Principal's Message

Dear KGV Families,

As we reach the winter break, it provides the opportunity to reflect on such a vibrant and engaging term. The unique blend of heritage and ambition that characterises KGV has been evident through so many incredible events, and from the learning experiences that each student enjoys every day. This couldn’t happen without the dedication, expertise and professionalism of the KGV staff or without the wonderful support of our parent community.

Thank you to every member of the KGV community for making the school such a special and magical place It is a real privilege to be a part of this remarkable school.

I would also like to wish Year 13 and Year 11 students good luck with their preparations for the mock exams in January. I hope they can balance between enjoying time with family and friends, resting as well as revising for these exams.

Have a wonderful festive season and I look forward to seeing the students return for the start of term 2 on Monday 6th January.

Best wishes,

Mark Poulsum

Year 8 & 9 Message

Congratulations to Jayden Au (09C12), who performed “Passacaglia” for Piano, composed by Handel, in our last Year 8 & 9 Assembly for 2024.

Also, in the Assembly, we congratulated our Tutor Group Reps on the Year 8 & 9 Student Council. The Council communicate student issues, concerns, and suggestions to us. They also work in house groups on a chosen area for the year. Reps regularly provide feedback to their tutor group about their work or issues raised.

This year’s Year 8 & 9 Student Council Reps:

As we conclude Term 1, we’ve had a busy and exciting 17 weeks! We welcomed Ms Lockie, our Year 8 and new Year 9 students, explored new subjects, participated in CAS projects, watched student performances, and had a tutor and inter-house competitions. We also celebrated ROAR Week, the 100th KGV Speech Night, Pride Week and more while upholding our values of honesty, courage, and empathy.

As we reflect on Term 1, I encourage you to take some time during the three-week break to reflect with your child and acknowledge their achievements. As we look ahead to Term 2, what are their goals or areas for improvement? 

Whether in Hong Kong or abroad, the Year 8 and 9 Team wish you quality time with loved ones and delight in celebrating your unique cultures and traditions over the festive season.

We look forward to seeing you in 2025!

Year 7 Message

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

We did it! We made it to the end of term! Congratulations to all Year 7 families for the successful completion of Term 1. We are so proud of our Year 7 students and how much they have achieved this term. They have worked hard, played hard and ended the term well! 

It is now time for a well-earned rest. We hope you are able to find time to spend together over the break.

Please see the email which was sent this week about keeping children safe online. 

However you spend the holidays keep safe and enjoy family time. Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy, Healthy and Safe 2025.

Happy Holidays. 

Year 11 Message

Mock exams and the Winter break

We wish all our students and families a good break. Please encourage your child to engage in regular revision and to balance this with rest, sleep, healthy eating and exercise.

Year 11 MOCK exams are 13th to 24th January.
Over the winter break, we hope that students are preparing for their mock exams by doing regular active revision. Please help your child to find a balance between this, getting rest and sleep and eating and exercising to stay healthy. After the break, students will attend school as normal for the first week. They then start study/exam leave from 13th January through to the New Year break. During this time, they can choose to attend school to use our study facilities and must attend school to sit their exams. When at school, students must be in school uniform. Please check the mock exam timetable carefully. We will share the exam regulations after the break.

Year 11 FINAL exams are in May and June
These are still 5 months away so this is a heads up. Exam leave for students will start at 3.20 pm on Thursday 24th April. From that point, students can study at school if they wish and must attend for their exams. A detailed exam timetable with venues and times will be published when ready. An overview of dates for the final exams is available here.

Social media message

With KGV about to embark on the Winter Break, it is perhaps more likely that students will be using WhatsApp, Instagram and a range of other platforms to keep in touch. This will be an essential time for families to discuss keeping safe online. Our three most significant recommendations would be to;

Develop an open and supportive communication channel between parents and children, enabling students to share what they are doing and seek help where necessary. Ideally, parents should have access to devices and spend time looking at content together. Please stress the significance of an online footprint and how the content placed online today will be there forever! A student’s online identity will be as important as their real-life identity in the future.

When students don’t know members of WhatsApp groups, didn't ask for membership or feel uncomfortable being in the group, please promote the importance of leaving a group and not just muting it. Students have a fear of missing out, which often means they stay bystanders and could be involved in inappropriate situations. Please help your child clear out social media ahead of the holidays.

As a further support, some parents have found it helpful to install parental monitoring systems. We urge this to be an addition to these strategies, not the single answer. Parents are encouraged to take a holistic approach to supporting their child online. Acknowledging that students may use social media through their laptops and not just their mobile phones is essential.

After the break, we will be advertising opportunities for KGV parents to come together to support one another in learning about the positives and pitfalls of social media, the laws and policies around social media and the research out there on what we, as a society can do to make the use of technology more part of who we are, not our child’s entire being. We will also seek parents to help us review our current Disconnect-to-Reconnect School Policy. Look out for details on how to get involved. Together, we can positively impact how our children approach mobile phones, develop their online footprint and stay safe online.

Year 10 Message

We wish all our students and families an enjoyable break. We encourage students to engage in a small amount of regular revision and to make sure they get rest, eat healthily, sleep well and exercise during the break.

Social media message

With KGV about to embark on the Winter Break, it is perhaps more likely that students will be using WhatsApp, Instagram and a range of other platforms to keep in touch. This will be an essential time for families to discuss keeping safe online. Our three most significant recommendations would be to;

Develop an open and supportive communication channel between parents and children, enabling students to share what they are doing and seek help where necessary. Ideally, parents should have access to devices and spend time looking at content together. Please stress the significance of an online footprint and how the content placed online today will be there forever! A student’s online identity will be as important as their real-life identity in the future.

When students don’t know members of WhatsApp groups, didn't ask for membership or feel uncomfortable being in the group, please promote the importance of leaving a group and not just muting it. Students have a fear of missing out, which often means they stay bystanders and could be involved in inappropriate situations. Please help your child clear out social media ahead of the holidays.

As a further support, some parents have found it helpful to install parental monitoring systems. We urge this to be an addition to these strategies, not the single answer. Parents are encouraged to take a holistic approach to supporting their child online. Acknowledging that students may use social media through their laptops and not just their mobile phones is essential.

After the break, we will be advertising opportunities for KGV parents to come together to support one another in learning about the positives and pitfalls of social media, the laws and policies around social media and the research out there on what we, as a society can do to make the use of technology more part of who we are, not our child’s entire being. We will also seek parents to help us review our current Disconnect-to-Reconnect School Policy. Look out for details on how to get involved. Together, we can positively impact how our children approach mobile phones, develop their online footprint and stay safe online.

Year 12 & 13 Message

The Year 12 & 13 Team would like to wish all our families a very peaceful Christmas and Happy New Year!

A reminder that our Year 13 IB students have study leave when we return. Please see the Year 13 Mock Exam schedule below:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1SkVknNcD9JA1nr82DmB6BYXuk0CCHTzt/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=109859845404906024290&rtpof=true&sd=true

Wishing you a super festive break.

Data summaries are available for all Year 11 and 13 students from 6pm today. The summary collects all assessment results from this term.

Access the summary through the ESF app. Go to Lionel > CCF and then expand the Progress Checks drawer.

CAS Update

Following an immensely eventful and enjoyable term 1 for CAS Activities, it would be great to see an equivalent level of enthusiasm for the term 2 programs. There are still a number of CAS activities with space that started in term 1 and 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 (from 8 am on Monday, December 9th) right up until Sunday, January 5th, 2025. Term 2 programs start the week of January 13th, 2025
• 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 programs for term 2 that still have space:
  • Baking Term 2 - (Wednesday 15:30 - 16:45)
  • Golf Training at the HK Golf Club Term 2 (Tuesday 16:00 - 17:30)
  • Guitar for All Levels Term 2-3 (Monday 14:15 - 15:15)

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

Also, have a lookout for a number of development sporting programs that are being offered in Term 2.

Remember to check the KGV CAS Activities website for all things related to the activities program (https://www.kgvcasactivities.com/). For information about signing up, withdrawal, allocation and parental approval click here. If students have difficulty managing their activities, they should be encouraged to come into the CAS office to seek help.

Finally, I would like to thank parents for your support in allowing students to take part in the CAS program. I would also welcome any feedback or suggestions you have to 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

School reference (non-higher education purposes)

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

For students’ privacy, parental permission is required before KGV can release the school reference for your child. KGV will only proceed with requests once parental permission has been received.

To request a school reference, parents are kindly asked to complete this form.  Please allow at least four working weeks for teachers to prepare the references.

School references for higher education applications are managed in a separate process.

If students are pursuing external extension programmes outside of KGV, they should read and follow the information on this website: https://sites.google.com/kgv.hk/kgv-extension-opportunities .

KGV Careers & H.E. Team

U16 FOOTBALL

This week we have caught up with the U16 boys and girls football teams as they progress through their season.

The KGV u16 boys football team have shown amazing determination on the field.

They train after school on Wednesday and are coached by Coach Phil and Mr Bibby. The teams participate in the HKSSF and the ISSFHK competitions.

Currently the team are 1 win and 1 draw in the ISSFHK competition having drawn with German Swiss but suffering a loss to Australian International. They have had 1 draw in HKSSF in their first match.

Archit Pai is excited to be a part of KGV football: “As a very passionate football player, I have high hopes for the team this year. This is the same team from 2 years ago and I believe we have the capability to win.”

Yaffy Kostov was asked about the team’s performances last year and his aspirations for the team this year. He reported that “Last year, the team performed quite well in the 7-a-side tournament, finishing 2nd. However, for 11-a-side we played poorly. This year, my goal is to win both the 7-a-side and 11-a-side tournament as I believe our team has the talent to do so.” He also mentions Archit and Sebi as players to look out for.

When asked about his experiences as a player, Wun Hey Ma highlighted his biggest takeaway from the team environment and experiences was the exposure he got to deal with stresses and complications in different scenarios. He states that this enlightens players to raise a greater mindset when there are tough times.

Aarav Saxena shared his thoughts on the team’s strengths this season. He reinforced that this year's team is very strong, since it's filled with composed, technical, and powerful players. He believes that these factors will continue to help us strive in the team’s footballing journey this season.

As Aarav mentioned, the team boasts outstanding talent with standout players Archit Pai, Sebi Yeung, and Yaffy Kostov, ready to make their mark this season.

We wish them the best of luck for the season ahead!

The KGV girls u16 football team consists of Year 10-12 girls and is coached by Coach Toby. They train every Monday and participate in the ISSFHK competition. It is great to have an U16 girls team representing KGV again as it has been a few years since doing so.

The team have unfortunately had two losses to start the season but are competing in Division 1 against the best football teams in Hong Kong international schools.

Rianna Sippy highlights how the team is made of girls who are interested and have a passion for football. She states that in sessions, “we enhance our fundamental skills while also learning tactical strategies” to set themselves up for success whilst competing in the ISSFHK league. Like the boy’s team, the main goal is to come out with the best results possible with all players giving it their all. She adds that the most important aspect of playing in a team environment is that everyone should have fun whilst competing.

Lam Pham is a first-year player for the KGV football team. She said that ‘although we have had a couple of losses, everyone is very supportive of each other, and it is a really positive environment. All players focus on the enjoyment of the game and the fun at trainings and matches.’

The team has 4 more games remaining in the regular season, so we are looking forward to seeing how they perform. It is great the girls are building the programme and providing a pathway for our junior female footballers.

We wish the team the best of luck for the rest of their competition.

The U16 Football Teams consist of.

ROWING

Elvin Jiang

Congratulations to Elvin JIANG and his teammates! Representing Hong Kong, China Rowing Association, they competed in 2024 AISL Harrow Rowing Regatta in the Greater Bay Area on 1st December, and won third place in the U16 Men's Quad. This international event gathered more than 500 athletes and more than 130 rowing teams competing in Hengqin Rowing Park, Zhuhai.

FENCING

The KGV fencers recently competed at the ISSFHK championships. The students had a great day of competition and achieved some great results.

Well done to Raphael Wong who was placed 6th in Epee and Lion Shui who got 9th in sabre. In the girls competition Eunis Tsui placed 8th for sabre and Belva Cheung, the recent Hong Kong U14 champion, was placed 2nd in sabre by 1 point! Our girls team also came tied for 3rd place overall.

Well done to those involved and to Ms Katell for the support of the team.

TRIATHLON

We would like to extend a big congratulations to Jacob Mak. Jacob has recently received notification from the Triathlon Association of Hong Kong China, recognizing him as the champion in several categories for 2024:

1. Overall Individual Series Award

2. Duathlon Series Award

3. Triathlon Series Award

4. Aquathlon Series Award

Jacob has truly excelled this year, demonstrating remarkable dedication and performance across 16 races in 2024. Jacob also recently won both the 1500m and 800m races in sports day, setting a new school record in the 1500m.

Jacob is a highly promising athlete in triathlon and we will continue to follow his career with keen interest.

HKSSF ATHLETICS

The HKSSF Athletics were recently held over 3 days per competition of boys and girls. The girls team were competing in Division 1, while the boys are competing in Division 2.

There were some great performances by athletes and we would like to acknowledge and highlight these achievements.

Division 1 Girls

The girls team competes in Division 1 against the best schools in Hong Kong. The quality of athletic competition is very high, and the girls always represent themselves, their family and KGV well. This year was a tough year for the girls with only a few finals made. Well done to the following girls on their achievements.

• Emily Fisher - 7th in A Grade 400m final
• Chloe Chiu - 7th in B Grade Long Jump
• Kelly Liu - 8th in A Grade High Jump
• The C Grade 4x400m team for finishing 8th in the C grade final. This team consisted of Yichu Li, Suri Ho, Allie Ngai and Cwensuela Chan.

Division 2 Boys

The boys team performed exceptionally well this year and had lots of amazing results over their three days. Particular highlights were;

C Grade

• Sean Sippy - 2nd C Grade 100m Hurdles final
• Vincent Chan - 8th C Grade 100m hurdles
• Andrew Chang - 9th C Grade 800m final

B Grade

• Isaac Man - 1st B Grade 100m Final
• Isaac Man - 1st B Grade 200m Final
• Kyle Ohya - 5th B Grade Javelin
• Kavya Patel - 7th= B Grade High Jump
• Anson Lee - 6th B Grade Shot Put
• Anson Lee - 2nd B Grade Discus
• Atharva Mongia - 1st B Grade 1500m Final
• Atharva Mongia - 3rd B Grade 800m Final
• Alex Wong - 6th B Grade 400m Final
• 4x400m Relay - 1st in Final - the team consisted of Isaac Man, Elvin Jiang, Sean Chiu and Atharva Mongia

The B Grade Boys team was also crowned overall champions for B Grade making them the best team across all schools involved. This is an amazing achievement.

A Grade

• Viktor Samus - 3rd A Grade Shot Put
• Mateo Stevenson-Hoyos - 8th A Grade 800m Final
• Keiden Hsu - 8th A Grade 400m Final
• Tristan Verkade - 7th A Grade 110m Hurdles Final
• 4x400 Relay - 1st in Final - The team consisted of Lucas Bardin, Ryan Schroeder, Sumukh Diwakar and Keiden Hsu.

Well done to all the competitors for your efforts and achievements! We will have ISSFHK athletics in the new year so will look forward to seeing our athletes compete again.

6 - 10 January 2025

ESF Explore - Term 2 2025

6th January to 6 April, 2025

Kickstart Your New Year by enhancing skills and discovering new passions! From sports to languages, arts, playgroups, and STEM, our experienced educators are dedicated to fostering your child's language, physical, cognitive, and artistic growth, ensuring they gain the confidence and adaptability to face future challenges with ease. Enrol Now!

Check out the complete programme listings here

Kowloon area programmes here