Principal's Message

Dear KGV Families,

We have enjoyed a festive feeling this week as we look forward to welcoming the Year of the Snake, including a wonderful Lunar New Year assembly involving so many incredible performances from our talented students.

As we reach the mid-way point of the academic year, it is also a good time for each student to reflect on their progress and consider their next steps. The Y11 and Y13 students will be given feedback on their mock exams shortly after the holidays, and other year groups will receive their semester grades this week. These grades provide a holistic overview of progress, and I would encourage each student to consider:

What am I doing well?

What am I finding difficult?

What are my next steps in learning and how do I take these steps?

If you can take the opportunity to discuss these questions at home, this will be an effective way to reflect on progress so far. I would also encourage each student to view these grades as part of their learning journey, and continue to seek further support from their teachers when needed.

Please be reminded that students return to school on Tuesday 4th February. I hope you enjoy the Lunar New Year holidays, and wish you all a happy and prosperous Year of the Snake.

Kung Hei Fat Choi.

Best regards,

Mark

Year 7 Message

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

End of Semester One reports are now accessible to parents through the ESF App. This is a data grab of all assessment levels achieved by your child throughout the term. This report will provide insight into the overall achievement levels of your child across the MYP subjects and provide all data in one place.

Please remember this is just one indicator of success for your child. The learning skills they have developed, the social skills they have boosted and the independence and critical thinking they demonstrate all contribute to overall success this term. Please send time talking to your child about this report and how they feel about their learning, as well as their next steps for growth.

Students are completing a piece of work around what success means to them. I will publish the data to you after the break.

After the break we will also be hosting a Year 7 Parent Workshop focusing on smartphones. Working together, we are hoping we can develop a shared understanding of how we approach the use of these mobile devices. Look out for a 'save-the-date' message.

As we finish this half term and head into the holidays, the Year 7 Team would like to wish you and your families best wishes for the New Year. Wishing you all happiness, good health and success in the Year of the Snake. Kung Hei Fat Choi.

Year 11 Message

Today was the final day of mock exams for Year 11 students. This will have been a very challenging fortnight for them and we hope they get some rest over the next few days. 

Their teachers will endeavour to get results and feedback about how to improve back to students within two weeks. We will publish a summary report of mock exam grades and feedback goals on 19th February.

Please take a moment to acknowledge the challenge your child has overcome and we hope you enjoy the Lunar New Year break.

Year 10 Message

The Lunar New Year break starts at 12.15 today and students will return to school on Tuesday 4th February.

This afternoon we will publish a summary of grades and learning completed in the first half of the academic year. You can access this from the CCF in Lionel via the ESF App.

After the break, Year 11 students will return and we will be able to hold assemblies again.

Year 8 & 9 Message

KGV had an exciting festive week for the Lunar New Year, with students actively participating and enjoying various activities. The Chinese team's dedication and creativity created a memorable celebration, including performances, workshops, and beautiful decorations. They educated students about Lunar New Year traditions, fostering unity and respect amongst diverse backgrounds. 

Year 8 & 9 students have had several assessments recently. This year's Grades and progress are summarised in the Semester 1 Summary, which will be available to parents today. You can find it in the ESF App > Lionel > CCF > Progress Checks. I encourage you to have a conversation with your child so that they can reflect on their success, identify areas for further development and start to create focused targets as they move forward in their learning.

2025, the year of the Wood Snake, signifies wisdom and adaptability. Signifying growth, creativity and change, it is a year that promises profound shifts. As I prepare to make my shift and say goodbye until August 2026, I want to express my gratitude for our shared journey. Over the past 5 years at KGV, I have dedicated myself to supporting the KGV community. This experience has been instrumental in my professional growth, and I appreciate the trust and support you have extended to me. 

I look forward to my next chapter at Island School and am confident that the leadership lessons I've learnt at KGV will continue to guide me. I will miss the KGV community and look forward to reconnecting in 2026. It has been a privilege. 

Enjoy the week of celebrations with family and friends. 

Kung Hei Fat Choi!

Year 12 & 13 Message

Important dates for our Year 13 Students below:

3 April Y13 IB Students Last Official Day - Study Leave 

28 May Graduation Ceremony

30 May Graduation Dinner

The Lunar New Year break starts at 12:15 today and students will return to school on Tuesday February 4th.

On behalf of the Year 12 & 13 team, I hope you have a lovely Lunar New Year holiday with your family.

Kung Hei Fat Choy!

Summary reports are available for students in Years 7,8,9,10, and 12, showing all assessments and learning completed in the first half of the academic year.
These will be made visible in Lionel this afternoon.

To access them, use the App, tap Lionel, go to the CCF and open the:

• Semester Overview drawer for students in Y7-9
• Progress checks drawer for students in Y10 and 12

Students in Years 11 and 13 will receive a detailed report based on their mock exams in mid-February.

Careers & Guidance

Best wishes to a great Year of the Snake!

Year 13
Students should continue to keep their H.E. Counsellors informed about their applications and regularly check Google Classroom for updates and resources related to higher education.

Year 12
Google Classrooms for Y12s are set up to share H.E.-related information is shared.

Y12 Parents Evening on 23 Jan.  We had a very successful session last night with over 140 families joining us.  We are organising answers to the many questions asked by parents and will share them together with the slides of the session.

The Y12 1-1 H.E. meeting is starting on 4 Feb.  The H.E. Team spoke to the students during Tutor Time about the 1-1 meetings.  Full information on making appointments and details of the meets are shared to students via Google Classroom.  Students have the option to choose their preferred slots until 13 Feb, after which mandatory appointments will be assigned.  We highly encourage students planning to apply early, e.g. Oxbridge, Medicine, Veterinary Medicine & Dentistry to meet with their H.E. Counsellors at the soonest.

We are exploring opportunities for campus visits at local universities in Term 3 and will share information with students and parents once details are confirmed.

Our KGV Careers Calendar lists known H.E. events.

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

H.E. Visits @ KGV School. Due to the short duration, H.E. visits are open to students only.
12 Feb: UCL+KCL+Imperial (GLT)
13 Mar: Keele University (SSC1-2)

H.K.
15 Feb: HK Metropolitan University Admission Seminars

U.K.
Various dates from 29 Jan onwards: Falmouth University online event, various topics
25 Jan: U of Nottingham Virtual Open Day for International Students

U.S.A.
21 Feb: Embry-Riddle Webinar: Using Machine Learning to Create the Future (Faulty Panel)

Canada
27-29 Jan: SFU virtual campus tours led by students
28 Jan: Queen's University - Webinar on changes to immigration policy in Canada

Europe
1 Feb: SciencesPo (France) Virtual Open House Day 2025
25 Feb: Stay informed about Dutch universities

Others
25 Jan: SGU's School of Medicine Info Session
30 Jan: Queen May, Malta Campus virtual tour

KGV Careers & H.E. Team

Tennis

Our U20 boys and girls tennis teams had their finals on Monday. It was a very successful day, with both teams winning their semi-finals and then winning tough matches in their finals. Both teams were crowned champions for their division. The teams have worked so hard all year, so it is a great reward for them. Well done to the players involved. Thank you to Coach Rich for his unwavering commitment this year.

On Wednesday the U14 girls team competed in their tennis finals. The team had a very tough semi-final against a good Harrow side, unfortunately going 3-1 down in sets. However, the team bounced back well in their playoff match to finish 3rd and earn some well-deserved bronze medals. This team has advanced to the HKSSF finals so they now will focus on that. Well done and good luck!

Thursday saw our U14 boys play in the Division 1 finals for ISSFHK.

Football

The U16 boys football played their final matches on Monday at HKIS. They had a tough semi-final against a very good WIS team. The players fought well but were eventually outclassed 5-1. The team did rally together and came out in the 3rd/4th playoff and put in a great performance winning 2-1 against a very good Discovery College team and claiming the bronze medals. They now shift their attention to HKSSF.

Gymnastics

Well done to Year 7 student Raina Law for her achievements in the recent Hong Kong Artistic Gymnastics Open & Novice Championships 2024.

Raina won 1st place on beam, 4th on vault, 5th place on floor and placed 2nd for All-Around. Raina and her team also got the 1st place team award. Outstanding achievements for Raina. We look forward to seeing her gymnastics progress in the years to come.

School References & Grade Summary

The KGV Careers Office coordinates all our student references and grade summaries, including potential exit & summer programmes.

For students’ privacy, parental permission is required before KGV can release student information to external parties. KGV will only proceed with requests once parental permission has been received.

To request a school reference or grade summary, 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

4 - 7 February 2025