Principal's Message

Dear KGV Families,

I hope you have enjoyed a positive start to the Year of the Snake, and it has been wonderful to see the students resume their learning with such determination and focus.

Belonging, Engagement and Personalisation were key themes emerging from the ESF All Staff Conference on Monday. During the conference our Head Prefects, Maya and Dharuka, joined a student panel to reflect on what it means to be an ESF student. It was a privilege to hear them speak so eloquently about how KGV fosters a strong sense of community, enables students develop key skills and how we focus on using these skills to benefit others. 

Listening to Maya and Dharuka also reminded me of the importance of our commitment to ensuring each student is Known, Heard, Safe and Successful. This includes students having a voice in their learning, are clear on their next steps and are confident as they learn from mistakes. These will be areas that teachers will focus on in the coming weeks as each student builds on their outcomes from semester grades or mock exams.

Further ahead, as part of our 130th Anniversary celebrations we are thrilled to announce we will be partnering with KGV’s PTSA to hold a Gala Dinner for our community. This will be held on Wednesday 30th April at the Regent Hotel for what is sure to be an unforgettable evening of celebration, camaraderie, and philanthropy.  Whether you are a current parent, alumni, staff member or a friend of the school, this is a great opportunity for us to connect, reminisce and to honour our rich legacy as we celebrate the present and pave the way for an even brighter future. We are looking forward to celebrating with you and more details will be available later this month.

Thank you for your ongoing support and have an enjoyable weekend ahead.

Best regards,

Mark Poulsum

Year 12 & 13 Message

Learning Reviews for Year 13 parents are scheduled for Monday 17th and Monday 24th February from 2.30 pm to 5.30 pm.

The system is open through the ESF App now. To allow all parents access to teachers, if you saw your child's teacher in the November/December sessions, please don't book again.

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

With temperatures next week likely to fall further than this week, we want to make sure students are prepared, warm and still meet the KGV uniform expectations. The KGV uniform includes jumpers, fleeces, and windbreaks, all available from the ESF Uniform Shop. Where extra layers are required, please can these be worn under shirts, under jumpers etc, rather than instead of the KGV uniform.

The ESF IBCP Street Photography Project brings together students from seven ESF secondary schools as part of their Personal and Professional Skills course. Under the guidance of international street photographer Michael Kistler, students are developing photography skills alongside applied ethics, communication, and intercultural understanding. The attached PDF outlines the project launch, showcases initial student work from KGV, and provides details about the final exhibition at Wyndham Social on 7th May 2025.

Wishing you a great weekend.

Year 7 Message

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

In our Year 7 assembly this week, Mr Wrigley spoke to students about the need for students to be kind and respectful to all members of our community, both in person and online. We are continuing to work with students about the safe and appropriate use of social media and would welcome your support with regular conversations at home about the sites they are accessing and the materials they are viewing. 

We have also been going onto school buses to speak to students about language being used between students. We have reminded students of the need to be up-standers if they hear inappropriate language, and to report to a member of staff. 

As a Year team, we will continue to reach out to parents if we have opportunities to celebrate, information to share or cause to report poor behaviour choices. At KGV we use our LIONEL system to send 'recognitions' to acknowledge achievements and 'concerns' to alert parents to poor behaviour choices. Concerns will, in the main, follow communication with parents and record actions (or consequences). Should you receive a 'note' from the school, this is our standard form of communication and is often the first point of contact between home and school. Notes are used rather than a standalone email, as they enable school teams to support students more holistically throughout their time at KGV, as the information helps to build a picture of your child, our student. 

With temperatures next week likely to fall further than this week, we want to make sure students are prepared, warm and still meet the KGV uniform expectations. The KGV uniform includes jumpers, fleeces, and windbreaks, all available from the ESF Uniform Shop. Where extra layers are required, please can these be worn under shirts, under jumpers etc, rather than instead of the KGV uniform. Please click here for further details on the uniform policy.

Have a great weekend.

The Year 7 Team

Year 8 & 9 Message

Dear Parents, 

My first week at KGV began with the Yr 8 and 9 assembly on Wednesday morning, which was opened by Evan Ho (Year 8) playing Sonata #60 on the Piano. I could not have asked for a better start to my week.

I was delighted to meet some of you at the Understanding Assessment in the MYP workshop led by Rowan Turner last night. For those of you that were not able to attend the session provided an opportunity to engage with assessment structure in the IB Middle Years Programme and understand what we assess and how we assess student knowledge and skills at KGV. I have included the presentation slides from the workshop HERE. You will find the answers to many of the questions you posed in on slides 36 and 37.

This week was the Yr 9 Consolidation Week which meant that that the Year 9s were busy ! The Year 9 MYP Community Project continued this with Ideation Day on Wednesday led by Dean Beard. The students engaged in the next phase of their Community Project. During this longer day (4 periods), students worked with NGOs to understand the work they do in the local community. The aim was to have decided on their group focus by the end of the day. The next stage, the first of 4 follow up days to research their global issue and plan for the exhibition in the summer will take place on the 19th of February. More details to follow. Alongside this, Geography field trips organised by Louise Cosgrove were running all week as well as the baseline tests for literacy and numeracy organised by Jo Stamer.

This week during Assembly, Year 9 students were introduced to the exciting Innovators Course, an optional subject available next year as part of the GCSE programme. Detailed information about this course, along with all other subject offerings, can be found the year 9 option pages on Lionel. We would like to remind you that the option system has now reopened for students wishing to revise their subject choices, and it will close on Monday, February 10th. We encourage you to take this opportunity to discuss these options with your child this weekend. If you would like more information about the Innovators Course or year 10 subject choices, please contact Mr. Kent at Tristan.kent@kgv.edu.hk 

Cold Weather Warning !

With temperatures next week likely to fall further than this week, we want to make sure students are prepared, warm and still meet the KGV uniform expectations. The KGV uniform includes jumpers, fleeces, and windbreaks, all available from the ESF Uniform Shop. Where extra layers are required, please can these be worn under shirts, under jumpers etc, rather than instead of the KGV uniform.  Please click here for further details on the uniform policy.

And this concludes my first week at KGV! I look forward to meeting you all personally as the academic year progresses.

Year 11 Message

An exam entry validation document was issued to all Year 11 students this week. Please ensure you and your child check the details carefully, following the instructions and return it to the exam office drop-box by Tuesday 11th February.

Learning Reviews for Year 11 and 13 parents are scheduled for Monday 17th and Monday 24th from 2.30 pm to 5.30 pm. The system is open through the ESF App from 6pm this evening. To allow all parents access to teachers, if you saw your child's teacher in the November/December sessions, please don't book again.

Mock results will start to be shared with students. However, a thorough marking and moderation process will not be completed until Tuesday 18th February. We aim to publish a summary of all mock grades and feedback to you the day after. It is important that students reflect on their performance and learn what worked and what they might do differently for their final exams.

With temperatures next week likely to fall further than this week, we want to make sure students are prepared, warm and still meet the KGV uniform expectations. The KGV uniform includes jumpers, fleeces, and windbreaks, all available from the ESF Uniform Shop. Where extra layers are required, please can these be worn under shirts, under jumpers etc, rather than instead of the KGV uniform.  Please click here for further details on the uniform policy.

Year 10 Message

Year 10 students now have a full set of grades for all their subjects. Please review the progress your child is making and discuss with them any targets or goals they have for the rest of the year. Make sure these are specific and actionable, not vague like "I'll try harder" or "improve my grade". If the actions involve new habits or specific goals that we can help with, please reach out to your child's tutor to share.

Students are engaging in a stationery drive for the Crossroads charity, please ask them about this and encourage them to get involved.

With temperatures next week likely to fall further than this week, we want to make sure students are prepared, warm and still meet the KGV uniform expectations. The KGV uniform includes jumpers, fleeces, and windbreaks, all available from the ESF Uniform Shop. Where extra layers are required, please can these be worn under shirts, under jumpers etc, rather than instead of the KGV uniform.  Please click here for further details on the uniform policy.

Learning Reviews for Y11 & Y13

Learning Reviews for Year 11 and 13 parents are scheduled for Monday 17th and Monday 24th from 2.30pm to 5.30pm.

The system is open through the ESF App from 6pm this evening. In the App, tap Lionel 2 VLE > then tap the calendar (appointments) icon and choose a slot to see each teacher. You can book for either day. Bookings will close temporarily on Friday 14th, reopen on Monday 17th and then close again on Friday 21st.

If a teacher's name is not listed, it is because they are not available at that time. 

The meetings will be held online via Google meet. Come back to the same place in the app to export a list of meeting times and links or to access the Google meet link directly.

To allow all parents access to teachers, if you saw your child's teacher in the November/December sessions, please don't book again.

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.

Normal lead time for teachers to prepare reference is four working weeks.

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

Careers & H.E. Guidance

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.

The Y12 1-1 H.E. meetings have started Feb.  Our HE Counsellors have started meeting Y12s individual to discuss their post-KGV plans and intentions.  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)
11 Mar: University of Colorado Boulder (SSC1-2)
13 Mar: Keele University (SSC1-2)
17 Mar: University of Calgary (SSC1-2)

H.K.
15 Feb: HK Metropolitan University Admission Seminars
18 Feb: HKU Campus Admissions Talks
26 Feb: CUHK Medicine HOPE's Seminar on Paediatric Sleep-disordered Breathing

U.K.
Various dates in March: Falmouth University online event, various topics

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

Europe
25 Feb: Stay informed about Dutch universities

Japan
11 & 27 Feb: NUCB Global BBA Virtual Info Session

KGV Careers & H.E. Team

Dear Year 7 Parents of musicians,

The Music Academy is an alternative arts curriculum pathway that starts in year 8 for gifted and talented KGV musicians who are approximately grade 4 and above on an instrument. With this level of instrumental ability, students will have the opportunity to develop their musicianship to a much deeper level in the Music Academy, working alongside other high-level musicians. 

Looking further ahead, students that can achieve approximately grade 5+ standard by year 11, often score the very top marks at IGCSE Music, particularly in the performance part of the course. The Music Academy is an excellent opportunity to develop many of these skills in preparation for both IGCSE and IB Music. 

To find out more about the Music Academy for your Year 8 Arts subject choice please join the Online Google-Meet - https://meet.google.com/vch-ziro-pff on Wednesday 12th February 2025 at 6.00 pm. We will be hosting an information session targeted at parents (however, students are welcome to join the Google Meet to learn more about the programme too). 

Interested students may join the Music Academy Auditions Google Classroom

If you have any questions, please contact Ms. Leung at (melody.leung@kgv.edu.hk) 

Best wishes and hope to see you at the meeting this Wednesday.

KGV Music Department

Canteen Menu

10 - 14 February 2025