Principal's Message

Dear KGV Families,

One of our strategic priorities for this academic year is ensuring each student is ‘Known, Heard, Safe and Successful.’ Part of this work is ensuring students maintain healthy habits so they are ready to learn. By having clear routines and being well-organised, students will have greater control over what they are doing and feel equipped to be successful.

A key aspect of healthy habits relates to sleep. Speaking to a number of students this week, they reflected that they were going to bed very late and as a result were not getting enough sleep. We would always encourage our young people to get 8 to 10 hours of sleep a night, and to plan their studies and activities to enable this to happen. This will be particularly important for our Y11 and Y13 students as they move closer to their final examinations. By having a healthy sleep routine, students will have a key foundation for success in place.

We are also excited that we are nearing our Gala dinner. Celebrating 130 years of history, excellence and everything that makes KGV remarkable.! KGV PTSA warmly invites you to a Gala Dinner for our community at 7 pm on 30th April at Regent Hong Kong. All staff, families and friends are welcome! The night will feature student performances, a silent auction, the Red Stripes and much more. Please sign up by 28th March, and feel free to contact Kathy.Ribeiro@kgv.edu.hk if you have any questions.

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

Best regards,

Mark Poulsum

Year 8 & 9 Message

Dear Parents,

This week, our Year 8 and Year 9 students gathered for an engaging assembly led by Mr. Tranter that emphasised the importance of community and the values that shape it. This assembly provided a platform for students to reflect on what makes a successful community and the role each individual plays in fostering a supportive environment.

During the assembly, we discussed key characteristics of a thriving community, including being supportive, friendly, welcoming, inclusive, caring, safe, diverse, and open-minded. We encouraged students to consider how these values contribute to their experiences at school and how they can actively participate in creating a positive atmosphere.

We also addressed some concerning behaviours that have been observed recently, such as the use of inappropriate language and hurtful comments. Students were invited to share their experiences and feelings regarding these issues, prompting a discussion about the type of community we want to cultivate. It’s essential for our students to understand that a successful community requires collective effort and accountability.

A significant part of the assembly focused on the concepts of "bystander" versus "upstander." Students learned the difference between passively observing unfair actions and proactively standing up for inclusion and respect. We emphasised the importance of being upstanders in our community, encouraging students to take action when they witness something wrong.

As we move forward, we ask you to engage in conversations with your children about these values and the role they can play in promoting a positive school environment. Together, we can reinforce the messages shared during the assembly and empower our students to make a meaningful impact in their community.

Thank you for your ongoing support in fostering a caring and inclusive atmosphere at our school.

Neurodiversity Week 

We had the pleasure of celebrating Neurodiversity Week at our school this week, an important occasion dedicated to recognising the diverse strengths and challenges that each individual contributes to our community.

I would like to express my sincere appreciation to Ms. Gregory and her team, who worked tirelessly to organise a variety of engaging activities throughout the week. Their dedication to promoting understanding and inclusivity has truly enriched our students' experiences.

As we conclude this week, it’s crucial to remember that every neurodivergent person has a distinct profile. We should prioritise a person-centered approach that focuses on nurturing their strengths, fostering self-esteem, and allowing each student to thrive.

Empathy and acceptance are foundational values in our community. Let’s continue to create an atmosphere where every student feels valued and supported, celebrating the diversity that enriches us all. Together, we can build a more inclusive environment for everyone.

Thank you for your ongoing support in making our school a welcoming place for all.

Year 7 Message

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

This week we have been treated to some splendid music from some amazingly talented students, as we held our Inter-House Music competition. Throughout the week, students have been representing their Houses in vocal, instrumental and ensemble sections. Year 7s have been an integral part of these events and we have been proud of their contributions. Below are the students involved in the musical ensembles. Well done to all involved.

This week we also celebrated Neurodiversity Week. It was a wonderful way to reflect on all members of our community and to celebrate all of our uniqueness and strengths.

As we conclude this week, it’s crucial to remember that every neurodivergent person has a distinct profile. We should prioritise a person-centred approach that focuses on nurturing their strengths, fostering self-esteem, and allowing each student to thrive.

Empathy and acceptance are foundational values in our community. Let’s continue to create an atmosphere where every student feels valued and supported, celebrating the diversity that enriches us all. Together, we can build a more inclusive environment for everyone.

Finally, we have been made aware of an increasing number of students playing a game called Granny Zombies. This is a horror game containing particularly gory scenes. Mr Glover, our Learning Tech Coordinator, has added a separate section in this newsletter regarding online games. Please read through it carefully and consider using this to frame a conversation this weekend with your child about their online activities.

Have a great weekend.

Year 12 & 13 Message

Congratulations to all of our Year 12 and 13 students who performed at IHM this week.

Year 10 & 11 Message

Year 11 exams
The Year 11 final exam timetable is available here.

Students have individual printed timetables distributed to them by their tutors this week. They can check their candidate code on the whole school exam timetable. Please encourage them to enter the times and dates for each exam in their calendar to get as organised as possible.
An overview is still available so you can see at a glance the distribution of exams here:

Year 10 & 11
As technology continues to play an ever-growing role in our children's lives, it’s essential for us as adults to stay informed about the content they engage with - please see the Parents Info: Common Sense Media article in this newsletter by Lewis Glover, sharing a useful resource for parents.

We had the pleasure of celebrating Neurodiversity Week at our school this week, an important occasion dedicated to recognising the diverse strengths and challenges that each individual contributes to our community.

Ms. Gregory and her team organised a variety of engaging activities throughout the week. Their dedication to promoting understanding and inclusivity has truly enriched our students' experiences.

As we conclude this week, it’s crucial to remember that every neurodivergent person has a distinct profile. We should prioritise a person-centered approach that focuses on nurturing their strengths, fostering self-esteem, and allowing each student to thrive.

Empathy and acceptance are foundational values in our community. Let’s continue to create an atmosphere where every student feels valued and supported, celebrating the diversity that enriches us all. Together, we can build a more inclusive environment for everyone.

Thank you for your ongoing support in making our school a welcoming place for all.

Final Day of Term: Thursday 3rd April

This will be a dress casual day for all students.

School will finish at the normal time of 3.20 pm.

Term 3 starts on Tuesday 22nd April.

Dear Parents/Guardians,

As technology continues to play an ever-growing role in our children's lives, it’s essential for us as adults to stay informed about the content they engage with—especially when it comes to video games. To assist you in navigating this, I would like to remind you of an excellent resource that was mentioned during cyber safety talks: Common Sense Media.

Common Sense Media is a trusted website that provides comprehensive reviews of games, helping parents better understand their content and themes. This platform offers detailed insights, including information about:

Content: The type of gameplay, storylines, and themes featured in the game.

Suitability: Whether the game includes violence, inappropriate language, or other mature content.

Microtransactions: If the game includes additional purchases, such as skins, upgrades, or loot boxes.

Parental/Children Reviews: Feedback from other parents to give you a well-rounded perspective.

PEGI Ratings

Additionally, Common Sense Media includes the PEGI (Pan European Game Information) rating for each game, which is an official guide to age-appropriate content. This can be a valuable tool in determining whether a particular game is suitable for your child’s age and maturity level.

How Can You Use It?

Go to the site: https://www.commonsensemedia.org/

Search for a Game: Type the name of a game your child is interested in playing.

Read the Review: Check the detailed breakdown of its content, themes, and possible concerns.

Use the PEGI Rating as a Guide: Decide if the game aligns with your family’s values and your child’s age.

By using Common Sense Media, you’ll be empowered to make informed decisions about the games your child plays, ensuring that their screen time remains fun, educational, and age-appropriate.

To illustrate how useful the site is let me give you an example.

Granny Zombie Game Example

This game has returned to popularity lately with students due to memes being created about it. Some of our younger Year 7 and 8 students have been discussing it openly. Common Sense Media explains that it is a horror game with zombie characters which has a PEGI rating of 12. It has gory scenes and jump scares. Common Sense Media has some more detailed information that can be used by families to help decide the suitability of any game.

1. is also worth noting that the site also has reviews of TV, Movie and Book reviews.

If you have any questions or need further advice, please don’t hesitate to reach out.

Dear Parents,

We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to those who have already registered for our Gala Dinner. If you haven't purchased your tickets yet, we encourage you to do so soon! Tickets can be purchased via this Registration Link

We are excited to announce that our beloved KGV alumni, Anders Nelsson, will be our MC for the evening. In addition, we have a lineup of thrilling performances, including the Red Stripes Band and more.

If you are interested to donate items for our auction, please feel free to contact: Kathy.ribeiro@kgv.edu.hk

We look forward to celebrating with you!

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

To protect our students’ privacy, parental permission is required before KGV can release any student information to external parties. KGV will only fulfil requests once we have received this permission.

To request a school reference or grade summary, parents are kindly asked to complete this form.

Students should not use their KGV account to log in to this form. This is to ensure that parental consent is obtained before we release any student information.

Students should reach out to teachers to invite them to be recommenders. It is beneficial for students to provide teachers with information about the programme for which they are applying, as this helps in preparing meaningful recommendations.  Please be mindful of additional workloads on teachers when making these requests.

Typical lead time for teachers to prepare references 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 & Guidance

Year 13

Link of the week: NHS – Help your child beat exam stress

Applications & Decisions. 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 13 Exit Preparation. On Thursday 13 March, the H.E. Team presented our Y13s on procedures covering our support for students, including final transcript arrangements, student actions for H.E. and post-result actions. A similar session for parents is being planned. Stay tuned for the date.

IBO Result Service.  Students should check the exam pack sent by our Exam Office who looks after all matters related to IBO Result Service.  This service allows IBO to send students’ final IB exam results directly to specified universities right after result release.  This is crucial to confirm offers.

Year 12

Link of the week: UK Admissions Tests for 2026 entries, applicable to selected universities & courses.

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

The Y12 1-1 H.E. meetings. All appointments are now scheduled. Students should refer to the schedules posted on Google Classroom for their appointments.

Visit to HKUST's Academy of Interdisciplinary Studies is planned on 28 Apr (Mon). We have arranged a visit to HKUST’s AIS for our Year 12 students. Details on signup will be available soon.

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.

U.K.
25 Mar: UAL seminar in HK (student only)
28 Mar: University of Bath Webinar: Supporting your child: Student finance, scholarships, bursaries & budgeting (2025 entry)
28 Mar: Falmouth University Online Event: How to apply for accommodation 2025
16 Apr: Falmouth University Online Event: Budgeting for International Students Advice Session 2025
17 Apr: Falmouth University Online Event: Student Visa Information Session

Italy
22 Mar: Bocconi Meets Hong Kong

The Netherlands
27 Mar: Tilburg University Webinar: Bachelor’s programmes
8 Apr: Dutch University College Webinar

KGV Careers & H.E. Team

This year's Inter House Music competition had the theme of Magic, Awe & Wonder, which brought together a beautiful and outstanding selection of performances. Students have been able to enjoy 6 different competition categories throughout this week culminating in the Highlights Concert on Friday, featuring a selection of spellbinding performances from the different categories. 

Years 7-9 Junior Solo instrumental Winners: 1st Place - Muchi Shi (piano), 2nd Place - Even Chan (oboe), 3rd Place - Angelica Liu (piano). 

Years 7-9 Junior Vocal Winners: 1st Place - Kaylee Yeung, 2nd Place - Tara Li, 3rd Place Dip Kalathiya. 

Years 10-13 Senior Solo Instrumental Winners: 1st Place - Mary Cheng (violin), 2nd Place - Enoch Wai (piano), 3rd Place - Vanessa Li (violin). 

Years 10-13 Senior Solo Vocal Winners: 1st Place - Candice Castillo, 2nd Place - Ava Jang, 3rd Place - Monique Wong. 

The 2024-25 overall IHM winning house is Rowell, for the first time in over 14 years (last date tbc). Rowell also won first place in both the Junior and Senior Ensemble competitions. A special shout out to Sian Lee in year 12, who is awarded our Exceptional Senior Performer Award, given to a standout student who embodies the ethos of the music department throughout the competition. 

Congratulations to all students involved, and particular thanks to all the Music Captains. We encourage everyone to take part in IHM next year in an ensemble or as a soloist. We look forward to another spectacular year of music and competition!

Music CAS reminder - Orchestras and Choirs will start up again next week in preparation for our Summer Concert on Thursday 29th May. Please help us by encouraging your children to get involved.

The KGV Sport Tsunami shop will reopen on Friday 21st March until Thursday 3rd April. This will allow students the opportunity to purchase any sports kit they may require for their teams for term 3.

Students who are competing for KGV in a chosen sport should purchase their own top (and shorts/socks if needed) for that sport. You will be able to personify your tops with your name. Sports that require numbers will have available numbers randomly allocated to ensure we do not have any double-ups as per HKSSF rules.

If you are playing a term 3 sport (U12 football, U12 volleyball, U12/14 netball) and you have not ordered a kit, you should do so in this order.

Delivery will be the week beginning 8th May.

The following sports kit will be available to purchase.

• Football/Hockey (Tops - both home and away, shorts)
• Rugby (Tops, shorts)
• Basketball (Tops/Shorts)
• Netball
• Volleyball
• Ultimate frisbee/badminton/fencing (tops only) - These can also be purchased for a general training top
• Golf/equestrian/tennis/cricket (Tops only)
• Performance shorts

We currently also have a stock of basketball shorts, football/hockey/rugby socks and a range of hats available for purchase at the KGV shop at school.

There will be a sizing chart on the shop. Please check this carefully for correct sizing. If you are unsure, we can provide tops to try for sizing. Please come to the CAS office to organise this.

You can find the link to the store here: https://kgv.tsunami-sport.com/

24 - 28 March 2025