Parents and Carers,

I hope you have enjoyed the Lunar New Year holidays and KGV has certainly started the Year of the Dragon with an air of positivity and ambition. This week has provided an opportunity for our students to celebrate the diversity of languages and cultures that exist within our community, and the Year 9 Community Project has also demonstrated the culture of innovative learning that occurs at KGV. Thank you to everyone involved in these activities which have certainly brought a vibrant start to this half-term.

We have also engaged the student community with our philosophy of  ‘Disconnect to Reconnect’. By ensuring students keep their phones in their bags during the school day it brings the benefits of fostering social interactions, as well as giving a much needed break from screen time. Please look out for more information on how we will engage the parent community with this approach.

Over the coming weeks we will also continue to build our approaches to ensuring all students are ‘Known, Heard, Safe and Successful’. This will include developing actions and strategies for how we live our values of Courage, Honesty and Empathy in all aspects of school life. These positive approaches will create the learning conditions for all to flourish as we pursue our aspiration of each and every student being their own remarkable.

We will also be looking further forward as the Challenge Week options for November 2024 become available. Challenge Week runs from November 4th to 8th this year, and we are able to offer trips outside of Hong Kong to complement a range of activities run locally. It takes time to secure bookings to ensure flights and travel can happen, so we must run the signup process for Challenge Week in two weeks. Access the Challenge Week website here.
Activities for each year level are shown within the site. Note that the Year level corresponds to the level your child will be in November. If your child is currently in Year 7, you will view the Year 8 page. Please discuss the activities with your child to find something that will challenge them and provide a good learning experience.

Thank you for your ongoing support, and have a great weekend ahead.

Best regards,

Mark Poulsum

We would like to remind all of our Year 12 and 13 students of our “Disconnect to Reconnect” guidelines.

Our senior students are role-models for the rest of our school community and exemplify the behaviours and high standards for our younger students in school. We therefore ask that everyone keeps their mobile phone in their bags during the school day from 7:45am to 3:20pm. Senior students are permitted to use their phones in the Senior School Common area and we ask that you use your phone responsibly in this area.

Please see below a reminder of the email below sent to all Parents and Guardians of Year 13 students this week.

Graduation 2024

Dear Parents, Guardians and Students,

We are excited to announce that the Year 13 Graduation Ceremony will be Thursday, 30 May, from 6.00 pm to 7.30 pm. Additionally, the date of our Graduation Dinner Dance is confirmed for Friday, 31 May, at Hotel Icon.

The formal graduation will involve students wearing an academic gown and receiving a KGV graduation certificate and a mortarboard cap embroidered with their graduate number from the principal on stage in the school hall. KGV school will cover the cost of gown hire; parents will be invoiced HK$120 to cover the cost of the mortar board, which the students keep.

Students may bring a maximum of 2 guests. We will ask parents to register so we know who will attend and can plan for numbers. We are asking students to provide us with their sizes for purchasing Mortarboard.

The link to the Mortarboard order is here: https://forms.gle/AAHheeFjb3VM92oy5

We will be in contact soon with invitations, registration forms and more details.

Wishing you a great weekend.

Year 11 students have started receiving their mock results and reviewing their performance in class. On Tuesday evening we will send home a summary of all mock results and advice from each teacher on how to improve heading into the final exams. Please look over this with your child and discuss how you can support them over the next two months.

Option choices for Year 12 need to be made over the next two weeks. Students should be engaging with their tutors and parents for guidance on suitable subjects for Year 12. 

When students complete their choices in Lionel, an app message will be sent to parents and their tutor to confirm they approve of the choices.

Please reach out to your child's tutor if you have questions or need help with option decisions.

Year 10 students received the summary report immediately before the Lunar New Year break. This is an opportunity to look at the progress they are making and to set goals for this term.

For some students, this summary can be a wake-up call that they need to revise and work more consistently. For others, it may identify areas of success or difficulty. For others, confirmation that they are progressing well.

If you have any questions from this summary or about the progress of your child, please reach out to their tutor at this early stage in their GCSE journey.

Dear Parents and Caregivers 

I hope you all had a wonderful Lunar New Year break and were able to spend time as a family. It has been lovely to see our Year 7 students back, full of enthusiasm and energy towards their subjects.

You should have been able to access your child's Semester One grades from 9th February. As a Year 7 team, we are currently reviewing the grades and will reach out to parents as necessary. If you have any questions or concerns over the grades, please reach out to your child's tutor in the first instance. 

This week we have been embedding our  Disconnect to Reconnect Policy. We are encouraging students to keep their mobile phones in their bags and be free from their social media distractions. There is a separate item regarding this policy further down the newsletter.

Information on the 2024 Challenge Week can also be found in a separate section in this newsletter.

Have a great weekend.

We hope the Lunar New Year break brought you quality time with family and loved ones and an opportunity to relax and recharge. 

We have had a productive return to school this week with our timetabled classes and CAS activities. Please check in with your child to see what CAS activities they are involved in and if they have a wide range of weekly activities https://www.kgvcasactivities.com/ . Participating in CAS (Creativity, Activity, Service) activities at school offers students many benefits. Firstly, it encourages creativity and self-expression through various artistic endeavours, fostering personal growth and a sense of accomplishment. Secondly, engaging in physical activities promotes a healthy lifestyle, improves physical fitness, and enhances teamwork and sportsmanship. Additionally, service activities cultivate empathy, compassion, and social responsibility, allowing students to impact their communities positively. CAS also helps develop essential skills such as time management, leadership, and problem-solving. 

Our KGV Interhouse Competition has kicked off for 2024. Congratulations to the students who showed our KGV value of courage and participated in the Year 8 & 9 Interhouse Volleyball games on Wednesday. Volleyball requires teamwork, communication, agility, coordination, spiking, serving, setting, blocking, digging, strategic thinking, quick reflexes, and the ability to read the game accurately. There was a large crowd watching and cheering to support each house. 

The MYP (Middle Years Programme) learner profile is a set of attributes that the International Baccalaureate (IB) encourages students to develop throughout their MYP journey. These attributes aim to foster the holistic development of students as they engage in the MYP curriculum. 

The ten learner profile attributes are:

• Inquirers: Students are curious, eager to learn, and ask thought-provoking questions.

• Knowledgeable: Students strive to acquire and apply knowledge across a range of subjects and disciplines.

• Thinkers: Students approach problems critically, analyse information, and apply creative thinking.

• Communicators: Students express themselves confidently and effectively in multiple languages and modes of communication.

• Principled: Students act with integrity, honesty, and a strong sense of fairness and respect.

• Open-minded: Students appreciate and respect different perspectives, cultures, and ideas.

• Caring: Students show empathy, compassion, and a commitment to helping others.

• Risk-takers: Students are willing to step out of their comfort zones, take on challenges, and embrace new opportunities.

• Balanced: Students strive for a healthy balance between academics, physical activities, and personal well-being.

• Reflective: Students engage in self-reflection, evaluate their strengths and weaknesses, and actively seek growth and improvement.

The MYP learner profile encourages students to become lifelong learners, responsible global citizens, and well-rounded individuals who contribute positively to their communities and the world around them. 

Actions for Parents: 

Over the next week, you can ask your child: "What interesting topics or concepts have you been exploring in your MYP classes recently, and how do you think they relate to the real world?"

Have a great weekend!

Year 8 & 9 Interhouse Volleyball 

School References

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.

Imperial/KCL/UCL Visit @ KGV on 22 Feb
Representatives from UCL, King’s College & Imperial shared their individual characteristics, entry requirements and insight into applications with an audience of over 300 KGV students and parents.

In the last two years, KGV students submitted a total of 105 (2022 entry) and 128 (2023 entry) applications to these three institutions. Among them, the number of conditional offers received were 41 (2022) and 50 (2023). Both years had an impressive 39% offer rate. Insights from the representative will certainly enhance our students’ knowledge about the institutions and successes in their applications.

Undergraduate entry requirements can be found at individual university websites:
Imperial: https://www.imperial.ac.uk/study/apply/undergraduate/entry-requirements/

KCL: https://www.kcl.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/how-to-apply/entry-requirements

UCL: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/prospective-students/undergraduate/how-apply/entry-requirements

Parents’ Support for KGV Careers Fair and Careers Exposure

The Careers Office organises various opportunities for our students to explore careers options. The annual September Careers Fair and various work experiences are some of them. These could not have happened without our wonderful parent’s support. We are hoping to introduce more opportunities for our students.

For parents who would like to collaborate with KGV, please take two minutes to complete this form here. Our team will get in touch with you to discuss further the opportunities that you may bring to community.

We really appreciate your support. Thank you!

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 or apply to Australia after graduation, we would appreciate it if they can inform their HE Counsellors about their plans so that we can support them when it’s time for them to make their applications.
- In the coming months, we will be doing an exit presentation for students and parents highlighting important action points.

Year 12
- Y12s’ 1-to-1 meeting with their HE Counsellors. The meetings are going on well. Students should have received email with their individual appointments.
- Y12 Parents Presentation –14 March, 18.00, via Zoom. Mark your calendar. More details to follow.
- 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.

Visits @ KGV, SSC1&2, 1.30-2.15pm
5 Mar: BIMM
6 Mar: Canadian universities mini-fair
7 Mar: Simon Fraser University + University of Galway
19 Mar: Keele University + University of Leeds + UCalgary
20 Mar: HKU @ GLT
22 Mar: Washington State U

Events in HK
29 Feb: Women’s Colleges Alumnae Panel @ CDNIS
8 Mar: Global University Fair @ CDNIS

Hong Kong
Every Tuesday: University of Hong Kong - Online Talks starting 13.00

Canada
Various dates: Toronto Metropolitan University International Student Chats Series

Europe
22 Mar: Dutch University College Webinar

KGV Careers & H.E. Team

Disconnect to Recconnect Policy

Before CNY I shared information with you regarding our Disconnect to Reconnect Policy. This Policy is intended to help us strengthen social connections around the campus and keep our students free from the constant disruptions mobile devices can cause. Students are working with tutors on understanding the policy and making sure they are clear on expectations.

Below are the resources we are using in tutor time.

A reminder that parents and caregivers should direct all emergencies and urgent messages to the main reception. We will make sure your child not only receives the message, but is provided with any further care and support they need in the emergencies.

We will use a portion of the next Feedback Friday (01/03/24) to discuss this policy and decide on further parent workshops we may need. Please sign up on the link in this newsletter if you are able to join the Feedback Session.

Policy

Tutor Time Resources

Girls Computer Science and STEM Event

A fantastic opportunity for girls to join a new Hong Kong-wide Computer Science and STEM conference starting this year called Code(H)ers.

Code(H)ers is an event specialising in empowering females in computer science. Having been founded by Sha Tin College and organised by 9 different schools, the event itself offers over 25 different workshops from not only our presenters, but also professors from universities such as HKUST and HKU, and even external organisations such as Cobo Academy and beingAI.

The event itself is on 9th March, 2024 (Saturday) starting from 11.00 to 17.00. It is hosted at Chinese International School, and all lunches and snacks are provided for free! Also, those who join can receive a free Code(H)ers hoodie!

Admission requirements:

Age: 11 - 18 (Years 7 - 13)
Interested in computer science/STEM or related fields
No knowledge prerequisites - open to any girls!

If you're interested, please sign up here!

For more information, please refer to the attached documents or refer to the following links:

Website: https://codehershk.org/

Twice a year, we conduct a student wellbeing survey at KGV, in September and then a second in February. This survey is happening next week and takes the form of a google form emailed directly to students. The survey includes various questions on topics such as friendships, how students are coping with school, quality of sleep and whether they feel cared for by teachers. Further details can be found in this video: https://youtu.be/W4zns5YUh84

Students’ responses will be followed up at school in the coming weeks with their tutor or a nominated staff member. Additional student support teams (such as Heads of year, school counsellors, etc.) will provide  support as needed. Results are not shared with parents/guardians as a matter of course, but we would encourage you to take this opportunity to engage with your child about the survey and their wellbeing in general. 

If you have any questions about the survey, please contact Amanda Barton (Wellbeing Coordinator). We’d also encourage you to contact your child’s tutor anytime with concerns or information you’d like to share with us about your child’s wellbeing. 

Join KGV for our annual Inter House Music Competition  Tues 5th - Fri 8th March 2024. 

Live video link access to follow next week for families to watch remotely.

Schedule and Timings for your diaries - 

Tues 5th: 1:35PM LUNCH: Junior Instrumental Competition

Weds 6th: 1:35PM LUNCH: Junior Vocal Competition

Weds 6th: 3:35PM AFTER SCHOOL: Senior Instrumental and Vocal 

Thurs 7th: 1:35PM LUNCH: Junior & Senior Ensembles Competition

Friday 8th: 10:30AM (Tutor & Snack): Chamber Ensemble Competition

Friday 8th: 2:00PM: Highlights Concert.  FInal results around 3:10PM before school ends. 

ESF Explore

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.

Canteen Menu 

26 February - 1 March, 1024